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The National Basketball Report: March 30, 1957
Regional Semifinal Drama? Go East, young man…

High Drama in the East

In the regional semifinals this weekend, the East hogged the spotlight. Every region saw the higher seed win; however, only in the East was that in doubt.

In the first game at the Palestra in Philadelphia, Niagara looked like they were going to continue their fairy tale run to the East finals. The seventh-seeded Purple Eagles led third-seeded Seattle 29-20 at the half. The Chieftains went in to the locker room expecting an angry coach.

Instead, they found Saul Bray with a smile on his face.

“We were really hesitant to sit down then,” said Jesus Jones, who scored a team-high 16. “But he told us we took their best shot, and that while we shot poorly, we had good looks at scoring. Sooner or later, those shots would fall.”

It would be sooner.

Justin Lavergne scored on the first possession of the second half. Niagara forward Robert Lombard responded, and Matthew Ashton scored after a Seattle miss. Niagara led, 33-22. Ashton thumped his chest on the way down the court.

They would never feel so good again.

Blaine Martin scored on a David Harder pass. Then Harder scored off a Jones assist. 33-26, 17:45 left. Seattle came out in a press, and Lavergne stole Curt To’s pass to Ashton. He finished with a big dunk, and glared right at Ashton. To scored, but Jones easily got inside.

35-30, Niagara.

Daniel Judge missed for Niagara. Jones scored from about 25 feet away, prompting Niagara to call time, their lead dwindling from eleven to three, in the span of ninety seconds.

“We knew we had them,” said Harder afterwards. “They were panicked.”

The big play, it would turn out, would involve Harder, and it came immediately after the timeout. To got the inbounds, and found a double screen. He came charging out of it, towards the hoop. Harder, playing Lombard, stepped towards the hoop. To barreled into him. The ref blew his whistle.

Charge.

To got up incensed, but walked away to avoid a further whistle. On Seattle’s possession, Jones was fouled by Judge. He scored both. Doug Scott scored for Niagara on a tip-in, making it three again. But Niagara was just pushing off the inevitable. Martin scored; Werner Montez got a steal, and a layup.

Seattle had their lead. From there, it was nip and tuck. The game was tied for about four minutes, before Niagara got their lead back, on Gerald Cardenas’ steal and dunk with 5:47 left. On the next possession, Cardenas would foul, and, for the second game in a row, get charged with a technical for arguing.

Jones hit one of two, making it a one-point game. Then Montez, the man fouled originally, hit both free throws. Seattle led by one again. Montez stole a pass from Ashton and found Jones on the other end. Al Miller scored with 4:04 left, making it a 51-46 game.

“We were never out of this game,” said To. “We were good enough to beat that team. We knew the game was not over.”

Ashton was fouled by Jones; his two freebies made it 51-48, 3:52 remaining. After stopping the Chieftains, Cardenas cut the lead to one on a jumper from the right wing. Seattle called time with 3:17 to go.

“I told the guys to enjoy this moment, because when they look back, they’ll want to remember it as fun,” said Bray afterwards. It seemed to loosen his team up.

Lavergne hit one of two free throws after being fouled by Ashton. With 2:21 to go, Judge was fouled. He hit both free throws, tying matters once again. Miller-to-Martin gave Seattle the lead back, with 1:47 left. Harder fouled Lombard on the other end, catching a pass.

“I was trying to steal it,” said Harder afterwards. “It was a stupid play.”

Lombard hit both. Tie game, 1:41 left.

Niagara came out in their press, but Seattle broke it. Then, rather than rush up a shot, they ran the clock down. With 1:07 left, and after countless passes, Jones got open on the baseline. He took it, and drained it.

Many, after this game, would say that Jesus Jones has risen.

Curt To, the venerable old guard of 22 years of age, caught a pass from Tom McCarthy. He made a pump fake on Wyman, got around him, and shot it from the line.

Net. Tied again. Fifty-three seconds left.

Seattle ball. Lavergne found Wyman, who dribbled around, looking for an opening. He found Martin, who found Lavergne, who found Wyman again. Wyman found Jones, again on the left baseline.

Jones’ arms went up. Bill Gumm, the hero of the first round, leapt to block it. Then Jones’ legs went up. He faked Gumm beautifully, keeping his rhythm for a shot.

The whistle blew. The ball flew towards the heavens, before finding its target, coasting through the net.

Seattle led by two, twenty-three seconds left. Jones stepped to the line.

“I tried to block everything out,” said Jones. “If I thought about it, I probably would have not scored.”

Jones went through his routine, dribbling twice, and twirling it back to his hands. He looked at it, then let it fly. It hit the rim, and dropped through.
Seattle 59, Niagara 56.

