Philadelphia Scholastic Basketball, 1953

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City Title

Public League

Playoffs

PRE-PLAYOFF
At Sayre Jr. High
Franklin 46, Bok 41
  Bill Jackson (13), Ron Gee (12) and Devonne Muchison (10) led Franklin while Ron Jones (10) topped Bok.
QUARTERFINALS
At Temple’s South Hall
Northeast 74, Frankford 51
  Guy Rodgers paced the easy win with 32 points. Chuck Huebner scored 20 points for Frankford.
Doubleheader at the Palestra
Bartram 52, West 49
  Irvin “Bo” Roberson poured in 26 points and shot 12-for-14 from the line. Joe Howell scored 19 points for West, which squandered a 21-14 halftime lead.
Lincoln 69, Central 45
  Clarence “Bud” Houck and Ed Givnish led the rout with 26 and 21 points, respectively, as Lincoln ran its record to 19-0.
At SJ Prep
Overbrook 73, Franklin 47
  Wilt Chamberlain scored 24 points and Stan Guralnick (20) posted the Panthers’ first eight points. Franklin had won the teams’ regular-season meeting, 76-74, before losing three stars to mid-year graduations. Devonne Muchison scored 22 points.
SEMIFINALS
Doubleheader at the Palestra
Overbrook 72, Lincoln 56
  Wilt Chamberlain set a PL postseason record with 35 points, nine better than the 26 scored by Lincoln’s Clarence “Bud” Houck in 1952 and again in the ’53 quarterfinals. In one sequence, Chamberlain blocked four successive shots. George Hagopian (19) and Houck (17) led Lincoln.
Northeast 74, Bartram 61
  Wilt Chamberlain had the record all to himself only until the second game, when Northeast’s Guy Rodgers also scored 35 points. Irvin “Bo” Roberson (22) led Bartram, which shot 29-for-58 at the line.
FINAL
At the Palestra
Overbrook 71, Northeast 62
  Wilt Chamberlain shot 12-for-29 and 10-for-15 for 34 points as 'Brook won its fourth title in six years. The Hilltoppers shot 29-for-50 at the line and all five Northeast starters fouled out. Guy Rodgers led Northeast with 26 points and at one point made five consecutive baskets.

Standings

Coaches' All-Public

Champs' Rotation

Catholic League

Playoffs

SEMIFINALS
Doubleheader at the Palestra
West 59, South 33
  Bill Lindsay scored 19 points to pace the rout. Bob Devine added 10 points. South put no one in double figures.
La Salle 61, North 51
  Tom Derago (16), Mike Schlacter (15) and Sid Kraemer (14) paced La Salle. Jim Tanney topped North with 12 points.
FINAL
At the Palestra
West 53, La Salle 52
   Bill Lindsay scored 16 points while Bob Devine (12) and John McNicholas (11) aided the cause. La Salle (Tom Derago 21) missed four consecutive shots when it faced a 52-50 deficit and then Lindsay added a clinching free throw.

Standings

Coaches' All-Catholic

Champs' Rotation

Inter-Ac League

Penn Charter (10-0)
  Idle Penn Charter, already 8-0, clinched the championship -- the 15th in 23 seasons for coach Samuel "Duke" Taylor — as second-place Haverford School fell to 5-3 in a 43-38 loss to Friends’ Central. The Quakers closed with a 56-48 triumph over visiting Friends’ Central as Drew Schaufler (16), Paul Hynes and Charles "Chukker" McIlvaine (13 apiece) starred. McIlvaine had been an alternate with the 1952 Olympic rowing team. Haverford was runner-up (7-3).

Standings

Coaches' All-Inter-Ac

Champs' Rotation