The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1957-12-19

dogs, who have not won a game in
six attempts. Bluffton, in particular,
win be shooting for Columbus Grove,
team they have never beaten in
Founders hail.
The Bulldogs rang up the highest
score in the history of the tourna-
ment when they defeated smaller,
slower Bluffton team 72-49 in the
championship round of the very first
tournament, back in 1852 Since that
time they have upset strong Bluff
ton teams twice. In 1854 it was 57-51
and the next year they broke a sew
en-game winning streak for the Pi-
rates with $3.50 victory.
Once again the Pirates should be
entering the carnival with an unbeat-
en- record and their first opponent
will be Columbus Grove. If they can
beat the apparently weak Bulldogs
they will meet the winner of the
evenings other game for the carnival
championship the following evening.
Pirate And Hornets Favored
On the surface it appears that
Bluffton and Cory-Rawson should
meet in the final on Saturday eve
ming. Cory-Rawson has already beat
en- their Friday opponent, the Rock
cts, once this season.
Bluffton has only one common op-
ponent with Columbus Grove This
was Shawnee, a team which held the
Bulldogs scoreless for 13 straight
minutes in marking a 56-27 victory
Just one week later Shawnee rolled
over and played dead as the Pirates
won 55-44.
Still, pass records mean nothing in
this carnival, as the upset record of
the past few years has proved.
Even with last years defeat hang
ing in their mouths the Columbus
Grove record of 80 is far and away
the best mark of the tournament.
Only Bluffton with a SIS mark has
even reached the 500 point Cory
Rawson stands 4-6, while Pandora-Gil-
boa, a stranger to the finals until
last season, is 81.
Columbus Grove won the champ
pionships in 1852, 1853, and 1855,
surrendering to Cory-Rawson in 1854
and Bluffton in 1856.
Keller, Bucher Top Scorers
Still the top individual scorers for
the carnival are Cory-Rawson' s
George Keller and Bluffton's Tom
Bucher Keller poured3in 81 points in
two games in 1854, breaking the two
game total of az set by Bucher in
1852. Bucher's mark still stands as
the second highest individual mark
set in the five years.
While Grove has posted the highest
score. 72 against Bluffton in 1852, the
low mark is shared by Cory-Rawson
and Pandora-Gilboa. The Rockets
took a 70-34 beating from Cory-Raw-
son in 1854, a game in which Keller
alone scored 38. Last year the tables
were turned as Bluffton blitzed the
Hornets 65-34 in the opening round
The 81 points turned in by these two
squads are the low marks of futility
Tight, LOw-Scoring Games
AS rule the scores in these carni-
val games have been somewhat
lower than regular season scores.
Most important factor is probably the
huge floor at Founders hall, much
larger than any of the high school
basketball courts.
This years carnival will have Cory
Rawson meeting Pandora -Gilboa at
7:30 p. m. Friday. December 2S, with
Bluffton and Columbus Grove playing
in the evenings finale at 8 p. m. The
following night the two losers will
play at 1880 with the winners meet
ing for the championship at g. p m.
The tournament is sponsored and
managed by the Bluffton Junior
Chamber of Commerce. Gate receipts
from the games are given to the par
ticipating schools. In turn the Jay
Gees handle all concessions and pay
all expenses for the tournament.
Tickets for the carnival can be OBJ
tanned at all four competing schools,
Smiths Barber shop and Koonn's
Sinclair Service in Bluffton. Tickets
will also be on sale at Founders hall
on the nights of the games.