The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-03-12

With the basketball season practi- cally at close, and especially in prep circles. followers of the game fin the been wrestling and fighting with the comparative scores. endeavoring to justly award to some team the supreme honors for the 1916 ssason. For the past few years it has not fell to the public to decide the winner of the honors. It was usually settled by the teams. This season. however, this was not the case and the lot fell to news- papers of the state to decide.
 Only one serious obstacle fell in the way of the score "hunters'' in compar- ing the results of games for the past season. It developed tnat several teams were making bids for the honors that were not classed as preps. For instance, Birmingham college, Marion, Alabama Presbyterian college and Southern uni versity and other teams fall into D separate and distinct lot They cannot be classed as preps as the studies they require are supposed to be advanced of the high schools unu agricultural schools. They can be classed as "sec- ondary colleges and results of their games with preps will be considered alone.
 After careful observation of all scores of the contenders for the state honors. the writer has found that the Central High school of Birmingham has a wide edge on any team in the state for the supreme basketball honors. Their claim is a good one, and although rivals also laid claims to the honors, it needs the solid foundation that the Central team. has. The central quintet made a mar vicious record. They tasted defeat only on two occasions, one from the Ala bama Presbyterian college of Anniston and the second from the Etowah Coun ty High school of Attalla, who made a. good bid for the first honors, but fell short.
 ETOWAH HAD GOOD CLAIM
 It developed from comparative scores that Etowah would ave central the hardest run for the honors, and thus the scores of these two teams will be compared Central, in the first place, played very strenuou. schedule, meet ing every team of any imporatnce. But further than this, Central went out and defeated one university team, three college teams and seven high school teams. Etowah played games in the season. Two with Central, one with Darlington Elgn SCnOOi or Rome, Gas two with Marshall County High school, one with Alabama Presbyterian col- lege. Compare the schedules. Which played the hardest and the most test ing? The decision can fall but one way. Central played schedule and achieved victories in all but two instances. that no other team can boast of.
 Now that it is seen that Central has the edge here, let's take a. look at the results. Central defeated Etowah by al score of 40 to z, whiie in the return game E,towah won by score of S5 to 25. Central has an edge of 2S points in these two games. But Central was de- feated by the Alabama Presbyterian college five by a margin of four points, while Etowah defeated the 'Preds" by al margin of 24 points. That's Etowahs claim in full.
 Take a glance at Central record. Gen. tral met and defeated Marion institute conqueror of Auburn and Southern uni- versty, by Q margin of three points Bir- nlingham college was defeated twice by the locals the only stain on their record for the past season. The Methodists beat everything they went up against but Cen= tral
 The Preds were humbled by Birming- lContinued on Page Three)