Omaha daily bee., 1916-02-28
BASKET TOURNEY.
MEETS APPROVAL
Change in Rules Should Also Make
it Easier for ALI the Con-
testing Teams.
CUT TIME FOR EARLY TRAYS

Guy Reed and members of the commit
tee in charge of arrangements for the
state tourney to be held at Lincoln the
last four days of next week are to be
complimented on the competent and con-
siderate manner in which they went about
their work this year. Facing serious op-
position in the form OF injured players
due to the strenuousness of the meet last
year, as we'll as more entries than ever
before, the director of athletics has come
safely through with such ARRANGEMENTS
that can be nothing but pleasing to all,
even to considering the classification and
pairings of the teams.
The most notable move made by the
committee Is to lessen the times of halves
in the first three rounds to ten minutes.
authorizing the halves In the semi-finals
at twelve minutes an din the finals at fif-
teen minutes. Added to this big advan-
tage Is the fact that with one exception
only one game a day will be played. East
year the two Omaha teams played four
games in less than twenty-six hours,
which was probably one of the direct
reasons for the deplorable physical con-
dition of local players in the latter two
rounds of the tourney and after their
return.
In making the pairings there Is little
room for complaint. 1t might be said
that Beatrice will have a hard schedule
in playing Fairmont and Geneva, two
strong state fives, in the first and second
rounds. University Place will have a
tough game with the State Aggies in the
first round. while Gothenburg will prob
ably have a tough time meeting Newman
Grove and Columbus in the first and Sec
ond rounds. Central and South High
schools and lincoln certainly cannot have
reason for complaint as they have as
reasonable a schedule as could be ex-
peeted and under the conditions can only
attain the top by merit alone.
Season Draws 10 Close.
The windup OF the season finds the
leading basket ball teams of the state
registering the same upset roll call as
in weekly reviews In only one instance
is there a team that comes through
the season with clean schedule and
that is Central High of Omaha. Even
the local quintet has showed strains Of
shakiness and really has played less state
games than any other quintet OIL the
state.
Lincoln High schools two defeats over
Beatrice and University Place by scores
of 90 to 2 and 10 to 16, and Kearney's 3
y easy win over Central City, a quintet
OF, supposed considerable repute, by n
score of 46 to 25. are the three most
notable games of the week. -
Central City showed poor form by al
lowing Kearney. a quintet that has been
beaten by both Minden and Grand Island.
to defeat them. The latter two teams
are classed in the second division OF the
state tournament and should prove strong
leaders in that class. South High stock
rose noticeably with an easy defeat over
Plattsmouth.
N,nden's defeat Of Hastings by a score
OF "a to %. Stromsburg'h defeat of Osce-
ola by a margin of one point the score
being II to is. and Kimball's win over
Sidney by a big score OF 26 to "A. are al
more or less surprises OF the week.
Fairmont's defeat of Crete was moi
much OF a surprise considering that
Coach Squire's men were in a highly
crippled condition and playing
strange floor away from home. Contra
Highs defeat over Council Bluffs by
score of Il 20 Is was more or less a gooS
piece of luck, although they deserved
their victory.