Redwood High School - Log Yearbook (Larkspur, CA)

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mt, , Xxx? M Rwlfwaod No school could ask for much more than the 1961 Redwood Var- sity Basketball gave in the form of long, hard hours of practice and the resulting wins which brought home a league championship in MCAL competition. Topping off the nerve-racking season for both student body and team, was the winning of a Spirit Trophy at the Tournament of Champions in Berkeley. The season started with a rather disheartening sequence of notes as the slow-starting Giants lost eight out of their initial nine con- tests. Balboa easily crushed the Redwood's 64-26. Montgomery trotted by on the long end of a 47-39 score. The Christmas Touma- ment didn't see much of a change in the trend as Redwood came out low man in the first and second rounds of play. Marin Catho- lic, the eventual winner of the Tourney, won 42-36 and Drake put in their two-cents worth by socking the Giants 38-23. Traipsing across the bay to Richmond, Harry Ells of Richmond tally to the lose column, and Galileo proved harder to control as they trounced the Giants 44-29. Mike Kavanagh, 6 foot first unit center, hit for thirteen points and high point The squad, now fifteen members strong, added an Ueimgcur- ticular trip to watch the fine defense of the squash U.S.F. at Harmon Gym, and apparently the desired effect, as a fired-up Giant team beat Lincoln of San lFran-: cisco several days later and recorded the first wirfof the season. Rich Brear sank four field goals and five charity tosses for high- point honor, Mike Hoffman followed with eleven. However, it was still pre-league play and the Giants recorded two more losses, one to Mission, 48-39, and one to George Washington, 41-39, Thge trend was to change very soon. ,t,,,,,, ,, ,,,,,,,. The important leaxfue competition commenced on Fr,iday,f'iU'aQ11u- ary 6, as the Redwoodites nabbed a victory the Pi- rates, 29-28, and at the same time began a cliE-liangersn that must have broken all aspirin-consumption' records for to come, Mike Bresnan, Pirate offensive aceywags-held f,Q.fI10.ea6ld goals by bustling Ned Griffith. The prey to the Giants twice in two and 42-28, between which was ,1,t Novato Hornets. K r'i A tourney loss was avenged against Marinaiitholic as the 'Red- wood ballhandlers tucked away league Win number three 41-33Q -In the crucial Tamalpais fray, Roger Siemens for a Prep of the Week award. First ilinns

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Redwood 114. P051 x P1 Q-Ji

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114. TJ-na potted eight. The first league-loss of the season came at the hands of the San Rafael Bulldogs, 30-27, But the Giants bounced back again to crash Polytechnic High 46-30 on Brear's twenty point splurge and submerged the Drake Pirates, 57-49. Siemens was once again high with fifteen talliesg Kavanagh followed with thirteen, The dark-horse of the MCAL twhich no one seriously believed existed? was rising from the slime. On Tuesday, February 21, the Redwood squad was challenged by Tamalpais to prove that it deserved the MCAL Championship, There were no buts about it, Tam lost 56-38. However, San Rafael supporters were not Vet convinced, and on the following Friday night, the Bulldogs and Giants locked horns. Through a fine team effort led by Rich Brear's twenty points, the Giants put the 1961 MCAL season on the record books with a 39-33 victory. Brear had a total of 41 tallies against the two strongest powers in the league. In this same game, Herb Schreiber earned a t'Prep of the Week Award by sinking three key baskets. By winning the league championship, the Giants had earned the right to represent the MCAL at the Tournament of Champions. The competition proved a bit stiffer here as the Redwoodites bowed to Monterey and Livermore 31-42 and 38-42 respectively. The student body, however, showing unequalled enthusiasm, took home a coveted Spirit Trophy. Throughout the season the Giant's employed a shifting zone de- fense which turned out to be the best in the league, setting a new league defense record of 34.5 per game, This defense had much to do with the success of the season. Rounding out the season was the annual feast at the Edgewater Inn in Larkspur. Team members were presented with Athletic Merit Awards, a framed picture of the team and a gold basketball, Captain blankets were issued to Rich Brear and Roger Siemens. These two. plus Ned Griffith, were announced as winners of the senior scholarship awards. Coach Phil Woolpert was guest speaker. The Giants wound up the season with 14 wins and 12 losses. Rich Brear led in rebounds, points scored and topped ot? his ca- reer by appearing in all of Redwoods 78 games over the 3 year period of its existence. Brear was named to the All League Team. The largest crowd in Marin County history attended the Drake game. The season's success was strictly a team effort, ll