The five-team Pennsylvania State Basketball League opened play with strong teams in Nanticoke, Pittston, and Scranton, and non-contenders in Plymouth and Wilkes-Barre. The Scranton Miners won the first half of the split season by winning nine straight games at the outset of the season and then holding off Nanticoke. Veterans Frank Bruggy and Elmer Ripley were the primary scorers for Scranton, while 6’7″ rookie Stretch Meehan provided rebounding. Pittston jumped off to a big lead in the second half of the season, but could not hold off the powerful Nanticoke club. Player-coach Dick Leary relied on league scoring champion Johnny Beckman to run Nanticoke’s offense and young Dutch Dehnert for his bone-jarring defensive play. Fearing Nanticoke’s strength in the playoffs, Scranton beefed up its squad by signing Eastern League ace Nat Holman. The move quickly paid dividends when the underdog Miners upset Nanticoke 30-23 in the first game of the best-of-five series, but Nanticoke quickly adjusted and came back to claim the PSL title with three straight wins.
PSL ChampionshipBest of 5-game series | |||||||||||||||||||
| Date | Away | Score | Home | OT | Series | ||||||||||||||
| ??? | Nanticoke | 23-30 | Scranton | SCR 1-0 | |||||||||||||||
| ??? | Scranton | 30-42 | Nanticoke | Tied 1-1 | |||||||||||||||
| ??? | Nanticoke | 23-18 | Scranton | NAN 2-1 | |||||||||||||||
| ??? | Scranton | 31-32 | Nanticoke | NAN 3-1 | |||||||||||||||
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I sincerely appreciate the research work, and the information being shared. It is important and interesting history.