Derry Borough High School - Derrian Yearbook (Derry, PA)

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Basketball Resume i i l l i The first te to taste defeat at the hands of the Derry High quintet Was Blairsville After leading throughout the game, Derry weakened in the fourth quar- ter but survived the test with victory. When Blairsville came to Derry, they again met. stiff opposition from the Bucci quintet. With twelve points each, Yealy and Wingard played an important part in winning this game. After leading 6-4 at the half, Derry faltered in the second half and met defeat at the hands of Scottdale. Yealy and Walters sparked Derry's attack, the latter getting eleven points to lead the scoring for both teams. Again Derry took to the highway, this time to Latrobeg for the first. time in many years. the two teams met on the hardwood. Only after a scoring spurt in the third quarter was Latrobe able to turn back the determined Rams A strong alumni team was repulsed when Walters began his scoring spree of the season. After trailing 17-12 at the half, a revamped Derry team returned to the floor and was able to overcome the alumni's lead and score a victory. In a return game with Latrobe, Derry again faltered in the second half to lose the game. The margin of victory was decided at the foul line, for each team had seven baskets. In the final pre-league game, Scottdale was again able to turn the tables on Derry. Walters was again high scorer with fourteen points. When East Huntington visited Derry for the first league encounter, we began our drive for league honors with a win. Although the Derry five was able to win. the boys failed to work together smoothly. With that over-confident attitude drilled out of them. Derry's quintet traveled to Youngwood. After a hard-fought battle in which Walters and Wingard scored all of Derry's points, We still had a perfect percentage with two wins and no losses. The Kaiser-coached five rallied in the last period but fell short of victory by three points. Another league Victory, and another star was uncovered as Derry walloped Hurst. In scoring ten points, Gontz led the team to victory. Through the snow storm the Derry cagers motored to Mt. Pleasant to meet Culler's five. A never-to-be-forgotten contest resulted. With the score 19-19 at the end of the game. and with Walters and Bnughman out on personals, the Derry boys lost in an extra-period entanglement. I lFTY-EIGHT

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Basketball Squad With mostly inexperienced boys, Coach Bucci's chances for a winning team were slim. Nevertheless, he lost no time in molding five boys into a team that brought glory to the school and pride to the players. Our stellar center, Walters, who led in scoring for the team, was the third highest scorer in section XIII, and just one point out of second place. Tom Wingard. who sank goals with either his right or left hand, played an important ro'e in De-rry's most successful basketball season. With no previous varsity experience, Bob Gontz was in tiptop form when Derry met Derry Township: and his ten points helped to upset this team. Boyd Baughman, playing his first season of varsity barketball, was the best ball hawk of the team. Time after time, Boyd took that ball from the reach of boys much taller than he. It was Boyd who held Johnston, the scoring ace of Ligonier, to two foulsff--his total score of the evening. One of the best defensive guards ever turned out by Derry was Brick Toner. All Pat needed to say was, Red, do this g and it was done. Since Brick was seldom removed for a substitute. he was an iron man who formed an important cog in our team. Henry will leave a big hole in Bucci's lineup for 1940. When anyone was ejected from the game because of personals, the coach always signalled for Tony Sylvester to substitute. Kenneth Fulcomer will be remembered for his all-around playing against Hurst when he substituted for the ailing Wingard. Ken, for making live goals that evening, is given the credit for Derry's decisive win. When several of the regulars hit a slump, Hugh Akins was brought up from the Junior Varsity. This candidate showed himself worthy: for in an important game with Ligonier, he scored the first three points, which helped to lead the Derry boys to victory. , Although George Toth was probably the smallest player, he will be remem- bered for that football-like pass down the floor to Walters at Youngwood. This goal helped Derry to climb the steep ladder in section XIII. Although Tom Henry and Dominic Gasbarro, seniors, did not see very much varsity service, they helped a great deal to toughen the boys for varsity battles. Holmes Yealy and Dalton Bryson, who started out with a bang, were hard , pressed by other candidates but will probably make varsity history nsext year. QQ f f Personnel: + X V Forwards: Wingard, tGontz, Fulcomer, Akins, Yealy. Centers: iWalters, Bryson, Hen- ry Guards: i'iBaughman, Toner, 'tSylvester, Gasbarro. Managers: :fiBridge, Werner. Coach: Bucci Assistant Coach: Williams. VARSITY SQUAD Front Row: Boyd liaughrnzin. Henry Toner, Thomas Wingnrtl, Robert Gontz. Gem-go Toth' K,.nm.th FUI, eomer. Coach Bucci Back Row: Dominic Gzusharro. Tony Sylvester, Dalton Bryson, Robert Walters, Holmes Yenly. Thomas 5 Henry FIFTY-SEVEN

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BASKETBALL RESUME fcontinuedl ln a non-league encounter St. Vincent Prep came to Derryg and after a very close first half, the tall experienced prep team emerged with a seven point lead. During the second frame Derry's second team took to the court, but was slaughter- ed by the baskets of the Rafferty-coached five. With a perfect record and several sharpshooters, Ligonier came to Derry. Our gymnasium was over-crowded with the six hundred Derry and Ligonier fans. The game seesawed back and forth with many thrills until, at the beginning of the last quarter, the score stood at 30-30. With only a few seconds to play, Hantz, a Ligonier substitute, made a basket to win the game by one point! I maintain a moral victory, said Coach Bucci, for the boys who fought so valiantlyf' Another tough game appeared as Derry met her old rival, Derry Township. Although the Sullivan five were much taller than the Borough five, Township was decisively defeated. Gontz, with eleven points, led the Derry attack. The Derry five, tired from the previous game, dropped a close encounter to Pitcairn. As the second halt' opened, Derry journeyed to East Huntington to win a victory again. In this game all the subs were given a chance. Youngwood came to Derry to win, said the Youngwood captain. But things turned out quite differently. With the score 32-28 in Derryfs favor and seconds to play, Youngwood sank two baskets to end the game with a tie. In the extra period, however, Toner sank a one-handed shot to win the game 34-33. Hurst made things tough, but Derry came out on top. Ramsay was our jinxg for they traveled to our back yard and administered another defeat, which nearly jolted us from the league race. Because they faced a more-spirited team, Pitcairn found it harder to defeat us on the floor. Derry's big chance came when the Rams met the Mountaineers, After stiff opposition, Derry was able to defeat Ligonier and was then tied for first place in the league. We are in the running again, said Coach Bucci. But overconfidenee pre- vailed, and Derry lost to her old rival, Derry Township: this destroyed all hopes for a championship team. In a return game with St. Vincent Prep, Derry threatened to upset the strong- ly-favored Prep teamg but a fourth-period scoring spurt spoiled things for Derry. Coach Bucci entered the boys in the Westmoreland County Tourna- ment. After a rather slow game, our first encounter with Bell Town- ship proved to be a win. In the semi-finals, after what was prob- ably the most exciting game of the tournament, Derry lost by a few-points margin to Washington Township. Despite many set-backs, Derry I-ligh came out of the melee with what is believed to be one of the best teams ever to play for the blue and white. FIFTY-NIN E