The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1907-03-16
Defeats Athletic Club By Nar-
row Margin Of "a to q
on Home Floor
FIRST OF THE SERIES FOR
CHAMPIONSHIP OF CITY
Preliminary Game Between the High
School and Condor Training School
Too one-Sided to Be
Interesting.

Only through the newspapers will the
result of last nights basketball game be
told. The hundreds of rooters who lined
the Young Mems Christian association
gymnasium building went out, some with
smiling faces and others moping, but all
so hoarse that they will never be able
to yell again.
The Young Mems Christian association
Won the greatest game ever played in
Birmingham. Without a doubt, although
the finest teams of the south, and some
proud visitors of the north have squabbled
| for the ball in this city, there was never
| a cleaner, more spritedly contested, nor
more royal game witnessed by the local
/ fans. 1t was simply, as the ladies said,
! beautiful" or, to use the more vulgar
| expression of the rooters, bully
AT times the pit would look as if it
were a boiling cauldron stirred by the
hidden powers, then 'twould be the charge
OF warriors. and while every individual
muscle was pitched against the other. the
coveted ball would go up from the midst
of the scramble and fall true for a goal
Evenly Balanced.
The beauty of the contset was the even
balance and ability of the opposing teams.
Paired off in their various positions they
| were all examples of muscular develop
| ment. Ever on the move, and with
single thought their actions were fol
lowed as if life depended upon them.
The great crowd that was present at
| times went into Mysteries. AS the score
bobbed backward and forward, the yelling
shook the house Some mad fellows
would turn somersaults One asked an
other to go out and fight him. The ladies
! gasped and held their breath.
Finally, from the Athletic club end there
sounded a deep groan, while the din and
uproar at the Young Mems Christian as
ISOLATION seats grew and resounded Then
the score marker raised his chalk high on
| the blackboard and wrote, Y. NJ c. A.,
"a Athletic club. p.
! The feature of the game was the asso-
citation boys rally At one time 1t looked
as if their death knell had been sounded
and their doom settled. Patriots were
frightened almost beyond endurance, and
| their expree~'--- looked like a mass OF
wrinkles, while the Athletic club rooteIs
were wild with joy
| The score stood 8 to 0.
Throws Up the Ball.
Comstock, the reference, threw the ball
| up at center. Myers and Spencer jumped
| for it. First toward the association goal,
then tc the other, the scramble surged
| backward and forward The association
fouled and Jones threw the first goal for
| the club. ON the next trial the ball went
to Biddle by a pretty series of passes,
he making a notable goal. After little
play Mckinney threw another, and still
the Y. NJ. c. A. was collecting its wits.
! SO for the first five minutes the tide
continued, with goal by Spencer, and
| two more foul goals added 10 the club
column Then the turn began its entrance.
The wave of advance for the association
slowly increased, and before the first
half was over many predicted the victory.
| From the center to the basket-Price.
From a difficult point ON the right
Myers, and then the climax of the battle
| had come. Chairsell came in for two good
goals. and the half closed with the score
! still IS to 9 in the clubs favor.
Second Half Is Different.
But the second half was different. The
| association was after the rag. Slowly the
| points were piled up until at 10 they were
tied. Then it was that voices cracked,
and vocal chords were broken.
| Short pass work aided the association
| to bring the ball back to her end, time
| and again, and after long suspense, Price
| pulled the association two points in the
| lead. The club followed with a foul and
| a field, placing them one point ahead.
Price threw n goal and a foul, Myers
| made a sensational ringer, and the game
was won. Landing from the top seat of
the bleachers almost In the center of
the floor, Timekeeper Counselman yelled
time up"
The victory was the first of series
which will be played TO determine the
championship of Birmingham, The next
will take place at the Athletic club on
the 10Th, when the visitors will be on I'M
accustomed ground, and the Athletic
club will, playing such fine ball as last
night, have a fine chance of winning.
In fact the predictions are that third
game will be required to play off the
tie. Some neutral ground would be chosen
for that game.
Guarding is fast becoming one of the
greatest requisites in basketball. Two good
guards under the opponents basket can
usually assure a victory, and although
they seldom gain an opportunity to make
a goal they are the backbone of every
team. Bullock and Sherrod for the as
ISOLATION, Jones and Johnson for the Attn
letic club are among the best in the
coutb The skill strength and celebrity