Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1901-1906, 1906-03-23
WE ARE STATE CHAMPIONS
ATHLETICS WIN FROM COMPANY
pBY MARGIN OF ONE POINT
Game Played in White River Junction
wednesday Evening Before BIZ
crowd-Result In Doubt Until Last
Second Of Play.

The Brattleboro Athletics won tue
basketball championship OF vernon,
from Company ID of ~. Johnsput!
Wednesday evening In game tha'
was without doubt the most exciting
and the most iiercely contested ever
played within the borders OF the orceh
Mountain state. Victory came TO the
southern part of the state by the mar
row margin of one point, hut ~ was
margin enough TO settle the question OF
supremacy without any question the
final score stood 81 TO 20. AZ no umc
throughout the contest were the teams
more than four points apart, while Tor
many minutes only one tally inter
yened. During the third period the
lead changed no less than four times,
and with only u half.minute left to play
st. .Iohnsbury led by score OF ~ 10
10. The golden opportunity came 10
Long, who scored goal just before
the tuners threw up their hands 10
show that all was over but the shout
ing. When the Brattleboro supporters
realized that what seemed like certain
defeat had been turned into victory
their enthusiasm was given free play,
and the ''bear dance which followed
must have excited envy in the breasts
of the Dartmouth students who attend
ed the contest TO watch their pseudo
amateur mates play under the Company
ID eolors.
The scene of the strenuous struggle
was Gates opera house, which Is I'M
mestionably one of the best basket
ball floors in the state The Brattle'
boro delegation, about 30 strong, ar
rived in White River Junction shortly
before o clock, just few minutes be-
hind special winch brought nearly
$50 rooters and brass band from ST.
,Iohnsbury. The Dartmouth contingent
and spectators from other towns up and
down the valley brought the crowd up
to about 500, and every seat in the
opera house was taken fully an hour
before play commenced. The Athlet-
les made their appearance on the floor
about SIS and were given royal wei.
come. They were escorted by Sandy
Daniels, who helped popularize the
game in Brattleboro "A decade ago and
has never lost his interest. The squad
consisted of "Socks" Davey, pete ,
Long. "Cornfedn Stafford, /" Rusty y
Ellis. Dan Riley, Michigan, and Doyle,
the last two being importations from
Newport. n. II. After about 10 min
utes practice the Brattleboro players
retired and the floor remained vacant
until within few minutes of the be-
ginning of the game when Company ID
made its appearance. This was sig
nal for tremendous cheering from the
st. Johnsbury contingent, and a selec'
ton by the band-about the only one
which was played during the evening.
In the Company ID squad were Lar
ryn McGovern, Smythe, Beck, Rix,
Russ and Bankhart, the last three be-
ing members of the Dartmouth varsity
team. A feeble attempt to conceal the
identities of Rix and Russ was made
when their names were given as Bee
man and johnson, but this announce
ment brought forth groans from the
Brattleboro sympathizers, and caused
much laughter among the Dartmouth
students, who, it is hoped, do not
eountenance this sort of crookedness.
1t was very nearly 8 O'Clock when
Referee Killourhy of Laconia, n. H.,
an extremely competent and alert Of
fetal tossed the ball up in the cen
ter of the hall. After a few seconds
of strenuous play Davey, the old re-
liable. scored a neat one for Brattle'
boro. McGovern then made one point
for Company d on foul on McGuig'
an, and Davey took advantage of a
penalty on Russ. The score was made
three all by neat basket from Smythe
but another free goal from Davey put
| Brattleboro one point to the good
Just before the close of this period
Davey secured his second goal from
the floor. and when time was called II
was six for the Athletics and three
Tor Company D. The playing in this
period was Strenuous with capital ;
Rix attempted to work football tactics
ON DOYLE, but the latter resented it in
such convincing manner that the
Dartmouth man came to the conclusion
that being senior in college and the
crack guard on the varsity team die
not give him a license to butt in toe
much after all.
The second period was clearly st
Johnsbury s. Beck and Smythe eacf
scored a goal from the floor, and Becl
and McGovern one from fouls, while
Brattleboro IS scoring was limited to {
floor goal and free goal from Davey
This left the score 8 to 9.
The supreme test came in the thirt
and last period of the contest Ellis
took Stafford s place at guard on thu
Brattleboro team, while toward the enc
of the game Bankhart of Dartmouth
went to center for Company d in place
of Smythe 1t was a shot from Davey Z
hand that gave Brattleboro the lead t,
start with, but a couple from Russ ant
Beck soon put St Johnsbury two t.
the good. 1t was at this juncture tina
Ellis, the nimble, got in his fine work
By a series of brilliant dribbles HI
managed to score three baskets in sue
cession, one of them from the cente
of the hall. And how the Brattlebor,
hats did fly into the air when the scor,
stood II to ID. This period of exulta
ton, however, was followed by long
er one of suspense. Within the spac'
of two minutes the Athletics wer
penalized three times, Russ had throw
three free goals, and the margin wa
reduced to one point again. Dave.
made the Brattleboro crowd feel some
what better by scoring two points, bu
the diminutive Beck took the sugar al
out of the cake by getting two goal
in succession and giving the lead t.
Company D. There were two minute
to play, and it was case of now o
never with the Athletics. Striving wit
all their might to overcome Compan.
DIS timekilling tactics, the Brattle
boro players worked as they neve
worked before, and at length receive
their reward. For a second only Rus
left Long uncovered beneath the Brat
tleboro basket, but it was long enoug
for Davey to pass the leather straigh