PHOTO: Baltic Eagles. FRONT ROW - John Rice (left), Bob Ladrach, Dick Lautensaleger, Charles McPherson, Sam Jacobs. SECOND ROW - Assistant Coach Jim Landon (Port Alumni) (left), Bill Froelich, Gary Gerber, Gary Mast, Dave Brger, Coach Tom Bellville.
PHOTO: Tuscarawas Broncos. FRONT ROW - Larry Veigel (left), Gary Caviness, Paul Cerana, Phil Meese, Chester Summers, Ben Metzger. SECOND ROW - Terry Rainsberg (left), Bill Johnson, Dean Kerns, Bud Eckert, Dick Robinson,, Coach Kermit Smulbach. Absent - Charles McCaHill.*
Tuscarawas County's nine Class "A" scholastic basketball teams are ready and raring to go in the 37th annual tournament which opens tomorrow night at Memorial Hall. And almost anyone could come away with the title. Midvale, although it finished its second straight unbeaten league season last Friday night, isn't expected to have as easy a time in repeating as tournament champion. The Blue Devils, who meet Baltic tomorrow night at 7:45 in the second game of a 3-game program, downed the Eagles 73-71 in league play. Midvale topped Gnadenhutten 70-63 after losing an earlier 78-76 decision, Stone Creek 45-42 and Strasburg 66-65 and 73-53. Those three teams are the other upper bracket opposition. Other games tomorrow night will pair Stone Creek and Strasburg at 6:30 and Tuscarawas Valley and Tuscarawas at 9. Tuscarawas Valley, which takes an overall 17-1 season mark into the meet, and Garaway, the league's fourth-place finisher, share the honors as having the best defense. In league action this season, the Trojans and Pirates permitted only 51.1 points to be scored against them. Tusky Valley averaged only 52.8 points on the offensive, but Coach Jim Stull's Bucs are right on the heels of Midvale's 70-point per game offensive with a 67.4 mark. Third-place Gnadenhutten ended almost even with a 59.4 mark on the offense and 56.4 on defense. Either of the three quintets could unseat the high-flying Devils. On top of that, Gnadenhutten and Tusky Valley have the first and third leading scorers in the county. Ron Bradley of the Tribe totaled 217 points in league action and has an overall total of 501 for a 26.4 average. Ben Price, the Trojans' 6-5 forward, meshed 178 points in loop action and has 389 for the season - an average of 21.6 a game. Port Washington, the loop's cellar-dweller, has the unenviable distinction of having the poorest offensive and defensive record in the county. The Riders averaged only 48.7 on the offense, while permitting a whooping total of 75.3 points per game. However, they have one of the finest small players in the area in 5-5 Bill Phillips, who totaled 383 points in 18 games. Stone Creek, which has shown flashes of brilliancy during the season, has a top scorer in Jim McAfee and one of the best rebounders in the county in Harold Lahmers. McAfee has an 18-point average overall. The Panthers also have a balanced attack, with Lahmers totaling 254 points, Dan Wherley 189 and Terry Sauser 156. Strasburg averaged 51.1 points a game, while permitting 61.8 in loop competition; Tuscarawas 55.3 and 62.1; Stone Creek 50 and 51.9, and Baltic 65.7 and 66.7. In the overall records, Baltic has the second leading scorer in John Rice, who has tailled 426 points, an average of 22.5 per game. Tuscarawas will be led by Gary Caviness, whose 22.5 overall average is also rated one of the best in the area, while pacing Strasburg this past season has been Frank Wallick who has totaled 257 points. Midvale probably has the best balanced team in the county. Ron Breniser has 357 points for the season, Tom Belknap 212, Bill Housel 190, Haines Hairston 189 and Tom Krocker 123. The latter has played only eight games and his 15-point average is among the best.
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Monday, February 9, 1959
The Daily Reporter
Dover, Ohio
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