The Courier-News from Bridgewater, New Jersey • Page 24

Jersey Foes Prove Tough. for Area Teams miellen, S. Plainfield Bow; SfSfiTill 04 COUKIER-NEWsft March 19' 1962 Westfield Rally Falls Short By HUGH DELANO Haddonfield The Plainfield area's three delegates to the state basketball tniirnflmpnt finals Dunellen, South Plainfield and Westfield today are iyoi-oz won-iosi records ana central Jersey sectional suoremacv. But there are no state tuduipiuiiMiips auomms me aisinci scnoois otnerwise auspicious campaigns. All were beaten in convincing fashion by high-powered North Jersey teams in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association's 44th annual tournament here Saturday at Delaware Valley Garden.

West Orange Mountain subdued South Plainfield, 55-43, to win the Group 2 championship; Mountain Lakes whipped Dunellen, 88-66, to secure Group 1 honors, The A if 'n. anu weequanic snaaea. wesuieia, oo-oz, in the Uroup 4 Iinaie. if 11 RACK By HUGH DELANO pointing with pride to successful Westfield The margin was at the foul line as Weequahic's aggressive forces built an early lead, then quelled repeated Westfield sec ond-half surges to win their first siate championship in a sus- penseful duel viewed before gathering of 4,500 spectators. But free throw frequency was not the sole deciding factor in the Indians' 24th conquest in 27 games and Westfield's third loss in 26 encounters.

Weequahic received excellent performances from a pair of 6-foot-3 seniors, Chris Pervall and Al Friedman, and also was the benefactor of junior Wendy Weequahic Westfield 'V MYERS AGAINST MYERS High's Dick Myers scoots past i. I -4" Vs Friedman 3 2 8 Post 4 4 12 Stewart 10 2 Lewis 10 2 Pervall 7 11 25 King 9 0 18 C. Myers 2 2 6 D. Myers 6 0 12 Bethea 7 0 14 Whitaker 2 0 4 Carver 2 0 4 Rushforth 0 0 0 Total 20 15 55 Total 24 4 52 Weequahic 13 17 I 1755 Westfield 10 16 1852 Officials Leboff, Dubin. during action in Group 4 state game at Haddonfield.

Weequahic Westfielders, 55-52. South Plainfield A poor first-half shooting performance and subpar rebounding by South Plainfield was coupled with a superb shooting exhibition and a tenacious man-to-man defense by West Orange Mountain in the afternoon inaugural of the day's four-game championship program. The Rams were accurate on 21 of 42 shots from the floor for a .500 percentage and converted 13 of 16 foul tries to complete their second varsity season with an unmarred 25-0 log. Coach Tony Cotoia's Tigers, who finished at 20-4, found the W. Orange Mountain South Plainfield Zamat Poe McGovern Brotman Cacioppe Levitt Bet low Kline Riker Levenson McCartney Doben Kadash Liebowitz 3 17 Slater 3 17iTarnowskI 1 1 Kozumbo 1 9 Kuboski 4 lOHarris 0 0 Steele 1 5 1 5 11 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Timko 0 McLaughlin 1 Spisso 0 Stevens 0 51 Total 21 13 55 Total 16 11 43 W.

Orange Mountain 10 15 12 1855 South Plainfield 8 7 12 1643 Officials Sterling, MacArthur. range on only 16 of 50 field goal attempts for a .320 average South Plainfield was ll-for-16 at the foul line, hut didn't en joy its expected rebounding control and permitted Mountain's swift, crisp-passing quintet a 25-16 edge off the boards. Many of the Tigers' difficulties were noticeable at the offensive board. Mountain played a precision man-to-man defensive game and it was apparant to the vociferous crowd of 2,300 that this close-guarding alignment stymied South Plainfield in the first half. The Rams forced the Ti gers back to virtually mid-court on many occasions and produc ed seven thefts as the losers tried to work the ball in close.

