McClain Tigers reach regionals in 1974-75
By
Bob Patton-
(continued from last week)
Right after the 1974 Christmas break, Washington downed county rival Miami Trace, 63-53, with Byrd scoring 26 points. Allan Conner returned to the lineup for MT, running the offense effectively and scoring eight points.
At Circleville, the Tigers clobbered Hillsboro, 71-40, as Harold Reed collected 26 points. Unioto bopped winless Wilmington as big Greg Alcorn totaled 26.
At the halfway mark, the SCOL standings were:
Circleville – 6-0, 9-0
McClain – 4-1, 7-1
WCH – 3-2, 4-4
Hillsboro – 2-3, 4-3
MT – 2-3, 3-5
Unioto – 1-4, 3-5
WHS – 0-5, 0-6
In the opening Associated Press state high school basketball poll of the 1974-75 season, undefeated Circleville was rated third in the state in AA. Delphos St. Johns was No. 1, followed by Wellsville, then the Tigers of Circleville. Circleville was followed by Columbus Mohawk.
On Jan. 10, 1975, Washington visited Hillsboro, Wilmington traveled to McClain and Unioto was at Miami Trace. SCOL leader, Circleville took the weekend off. At Hillsboro, the Indians downed WCH, 68-53. Barry Zink and Alan McKenzie, neither of whom were starters early in the season, led the Indians with 17 and 16 points, respectively. Byrd’s 16 and Denen’s 15 led the Lions.
Greg Alcorn spelled victory for Unioto, as he dominated the inside, scoring 21 of his team’s first 42 points. The Shermans won at Trace, 77-72. McClain hammered Wilmington, 81-59, at Greenfield and the Tigers now trailed Circleville by one game.
Both Circleville and McClain were outstanding teams. Neither would be an easy opponent for any AA team in the state. But, in mid-January, McClain suffered the temporary loss of their outstanding pivot man, Steve Willett. McClain didn’t have any really big players, but Willett stood about 6’3” and played much bigger than that. He suffered a fairly serious back injury that hospitalized him for a time and prevented his playing for several weeks.
The Tigers played three or four tough games during that time. 6’2” Gary Barr played the pivot in Willett’s absence. Barr performed admirably, but he was basically a forward. The Tigers didn’t really have anybody who posed a serious scoring threat in the pivot except for Willett. McClain was only one game behind league-leading Circleville. Then Willett went down. Over the following three weeks, they dropped games to Miami Trace, 71-68; Hillsboro, 85-77; and Circleville, 64-46; then had to go all out to snake out a narrow 53-50 win over Madison Plains.
This three-week stretch effectively took McClain out of contention for the SCOL title, and it demonstrated Willett’s importance to the team, as Circleville kept winning and sewed up the championship with a game or two remaining. Circleville was not a big team, but they were very efficient, averaging nearly 71 points per game, while giving up an average of only about 53.4 points. Scoring-wise, they were led by George Moore and Harold Reed. Coach John Lawhorn described Reed as a self-made player. He was a blue collar player, who had average talent but was an extremely hard worker. He was nearly cut from the team in junior high because junior high coaches doubted that he would ever make a varsity player. Not only did he make a varsity player, but he was one of the leading scorers in the league in 1974-75.
George Moore and Biff Bumgarner were the forwards. Moore was an excellent scorer. Bumgarner, a first team All-Ohio football player, was only about 5’10;” but was a super rebounder and defensive stalwart. Perry Hoskins and Mike McCoy were the guards and both were outstanding players.
Both Moore and Reed were among the top five scorers in the SCOL, by the end of the SCOL season. Reed was the league’s third-leading scorer, with an average of 17.4 points per game. Teammate Moore averaged 14.9. Hoskins and Bumgarner averaged 12.1 and 10.7, respectively. The red and black had fantastic balance. By the end of January, Circleville had not only locked down the SCOL championship, they were now ranked No. 1 in the state in Class AA. They ended the regular season 18-0. The final 1974-75 SCOL standings were:
Circleville – 12-0
McClain – 8-4
Hillsboro – 6-6
Unioto – 6-6
Washington – 5-7
Miami Trace – 3-9
Wilmington – 2-10
Hillsboro drew Washington in the AA Sectional Tournament at Unioto. McClain drew Wellston. Undefeated Circleville played in the Columbus sectional. They would meet Teays Valley in the Fairgrounds Coliseum. The Tigers took an easy, 71-46, win when Harold Reed and George Moore totaled 21 points each.
WCH eliminated Hillsboro, 64-56, and McClain trounced Wellston, 67-49. In the sectional semifinals, McClain got balanced scoring from all five starters and downed Vinton County, 53-46 at Unioto. The Tigers would meet Washington C.H. in the finals. Circleville captured the sectional championship in Columbus by defeating Logan Elm, 63-44. They would play in the AA District in Columbus. Meanwhile, McClain downed WCH, 62-54, to advance to the AA District Tournament at Rio Grande. In the district tourney, McClain beat a stalling Jackson team, then met a very tall and talented Wheelersburg five. But McClain was on a roll. They had won 11 of their last 12 games, and Wheelersburg was unable to stop the locomotive.
