Three Upsets As 34th County Tourney Opens (2-15-56)

WHO WILL BE NEXT? That was the question being asked by followers of Tuscarawas County Class B Basketball today. It came up after mild upsets were sprung by Sugarcreek-Shanesville, Mineral City and Dundee as the 34th county tournament got underway at Dover's Memorial Hall last night. The Pirates of Sugarcreek-Shanesville, receiving a big lift from a surprise package in the person of Merle Clum, spanked Stone Creek 76-66; Mineral City's Tigers staved off a Tuscarawas rally to lasso the Broncos 57-53; and the Dundee Bulldogs, with Don Levengood in the starring role, clipped Bolivar 69-66. All three winning clubs had lost close decisions to their tourney-opening rivals during the regular season, but turned the tables as an indication that anything can happen on "Heartbreak Highway." Mineral City and Dundee had extra reason to celebrate. Mineral's win was its first in tourney battling since 1949 when the Tigers whipped two foes, Baltic and Sugarcreek-Shanesville. Dundee had not won in the tourney since 1953. The double-elimination meet will continue Thursday night when Stone Creek takes on Tusky in the first consolation bracket encounter at 7:30 and Baltic faces Port Washington in a first round fray at 8:45. On Friday night Bolivar will meet the loser of the Baltic-Port tussle at 6:30, league champion Strasburg goes against Sugarcreek-Shanesville at 7:45, and Gnadenutten vies with Mineral City at 9.
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Wednesday, February 15, 1956
The Daily Reporter
Dover, Ohio