Cotoia's green-suited Central Jersey champions stuck with a zone defense but assigned a man to guard the Ram's Mark Zamat during the first half. The move backfired when Harvey Poe broke loose for 12 first-half points while Zamat was held to four tallies. The Tigers then concentrated on Poe in the final two quarters and limited the 6-foot-2 senior to five points. But Zamat, an extremely agile 6-2 forward, thwarted the plan by flipping in 13 second-half points. Zamat tossed in six outside shots and a breakaway layup in 13 tries and added 3 of 4 A.

4 4 vV v. Westfield Weequahic's Hockey at a Glance NATIONAL LEAGUE it Pts. GF GAl Charlie Myers championship edged Marren tosses guarding by (24) and Pete encounter. South were beaten. in ,7 i i I it vv 5 i I i sf i A'i J' iv i I -'w 4 v' i' A' I Id -l I i.

1 A I 1 I. l-eii? State Cage Tournament Finals: Area Teams, Fans Both Suffer Haddonfield Random thoughts on random tournament topics: What went wrong? Where did the Plainfield area's three state basketball tournament finalists falter? Was the opposition really that good? Or was it just another in the cycle of upheavals in the traditionally topsyturvy tournament? Here's how district coaches viewed their teams' abortive quests for titles in Saturday's finale at Delaware Valley Garden: -tV Tony Cotoia, South Plainfield: "We didn't rebound and we shot poorly in the first half, but mostly it was our lack of speed. We have nice balance when we win and I guess it's the same when we lose. They (West Orange Mountain) shot well and played a good defensive game." John Lay, Westfield: "Weequahic deserves credit for a fine effort. They never let up.

Their defense was great they didn't make many mistakes and seldom committed fouls." Mike Shello, Dunellen: "Mountain Lakes was the tallest team we've faced this season. They're a big, strong club extremely aggressive. We just couldn't rebound against them." Plainfield area supporters turned out in full force and in good voice "Must be a goldrush somewhere," remarked a weary Turnpike ticket-taker glancing at the long line of cars backed up at Exit 4 A Philadelphian arrived at noon and was startled by the mass of pennant-waving students seeking entrance into the arena "Big crowd for a hockey game," said he There was no hockey played but the chill from metal chairs and concrete floor made many courtside observers think they were sitting rinkside at Madison Square Garden. Three scholastic coaches from the Philadelphia area took in the proceedings and left extolling the backcourt play of Westfield's Dick Myers Bob King's 18 points raised the big fellow's total to 555. And just think he's only a junior! Dunellen's Bob Durham wound up the season with 465 points But the Destroyer to watch next season is sophomore Tom Marren, a gifted ball-handler and shooter.

Many spectators may not have noticed but Mountain Lakes' blond guard John Miller is a youngster who hasn't let a physical handicap get him down The husky senior plays with an underdeveloped right arm But the handicap of shooting and ball-handling with one good arm didn't slow his progress He scored 18 points with hard driving and stole several enemy passes. Quite an entourage of district coaches tried to outguess working mentors Among them Ray Schnitzer of Scotch Plains, Nick Chrisicos of Plainfield and Somer-ville's Sam Yohn The tournament is the first in 30 years that Sammy hasn't officiated in either semifinal or final-round action Piscataway's Bob Sterling enjoyed one of his rare breaks after officiating the South Plainfield-Mountain game Bob and his wife had every reason to feel proud when their son played in the last quarter for Dunellen Clarke Folsom, NJSIAA liaison man, had a busy day He refereed one game, then returned to duties as press relations purveyor and scoring table troubleshooter. It will be a long time before most spectators forget Delaware Valley Garden. At best, the place Is big. But the inside chill sent many scurrying outside to "warm up" between games "We used to call It the Ice house," an attendant explained.

