The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1954-04-09
Sports of the Times

There have been many great high
school basketball champions in the
state down through the years. And
there have been many great teams
that have been runnerS-up.
We saw two of the greatest two
weeks ago in the Cleveland Arena
when New Lexington St Aloysius
and Deiphos st. John clashed for
the state championship It was the
first time in Ohio's history that two
Catholic high schools met in the
final game.
Delphos st. John was heavily ia
vored. A Cleveland paper thought
Delphos had won the title after
the Semi-final round when they de-
feated Copley 1865. One Columbus
sports writer, when asked before
the game how he thought the
Knights would do, said, They
haven't got a chance" And another
Columbus sports writer merely
shook his head mo" when asked
the same question.
On the ramp leading to the st.
Aloysius dressing room, Father
Richard e. Dodd, diocesan youth
director, flatly stated the Knights
would win, and he knew more
about it than any expert" in the
place. For just five short years
ago, the same Father Dodd had to
convince school authorities that ST
Aloysius should have a basketball
team.
Boys had just been admitted to
heretofore well established girls
academy. So he had to start from
scratch. His material was scarce.
There were only Ii boys that first
year. There was no gym, no equip.
ment, no uniforms, and no sched-
uIe. They played other class B
schools reserve teams that first
season, and they lost more than
they won. But they were making
progress. The second year couple
of stars blossomed and the Knights
we're on their way.
The third year saw New Lexing-
ton st. Aloysius coming from no.
where to battle once-beaten Corn
ing down to the wire in the dis
trict finals.
They lost by one point and Corn
ing went on to the state finals. Fa-
ther Dodd left New Lexington be
fore another basketball season roll
ed around but he had left a well
established basketball team at a
! girls academy.
At this point Bob Fowle took
over the basketball reins, assisted
by the very capable Tony Lollo.
The Knights came up with fast
break sparked by Dick Dresse, Bob
Sagan and Mike Allen. They won
18 games before the season was
over and then dropped a close
69-62 tilt TO MiddIeport in the dis
trict tourney at Athens.
Then came the So 81 season. St
AloySius started with six straight
wins, lost a two pointer to Corning,
then won five more before being
stopped by Cincinnati DePorres by
two. Another win, then a three
point defeat to Lancaster st. Mary,
two more wins and four point loss
to Somerset Holy Trinity. Two
more wins over GAINESVILLE Rose
Grams and RuShville finished the
season. ST. AIS had won %, lost
four.
District tournament time - two
easy wins over Allensville and Mid
dleport then two tough ones,
| Rome-Canaan and Ames-Berne. The
Knights won. They were district
champions. Everyone was happy
!. and satisfied. Everyone except
Fowle, Lollo, FIR. Dodd, Sagan, AL
len, Smith, Missimi and Wollen-
berg.
The regional was rough. Philo
came in with % and one record.
They we're tournament hardened
The Electrics had gone to the final
round in the state the previous
year. They we're back for another
shot at the title. They had Joe
Brannon, an all-Stater from last
season, who was hitting in the high
twenties every game He hit 20 in
this one. But Sagan had 20 and AL
len had 33. st. Aloysius won 69-51.
The next night against Waverly
Sagan hit 28. Allen hit AT. ST.
AloySius won 1910. The Blue
Knights We're going to the state
finals.
They drew Westmont for the
opening game. Westmont had won
20 and lost only one during the
season. They'd beaten highly re-
garded Lockland Wayne in the
Troy regional. They were good.
But Sagan scored II and controll-
ed the rebounds, Smith played a
dazzling floor game, and Allen set
a new tournament record by net
ting 43 points. st. Aloysius won IL
81. They were one game away from
the title.
But a Cleveland paper said Del
phoS St. John had already won
the crown after the semi-final
game. And a Columbus sports writ
er said, They haven't got a
chance"
For a time it looked like he
might be right Delphos made four
straight shots and took an early