Bloomington High School South, The Gothic, 1977, Page 80

Description:	Basketball team wins 15 in a row,upsets No. I Jeff, earns 8th in pollThe South basketball teamexceeded all expectations by finishingthe season with a phenomenal 18-3record, although losing to Bedford inthe first round of the sectional.South, under second-year mentorBill Springer, won its first South Central Conference crown ever with anunscathed 8-0 conference slate.The Panthers finished the regularseason with an excellent 18-2 record,the best since the 1 959-60 team went19-1.After winning their first threegames, the Panthers lost their onlygames of the regular season to Washington and Broad Ripple on consecutive nights.It was all uphill from there, however. Coach Springers squad proceeded to win its next 16 gamesagainst competition ranging fromMitchell and Owen Valley to No. 1-ranked Jeffersonville.There were many key wins duringthe streak—wins such as the triumph over arch rival North eventhough starting junior Larry Blackwellwas injured early and sat out the restof the game . . . senior Jay Truesoff-balance shot at the buzzer whichgave the Panthers a two-point winover Rushville and capped a comeback from a 15-point deficit in thethird quarter . . . the 79-55 destruction of Indianapolis Arlington whichgave South the Bloomington SouthHoliday Tournament crown . . . thebig home victories over Bedford andMartinsville.But the high point of the seasoncame when the Panthers pulled offwhat some called the upset of thedecade and beat previously undefeated and No. 1-ranked Jeffersonville 42-41 Feb. 15 at South gym.Seven down on the third quarter,the Panthers rallied to take a 42-37lead with a minute left to play andhung on for the victory. The final buzzer touched off pandemonium asfans, coaches, and players celebratedthe upset of a team which was ratedthe third best high school team in thecountry at one point.The leading scorer and rebounderfor the Panthers was junior forwardCraig Buffie. Seniors Bruce Kalb andDave Riddle were other leading contributors to the South cause. Riddle,who never started a game, played therole of super sub. He frequentlycame off the bench to spark Pantherrallies and finished as Souths thirdleading scorer.Buffie spearheaded a tenaciousPanther defense—Coach Springerspride and joy. The defensive highlights of the year were the shutout ofShelbyville for the entire third quarterand the low total of 41 points yieldedto high-scoring Jeff.An excellent addition to the teamwas 68 junior Jeff Parker, who hadheld out a year. Parker came on latein the season and gave South therebounding height it had lacked inpast seasons.
Source:	http://cdm17129.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/hs-bloomsouth/id/915
Collection:	Bloomington High School South

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