This year, 1942, marked
the Golden Jubilee of basketball, and Pottsville High fittingly celebrated it by producing its first District 11 championship
team in the history of the school. For four years Coach Sadusky worked with the players-William McFee, Karl Rehnert, Ed Kennedy,
Bruce Young, William Rosenberger, Jack Stoner, Bill Mahall, Andrew Majeskie, and Charles Ashman- until they reached a high
level of perfection.
The Crimson and White started
the season auspiciously enough by winning their first nine games before bowing to their arch-rivals, Hazleton. A one-point
loss to Allentown, on the Canaries home floor, put them out of the first half race. However, after being upset by Easton,
Pottsville came through brilliantly to knock over Hazleton, Bethlehem, and Allentown to tie for the league lead, then defeated
Allentown and Hazleton in playoff games at the Penn Palestra to become the East Penn League Champions. The Crimson and White
advanced to the quarter-finals of the P.I.A.A. state championship race before being eliminated by Berwick.
All and All, it was a banner year for basketball at Pottsville High. The support
given the team by students and the townspeople at the playoff games will not soon be forgotten.
Pottsville 50 Cass Township 18
Pottsville High's basketball squad opened the 1941-42 season with a 50 to 18 victory over
Cass Township on the Pottsville court. Tuesday evenin, December 2. Combining remarkable shooting accuracy with tremendous
bursts of speed on the offense, the Crimson and White was never behind throughout the game. Pottsville's defense was such
that Cass sank only one field goal in the first half. Bruce Young was high scorer of the game with 14 points, while Kennedy
had 7.
Pottsville 40 Nesquehoning
23
Taking a 13-2 lead at the end of the
first period, Pottsville High coasted to a 40-23 win over a rather rough Nesquehoning team in the Pottsville gym, Friday night,
December 6. Although the visitors out-scaled Pottsville in height and managed to control most of the rebounds, the locals
fast footwork and good shooting contributed to Nesquehoning's downfall. Pottsville sank 12 out of 19 charity tosses. "Beaker"
Young was again high scorer with 13 points. "Bogey" Rosenberger gathered 10.
Pottsville 38 Frackville 19
Playing before a packed Frackville gym, Tuesday night, December 9, Pottsville won its first
major victory of the season. Paced by the amazingly accurate set shots of Karl Rehnert, Pottsville began to click after the
first twelve minutes. Up until then the game was a closely guarded affair, but once Rehnert started dropping them in, Frackville
seemed to go to pieces. Rehnert was high for Pottsville with 12 points, while Turks led Frackville with 11.
Pottsville 35 Hazle Township 24
In a very fast and interesting game played at the locals gym,
Friday night, December 12, Pottsville rallied sharply to beat Hazle Township by a 35 to 24 score. Four field goals by Rehnert
in the final period, two on fast push-ups under the basket, spelled defeat for the visitors, who could not get in close enough
to stage a comeback. "Mac" McFee played a fine defensive game. Rehnert continued as pacemaker with 13 points, while
Kennedy had 11.
Pottsville 49
Gilberton 23
With "Ed"
Kennedy scoring 19 points in the first half, Pottsville won its fifth straight victory. The game was played on the local court,
Monday evening, December 15. Coach Sadusky used substitutes throughout the game. Stoner played the entire second half in place
of Kennedy. The final score was 49-23. Young trailed Kennedy in scoring with 12 points.
Pottsville 63 Minersville 32
Even though "Al" Sadusky removed the varsity from the game shortly after the
first period, the J.VC.'s took uo where the first stringers left off and crushed the "Miner" by a score of 63-32
at the Minersville gym. Thursday night, December 18. Rosenberger netted 16 points in the first period. Bruce Young grabbed
second honors with 10 points.
Pottsville
28 Williamsport 19
A last-minute rally gave Pottsville its sixth successive victory against no defeats. Playing at Williamsport, Tuseday night,
January 6, the Crimson and White, led by Young, who scored three field goals in the last two minutes, outplayed the bill-porters
throughout the game. McFee sank four out of five foul tries. Young was high with nine points.
Pottsville 42 Tamaqua 29
Trailing at the half by a 13-10 score, Pottsville hit its stride in the second half to
emerge the victor, 42-29, at Tamaqua, Friday evening, January 9. It was Pottsville's first league victory and seventh straight
win. Kennedy and Young led the attack, the former with 12 points and the later with 13 points. Earl Steigerwalt, 6-foot-2
Tamaqua center, was a thorn in the sides of the Saduskymen all night. His accurate shooting kept Tamaqua in the game in the
first half.
