The globe-independent. (Hagerstown, Md.) 1943-19??, 1946-12-19
Legion Five Win
Over Harrisburg
Break Into Win Column III
Close Contest - To Meet
Goodyear Quintet On Sunday
BY Joe Snyder

| by JUG pHtuSl
Bouncing back with a vociferous
bang after a rather dismal showing
in their home debut with the Balti-
more Caseys a scant week before,
the rejuvenated Morris Frock Leg
ionares made their belated entry in
to the victory column a decidedly i'm
pressive one, as they squeezed OUT a
GIGS win over the stubborn Harris
burg ANVETS in a rousing battle at
the State Armory last Sunday, be-
fore another disappointingly small
crowd.
Flashing a polished brand of ball
that left little to be desired in most
respects, the very antithcsis of their
dull Performance against the Cascys,
the Legionaircs were forced to 30
full force to the final gun to take
this one, and even then with three
valuable men, in the person of Vic
Barnhart, Jim Brode and Hink Row
an watching the closing portions
from the bench as victims of the
personal foul rule.
| But rising from the ranks of the
unknown to Supplant them in the
Legion machine came two pretty fair
country ball-players by the name of
Cal WelliVer, basketball mentor over
at Waynesboro High, and Hal Green,
ex-Shippensburg star, signed last
week by the local club. Both gave
stellar exhibitions; Welliver person
ally accounted for ten of his teams
seventeen first-quarter points, and
it was Green who potted a beautiful
long shot from near mid-court, with
seconds remaining, to give the Leg
ionaires the slim margin by which
| they were returned victorious.
Overshadowing the great play Of
both these boys though, was the
sterling performance turned in by
hulking Joe Cacovic, a former Penn
State standout now cavorting in the
pivot spot for the AMVETS. Be
sides playing a bang-up game under
the boards, the boX-score credits him
with eight goals from the field and
the astounding total of thirteen
losses from the charity line, making
him the days top point-getter with
I29.
Evidently the practice sessions held
by Coach Pete Nistad during the
week reaped big rewards, for the
Legionaires passed with uncanny ac-
curacy and let fly at the cords with
mid-season precision. Or maybe it
was just their day.
Game Starts Close
Ignoring the fact that Harrisburg
had built up a seven-point advant-
age on them after only five minutes
of action, the Legion finished sur
prisingly strong in the opening per
iod to take a meager 17-15 lead as
it came to a close. Welliver, as we
mentioned before, was the big gun,
hitting on all kinds of seemingly i'm
possible shots to shove his team
ahead in the latter part of the heat
And so it continued, everything
even-steven, until eight minutes of
the second canto were history, and
then the AMVETS, not to be denied
in their quest of a victory, opened
up with a barrage of baskets that
ran Hagerstown into the ground, 80
33, as intermission roller around.
! By the end of the third quarter,
the Harrisburgers had pulled away
by still another field goal, and stood
in front by the none-too-secure mar
gin of So to As as the contest entered
into bruising payoff period.
Legion Takes Game
A long shot by Bunny Letter, two
more by Barnhart, and still another
by Rowan, and the Legionaires were
once more in a position to save the
game from the reckoning jaws of
defeat Barney and Bunny added
three more to the cause, with Cacovic
and Jimmy Hernjak countering for
Harrisburg.
After Cacovic had put the AM
VETS in the drivers seat again with
a free throw the Capital Cityites
attempted to freeze the ball in the
front-court But Bill Binder was
fouled and he eleced to shoot rather
than take the ball out-of- bounds.
He did make the shot, but that gave
Hagerstown the ball and it broke
the horses back, so to speak.
Pete Nistad took a rifle pass in the
foul circle, pivoted, and swished the
shot that tied everything up at So
all. Then the sharp-shooting Green,
always on the alert intercepted a
Harrisburg pass at mid-court, set
himself and netted the goal the
AhHUFTC EooIyo,,