Tiger All-Ohioan John Studer battles Southeastern's Roger Skaggs for a rebound. Trying to lend an assist to his Panther teammate is Ray Tackett.
John Studer, Ohio's Class A Player of the Year and a 1st team All-Ohio selection the 2nd straight year, shows his class in driving for 2 points.
Strasburg center Ed Yackey (53) tumbles over a Southeastern player who is in the process of grappling for possession of the ball with another Tiger. In the background is Strasburg's Art (Butch) Haswell.
Tiger forward Ed Rusk (21), Strasburg's game-ending hero, pulls down a rebound after screening off Southeastern's Doug Hill. In position to add a helping hand is Ed Yackey (53).
Ed Yackey and Gene Bayer of Strasburg have got Southeastern's Roger Skaggs fenced in as the trio scrambles for possession of an elusive basketball.
Victory has its agonies, too, if the expressions of this quartet of Strasburg girls can be used as any measuring stick. They are Tyke Studer, sister of Tiger All-Ohioan John Studer and Bengal cheerleaders Paula Van Posson, Sandy Wallace and Connie Ball.
Ed Rusk of the Strasburg Tigers gets just reward.
These are real crocodile tears being shed by Strasburg student Janie Hoover. But she's crying because Strasburg won.
Victory brings joy and when it was as difficult to attain as yesterday's Strasburg win over Southeastern it also brings tears. Both can be seen in this photograph of the cheering section.
COLUMBUS - If you've ever seen anyone beaming with a gigantic smile, while tears of joy poured down his face then you've got the picture of the post-game St. John Arena dressing room. It was all that and more. There was complete bedlam after the battling Bengals (26-0) came from behind to defeat Southeastern's Panthers (21-5) 55-54. If there was a person who kept his cool; however, it was Tiger Head Coach Charles Huggins. Huggins, although besieged by members of the press corps and well wishers, limited his comments to observing that the turning point of the game came when the Tigers applied a press midway through the final period.
"They were setting the pace up to that point," Huggins explained. "When we're playing our running game, we're playing at our best. We just stood around that 1st half. When you stand around anyone can defense you." He also commented, "My boys were either too tight or had been reading their press clippings too much. I think it was a combination of both and I got on them about it at halftime." Huggins was very displeased with the Associated Press' timing on the announcement of John Studer's selection as Class A Player of the Year. "It places too much pressure on a boy competing in the State Tournament and I've never seen a player of the year come down here and do a good job."
Strasburg was off its normal game until the last minutes. If it sounds like a serious case of the jitters, then the Bengal players had every right to have a good dose. Some undoubtedly were still shaken by a near-accident involving an automobile carrying Coach Huggins and John Studer, Ed Yackey, Ed Rusk and Gene Bayer. En route to Columbus, after leaving Strasburg High at 7:30AM, the Tiger caravan ran into hazardous road conditions. The auto with Huggins, et al, turned completely around on the icy highway once, nearly resulting in a serious mishap. The team arrived at its Hospitality Inn headquarters 1.5 hours late, then ate a hasty lunch so that it could arrive at St. John Arena on time for its date with tournament destiny.
Huggins started Tiger All-Ohioan Studer at guard to get as much height as possible in the front line. But, the Bengal mentor switched strategy at the outset of the 2nd half, moving Studer under the boards. He responded by scoring 18 of his 22 points. Head Coach Dave Augsburger of Southeastern predicted after his team's heart-breaking loss that Strasburg would win the State Championship. It was the 2nd consecutive year an Augsburger-coached Southeastern team lost in the State semi-finals. And the Panther mentor, after seeing his team hold the lead until the final second, felt it should have won. Augsburger had high praise for Strasburg's John Studer, Associated Press Class A Player of the Year. He commented that Studer deserved his all-state rating and credited the 6-3 Senior with bringing Strasburg back into the game.
Studer connected for 7 field goals in 18 attempts, made 8 of 9 from the foul line and grabbed 17 of Strasburg's 42 rebounds. Bengal pivotman Ed Yackey made 6 of 8 from the floor and had 8 rebounds, while Gene Bayer pulled down 7 caroms and Charlie Jones 6. Southeastern ace Doug Hill, a 5-11 Junior, was almost phenomenal from outside. He hit 10 of 18 floor shots, all from at least 20 feet away and swished 4 of 5 free throws. Mike Miller had 11 of Southeastern's 37 rebounds and Roger Skaggs latched onto 7.
This most certainly must be the 1st time that Strasburg has been 2nd in the marksmanship department. The Tigers made but 20 fielders in 57 attempts for 35.1 percent. Southeastern made 22 of 55 for 41.8 percent. But, Strasburg made up the difference at the foul line where it meshed 15 of 18 as compared to the Panthers 8 of 14.
Phillips to Haswell to Studer to Rusk may never rank with Tinker to Evers to Chance, but it's the combination that clicked to put the Tigers within reach of a "double killing." That's the round the ball made before ending in Rusk's hands to set the stage for his final second shot. The play was called by Huggins in the huddle after time out was called with 9 seconds to play. Studer was set up as the man to get the ball for the last shot with Rusk the alternate.
Strasburg's Head Coach Charles Huggins got over temporary speechlessness after the unbeaten Tigers' toughest test to laud, "They just didn't give up. They never quit." Of Ed Rusk's winning basket, Huggins said the last shot play was "set up for John Studer (All-Ohio, 22 points this game) with Rusk screening. But Studer was covered and Rusk took the shot. "What a shot!" Huggins exclaimed.
STRASBURG TIGERS - 55
John Studer 7-(8-9)-22
Ed Rusk 2-(3-5)-7
Ed Yackey 6-(0-0)-12
Gene Bayer 2-(1-1)-5
Charlie Jones 1-(3-3)-5
Gary Phillips 1-(0-0)-2
Art (Butch) Haswell 1-(0-0)-2
ROSS-SOUTHESTERN PANTHERS - 54
Don Jordon 4-(3-4)-11
Mike Miller 1-(0-1)-2
Roger Skaggs 2-(1-3)-5
Doug Hill 10-(4-5)-24
Ray Tackett 6-(0-1)-12
Arlie Francis 0-(0-0)-0
Ronnie Blanton 0-(0-0)-0
Saturday, March 18, 1967
Ed Smith
The Daily Reporter
Dover, Ohio
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