Point Marion points the way in 1940
Fayette County athletics had a banner year in 1940. Brownsville High School captured the Class AA football championship and Masontown secured the Class B title. In basketball tiny Point Marion High School had a tremendous run and won the WPIAL Class B championship.
It was an interesting situation for the Pointers. In 1938 the WPIAL decisions committee ruled that one Greene County and five Fayette County high schools could not compete for WPIAL titles in any sport for a period of 18 months.
鈥淚鈥檓 not worried,鈥� Point Marion basketball coach Willard Conn said at the time. 鈥淥f course I鈥檇 like to have my boys in there battling for the championship, but I鈥檒l show them plenty when we do get back.鈥�
That was a prophetic statement. Point Marion had a young basketball squad that was developing nicely. They gained plenty of experience during the off year of 1939. In their third year of competition as a unit, the Pointers were a force to be reckoned with during the 1940 campaign.
History in a sense was repeating itself because 15 years earlier the 鈥淔ive Horsemen鈥� from Uniontown High School found themselves in a similar situation. In 1924 Uniontown had an outstanding team that attempted to get into the state championship playoffs, but were denied because the school didn鈥檛 belong to the WPIAL. The next season Uniontown was in the WPIAL and cruised to the state championship. The same team represented the school that wore the colors the year before.
In 1939 Point Marion was not permitted to play for any championship. They had a fine team built along the lines of the 1924 Uniontown squad. The team had played together for a year and came together as a unit.
In 1940 Point Marion was back in the good graces of the WPIAL and they set a blistering pace.
Point Marion was a Class B school, but they stepped up in class to play Class A opponents many times and did not falter. One of the wins was a 48-30 upset of Donora and a 34-33 conquest of Charleroi.
Point Marion won the Section 23 championship with an unbeaten section record and went into the WPIAL playoffs on a roll.
The Pointers dispatched a good Dunbar team, the champions of Section 22, in a first-round game at Lafayette Junior High School in Uniontown. The game was played before a capacity crowd, and officials found it necessary to stop selling tickets at 7:30, a half hour before tip-off.
Point Marion defeated the Mules, 39-22, to punch their ticket into the quarterfinal round of the WPIAL tournament. Dunbar started out in a zone, but the Pointers were hitting long shots. The Mules were also caught flat-footed by the Point Marion fastbreak which resulted in wide open shots for the pointers.
Forward Harry Lewis paced the Pointer attack against Dunbar with 12 points, center Warren Cyrus contributed nine points and Alfred Cupelli and Tony Torti chipped in with seven apiece.
Point Marion faced Etna in the WPIAL quarterfinals at the Pitt Pavilion underneath old Pitt Stadium. It was Point Marion蘑菇视频 second trip to Pitt Stadium in four years. The school sent it蘑菇视频 sectional champs into the quarterfinals against Burgettstown in 1937 and lost.
The Pointers downed Etna, 33-16, behind 16 points from Lewis and Junior Wittebort added 10. The Pointers next had to face New Wilmington, which was sporting a 22-game winning streak in the semifinals.
Point Marion steam-rolled its way into the WPIAL Class B championship game with an overwhelming, 38-18, victory over previously unbeaten New Wilmington at Pitt Stadium. Wittebort led the way with 12 points and Lewis added 10.
In the Class B championship game played at Washington, the Pointers tangled with Monaca. Point Marion stretched its winning streak to 18 games as it won the championship by downing Monaca, 41-25, before 1,900 fans at the Washington High gymnasium. Cupelli and Wittebort both tallied 10 points pacing a balanced attack that saw Cyrus contribute nine points and Lewis eight.
Point Marion finished the season with a 21-1 record. The lone blemish was a loss to Connellsville, 28-26, in overtime. Harry Lewis garnered All-WPIAL honors while Warren Cyrus was honorable mention All-WPIAL. Lewis led Point Marion in scoring with 137 points and Cyrus was runner-up with 127 points.
The Pointers scored 906 points on the season while limiting their opponents to 558.
There was only one damper on Point Marion蘑菇视频 great season. The Pointers were not permitted to compete for any championship honors aside from the WPIAL Class B title. There was no state championship tournament for Class B schools. WPIAL regulations stated that Class A and Class B champions may play for the league championship, but that regulation was not invoked.
One wonders what might have happened if the Pointers and Cougars had met in a winner-take-all game for the WPIAL title and the chance to advance into the state championship tournament. Remember the Pointers beat Charleroi in an exhibition game at Charleroi, 34-33.
George Von Benko蘑菇视频 鈥淢emory Lane鈥� column appears in the Monday editions of the 蘑菇视频. He also hosts a sports talk show on WMBS-AM radio from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturdays.