The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1942-03-26

Bob Burkholder and the two who
made all-tournament teams.....
Nothing spectacular" said cne Col
umbus paper referring to Buttons
style of play, but the article went on
to say that the locals had the hardest
working, coolest outfit entered. $50.
Therein really rests the story of the
Bluffton teams success, and their |
showing was so good that it could
even be rated an upset when streak
of luck gave indicated Bremen vie
tory over the Dillermen. -.
%%*
You've heard it re-hashed over and
over on the streets this week. =. If
so-and-so had done this, or what's
his-name had acted thus in the clos
ing minutes of the game, Bluffton
would have won. :. But remember,
the Bremen team missed shots, too, in
those feeting seconds, and did things
a rabid fan might have looked upon
as misplays. :. In reality, even in de-
feat the Bluffton outfit looked every
bit the champions they are. j. 1t was
luck that gave Bremen the nod in
those hectic seconds, not any letdown
on the part of Coach Dwight OILERS
courageous boys; so let's cut out the
Monday morning coaching" and give
them the big hand they really de-
serve.
Somerset, new Glass B champion,
likely would have broken the hearts
of any team playing against them
Saturday night. Time after time
Bremen staged game rallies to fight
back into the running, only to see
their foes pull away again with SEEM
ingly impossible trick shots that rarly
failed to miss. ;. Somerset was Grid
ing in luck" so much so that on one
occasion Brennan man attempted to
block Somerset pass at the foul cir
Gle only to have the ball bound into
the air and afll thru the net for a
Somerset field goal ......
Incidentally, Somerset's champions
come from Perry county, also home of
the 1941 title winners, Glenford. At
the start of the season, little Bob
Starkey, guard, and an all-state Sc
lection, was a substitute, but he soon
broke into action and in four games
he showed tournament fans that he
was every inch champion.
There were plenty of Bluffton cage
followers in the stands for every ses-
sion, but the largest turnout was Sat-
urday afternoon when hundreds brow
ed the spring rain storm to wend their
way south. :. That youth is in the
spirit and not in years was demon
strated when you saw in the crowd
Mrs. Minnie Patrick, formerly of
Bluffton, who now lives in Springfield,
and Mrs. Martha Flick, who went all
the way from here to see the show. :.
In passing out the laurels, Coach
Dwight Diller cannot be overlooked.
His outfit was one of the best drilled
in the tournament, and the style of
play his aggregation used was well
come relief from the "race-horse" va
riety most of the title contenders de-
pended on {. 1t was the second team
Coach Diller has taken to the state
tournament since he came here four
years ago, but it was his third tourn-
ament appearance, for he was varsity
center on the 1881 Bluffton team that
also was sectional and regional cham
ionship outfit.
Ralph West, former Bluffton resi-
dent ,and now sporting goods sales
man, was the Bluffton rooter who
came the farthest to see the old home
town team i'm the tournament. :. His
home is in Chicago, but business had
brought him eastward, and he found
time to root heartily for the Pirates
in the opening game of the tourna-
ment.