In a bruising battle, MHS won, 63-62, to earn a trip to the regional at Athens. There, they would battle tough Marion River Valley (20-2).
In their district final, Circleville beat Columbus St. Charles, 62-54. Harold Reed racked up 29 points and had 13 rebounds to lead in both categories. Mike Hausfield of St. Charles, a first-team All District performer, hit 21 points.
In the AA regional, at Dayton, 22-0 Circleville met Springfield Shawnee (19-1). Shawnee’s Braves enjoyed an awesome height advantage over the red and black, featuring 6’9” Joe Sahle and 6’6” Ken Waterman. They were able to take away much of Circleville’s inside game. The Braves jumped out on top and led all the way, taking a 58-52 win. This loss ended a great season for Circleville (22-1).
At Athens, the McClain Tigers, who trailed by 16 points in the third quarter, came roaring back behind 21 second-half points from guard Joe Stewart. They still trailed, 57-52, with a little over a minute remaining, but managed to tie the game with one second left on the clock, and outscored River Valley, 8-4, in overtime to send the Vikings packing.
McClain, now 18-5, and winners of 13 of their last 14 games, advanced to the regional championship game against Warsaw River View. But the state tournament would have to wait. River View jumped out to a quick 9-0 lead, and the Tigers played catch-up all night. Their shooting was sub-par, probably partly due to River View’s defense. Warsaw River View had four starters in double figures and defeated the Tigers, 59-41. The next week, River View won the AA state tournament, in Columbus.
When the All-SCOL team was named, Harold Reed, Perry Hoskins and George Moore, all of Circleville, were named to the first team, along with Chuck Byrd of Washington, Steve Harvey of McClain and Greg Alcorn of Unioto. Biff Bumgarner of Circleville, Bill Flynn of McClain, Doug Phillips of WCH, Allan Conner of Miami Trace, Mike Sharkey of Hillsboro and Jeff Throckmorton of Unioto made up the second team. Circleville’s John Lawhorn was named Central District AA Coach of the Year, and both Perry Hoskins and Harold Reed of the Tigers were selected to the All-Star team. Later, Lawhorn was named Ohio AA Coach of the Year.
This concluded a memorable year for the South Central Ohio League, and, especially for McClain and Circleville.
Bob Patton is a Highland County sports historian and a contributing writer to The Highland County Press.[[In-content Ad]]
Right after the 1974 Christmas break, Washington downed county rival Miami Trace, 63-53, with Byrd scoring 26 points. Allan Conner returned to the lineup for MT, running the offense effectively and scoring eight points.
At Circleville, the Tigers clobbered Hillsboro, 71-40, as Harold Reed collected 26 points. Unioto bopped winless Wilmington as big Greg Alcorn totaled 26.
At the halfway mark, the SCOL standings were:
Circleville – 6-0, 9-0
McClain – 4-1, 7-1
WCH – 3-2, 4-4
Hillsboro – 2-3, 4-3
MT – 2-3, 3-5
Unioto – 1-4, 3-5
WHS – 0-5, 0-6
In the opening Associated Press state high school basketball poll of the 1974-75 season, undefeated Circleville was rated third in the state in AA. Delphos St. Johns was No. 1, followed by Wellsville, then the Tigers of Circleville. Circleville was followed by Columbus Mohawk.
On Jan. 10, 1975, Washington visited Hillsboro, Wilmington traveled to McClain and Unioto was at Miami Trace. SCOL leader, Circleville took the weekend off. At Hillsboro, the Indians downed WCH, 68-53. Barry Zink and Alan McKenzie, neither of whom were starters early in the season, led the Indians with 17 and 16 points, respectively. Byrd’s 16 and Denen’s 15 led the Lions.
Greg Alcorn spelled victory for Unioto, as he dominated the inside, scoring 21 of his team’s first 42 points. The Shermans won at Trace, 77-72. McClain hammered Wilmington, 81-59, at Greenfield and the Tigers now trailed Circleville by one game.
Both Circleville and McClain were outstanding teams. Neither would be an easy opponent for any AA team in the state. But, in mid-January, McClain suffered the temporary loss of their outstanding pivot man, Steve Willett. McClain didn’t have any really big players, but Willett stood about 6’3” and played much bigger than that. He suffered a fairly serious back injury that hospitalized him for a time and prevented his playing for several weeks.
The Tigers played three or four tough games during that time. 6’2” Gary Barr played the pivot in Willett’s absence. Barr performed admirably, but he was basically a forward. The Tigers didn’t really have anybody who posed a serious scoring threat in the pivot except for Willett. McClain was only one game behind league-leading Circleville. Then Willett went down. Over the following three weeks, they dropped games to Miami Trace, 71-68; Hillsboro, 85-77; and Circleville, 64-46; then had to go all out to snake out a narrow 53-50 win over Madison Plains.