The Purple Eagles rushed up, and To found an opening. He missed, and Martin secured the rebound. He was fouled with three ticks left. He missed both, but it didn’t matter.

Seattle advanced.

“That was a great game,” said Bray afterwards. “It is one of those games where everyone had tension, but everyone had fun. Every one of those players will remember this after, for different reasons. You have to feel for those fellows in the other locker room…they played well enough to move on.”

Martin, the Player of the Game, had 12 points, 15 rebounds, and a pair of blocks. Wyman had, perhaps, his worst game as a collegian; he was held scoreless by To, 0-4 with four fouls, in just eleven minutes.

To, meanwhile, ended his career with 18 points, four rebounds, and two assists. It was a bittersweet end to a stellar career.

“It felt great to get here, but awful to end it that way,” he said afterward.

Niagara ends their year at 18-13, having reached the regional semifinal for the second straight season. Seattle, now 30-3, moves on to the final to face fellow western power Washington.

The Huskies were tested as well, though against an opponent of a more quality of fiber. The Duquesne Dukes held a 75-73 lead with 4:07 left. The next forty seconds changed, and defined, this game.

First, Danny Fenton scored on a jump shot. Fenton led the Huskies with thirty points; every time they needed a big basket, they went right to their point guard.

“He was phenomenal,” said Duquesne coach Ronald Polson. “He is the hallmark of a veteran leader. He came up in the big moments.”

The next possession will be debated for years to come. Duquesne worked the ball, eventually, to a cutting Chauncey Hinkley. Hinkley caught the ball as Gregoire Dupretz stepped into his space. Both fell. The ref was definitive: Charge on Hinkley.

That was Hinkley’s fifth foul. He was gone.

“There is no way that was, nor would ever be, a charge,” said Polson afterward, just as definitively. “Their guy was not in position. Look at how he fell. He fell to the side. How is someone taking a charge dead on fall anywhere but backwards?

“I will not say that a referee decision cost us the game,” he continued, “but it did put us at a disadvantage.”

On the ensuing possession, Fenton scored again, off a pass from Italo Malocco. That gave Washington a 77-75 lead. In a half dominated by Duquesne up until that moment, you could feel the air going out of the Dukes’ balloon. The Pittsburgh outfit was in their home state (albeit 300 miles away from home), and held a 74-64 lead just three minutes prior.

“We got tight,” said Hinkley after his final collegiate game. “We let them back in. I still thought we’d have had it.”

Chris McKeehan tied things up after Brent Dampier netted a steal of Gisbert Bittes. Once Washington got the ball back, they passed…and passed, and passed some more. A tired Duquesne defense, minus their best defender, did what they could. But their man-to-man defense met their fate on the ninth pass, which found Malocco in the left corner for an easy bucket.

Duquesne caught Washington setting up their press; Chris Green tied the game just four seconds later, off a long pass from Rod Williams. It was 79-79, with 1:42 left. Eighteen ticks later, Al Samson fouled Fenton, who went to the line.

The guard hit one, but not the second, to give Washington a 80-79 lead. Jimmy Matos had a good look on the other end, but his shot was long. Dupretz got the rebound. He was fouled, but missed the free throw. Forty-three seconds left, still a one-point game. This time, Richard Manion had a look. He was way off, and immediately called for a foul on Fenton. He got nothing. Dupretz got the ball, and got fouled again.

He missed, again. However, he somehow beat four Dukes to the basketball. He was fouled again, this time for two shots. He sank both.

“I make good that time,” said the redshirt freshman Frenchman, his learned English coming through.

Chris Green missed on the Dukes’ last gasp. Malocco, the Italian import on this Washington team, secured the rebound. Duquesne let three valuable seconds go off before he was fouled by Matos; eight seconds remained.

Malocco sank the first. That made it a four-point game. One more would make it a three-possession game, virtually out of reach for the Dukes.

He hit nothing but net.

Matos scored, and Malocco was fouled with one second left. He missed the first, and missed the second on purpose. Clock runs, game over.

“We found multiple ways to foul up that ending,” said Polson. “That starts with me. We have been through many tough situations. I did not prepare our young men for that. I also did not think I would be starting my life without Chauncey as early as during this game…but…”

He stopped, and shook his head, before walking away.

Fenton, as stated before, was the star. He has upped his scoring average (16.7) in each of the Huskies’ two games thus far, scoring 22 against George Washington, and 30 tonight. He was 13-22 from the field. Against the Chieftains on Saturday, they will need him to be even keener with his shot.

Malocco had 15 in a supporting cause for the Huskies, who move to 27-6 on the year.

Green led Duquesne (27-6) with 21; Hinkley’s 16 points came on 6-9 shooting, and 4-4 from the line.