City Basketball, 1954

Philadelphia

Scholastic Basketball, 1954

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City Title

At the

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

Overbrook

74, South Catholic 50 | | | | | | | | | | | | |

Wilt Chamberlain scored 32 points to tie the game record set in '53 by West Catholic's

Bill Lindsay. Jim Sadler added 17 points. 'Brook completed a 20-0 season and became the first PL winner since Bartram in

'44. Fred Giordano led South with 11 points.

Public League

Playoffs

SEMIFINALS Doubleheader at the Palestra Overbrook 74, West 55 Wilt Chamberlain poured in 41 points — most in PL playoff history

— as ’Brook coasted. He outscored West in the first half, 22-20. Joe Howell

scored 18 points for West. Northeast 57, Bok 45 Don Davis (18 points) and Jim “Tee” Parham (14) paced the

winners. Joe Keegan (12) led Bok, a first-time playoff entrant. FINAL At the Palestra Overbrook 60, Northeast 46 Wilt Chamberlain scored all 13 of Overbrook's first-quarter points and finished

with 40. No one else scored more than six. William "Sonny" Hill led Northeast

with 11 points.

Standings

Overbrook | 12 | 0

Northeast | 11 | 1

West Phila. | 10 | 2

Bok | 10 | 2

Olney | 8 | 4

Southern | 8 | 4

Frankford | 7 | 5

Lincoln | 7 | 5

Central | 5 | 7

Franklin | 4 | 8

Germantown | 4 | 8

Dobbins | 3 | 9

Bartram | 2 | 10

Gratz | 2 | 10

Mastbaum | 2 | 10

Roxborough | 1 | 11

Coaches' All-Public

FIRST

TEAM | | | |

Wilt

Chamberlain | Ovb | 12 | 453 | 37.8

Clarence

"Bud" Houck | Linc | 12 | 318 | 26.5

Jim

"Tee" Parham | NE | 12 | 296 | 24.7

Joe Howell | West | 12 | 329 | 27.4

Jim Muldoon | Sou | 12 | 348 | 29.0

SECOND

TEAM | | | |

Carl Reamer | Mast | 12 | 283 | 23.6

Chuck Huebner | Fkd | 12 | 247 | 20.6

Bob Warner | Rox | 12 | 300 | 25.0

George Jackson | Gtn | 12 | 318 | 26.5

Mel Sharpe | Dobb | 12 | 254 | 21.1

Champs' Rotation

OVERBROOK

Coach

Cecil Mosenson

Record

12-0, 20-0

Starters

Wilt

Chamberlain

Doug Leaman

Ira Davis

Mel Brodsky

Jim Sadler

Key

Subs

Marty Hughes

Howard Johnson

Dave Henryhand

Al Weinberg

Catholic League

Playoffs

SEMIFINALS

Doubleheader at the Palestra

South 63, North 59 (ot)

The Pirates roared back from a 13-point, early-fourth-quarter deficit as Bob

Goodrich (17) led the way. Goodrich scored the final six points of regulation in 35

seconds on a jumper, two free throws and a layup off Rich DeFusco’s assist. Fred

Giordano’s tap-in provided the lead for good, 59-57. Gerry McColgan (17) and Tony

Garberina (16) paced North.

West 75, La Salle 47

The teams combined to shoot 99 free throws as West went 37-for-50 and La Salle

went 25-for-49. Bob Devine scored 19 points. Bill Bodo (10) led La Salle.

FINAL

At the Palestra

South 51, West 45

Jim Grazione (18) and Rich DeFusco (10) scored in double figures for South,

which trailed just once, 1-0. The largest lead, 31-18, was provided as Jim Tobin and Fred

Giordano scored on successive tap-ins. Bob Devine, Charles Eltringham and Jack Savage

split 30 points for West.

Standings

West | 12 | 2

North | 11 | 3

South | 9 | 5

La Salle | 9 | 5

Roman | 8 | 6

ST More | 4 | 10

St. James | 2 | 12

SJ Prep | 1 | 13

Coaches' All-Catholic

FIRST

TEAM | | | |

Bob Devine | West | 14 | 171 | 12.2

Joe Ryan | Prep | 14 | 328 | 23.4

Jerry McColgan | North | 14 | 175 | 12.5

Jim Grazione | South | 14 | 222 | 15.9

Bill McGonigal | St. J | 14 | 253 | 18.1

SECOND

TEAM | | | |

Ray Dovell | Roman | 14 | 269 | 19.2

Al Haeber | La S | 14 | 231 | 16.5

Charles

Eltringham | West | 14 | 177 | 12.6

Jim McNicholas | West | 14 | 170 | 12.1

Nick DiCiurcio | More | 14 | 193 | 13.8

Champs' Rotation

SOUTH

Coach

Jack Kraft

Record

9-5, 18-10

Starters

Jim Grazione

Fred Giordano

Bob Goodrich

Rich DeFusco

John Hopkins

Key

Subs

Jim Tobin

John Dever

Lou Pucillo

Inter-Ac League

Gtn. Academy (8-2)

The visiting Patriots defeated Friends’ Central, 48-45, on the

season’s final day to win their first title since 1930 and only their second overall.

Al Cooke (15) and Bob Ortman (12) scored in double figures for first-year coach George

Davidson, and Ortman hit two clinching free throws with 0:12 left. Episcopal (7-3) placed

second.

Standings

Gtn. Academy | 8 | 2

Episcopal | 7 | 3

Haverford Sch. | 6 | 4

Penn Charter | 6 | 4

Fds. Central | 1 | 8

Malvern | 1 | 8

Friends

Central vs. Malvern not played.

Coaches' All-Inter-Ac

FIRST

TEAM |

Bill Kile | FC

Richie Kohler | PC

Randy Austin | GA

John Mangan | HS

Al Cooke | GA

SECOND

TEAM |

Lothrop Lee | HS

Jim Auch | MP

Dan McAlaine | EA

Bart Hanlon | PC

Dan Little | GA

Sam Allen | EA

Champs' Rotation

GTN.

ACADEMY

Coach

George Davidson

Record

8-2

Starters

Randy Austin

Al Cooke

Dan Little

Bob Powelson

Bob Ortman

Key

Subs

Dick Crawford

Paul Hardy