City Basketball, 1953

Philadelphia

Scholastic Basketball, 1953

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City Title

At the

Palestra | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

West

Catholic 54, Overbrook 42 | | | | | | | | | | | | |

Before 8,461 fans (4,000 were turned away), West Catholic held 6-11 Wilt Chamberlain to 29

points by surrounding him at all times with four defenders. Chamberlain shot 9-for-25 from the floor and 11-for-19

at the line. Bill Lindsay played the "floater" in West's defense and also scored a game-record 32 points, shooting

12-for-13 and 8-for-11.

Public League

Playoffs

PRE-PLAYOFF

At Sayre Jr. High

Franklin 46, Bok 41

Bill Jackson (13), Ron Gee (12) and Devonne Muchison (10) led Franklin

while Ron Jones (10) topped Bok.

QUARTERFINALS

At Temple’s South Hall

Northeast 74, Frankford 51

Guy Rodgers paced the easy win with 32 points. Chuck Huebner scored 20

points for Frankford.

Doubleheader at the Palestra

Bartram 52, West 49

Irvin “Bo” Roberson poured in 26 points and shot 12-for-14 from

the line. Joe Howell scored 19 points for West, which squandered a 21-14 halftime lead.

Lincoln 69, Central 45

Clarence “Bud” Houck and Ed Givnish led the rout with 26 and 21

points, respectively, as Lincoln ran its record to 19-0.

At SJ Prep

Overbrook 73, Franklin 47

Wilt Chamberlain scored 24 points and Stan Guralnick (20) posted the

Panthers’ first eight points. Franklin had won the teams’ regular-season

meeting, 76-74, before losing three stars to mid-year graduations. Devonne Muchison scored

22 points.

SEMIFINALS

Doubleheader at the Palestra

Overbrook 72, Lincoln 56

Wilt Chamberlain set a PL postseason record with 35 points, nine better

than the 26 scored by Lincoln’s Clarence “Bud” Houck in 1952 and again in

the ’53 quarterfinals. In one sequence, Chamberlain blocked four successive shots.

George Hagopian (19) and Houck (17) led Lincoln.

Northeast 74, Bartram 61

Wilt Chamberlain had the record all to himself only until the second game,

when Northeast’s Guy Rodgers also scored 35 points. Irvin “Bo” Roberson

(22) led Bartram, which shot 29-for-58 at the line.

FINAL

At the Palestra

Overbrook 71, Northeast 62

Wilt Chamberlain shot 12-for-29 and 10-for-15 for 34 points as 'Brook won its

fourth title in six years. The Hilltoppers shot 29-for-50 at the line and all five

Northeast starters fouled out. Guy Rodgers led Northeast with 26 points and at one point

made five consecutive baskets.