Since when does changing a name provide spectator comfort? Coaches decried litter and water seepage in team dressing rooms There was unnecessary confusion in the flow of arriving spectators But by far the biggest disappointment beell student supporters The kids who came to "bring home a winner" were shuttled into seating sections under the eaves well beyond the playing area A poor vantage point They deserved a better fate. It's a shame the tournament was tarnished by inconveniences here, but don't blame these unfortunate happenings on NJSIAA officials Rumors are rife the tournament will move elsewhere next year. Where it goes is anyone's guess With the tournament ended, kudos are directed to Jim Growney, NJSIAA secretary-treasurer, and his staff for their efficient handling of the month-long event It should be of interest to a certain Bridgewater-Raritan High athletic director that NJSIAA officials are extolling the Bridgewater gym as one of the state's best tourney sites "Everything was handled very well up there," Growney declared. At 11:15 p.m. the last spectators were straggling from the arena The cleanup crew slowly pushed their brooms Hamburger stands were closing Cigarette smoke formed a blue-gray halo drifting cloud-like above the scoreboard clock A newsman's typewriter clacked crisply Moments before jubilant Weequahic players danced the twist and carried their trophy-hugging coach from the court A mother stared silently at the score-board's red glow A father spoke soft words of cheer to a losing player A cheerleader wept It v.

as that kind of day for Plainfield area teams. BIDDING FOR POINTS South Plainfield's Walt Kozumbo (32), in photo at left, drives past West Orange Mountain's Joe McGovern in Group 2 state tournament game at Haddonfield. At right Dunellen sophomore Tom in two-pointer despite close Mountain Lakes' Jay Scribner Eldredge (13) during Group 1 Plainfield and Dunellen Dunellen I twill AJW1VU uuag 4J irecord is the best ever in Morris County, blended superior re bounding, passing and driving tactics to overwhelm Dunellen and pin the eighth loss in 24 games on Coach Mike Shello's losers. In a contest where rarelv a minute elapsed without a profusion of personal foul infraction, play often was ragged as both teams resorted to run-and shoot maneuvers. About 3,500 persons watched the evening inaugural.

Pete Eldredge, Jay Scribner and John Miller provided the Mountain Lakes Dunellen Scribner Clifford Eldredge Howard Miller Whiting McCabe Marsden Caldwell Van Til Storm Hopkins O'Oonnell Weber 9 10 3 23 3 3 Marren 22 Benner 2 8 Weiner 2 18 Pasko 1 11 Robinson 0 Wertz 0 OjWyckoff 0 0 Bobel 1 North 0 ((Sterling 0 2 Ay res 0 01 9 10 28 2 2 6 0 0 1 1 0 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 Salens Total 30 26 86 Total 23 20 66 Mountain Lakes 16 22 26 22 66 Dunellen 16 17 24 66 uniciais Hoagiand, Shriner, Lakers with a three-pronged onensive that combined for 61 points. The 6-foot-4 Eldredge swished 7 of 12 shots and 8 of 11 fouls for 22 points. Scribner (6-5) was accurate on 6 of 11 from the floor and 9 of 10 at the line for 21 points. He cleared 15 rebounds and Scribner 13 as the taller Lakers gained a 44-19 rebounding advantage. The bull dozing Miller deposited 18 points, mostly on power drives up the lane.

The blue-clad Lakers made 30 of 79 field goals and 26 of 39 fouls to Dunellen's 23-for-70 from the floor and 20-of-31 at the stripe. Both clubs used man-to-man defenses, with the winners more effective as at tested by their nine pass thefts. Had it not been for Bob Dur ham and Tom Marren, Dunellen's closing deficit would have been greater than 20 points. Durham missed his first nine shots of the came but erupted for 13 markers in the second period. He banked four jump shots, three at the foul line and drove off a screen for another basket.

Durham wound up the anernoon with 23 points, netting 10 of 31 shots and 3 of 6 free tosses. The pair totaled 51 points together. Marren Opens Fire Marren provided Dunellen supporters with a heartening exhibition. The 6-foot sophomore tallied 28 points high for the tournament finals. He twisted through the Lakers' tight defense to sink four layups in six tries and converted all eight free throwi for a 16-point fourth quarter.

The Destroyers never led in their abortive quest for a fourth state title. Shello's forces forced opening period ties at 2-2 and 5-5 before the Morris quintet picked off three errant passes and turned them into six and five-point salvos. Scribner scored five of the points and Eldredge deposited a twister from the pivot to stake the winners to a lasting lead at 7-5. In complete control of the boards, Mountain Lakes opened gaps at 26-13 and 28-15 in the second period. After Durham banked 10 successive Destroyer points to prune the deficit to 34-25 with 45 seconds left, Miller scored on three fast breaks to parlay a 38-25 intermission bulge.

