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The 1974-75 Portville Boys Basketball Team was one of
the greatest of all time. Led by Head Coach Ray De Land, the 1975 squad was 13-5 during the regular season, then got hot during
the playoffs, and went on a New York State Section 6 run that was one for the ages...playing the biggest and best schools
in the region. In those days, every Western New York school, small and large, competed for the same, lone sectional championship...with
the final winner from all classes going on to States. A team from Limestone (the smallest school with 300 students K-12) could
play a huge school like Lockport (7,000 students K-12) in the playoffs leading to the State Champion.
After capturing the Class
CC crown, PCS went on to defeat the Class BB champ JFK and the Class AA champ Lockport, and the Panthers found themselves
playing in the sectional championship game as a true David...versus the Goliath Class A team from Lackawanna, undefeated at
19-0.
Moving through the six playoff games, the PCS boys quickly picked up more
fans and media recognition. The school sent buses of students to follow the team at each new game venue throughout Western
New York. By the time they had defeated Lockport (which was the largest
school in the section and boasted a 20-1 record), the situation turned into a frenzy, as all eyes in the New York basketball
world focused on this little town's hoopsters going up against the bigger team of Lackawanna. Tied at half-time, the Panthers stayed with the Steelers until the very end, finally losing to the
city boys 48-42 on March 15th, before a jam-packed gym full of moms and media members. The March Madness of 1975 was one of the finest moments in Portville's long sports history. Follow the stories, photos, and scorebooks of this mighty Panther hoops team BELOW and
on subsequent pages.
Coach De Land entered his 9th season at PCS with a record of 114-49, coming
off a 16-3 record the previous year. The Panthers had several players returning to the varsity squad, including captain senior
guards, Russ Pancio and Al Barber, along with Rick Hunt, Jim Henneman, Jeff Nix, Tom Yanetsko, and Dick Larson. They were joined by Tom's twin brother Tim, Fred Caya, Tim Hinman, Chuck Bretzin, Dave
Campbell, and Don "Animal" Sweigart. Expectations were high for another successful hoops season.
1975 part 2: Regular Season
1975 part 3: Playoffs
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| #24 Al Barber |
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| #12 Tom Yanetsko |
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| #42 Jeff Nix |
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| #22 Tim Yanetsko |
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| Click Pix to ENLARGE |
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| | PCS | DeLand 9 | OPP | | DIF | GAME |
| | | | | 71 | Ellicottville | 48 | W | 23 | PCS Tour | | | | | | 65 | Cattaraugus | 54 | W | 11 | PCS Tour | | | | | | 77 | Coudersport | 56 | W | 21 | | | | | | | 52 | at Ellicottville | 51 | W | 1 | | | | | | | 77 | at Coudersport | 42 | W | 35 | | | | | | | 52 | Bolivar (at O-E)
| 57 | L | -5 | O-E Tour
| | | | | | 62 | at Otto-Eldred | 47 | W | 15 | O-E
| | | | | | 35 | at Olean | 48 | L | -13 | IAABO | | | | | | 74 | at Limestone | 49 | W | 25 | IAABO
| | | | | | 68 | at Cattaraugus | 34 | W | 34 | | | | | | | 66 | at Holland | 57 | W | 9 | | | | | | | 86 | Franklinville | 74 | W | 12 | | | | | | | 79 | Allegany | 77 | W | 2 | | | | | | | 71 | Holland | 59 | W | 12 | | | | | | | 94 | at Franklinville | 60 | W | 34 | | | | | | | 58 | Salamanca | 80 | L | -22 | | | | | | | 65 | at Allegany | 69 | L | -4 | | | | | | | 65 | at Salamanca | 74 | L | -9 | | | | | | | 50 | Silver Creek | 38 | W | 12 | Playoffs | | | | | | 63 | Maple Grove | 47 | W | 16 | Playoffs | | | | | | 50 | Allegany | 38 | W | 12 | CC Play | | | | | | 56 | JFK | 46 | W | 10 | BB | | | | | | 68 | Lockport | 64 | W | 4 | AA | | | | | | 42 | Lackawanna | 48 | L | -6 | Sec Cham | | | | | | 1546 | 18-6 .750 | 1317 | | 9.6 | 64.4
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