Pottsville 42
Easton 39
Stalemated during
the first half by the exceedingly rough tactics of the Easton Rovers, the Pottsville stalwarts went to town the second half
and gained a hard-fought victory at the sixteenth Street gymnasium, Friday night, January 16. At the half the score
was 15 all, but, as soon as the third period began, the local displayed the teamwork which carried them to a eight straight
wins. A scoring spree netted 15 points and made the score going into the final period 30-21. Pottsville had an "off"
night so far as foul shooting was concerned having sunk only 12 out 29 tries. Young was high scorer with 12 points.
Pottsville 18 Hazleton 25
Hazleton High's perennial "jinx" held true, and Pottsville
lost its first game of the season at Hazleton , Tuesday night, January 20. It was Hazleton's 29th consecutive victory over
the Crimson and White. In spite of a brilliant defense game played by Pottsville, the Mountaineers came through to win on
accurate set shots and good foul shooting. Pottsville didn't score a point during the second quarter, which ended 10 - 6 in
Hazleton's favor. They sewed up the game in the third period by ringing up 10 points to Pottsville 10 points to Pottsville's
5.
Pottsville 31 Shamokin 30
Pottsville was forced into an extra period to defeat Shamokin High team, 31-30, Tuesday
night, February 10, at Shamokin. "Beaker" Young Climaxed a tight game by putting one through thr hoop with only
15 seconds remaining. The Greyhounds got off toi a fast start, piling up seven points before Pottsville could score, Shamokin
led, 10-6, at the end of the first quarter, 17-15 at the half, but Pottsville tied it at 22-22 going into the final period.
Rosenberger was high scorer with 10 points, followed by Stoner, who had 9.
Pottsville 24 Hazleton 22
Before 1,500 excited spectators, Pottsville accomplished - shall we say- the seemingly
"impossible" by beating Hazleton, Friday evening, February 13, 24-22 in an extra period. It had been 15 years since
a Pottsville team conquered the Mountaineers. The regular game ended in a deadlock, 22-22. Bruce Young, who had missed 3 foul
tries early in the game, was fouled dribbling in for a lay-up shot. Two clean-cut throws went through the hoop, spelling Hazleton's
downfall. It was foul shooting that decided the game. Pottsville sank 12 out of 21 tries, while Hazleton made only 4 out of
15 attempts from the fifteen-foot line. Kennedy paced Pottsville with eight points, Rosenberger came next with six.
Pottsville 42 Frackville 23
Playing the final non-league game of the season, Pottsville
defeated Frackville High handily at the Pottsville gym, Tuesday night, February 17, to the tune of 42-23. By winning, Pottsville
finished a string of ten non-league games undefeated. Frackville because of the close guarding of Frank Turks, their center,
by "Ed" Kennedy, was not able to work its scoring plays which revolve around him. Good foul shooting aided Pottsville's
cause. Kennedy, who had six for eight against Hazleton, made five out of six attempts. Kennedy and Rosenberger shared scoring
honors with 13 points apiece.
Pottsville
34 Bethlehem 29
Never behind after a push-up scored by Kennedy gave them the lead, 15-14, in the second quarter, Pottsville defeated Bethlehem,
34 to 29, at the Liberty High gym, Friday night, February 20. With the fourth period half over and Pottsville leading by 10
points, Bethlehem threatened to come from behind, but Pottsville's fine passing game in the final minutes precluded such an
occurrence. The game featured by the fine defensive and offensive game played by Karl Rehnert, who sank goals from all over
the floor. By, winning, Pottsville took second place in the league standings behind Allentown. Rehnert, Kennedy, and Rosenberger
each had 10 points.
Pottsville 44
Allentown 25
Outplaying and
outclassing a highly favored Allentown team, Pottsville High earned the right to go into a playoff game with Allentown for
the second half championship of the East Penn League by beating the Canaries, 44-25 at home, Tuesday evening, February 24.
Thus another seemingly "impossible" really happened! Led by the great playing of Kennedy and Young, Pottsville jumped
into the lead in the second period and from that point on were never behind.
Pottsville's defense clicked: Haney, Moyer, and Graner, Allentown's stars could get nowhere.
Karl Rehnert and William McFee played brilliant defensive ball in overcoming the great height advantage of the Crum-men. Kennedy
and Young each contributed 15 points in leading the Crimson and White to victory.