The Lakers broke loose for 26 points in the third period to seal the verdict. They took their bis gest ieaa with a 10-2 spurt for a 55-32 lead midway through the period. Both sides substiuted freely in the final period and Dunellen took a 24-22 period edge when John North flipped in two one-handers in the final 40 seconds. College Basketball By The Associated Press NCAA TOURNEY Regional Finals Wake Forest 79, Villanova 69 Ohio Stat 74, Kentucky 64 Cincinnati 73, Colorado 46 UCLA 88, Oregon State 69 Regional Consolations Butler 87, Western Kentucky 86 NYU 94, St. Joseph's (Pa.) 85 Crelghton 63, Texas Tech 61 Pepperdlne 75, Utah State 71 NIT TOURNEY First Round Holy Cross 72, Colorado State 71 Duquesne 70, Navy 58 Quarter-Finals Chicago Loyola 75, Temple 64 Dayton 94, Houston 77 NCAA SMALL COLLEGE TOURNEY Championship Wt.

St. Mary's (Md) 58, Sacramento Mare For Third Southern Illinois 98, Neb. Wesleyan II NAIA TOURNEY Championship Prairie View (Tex.) 62, Westminster Ira. 53 For Third Southeastern Okla. 76, West.

Illinois (2 Pro Basketball By The Associated Press NBA (Divisional Semifinals) Saturday's Results Cincinnati 129, Detroit 107 Yesterday's Results Philadelphia 97, Syracuse 82 Detroit 118, Cincinnati 107 Today's Schedule Syracuse at Philadelphia Tomorrow's Schedule Philadelphia at Syracuse (if necessary) Detroit at Cincinnati fouls for 17 points. He set theiou only an 8-for-31 aggregate 14 14 92 245 1601 20 10 84 225 169 24 13 73 210 177 32 1 2 60 187 203 31 13 59 181 210 46 36 169 298 Bethea's 7-for7 shooting from the floor. Pervall sank 7 baskets in 17 tries, wolfed down eight re bounds and was ll-for-14 at the foul line. But the husky center's big contribution was the facile fashion in which he slipped past Bob King, 6-10V4. Westfielder, to score important points from un derneath.

Pervall was the key in Weequahic's defense that col lapsed on the towering King. Weequahic's man-to-man de fense was outstanding and the fact that Jerry Post was the lone Westfielder to step to the foul line line attests to this impor tant factor. Good shooting aided the Newark school's victory. Weequahic made 20 of 44 shots from the floor. Westfield held a four-goal advantage, making 24 of 60 attempts.

But Post's four fouls in seven tries constituted the Blue Devils only foul line activity. Weequahic, meanwhile, strode to the line to convert 15 of 21 charity shots. Coach John Lay's Westfielders led after two turn shots off the short post by King provided a 4-0 lead. King netted 18 points, making 9 of 17 shots and spear heading his team to a 27-21 re bound edge with 12 recoveries The big junior was forced to the sidelines with four personal fouls at the 1:26 mark of the third period. Pervall 15 points headed Weequahic to its 30-18 halftime lonH Trio Trmianc martft 15 23 shots while Westfield man for the opening half.

After Post's deuce gave the Blue Devils a 6-4 bulge, Weequahic wiped out the lead with eight succes sive points. A pretty head feint and layup from underneath by Pervall launched the assault. The Indians turned on their fast-break in the second period and profited from three four-point bursts and a five-tally eruption. Pervall had four bas kets and the sharpshooting Be thea chipped in with three. Westfield then abandoned its man-to-man for a zone.

Captain Dick Myers, again a standout in backcourt, enabled Westfield to creep to within four points of Weequahic as the third period closed. Myers, who missed all seven shots in the opening half, flipped in two jumps and knifed through for a layup opening the third frame. King took Bob Whitaker's arcing pass, faked out Larry Stewart and scored off the pivot. Post's foul and another jumper by Myers completed the string. Westfield now trailed, 33-29.

