This article appeared in the Morning Sentinel in 1938. It has been transcribed in its' entirety - including the typo in the headline.
Winslow far to strong for Attack of Purple Horde
Raiders show defense that Repels Every Waterville thrust; Biggest crowd Ever
By Harland Durrell
A packed house of more than 1,500 fans, by far the largest crowd that ever attended a schoolboy basketball game in this city of Winslow, watched the Winslow Black Raiders, Maine’s defending champs, hold their margin over the Purple Panthers of Waterville High Saturday eve in the commodious Winslow gym, punching out victory No. 1 in their two games by a 32 to 21 score.
This win gave the Mansfielders undisputed possession of first place in the northern division of the Kennebec Valley league. Before this important battle, both outfits were tied for top place, Waterville with four won and none lost while Winslow had won two and lost none.
The preliminary game “stole” the show from the feature bill for action as the future greats of the same two teams put on a battle that had the spectators in an uproar most of the time. The Winslow Jayvees put on a dazzling passing attack that netted them a 24 to 21 victory. Fritzy Morrissette was the outstanding performer for the winners, hooking the basket for 10 points. It was the little Raiders’ 14th victory in 16 starts this season.
The overflow crowd, which school officials say they did not expect, resulted in turning away a least 500 more would be customers and, according to comment from some of the Winslow citizens, the situation could have been handled a whole lot better than it was for a game of this type. Fans, fanettes, and fanatics were standing on chairs in the back of the hall four or five deep just to get a peek at the two clubs in action. More were crowded on the playing surface, in the doorways and some were even sitting in other’s laps.
At 7:30, even before the jayvee game got underway, ticket sellers were ordered to stop selling because there wasn’t any more room. The doors had opened at 6:45. Even Barnum’s thin man was refused admission and he can usually squeeze in anywhere.
The game was replete with fouls so anxious were the boys of the two teams to get a jump on the other. By actual count throughout the 32 minutes of action, the two officials, Bill Millet and Doug Dysart called 33 fouls on both sides. One lady behind the press remarked, which was clearly overheard, “I thought this was supposed to be a basketball game. Even a big league ball club wouldn’t make that many in one ball game.”
Even before the first period was over, Larry Huard, who usually is as quiet as “Henry”, was forced to leave the game because of the four foul rule, the first of two persons that left this same position because of fouls.
Emile Poirier had to leave in the third quarter for the same reason. Not only were the Raiders penalized but so were the Panthers. Jumping Joe Hachey and Bobby LaFleur walked graciously from the floor after committing four fouls.
Emilien Gagne, pulled a questionable act causing some to figure he did not live up to the sportsmanship he usually displays. When Hachey knew he had to leave the game Gagne pushed him towards the sidelines. Whether he did this deliberately or not, matters very little. He did the pushing and that’s what counts. What he could have done was to have let the incident pass and nothing would have been said. But when you hit a guy when he is down that hurts, especially when your team is in the lead, the way Gagne’s was. By this little paragraph we don’t mean to take any credit away from this stellar performer because he’s undoubtedly the best in the state.
Gangling George Reynolds, the boy who makes quite a few points in an evening, only made two all night against the Panthers so well bottled up did Bobby LaFleur keep him. But Donovan in doing this, took a lot of offensive strength away from his own club. All the while LaFleur was doing a “job” on Bill’s pivot man, Teddy Savasuk and Gagne were running wild. Savasuk being the one moslty running amuck. Most of Gagne’s sensational shots, and they were in every sense of the word, came from the center line. This husky youth, who is just half of the Raider club, would take the ball off the backboard, dribble down to middle court, get set, and whiz-z-z-z, the ball was in the air and through the hoop, without even touching the backboard. Five times, this All-Maine, All-American, guard if you want to call him that (he’s really that good), did this and put Waterville far behind, never to catch up. He was the most bee-yoo-tee-ful player on the floor Saturday evening.
One good reason why the Panthers couldn’t win, or come closer to catching the Raiders than they did was the fact that they couldn’t penetrate the Mansfielders’ defense so tight it was woven. All of Waterville’s shots, and they had plenty, had to be taken from around the foul line and they were hurried so much they did very little damage. The results show this. And another good reason was their lack of a passing attack. Winslow intercepted more of the Waterville passes than Waterville caught themselves. Normie Ivers, who was receiving his first test in a game of this kind did yeoman work, but the fact that Winslow won, overshadows anything he might have done and he did plenty for the Panther cause. He broke up repeated Raider attacks but one man can’t win a game, not the kind Winslow plays.
Gabe Hikel of the Waterville forces was outstanding too, but only on the offensive side, as his seven points for a guard will testify.
As the game got underway, the Panthers got the first bite as Huard made his first of four fouls that were soon to put him out of the game. Hikel made the point good and Waterville led, 1 to 0. Shortly later, Boutin made a foul and N. Corey made this one count and Waterville was two up. But the tables turned when Hachey got caught fouling and Boutin sunk the point to put the Raiders within one point of Waterville. Huard made another foul, his second, and Corey again scored, making the score 3 to 1. Again the tide shifted and Reynolds made his attempt good after LaFleur had fouled to put the Mansfielders one point in the arrears.
And then what followed in the next few minutes and the rest of the game is history. Gagne busted loose with his long range bombardment and hit the target twice in a row for four points to put Winslow in a lead they never gave up. Savasuk and Huard also got their bearings and split the dangling curtains and it was curtains for the Panthers. Meanwhile Waterville was doing a lot of firing but was missing. And it wasn’t until near the close of the period they got their first two-pointer of the game, this coming from Hikel, from mid-floor. The session ended in Winslow’s favor, 13 to 8.
In the second period, Gagne led the attack with three of his long shots from the center section, just as cool as a cucumber, but not so green. Reynolds, Savasuk, and Poirier, who replaced Huard near the close of the first period also helped to contribute to the total by sinking their shots when they got the chance. The half ended, Winslow 24; Waterville 13.
Both clubs suffered a little relapse in the third quarter as the best Winslow could do was score but four points and the best Waterville could do was register but three. Savasuk got all of the Raiders markers in this eight minutes of work while for the Panthers, Hachey did likewise.
The two clubs were fast tiring under the fast pace that was being set and Coach Donovan of the Panthers not willing to sacrifice any of his playing strength sent in a couple of substitutes to help the lost cause along, knowing that there was nothing to gain by leaving the boys in the game.
Box score, full:
Winslow
Name FGM/FGA FTM/FTA Points
Savasuk 6/23 2/6 14
Huard 1/7 1/1 3
Poirier ¼ 0/2 2
Derosby 0/1 0/1 0
Reynolds 0/8 ⅔ 2
Gagne 5/11 0/2 10
Boutin 0/3 ⅓ 1
Totals: 13/57 6/18 32
Waterville
H. Corey 2/17 2/4 6
LaFleur 1/19 ⅖ 4
Hachey ⅙ 1/1 3
Ivers 0/1 ⅓ 1
Hikel 2/12 3/3 7
Frodel 0/0 0/0 0
D. Corey 0/0 0/3 0
Joseph 0/3 0/0 0
Totals: 6/58 9/19 21
A packed house of more than 1,500 fans, by far the largest crowd that ever attended a schoolboy basketball game in this city of Winslow, watched the Winslow Black Raiders, Maine’s defending champs, hold their margin over the Purple Panthers of Waterville High Saturday eve in the commodious Winslow gym, punching out victory No. 1 in their two games by a 32 to 21 score.
This win gave the Mansfielders undisputed possession of first place in the northern division of the Kennebec Valley league. Before this important battle, both outfits were tied for top place, Waterville with four won and none lost while Winslow had won two and lost none.
The preliminary game “stole” the show from the feature bill for action as the future greats of the same two teams put on a battle that had the spectators in an uproar most of the time. The Winslow Jayvees put on a dazzling passing attack that netted them a 24 to 21 victory. Fritzy Morrissette was the outstanding performer for the winners, hooking the basket for 10 points. It was the little Raiders’ 14th victory in 16 starts this season.
The overflow crowd, which school officials say they did not expect, resulted in turning away a least 500 more would be customers and, according to comment from some of the Winslow citizens, the situation could have been handled a whole lot better than it was for a game of this type. Fans, fanettes, and fanatics were standing on chairs in the back of the hall four or five deep just to get a peek at the two clubs in action. More were crowded on the playing surface, in the doorways and some were even sitting in other’s laps.
At 7:30, even before the jayvee game got underway, ticket sellers were ordered to stop selling because there wasn’t any more room. The doors had opened at 6:45. Even Barnum’s thin man was refused admission and he can usually squeeze in anywhere.
The game was replete with fouls so anxious were the boys of the two teams to get a jump on the other. By actual count throughout the 32 minutes of action, the two officials, Bill Millet and Doug Dysart called 33 fouls on both sides. One lady behind the press remarked, which was clearly overheard, “I thought this was supposed to be a basketball game. Even a big league ball club wouldn’t make that many in one ball game.”
Even before the first period was over, Larry Huard, who usually is as quiet as “Henry”, was forced to leave the game because of the four foul rule, the first of two persons that left this same position because of fouls.
Emile Poirier had to leave in the third quarter for the same reason. Not only were the Raiders penalized but so were the Panthers. Jumping Joe Hachey and Bobby LaFleur walked graciously from the floor after committing four fouls.
Emilien Gagne, pulled a questionable act causing some to figure he did not live up to the sportsmanship he usually displays. When Hachey knew he had to leave the game Gagne pushed him towards the sidelines. Whether he did this deliberately or not, matters very little. He did the pushing and that’s what counts. What he could have done was to have let the incident pass and nothing would have been said. But when you hit a guy when he is down that hurts, especially when your team is in the lead, the way Gagne’s was. By this little paragraph we don’t mean to take any credit away from this stellar performer because he’s undoubtedly the best in the state.
Gangling George Reynolds, the boy who makes quite a few points in an evening, only made two all night against the Panthers so well bottled up did Bobby LaFleur keep him. But Donovan in doing this, took a lot of offensive strength away from his own club. All the while LaFleur was doing a “job” on Bill’s pivot man, Teddy Savasuk and Gagne were running wild. Savasuk being the one moslty running amuck. Most of Gagne’s sensational shots, and they were in every sense of the word, came from the center line. This husky youth, who is just half of the Raider club, would take the ball off the backboard, dribble down to middle court, get set, and whiz-z-z-z, the ball was in the air and through the hoop, without even touching the backboard. Five times, this All-Maine, All-American, guard if you want to call him that (he’s really that good), did this and put Waterville far behind, never to catch up. He was the most bee-yoo-tee-ful player on the floor Saturday evening.
One good reason why the Panthers couldn’t win, or come closer to catching the Raiders than they did was the fact that they couldn’t penetrate the Mansfielders’ defense so tight it was woven. All of Waterville’s shots, and they had plenty, had to be taken from around the foul line and they were hurried so much they did very little damage. The results show this. And another good reason was their lack of a passing attack. Winslow intercepted more of the Waterville passes than Waterville caught themselves. Normie Ivers, who was receiving his first test in a game of this kind did yeoman work, but the fact that Winslow won, overshadows anything he might have done and he did plenty for the Panther cause. He broke up repeated Raider attacks but one man can’t win a game, not the kind Winslow plays.
Gabe Hikel of the Waterville forces was outstanding too, but only on the offensive side, as his seven points for a guard will testify.
As the game got underway, the Panthers got the first bite as Huard made his first of four fouls that were soon to put him out of the game. Hikel made the point good and Waterville led, 1 to 0. Shortly later, Boutin made a foul and N. Corey made this one count and Waterville was two up. But the tables turned when Hachey got caught fouling and Boutin sunk the point to put the Raiders within one point of Waterville. Huard made another foul, his second, and Corey again scored, making the score 3 to 1. Again the tide shifted and Reynolds made his attempt good after LaFleur had fouled to put the Mansfielders one point in the arrears.
And then what followed in the next few minutes and the rest of the game is history. Gagne busted loose with his long range bombardment and hit the target twice in a row for four points to put Winslow in a lead they never gave up. Savasuk and Huard also got their bearings and split the dangling curtains and it was curtains for the Panthers. Meanwhile Waterville was doing a lot of firing but was missing. And it wasn’t until near the close of the period they got their first two-pointer of the game, this coming from Hikel, from mid-floor. The session ended in Winslow’s favor, 13 to 8.
In the second period, Gagne led the attack with three of his long shots from the center section, just as cool as a cucumber, but not so green. Reynolds, Savasuk, and Poirier, who replaced Huard near the close of the first period also helped to contribute to the total by sinking their shots when they got the chance. The half ended, Winslow 24; Waterville 13.
Both clubs suffered a little relapse in the third quarter as the best Winslow could do was score but four points and the best Waterville could do was register but three. Savasuk got all of the Raiders markers in this eight minutes of work while for the Panthers, Hachey did likewise.
The two clubs were fast tiring under the fast pace that was being set and Coach Donovan of the Panthers not willing to sacrifice any of his playing strength sent in a couple of substitutes to help the lost cause along, knowing that there was nothing to gain by leaving the boys in the game.
Box score, full:
Winslow
Name FGM/FGA FTM/FTA Points
Savasuk 6/23 2/6 14
Huard 1/7 1/1 3
Poirier ¼ 0/2 2
Derosby 0/1 0/1 0
Reynolds 0/8 ⅔ 2
Gagne 5/11 0/2 10
Boutin 0/3 ⅓ 1
Totals: 13/57 6/18 32
Waterville
H. Corey 2/17 2/4 6
LaFleur 1/19 ⅖ 4
Hachey ⅙ 1/1 3
Ivers 0/1 ⅓ 1
Hikel 2/12 3/3 7
Frodel 0/0 0/0 0
D. Corey 0/0 0/3 0
Joseph 0/3 0/0 0
Totals: 6/58 9/19 21