1931 LTC Tournament
First Round:
Waterman 21, Sandwich 19
In what was said to be a rough and tumble game, Waterman sank 13 free throws to Sandwich’s seven to help them to the
win.
Hinckley 28, Plano 15
Hinckley had little trouble in getting past Plano
as Binder, C. Loring and Strever each hit several baskets that helped the winners push out to a big lead that let them coast
in the second half. Dwyer and Gates were the scoring punch for Plano,
but the effort of these two wasn’t enough to gain victory.
Second Round:
Sheridan 28, Paw Paw
22
Sheridan moved on thanks in part to 15 points from Winder,
while Paw Paw was led by Thomas’ 14 points.
Shabbona 36, Leland 21
Shabbona used a huge first half rally to help them defeat Leland. Challand had 13 points for Shabbona, while Anderson added 10. Leland was led by J. Stratton and R. Stratton who each had seven markers.
Earlville 22, Rollo 15
Earlville played a solid all around game to push them past Rollo.
Waterman 24, Hinckley 21
It was the third meeting between the two teams with each winning on their home floor earlier
in the season. Hinckley had a slight lead at halftime
and up until the final two minutes, Waterman was greatly trying to catch up.
Guard Bill Randles nailed a long shot with just over a minute to play to tie the score.
Hinckley, who had used all their timeouts, called another and was given a technical foul on
which Duane Swanson swished the free toss. Swanson then scored another basket
in the closing seconds to give Waterman the three point victory. It was reported
that hundreds of anxious fans were turned away at the gate because the gym was already at capacity.
Semi-Finals:
Sheridan 28, Shabbona 26 (Overtime)
Shabbona was without captain Jacobson who had sprained his ankle in their win over Leland. The injury made it impossible for him to put any weight on his foot thus he watched
the game from the bench. While Sheridan
made more baskets, Shabbona was able to stay close by making free throws and the game went to overtime. In the extra session Sheridan guard Johnson connected on a
shot from the side which proved to be the winning tally.
Waterman 53, Earlville 3
The game was a complete mismatch as Coach Eveland’s lads outclassed the squad from Earlville
from start to finish. Eveland used his starters during the first half, but turned
to his second stringers the entire second half. Earlville was held without a
field goal, while Waterman made 23.
Third Place Game:
Shabbona 31, Earlville 15
The game was played at a slow pace as each club
tried to gain an advantage. Shabbona, playing grabbed a 13-9 halftime lead and
heading to the fourth quarter the lead had grown to 20-12. Anderson of Shabbona
led all scorers with 15 points, while Keith led Earlville with seven.
Championship Game:
Waterman 29, Sheridan 14
Waterman struggled to find their game early, but scored
19 second half points to take the title game and leaving little doubt who was the better of the two teams. Sheridan in the first half put up some great defense as they
held Eveland’s mighty club without a field goal during the first eight minutes and was tied at halftime. However Sheridan guard and captain Haageson fouled out in the
later stages of the first half and from then on Waterman was in control. Duane
Swanson, Waterman center, was the individual star of the evening as he scored 15 points.