Pershing and Northwestern Win as City Prep Cagers Open New Season

Detroit Free Press (Detroit, Michigan)

03 Dec 1967, Sun - Page 7

There are seven new faces on the coaching lines in the 22-team Public School League.

But the same old ones keeps right on winning.

Will Robinson, the dean of the PSL basketball coaching club, finished the '67 campaign with a string  of nine straight wins which culminated with a state basketball championship for his Pershing unit.

Consecutive win No. 10 came at Northern, 70-58, in Robby's first game this season on the hot  shooting of all-state Ralph Simpson, who  sank 14 of 24 shots from the field in  a 33-point performance.

Pershing unveiled a pair of new forwards in 6-3 Allen Burton and 6-3 Leroy Holmes who helped the Doughboys outrebound Northern, 37-21, for an easy win after a sluggish 13-12 first quarter margin.

Marvin Lane added 17 points for Pershing to offset a 29-point effort for junior Eskimo guard Tom Marsh.

On the west side, Northwestern coach Fred Snowden, a youngster on the calendar but a veteran on the winning ledger with four straight City League titles, started off in a whisper but finished like a filibuster.

The Colts rallied from a miserable, 18 percent shooting  average in a 13-12 first quarter deficit to roll past Western in the final three periods, for a 75-57 triumph.

Lamont King and Curtis Jones, two city-championship veterans, scored 32 and 25 points respectively to match the entire  Western output.

King seared the nets with 14 jumpers in 19 attempts and Jones added 12 assists to pace Northwestern to its successful inaugural. 

Curtis Bralock missed two free throws in the final 15 seconds of regulation time but made up for his errant eye with two baskets in overtime to give Denby a historical, 84-83, decision over Northwestern.

Walt Owens, Denby coach, led his cagers to their first win over the Falcons in 20 years to ruin the coaching debut of Randy Ziegler, a former associate.

Ziegler, fresh out of Wayne State in 1962, was Owens' assistant at Cass Tech.

Bralock pumped in 25 points to take game-scoring honors. Willie Johnson scored 20 and Mike Weaver, 15, for Northeastern.

Harry Smith was fouled on a driving layup and calmly sank the free throw with three seconds remaining in overtime to give Osborn a 66-67 upset over Eastern, its first over the losers since Osborn opened its doors in 1957.

Mark Roberts topped Osborn with 18 points but yielded scoring honors to the Indian's Booker Gervin who tallied 27.

John Parks also gave his coach, Jack Ward at Southeastern, heart palpitations when he missed the first of two free throws but dropped in the second one to provide the margin in  a 51-50 decision over Cass Tech. 

Marv Taylor, a six foot-eight center, threw in 38 points and took down 23 rebounds for the day's top effort to lead Mumford past Chadsey, 75-60.

Perry Watson blistered home 34 points but couldn't have his Southwestern team from a 74-66 defeat at the hands of Murray-Wright. Lindell Reason led the victors with 23 points and 18 rebounds, teammate William James adding 21 points and 20 rebounds.

Mackenzie trounced Henry Ford, 63-44, behind forward Carl COleman's 27 points and Ron Davidson's 19.