Concord Tops Kermit 61-57 for Class B Title
‘Badger’ Martin Sets 26-Point Pace for Champs
By Charles R. Lewis, Associated Press Sports Writer
CHARLESTON -- Concord Training School of Athens raced to the State Class B championship with a 61-57 victory over Kermit Saturday as ‘Badger’ Martin set a blistering 26-point pace.
The Mercer Countians thus succeeded as titlists a Moorefield squad they knocked from the running 59-54 in the semi-final round of this year’s play.
Control of the backboards throughout most of the contest and a racehorse style of play they maintained to the final gun carried the well-balanced Concord battlers to victory.
MARTIN and Fred Toney, who wound up with 19 points in a superb pivot exhibition, led the Athens five into a hard-fought 17-14 lead at the end of the first period, and they maintained the upper hand throughout the second canto. Concord left the floor at halftime with a 29-23 advantage.
Kermit’s generally outmaneuvered Blue Devils lost little time in making their supreme bid once the third quarter got underway.
Glenn Smith, once again the Mingo Countians’ spark with 24 points, started the rally with a fielder. Clarence Kirk followed with a push shot and a free throw and Jim Parsley tallied with a lay-up to carry Kermit ahead at 30-29 for the first time since late in the first quarter.
TONEY RETALIATED with a Concord fielder, but Kirk knotted it at 31-31 with a charity toss to keep the fighting Devils’ chances alive.
Other deadlocks at 33-33 and 35-35 followed in an all-out scrapping before a Kirk free throw put Kermit ahead at 36-35 for what proved to be the last time with 3:30 of the third frame left.
Martin, Toney and Holdren stepped in to put the speedy Concord attack in motion again with two-pointers, and the Mercer Countians had opened up a 44-38 bulge going into the fourth quarter.
Martin, Toney and Holdren soon built up that margin to a staggering 57-42 count with but 3:30 remaining in the game, but the fired Kermit five still refused to be counted out.
TWO FIELDERS by Smith, one by Charlie Lambert and another by Joe Porter, coupled with a free throw by Smith and two charity tosses by Jim Clay, brought Kermit back within striking distance at 53-58 with 1:40 left.
Smith added two more goals in the closing seconds, but another fielder by Toney and a free throw by Bill White kept Concord out of reach. Kermit missed a total of four free throws in the final three seconds of play to kill the last hope for victory.
The Blue Devils also saw Parsley and Kirk, their two tallest performers, waved to the sidelines on personal fouls in the final minute and a half of the third frame. Capt. Johnny Preston was lost via the same route with 3:30 of the final quarter remaining.
KERMIT OUTGOALED Concord 23 to 22, but saw the winner make 17 of 31 free throws. Kermit connected on 11 of 23 from the charity line.
Smith wound up with 75 points in three games to take individual scoring honors for the tournament. Kermit advanced into the finals by defeating Ravenswood 58-56 in two overtimes and Fairview 51-49. Concord Training romped past Greenbank 66-53 before eliminating Moorefield.
Saturday’s outcome ran the Concord season record to 18-9 and the Kermit mark to 20-7.
MARTIN TURNED IN the best forward play of the tournament in the championship game, hitting with uncanny accuracy on one-handed push shots and engineering the deadly fast break unleashed by the Athens five.
The lead changed five times and the score was deadlocked on three occasions in the hard-fought first period before Toney’s lay-up gave Concord a 15-14 edge shortly before the buzzer. Martin then followed quickly with a goal from the foul circle.
ALL-TOURNEY TEAM
By the Associated Press
CHARLESTON – Concord Training School’s state titlists placed two men on the all-tournament team named at the conclusion of the Class B basketball finals. ‘Badger’ Martin was selected at forward and Fred Toney at center. The other six positions were divided among as many schools. Making up the remainder of the all-star squad were: Glenn Smith of Kermit and George Fisher of Moorefield at forwards; Dick Schamp of Smithfield at center, and Charles Merico of Fairview, Ken Whitehair of Davis and and Allen Short of Ravenswood at guards. Kermit won trophies for the best cheerleaders and the outstanding cheering section.
Source: Transcribed from the Raleigh Register, Beckley, W. Va., Sunday Morning, March 19, 1950, page 11
