A win that will always be remembered
Fifty years ago, Mapletown High School reached its zenith in boys basketball, capturing the only PIAA victory in the school’s history.
That 1972 Mapletown team won the first section and WPIAL championship in a newly-formed Class C.
It did not matter that the Maples went 10-11 in doing so. They won five of six section games, good enough to earn them the section crown and the WPIAL Class C crown.
Except for those six section games, the rest were played against bigger schools, including games against Immaculate Conception in Washington and St. John’s in Uniontown – coached by the iconic Lash Nesser. Neither school exists today. Mapletown also played Waynesburg, among others.
The real highlight of the season, however, was winning the first-round game against Sparta.
Mapletown, under first-year Coach Fran Bigley, traveled to New Wilmington and the campus of Westminster College to play Sparta.
Playing on a collegiate floor alone was a departure for the Maples, who played most of their games in small gymnasiums throughout the regular season.
Their opponents entered the state playoffs with a 19-5 record and were a relative unknown commodity beyond that.
Sparta jumped to a 10-point, first-quarter lead. But the Maples battled back and led by Dennis Tanner – who poured in a game-high 32 points – and 20 more from John Kushner took command. Mapletown earned its historic moment with a 75-68 victory.
In addition to George Messich’s eight points, the Maples won the game at the foul line, sinking 25 of 35 free throw attempts to Sparta’s eight of 18 attempts.
“We walked into that gym and felt like we were playing at a different level,” Tanner said.
Said Denny McIntire, another Mapletown starter: “It was wire-to-wire. (Tanner) was a beast that game and we pulled away at the end.
“That win was extremely gratifying. To think that WPIAL championship and PIAA playoff win are the only one in Mapletown history is pretty amazing.”
Few have seen as many Mapletown games in any sport than Messich, who has been the Maples’ football coach for more than 30 years and has served as athletic director, among other duties.
The significance of the state tournament victory will not be lost on him.
“I’ll never forget the ride to Westminster,” Messich said. “What an experience that was for us to play and take in the atmosphere of a state game in a college atmosphere.
“I remember there was a lot of talk about their record. We were excited to play and had to settle down a bit. We calmed down, got it together and played well. Dennis took the game over. We’ll never forget that win.”