The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1917-03-17
BASKET BALL A Ia
CARTE WILL BE SERVED
At WHITING TONIGHT
by JIMMIE RAY.

| WHITING IND. March 17.-Basket-
ball a la carte Will be served TO the
fans of the Calumet region when the
team representing the Northwestern
Normal College and hailing from Alvs.
Okla, is booked to play an exhibition
game with the Owls at the Whiting
high school auditorium.
You wonder why We say exhibition
game It's because the Owls. VINO are
ever confident OF winning. only hope to
4 hold the Oklahomians to as close a score
as possible
I The Alva boys are coming to Whiting
: fresh from the National a. A. L. tourna-
ment. where they have been competing
. for the worlds basketball title, and
were eliminated Thursday night when
! they lost to the Brigham Young Col
/ Iege. of Utah. who last year defeated the
( l. A. c. in the final game and who are
I also expected to repeat this year
No team has caused so much comment
! during the tournament as the Normal
/ School boys. who the Owls play tonight.
Averaging between 1875 and 140 pounds
they have been stacking up against the
] best teams entered in the tourney. In
! spite of the fact that they have had to
/ give from 40 to SO pounds per man in
weight. they won from the Hamlin Tri-
angles in their first game by score Of
| ~ TO IS and but for a Iet-up on their
part il would have been larger They
were unfortunate in drawing the present
title holders for their second game
which they lost after what proved to be
the best game of the tournament.
To offset the big advantage in weight
that they are forced to give their oppon-
ents the Alva boys must necessarily
make up for this in another way. and
they do Every member on the team
is a speed merchant from the word go.
and they fight tooth and nail" from the
start to the finish Of the game.
Working in football formation they
get the ball and if once they have it III
their possession it ia only by mere
chance. either a tumble or intercepted
pass which seldom occurs. that their
opponents are able to get it away from
them until shot at the basket is made
and rarely missed.
one remarkable incident in the play
ing of the Normal School team is that
they do not have the guard back. which
is characteristic Of the basketball play
ing in this section of the country. They
use all five men in their offense. figuring
that as long as they have the ball in
their possession their opponents cannot
make baskets As soon as they lose the
ball they all turn to defense until they
recover it again.
Playing guard position for this team
is a youngster. who does not weigh over
120 pounds and vet. even though he was
against men nearly twice his size. he
was able to hold his own. His advanc-
ing Of the ball down the floor is more
than remarkable In Thursday nights
play taking the ball at the opponents
goal he would time after time by means
of fast dribble gain the middle of the
floor. At which time his team mates
would with a bewildering formation cir
Gle around him and from there with
passes not more than feet in length
and as a rule about three feet in length.
pass the bah from one to the other
with such lightning speed that even the
spectators were unable to follow it. In
this fashion they would carry the ban
to their basket and by this time having
their opponents absolutely amazed and
helpless they would take an easy shot
at the basket with the opposition stand
ing rooted to the floor.
Fans who witnessed the %e7r yort-
National game Of three years ago. will
see an entirely different STYLE Of play
which has proven equally effective.
This Will be the last game in which
the Owls viii appear prior TO short
trip through the east. when they will
visit Kenton, Ohio. for two-dav tourn-
sment and one day each at New Lex
ington. and Cleveland. on their return
to Whiting the Owls will appear in pos
sibly three more games and close the
season with the Huntington Athletics Of
Huntington Ind, present claimants of
the state title.