The last two minutes had Westfield fans standing. Post split the lane and deposited a layup. Whitaker then pilfered a Weequahic pass. Myers missed from outside but King tapped in the shot for a 35-33 deficit with 1:35 left. Three fouls by Per vall and a Weequahic stall for 50 seconds kept Wesfueld from threatening thereafter.

The heated final quarter was the summit of frustration for Lay's team. Five times the hard-plugging Blue Devils came within two points of a stalemate. Weequahic refused to yield and continued to match Westfield basket-for-basket, aided by strong rebounding. Westfield had one basket nullified by a floor violation and four other shots curled around the rim and rolled off, adding to the heat of battle. Westfield Closes In King put in a one-hander from the foul circle with three minutes left in the game, pruning the Indians' edge to 50-48.

But Pervall's two fouls and Bethea's layup after Stewart's pass theft wiped out the last Westfield hopes as the lead swelled to 54-48 with 2:12 left. Post and Whitaker fouled out in the en suing moments. Weequahic's Myers scored from the foul line for the 55th point with 53 sec onds remaining. Westfield twice had the ball out of bounds but missed three shots in the closing seconds. Montreal 39 Toronto 37 Chicago 30 New York 54 Detroit 23 Boston 14 Saturday's Results Montreal 2, New York 0 Chicago 3, Toronto 1 Yesterday's Results New York 2, Toronto a Boston 6, Montreal 2 Detroit 4.

Chicago 1 Today's Schedule No Barnes scheduled. Tomorrow's Schedule Detroit at Chicago The Houston Colts are the1 fifth team that first baseman Dick Gernert has played for in the past four years. as tv-t 1 LC" The New York Yankees will open the 1962 baseball season Detroit for the first time in American League history. WE GUARANTEE (In Writing) 30,000 MILES OF SATISFACTORY SERVICE ON BELK'S TIRES "All MAJOR BRANDS" Route 22 and Jefferson Avenue North Plainfield, N. J.

PL S-S07I Open Thurs. til 9t Sunday Til VIRTUALLY INDESTRUCTIBLE! Sunday Evenings 6:30 PJA. Sunday Evenings 7:30 P.M, EVENINGS JOB-PHOV VEHICLES I State Tourney NJSIAA CHAMPIONS GROUP 4 Weequahic 55, Westfield 52 GROUP 3 South Side 72, Neptune 52 GROUP 2 W. Orange Mountain 55, S. Plainfield 43 GROUP 1 Mountain Lakes 86, Dunellen 66 PAROCHIAL A Bishop Eustace 56.

St. Peter's 47 PAROCHIAL St. Rose 63, Immaculate 61 PAROCHIAL Holy Family 88, St. Joseph's 44 Ron O'Hehir Bowls 254 Stelton Ron O'Hehir of Iselin led the single-game pin-toppling parade with a 254 and Fred Kuzma of Perth Amboy strung games of 195, 231 and 244 into a leading 670 series in the weekend inaugural of 23rd annual Middlesex County Bowling Championships here at Brookside Lanes. Activity in the nine-day cham pionships continues this week.

Division leaders: TEAM GROSS 1. Wagner Heptar 3274 2. Electric Shop 3221 3. Hardy's Market 3193 4. Raiders 3169 5.

Ben Leone's 3)62 Low in Money 3023 TEAM NET 1. A. L. Provisions 2849 z. vac Motors 2803 3.

MacCarthy's Sports 2800 4. Hardy's Market 2791 5. Ben Leone's 2784 Low in Money 2685 DOUBLES GROSS 1. Bill Simonson-Warren Searles 1385 2. Stew Robertsen-Jack Gold 1316 3.

Ed Pawlawski-John Leach 1313 4. Jack Nelson-Rich Szelisa 1306 5. Ron Wilson-Andy Kioski 1303 Low in Money 1237 DOUBLES NET 1. George Haydick-Ted Dudics 1251 2. Dan Semenza-Kim Matyi 1215 3.

Ron O'Hehir-Angelo Guzzl (Iselin) 1188 4. Randy Ross-Mickey Logan (Raritan) 1180 5. Bob Aiken (Piscatawav)- Herb Metcalfe (Bound Brook) 1175 Low in Money 1133 SINGLES 1. Fred Kuzma 793 2. Bill Karvelas 745 3.