Pottsville 36 Allentown 34
Making its first appearance at the Penn Palestra in sixteen years, Pottsville High defeated
Allentown High, 36-34, Friday evening, February 27, in the playoff of the tie for the second half championship of the East
Penn League before a crowd of 4,000. Pottsville had to stage an uphill Battle. The Canaries assumed a two-point led midway
in the second period and led at the half, 19-16. Rehnert started off the winning rally for Pottsville in the fourth quarter
by sinking one from mid-court to tie the score at 30-all. Graner pushed one in to send Allentown ahead 32-30, but Kennedy
took over and scored four points, thereby putting the game in the proverbial "bag" for the Sadusky-men. McFee and
Rehnert teamed together to steal the ball from the taller Allentown players on the rebounds. McFee sank three beautiful set
shots from outside the 20-foot line. "Ed" Kennedy took scoring honors with ten points: McFee and Young each had
seven.
Pottsville 34 Hazleton
32
Pottsville High by beating Hazleton,
34-32, Tuesday evening, March 4, reached a goal for which it had been striving for sixteen years-- The East Penn Basketball
League Championship. Over 6,500 fans -- the majority of them from Pottsville-- saw the game played at the Penn Palestra in
Philadelphia. The victory hopes of Pottsville rose and fell with regularity throughout the game. Hazleton did some brilliant
shooting in the first quarter and put up a defense that seemed to stump Pottsville. At the end of the first quarter the score
was 11-5 in Hazleton's favor.
The tide
of battle changed with "Mac" McFee's long set shot in the early minutes of the second quarter, Stoner replaced Kennedy
and scored six points to put Pottsville ahead. With their plays clicking smoothly, the Crimson and White ran up 18 points
while holding the Mountaineers to four. With Rehnert and McFee continuing to out-jump their taller Hazleton opponents to dominate
rebounds, Pottsville played a conservative game during the second half.
These tactics almost backfired in the final quarter, Moran and Degatis sank almost impossible shots
to cut the lead to two points. However, Pottsville held the ball long enough in the closing minutes to assure victory.
Pottsville 40 Nuremberg 17
One thousand eight hundred fans packed the Pottsville gym to
see the Sadusky-men win their first District 11 tilt against Nuremberg High, Mountain League Champions, Tuesday evening, March
10, by a score of 40-17. Pottsville trailed, 4-3, midway through the initial period but soon went ahead and were never in
trouble from that point on. Nuremberg's main threat, 6 foot 3, "Ken" Singley, was held to three field goals and
one foul by the close guarding of Jack Stoner and "Ed" Kennedy. Kennedy led Pottsville with elven points, while
Young had seven.
Pottsville 56
Port Carbon 26
Pottsville
advanced to the finals of the District 11 playoffs by defeating Port Carbon rather easily, 56-26, Friday evening, March 13,
at the local gym. The "Tabbies" kept the score close during the first half, being behind only by eight points after
the first sixteen minutes of play. Showing their tremendous scoring power in the third period, when they tallied twenty points
on perfect plays, Pottsville coasted on to victory. "Bogey" Rosenberger was high with 16 points. "Beaker"
Young accounted for 15.
Pottsville 49
Catasauqua 34
Scoring 17 points
in the last six minutes, Pottsville defeated Catasaqua High, Lehigh Valley League Champions, 49-34, before 2,700 spectators
at the Reading Northwest Junior High gym, Tuesday evening, March 17, to win the District 11 championship. After its last two
easy playoff victories, Pottsville had to play its best brand of ball to overcome Coach Ben Wolson's lads. It was not until
just before the end of the first period that Pottsville took the lead, 11-7. Both teams scored twelve points in the second
frame, which became rough in spots.
Catasaqua
led 31-30, going into the final period. However, Pottsville rallied sharply to take a big lead, at the same time holding the
opposition to three points. Young continued his fine playing to lead the locals in scoring with 14 points.
Pottsville 28 Berwick 30
Pottsville High's quest for a P.I.A.A. basketball championship
came to an end, Friday night, March 20, at the Hershey Arena when Berwick High stopped a last quarter rally to win, 30-28,
in a quarter final game. Berwick was the tallest team the Crimson and White had faced all season. Leading them was 6-foot3
"Bells" Colone, one of the best-- if not THE best-- centers in Pennsylvania. When not sinking goals, Colone was
getting the rebounds or breaking up Pottsville's defense.
The Crimson shooting was definitely off: several times the ball didn't even hit the backboard. It was an uphill battle from
start to finish for Pottsville. Berwick got away to an early lead in the first quarter and maintained it throughout the game.
Scores by periods were 14-7, 21-13, 28-20, and finally 30-28.
Pottsville refused to quit in the face of defeat and nearly tied the game up in the closing minutes. But closeness counts
in quoits! The Sadusky proteges were magnificent even in defeat. Pottsville is justly proud of them. Their "going-away"
presents-- Mr. Sadusky is now in the U.S. Army-- to their coach were the East Penn and District 11 titles. We salute you,
fellows!
