"Rule In Order Of The Defense"
Perceived as a mere contender, the Crimson Tide surprised all but
themselves by conquering their division and capturing their second Schuylkill crown in three years. "We didn't overlook
anyone. From the beginning of the year our goal was to win the league and we accomplished that," said Jeff Yoder.
With an all new starting line-up the boys' team couldn't take the risk of looking
past an opponent, especially in their own division, where alleged super-powers Shamokin and Tamaqua were expected to clash
for the title.
The boys began their campaign with a
huge road win at Tamaqua. "We beat the team that was picked to repeat as league champs in one of the toughest gyms to
play in," explained Dennis Siket. Coach Jim Steidle rotated eight players throught-out the season. Ralph Bretz, Mike
Steidle and Kevin Corby were fixtures at the guard positions. Underneath, Yoder and Dan Pfeil rounded out the first five.
Coming off the bench, Sean Holden and Ryan McGinley acted as three-point wizards. Siket was an anchor down low when called
upon.
Defense was the name of the game for the Tide,
who yielded under 50 points per contest. "We felt if we did our job in the defense aspect of the game, our offense would
come together as well," said Bretz.
With one game
left in the regular season the team opposed North Schuylkill. If the boys would have lost to the Spartans, they faced the
possibility of a playoff for the division crown. Pottsville won 55-54 in 2 overtimes. "It was a great win and gave us
some good momentum heading into the playoffs," said Coach Steidle.
In the league playoffs, the Tide first faced Tamaqua and beat the Blue Raiders in what many believed to be the "real"
league title game. In the actual championship ga\me, the squad rebounded from a tremendous deficit and overcame a sound Marian
team in front of a capacity crowd at Martz Hall. "It was one of the most thrilling experiences, I've had in all my years
of coaching," concluded Coach Steidle.
| |
|
|
Pottsville Crimson Tide 46
|
Northampton 32
|
|
Pottsville Crimson Tide 26
|
Hazleton 49
|
|
Pottsville Crimson Tide 65
|
Wyoming Valley West 52
|
|
Pottsville Crimson Tide 53
|
East Stroudsburg 57
|
|
Pottsville Crimson Tide 37
|
Wilson 50
|
|
Pottsville Crimson Tide 52
|
Pleasant Valley 46
|
|
Pottsville Crimson Tide 58
|
Nazareth 43
|
|
Pottsville Crimson Tide 35
|
Stroudsburg 41
|
|
Pottsville Crimson Tide 62
|
Tamaqua 56
|
|
Pottsville Crimson Tide 39
|
Owen J. Roberts 58
|
|
Pottsville Crimson Tide 48
|
Wyomissing 50
|
|
Pottsville Crimson Tide 59
|
Mount Carmel 58
|
|
Pottsville Crimson Tide 61
|
Blue Mountain 54
|
|
Pottsville Crimson Tide 57
|
Shamokin 62
|
|
Pottsville Crimson Tide 70
|
Pine Grove 42
|
|
Pottsville Crimson Tide 49
|
North Schuylkill 41
|
|
Pottsville Crimson Tide 44
|
Lower Dauphin 67
|
|
Pottsville Crimson Tide 49
|
Tamaqua 54
|
|
Pottsville Crimson Tide 53
|
Mount Carmel 48
|
|
Pottsville Crimson Tide 54
|
Blue Mountain 52
|
|
Pottsville Crimson Tide 50
|
Shamokin 51
|
|
Pottsville Crimson Tide 64
|
Pine Grove 36
|
|
Pottsville Crimson Tide 55
|
North Schuylkill 54
|
|
Pottsville Crimson Tide 53*
|
Tamaqua 47
|
|
Pottsville Crimson Tide 54**
|
Marian 50
|
|
Pottsville Crimson Tide 31***
|
Whitehall 40
|