Tony Cariste 717 4. Joe Grealis 713 5. George Talnagl Jr 712 Low In Money 637 SINGLES NET 1. Fred Kuzma 670 2. Guy Womelsdorf 61 3.

Bill Karvelas 655 4. Charlie Deak 649 5. Herb Metcalf 647 Low in Money 592 ALL-EVENTS 1. Bill Karvelas 1871 2. Ted Dudics 17B6 3.

Lou Genovese 1757 4. Tom Paris 1712 5. George Cygan 1685 Low In Money 1564 Aqueduct to Open The big news on the horse racing circuit this week in the opening of New York's Aque duct race track tomorrow with the $25,000 Swift for 3-year-olds the chief attraction and the renewal of the John B. Campbell Handicap at Bowie Saturday. rebounding tempo with 10 col lections.

Poe netted seven deuce baskets in 11 chances five from underneath and was 3-for-4 at the stripe for 17 points. Backcourt general Ron Caciop- pe scored 10 points. In double figures for South Plainfield was Walt Kozumbo, who banked 3 of 9 attempts and 5-for-5 in fouls for 11 points. He and Rich Tarnowski were high rebounders for the Tigers with five caroms apiece. Tigers Take Lead South Plainfield was in con tention early in the duel when Tarnowski scored from under neath after an out-of-bounds pass and Ronnie Harris tossed in a free throw for a 3-2 lead at the 2:44 mark.

Zamat's looping one-hander from the corner erased the lead, but Kozumbo gained a 4-4 stalemate with a foul with 1:58 remaining. The Rams never trailed thereafter when Poe scored from underneath and added a foul; Joe McGovern pitched in his lone point of the game and Don Brotman followed Tar- nowski's tip-in with a drive-in from the right side. Had it not been for Kozumbo's talent on 1-and-l situations at the line, the Tigers would have been behind by more than 25-15 at halftime. Harris' long one-hander and Terry Slater's foul cut the deficit to 12-11 early in the second period. Mountain then used its speed to register nine straight points to open a 21-11 gap while the Tigers missed their last 11 shots of the period and yielded the ball three times on violations.

Poe put in two baskets and a foul and Brotman and Cacioppe delivered short jumpers during the decisive spree. Kozumbo was successful on a pair of 1-and-l offerings in the period's last minute, but it couldn't overcome the Tigers' 4-for-23 field goal mark during the first half. The Rams matched Tiger baskets in the third period and entered fourth-period skirmishing with a 37-27 lead. Zamat's three baskets and a free toss in the fourth quarter's first three minutes insured the triumph. South Plainfield surged momentarily to narrow the gap to 45-35 on three straight baskets by Ron Kuboski, Kozumbo and Tarnowski.

Cacioppe scored on a sleeper play and Poe drove up the middle for two markers in the last two minutes to show South Plainfield-ers Mountain meant to maintain its comfortable margin. Versatile 'Jeep vehicles perform hundreds of different jobs Miss Schweitzer Wins Three Swim Events Princeton Thirteen-year old Doral Schweitzer of Scotch Plains took three first place medals in pacing the Summit YMCA girls swimming team to! victory here Saturday in the Northern Section Swimming Championships of the Central Atlantic Area YMCA. Miss Schweitzer will join 15 other individuals from the area Miss Greim, Smolenski Excel in Swim Meet Newark Joanne Greim of Fanwood helped the Summit YMCA swimming team capture first place in the 200-yard free style relay in an AAU meet here Saturday at the Newark Boys Club. Greg Smolenski of the West-field YMCA won the 100-yard breaststroke for boys 13 and 14 in record-breaking time. Greg and powerful 'Jeep' 4-wheel drive traction takes you "anywhere." 'Jeep vehicles take more punishment and still work years longer.

Tlllir 111 MAVERICK I UnL'Ill FOLLOW THE SUN ROHOFID'S GARAGE OPEN THURSDAY Gerber of Westfield took a in the Central Atlantic Cham-second place in the 50-yard but- pionships Apr. 7 at Baltimore, terfly for boys 10 and under. Md..