The New York State Basketball League ran aground in early January of 1915 due to financial difficulties. Two new six-team leagues were formed in the northeast coal-mining region of Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania State Basketball League and the Inter-County Basketball League. The PSL teams signed the majority of the top players in the region, plus a sprinkling of Eastern and New York State League veterans. Pittston, the innagural champion, was powered entirely by hometown stars, including future baseball Hall of Famer Bucky Harris.
The Eastern Basketball League’s longtime hostilities with the Pennsylvania State Basketball League for player talent ended in a total victory for the senior circuit. The PSL gave up the fight and surrendered its two strongest franchises, Scranton and Wilkes-Barre, to the victor. The PSL would continue to operate on and off until the mid-1930’s, but strictly as a minor league operation.
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