1939 a magical year for Catholic school roundball

In the year of 1939, Jesuit became the first New Orleans Catholic high school to win a state basketball championship after 10 years of trying as a member of the Louisiana High School Athletic Association.
 

Until that breakthrough season, no school from the Crescent City had won the roundball title since Warren Easton captured the 1912 trophy.
 

Third place was the highest finish a local team had accomplished since 1913. In 1937, St. Aloysius had won the consolation game, and, in 1936, Fortier had finished third over Jesuit by virtue of a coin toss. 
 

The rules of basketball were more primitive back in the day. A player was ejected from the game after committing four fouls. And if a game went into its second overtime, the team to score the first basket of that second extra period was declared the winner.
 

Both scenarios occurred during the 27th annual Louisiana High School Tournament held at LSU’s “Cow Palace.”
 

To gain a state title that day, the champion was compelled to win five games over the two-day event in a field represented by about 700 players competing on one of 70-odd entries.
 

City had four entries
 

New Orleans was represented by the city’s Prep League champion Holy Cross and Jesuit in the Class A division, and by Marrero High and New Orleans Academy (NOA) in the Class B loop.
 

The Times-Picayune’s eminent prep columnist, N. Charles Wicker, was on the scene to report the outcome, witnessed by 4,000 spectators.
Over that brief span of time, Jesuit defeated Bogalusa, Harris (of Claiborne Parish), Many and Jena to advance to the championship game against Istrouma.
 

Holy Cross, led by All-City guard Cyril Casbon, opened the event with a 47-12 rout of Simpson (today a Class C school). The Tigers’ starters played briefly.
Meanwhile, the two local Class B entries were eliminated early. Central of Baton Rouge sent Marrero home, 40-23, and NOA fell to Rosepine, 35-27.
Jesuit’s second opponent, Harris, was described by Wicker as one of the tournament’s “heavy favorites.”
 

And the Blue Jays got off to a slow start, falling behind 5-1, 11-4 and 16-9 over the first three periods.
 

But in the final period, Coach Ray Mock’s Jays tied the game at 21-all in the closing 25 seconds on Phil Bruno’s field goal.
 

Another football standout, Tony DiBartolo, gave Jesuit an early lead in the first overtime, then fouled out of the game.
 

But in the second OT, with victory going to the first team to tally 2 points, John Hyver sank two free throws, his only points of the game, to send the Jays to the next round.
 

The box score of that game showed that all 12 players on roster saw action.

Jesuit won two more games on the morning of the tournament’s final day, while Holy Cross made it as far as the semifinal round before losing to local favorite Istrouma, 55-39. But the Tigers, led by Casbon and Al Suberville, claimed victory in the consolation game by defeating Jena, 33-30.
 

Jesuit sent Jena to the mythical third-place game against the Tigers by  blasting the Giants, 44-25.
 

The championship game was another drama for the Blue Jays because the pressure was on to win the only state championship that had eluded them.
Wicker described the events leading to the Blue Jays’ 43-36 triumph:
 

“The first quarter was roughly played and ended in an 8-8 tie. Amazingly, Jesuit rose to the heights after three starters were ejected for committing four fouls. But three substitutes stepped in and did their jobs masterfully to keep the Jays out in front. Ulysses Wattigny, Charley Glueck and Fernand Lorio did brilliant substitution work,” wrote Wicker.
 

That victory gave the Jays a season record of 12-4. To date, Jesuit has won eight titles, the last coming in 2001.
 

Ron Brocato can be reached at [email protected]