Standings

SECTION 1 | |

Bartram | 9 | 3

Franklin | 6 | 6

Bok | 6 | 6

Southern | 3 | 9

SECTION 2 | |

Overbrook | 11 | 1

West Phila. | 8 | 4

Dobbins | 4 | 8

Roxborough | 3 | 9

SECTION 3 | |

Northeast | 12 | 0

Central | 7 | 5

Gratz | 6 | 6

Germantown | 2 | 10

SECTION 4 | |

Lincoln | 12 | 0

Frankford | 4 | 8

Olney | 3 | 9

Mastbaum | 0 | 12

Coaches' All-Public

FIRST

TEAM | | | |

Guy Rodgers | NE | 12 | 417 | 34.8

Clarence

"Bud" Houck | Linc | 12 | 278 | 23.2

Wilt

Chamberlain | Ovb | 12 | 389 | 32.4

Irvin

"Bo" Roberson | Bart | 12 | 342 | 28.5

Gerry Smith | West | 12 | 220 | 18.3

SECOND

TEAM | | | |

Ed Givnish | Linc | 11 | 175 | 15.9

Chuck Morrow | Cent | 12 | 154 | 12.8

Mel Sharpe | Dobb | 12 | 257 | 21.4

Chuck Huebner | Fkd | 12 | 256 | 21.3

Joe Howell | West | 12 | 174 | 14.5

Champs' Rotation

OVERBROOK

Coach

Sam Cozen

Record

11-1, 21-2

Starters

Wilt

Chamberlain

Marv Cravetz

Lou Sadler

Stan Guralnick

Doug Leaman

Key

Subs

Charlie Brahin

Ira Davis

Jim Sadler

Catholic League

Playoffs

SEMIFINALS

Doubleheader at the Palestra

West 59, South 33

Bill Lindsay scored 19 points to pace the rout. Bob Devine added 10 points.

South put no one in double figures.

La Salle 61, North 51

Tom Derago (16), Mike Schlacter (15) and Sid Kraemer (14) paced La Salle. Jim

Tanney topped North with 12 points.

FINAL

At the Palestra

West 53, La Salle 52

Bill Lindsay scored 16 points while Bob Devine (12) and John McNicholas

(11) aided the cause. La Salle (Tom Derago 21) missed four consecutive shots when it faced

a 52-50 deficit and then Lindsay added a clinching free throw.

Standings

West | 13 | 1

South | 9 | 5

La Salle | 9 | 5

North | 8 | 6

SJ Prep | 6 | 8

ST More | 5 | 9

St. James | 4 | 10

Roman | 2 | 12

Coaches' All-Catholic

FIRST

TEAM | | | |

Bill Lindsay | West | 14 | 244 | 17.4

Tom Short | North | 14 | 217 | 15.5

Joe Ryan | Prep | 14 | 255 | 18.2

Tom Henderson | South | 13 | 178 | 13.7

Don Cannon | More | 14 | 228 | 16.3

Tom Derago | La S | 13 | 197 | 15.2

SECOND

TEAM | | | |

Sid Kraemer | La S | 14 | 198 | 14.1

Bob McNelis | St. J | 14 | 169 | 12.1

Jim Tanney | North | 13 | 156 | 12.0

Joe Gardler | West | 14 | 151 | 10.8

Drew Denmead | West | 11 | 94 | 8.5

Champs' Rotation

WEST

Coach

Jim Usilton Jr.

Record

13-1, 24-2

Starters

Bill Lindsay

Joe Gardler

Drew Denmead

Bob Devine

John McNicholas

Key

Subs

John Rowan

Charlie

Eltringham

Joe Gallo

Inter-Ac League

Penn Charter (10-0)

Idle Penn Charter, already 8-0, clinched the championship -- the 15th in

23 seasons for coach Samuel "Duke" Taylor — as second-place Haverford

School fell to 5-3 in a 43-38 loss to Friends’ Central. The Quakers closed with a

56-48 triumph over visiting Friends’ Central as Drew Schaufler (16), Paul Hynes and

Charles "Chukker" McIlvaine (13 apiece) starred. McIlvaine had been an alternate

with the 1952 Olympic rowing team. Haverford was runner-up (7-3).

Standings

Penn Charter | 10 | 0

Haverford Sch. | 7 | 3

Fds. Central | 5 | 5

Gtn. Academy | 4 | 6

Episcopal | 3 | 7

Malvern | 1 | 9

Coaches' All-Inter-Ac

FIRST

TEAM |

Joe Missett | MP

Bob Buckley | FC

Drew Schaufler | PC

Paul Hynes | PC

Ken Clark | EA

SECOND

TEAM |

Jim Raugh | HS

Charles Price | GA

Bill O'Brien | FC

Sam Niness | EA

John Granozio | GA

Richard Smith | HS

Champs' Rotation

PENN

CHARTER

Coach

Duke Taylor

Record

10-0, 18-3

Starters

Drew Schaufler

Paul Hynes

Charles

McIlvaine

Bob Meyer

Richie Kohler

Key

Subs

Ed Maier

Bart Hanlon

Tom Joyce