This three-week stretch effectively took McClain out of contention for the SCOL title, and it demonstrated Willett’s importance to the team, as Circleville kept winning and sewed up the championship with a game or two remaining. Circleville was not a big team, but they were very efficient, averaging nearly 71 points per game, while giving up an average of only about 53.4 points. Scoring-wise, they were led by George Moore and Harold Reed. Coach John Lawhorn described Reed as a self-made player. He was a blue collar player, who had average talent but was an extremely hard worker. He was nearly cut from the team in junior high because junior high coaches doubted that he would ever make a varsity player. Not only did he make a varsity player, but he was one of the leading scorers in the league in 1974-75.
George Moore and Biff Bumgarner were the forwards. Moore was an excellent scorer. Bumgarner, a first team All-Ohio football player, was only about 5’10;” but was a super rebounder and defensive stalwart. Perry Hoskins and Mike McCoy were the guards and both were outstanding players.
Both Moore and Reed were among the top five scorers in the SCOL, by the end of the SCOL season. Reed was the league’s third-leading scorer, with an average of 17.4 points per game. Teammate Moore averaged 14.9. Hoskins and Bumgarner averaged 12.1 and 10.7, respectively. The red and black had fantastic balance. By the end of January, Circleville had not only locked down the SCOL championship, they were now ranked No. 1 in the state in Class AA. They ended the regular season 18-0. The final 1974-75 SCOL standings were:
Circleville – 12-0
McClain – 8-4
Hillsboro – 6-6
Unioto – 6-6
Washington – 5-7
Miami Trace – 3-9
Wilmington – 2-10
Hillsboro drew Washington in the AA Sectional Tournament at Unioto. McClain drew Wellston. Undefeated Circleville played in the Columbus sectional. They would meet Teays Valley in the Fairgrounds Coliseum. The Tigers took an easy, 71-46, win when Harold Reed and George Moore totaled 21 points each.
WCH eliminated Hillsboro, 64-56, and McClain trounced Wellston, 67-49. In the sectional semifinals, McClain got balanced scoring from all five starters and downed Vinton County, 53-46 at Unioto. The Tigers would meet Washington C.H. in the finals. Circleville captured the sectional championship in Columbus by defeating Logan Elm, 63-44. They would play in the AA District in Columbus. Meanwhile, McClain downed WCH, 62-54, to advance to the AA District Tournament at Rio Grande. In the district tourney, McClain beat a stalling Jackson team, then met a very tall and talented Wheelersburg five. But McClain was on a roll. They had won 11 of their last 12 games, and Wheelersburg was unable to stop the locomotive.
In a bruising battle, MHS won, 63-62, to earn a trip to the regional at Athens. There, they would battle tough Marion River Valley (20-2).
In their district final, Circleville beat Columbus St. Charles, 62-54. Harold Reed racked up 29 points and had 13 rebounds to lead in both categories. Mike Hausfield of St. Charles, a first-team All District performer, hit 21 points.
In the AA regional, at Dayton, 22-0 Circleville met Springfield Shawnee (19-1). Shawnee’s Braves enjoyed an awesome height advantage over the red and black, featuring 6’9” Joe Sahle and 6’6” Ken Waterman. They were able to take away much of Circleville’s inside game. The Braves jumped out on top and led all the way, taking a 58-52 win. This loss ended a great season for Circleville (22-1).
At Athens, the McClain Tigers, who trailed by 16 points in the third quarter, came roaring back behind 21 second-half points from guard Joe Stewart. They still trailed, 57-52, with a little over a minute remaining, but managed to tie the game with one second left on the clock, and outscored River Valley, 8-4, in overtime to send the Vikings packing.
McClain, now 18-5, and winners of 13 of their last 14 games, advanced to the regional championship game against Warsaw River View. But the state tournament would have to wait. River View jumped out to a quick 9-0 lead, and the Tigers played catch-up all night. Their shooting was sub-par, probably partly due to River View’s defense. Warsaw River View had four starters in double figures and defeated the Tigers, 59-41. The next week, River View won the AA state tournament, in Columbus.
When the All-SCOL team was named, Harold Reed, Perry Hoskins and George Moore, all of Circleville, were named to the first team, along with Chuck Byrd of Washington, Steve Harvey of McClain and Greg Alcorn of Unioto. Biff Bumgarner of Circleville, Bill Flynn of McClain, Doug Phillips of WCH, Allan Conner of Miami Trace, Mike Sharkey of Hillsboro and Jeff Throckmorton of Unioto made up the second team. Circleville’s John Lawhorn was named Central District AA Coach of the Year, and both Perry Hoskins and Harold Reed of the Tigers were selected to the All-Star team. Later, Lawhorn was named Ohio AA Coach of the Year.
This concluded a memorable year for the South Central Ohio League, and, especially for McClain and Circleville.
Bob Patton is a Highland County sports historian and a contributing writer to The Highland County Press.[[In-content Ad]]