Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1919-02-27
COLLEGE AND HIGH
SCHOOL BOTH VICTORS
Alma Trims KazOO in Most Sen
satiOnal Game Ever Played
on Alpa Floor.

Just to prove 10 Kalamazoo that
Alma still had the Indian sign on her,
and could keep Kalamazoo from win
ming championships, and possibly TO
give Kalamazoo an idea of just how
good an Alma team could be. the
Maroon and Cream basketball quintet
spotted the visitors eleven points in
the first five minutes of the NJ. |. A.
A. titular struggle Friday night, apd
then just stepped out and an
nexed the game. The margin was
only one point, but it was just as
good as a hundred, better in fact.
Just ask the fans.
After the~frst five minutes Of play,
with a score of l3 TO 2 in favor of
Kalamazoo, the green Alma five tum-
bled TO the fact that II was not Alma
fashion to allow Kalamazoo to win
games and forthwith a mighty
change came over the quintet, and
the seemingly invineible Celery ,City
five had lost its scoring opportunities,
| its offensive work. its defensive work,
it, heart, the game and possibly just
worked itself out of the 1919 cham
pionship on which It was banking.
A braver fight against odds was
never made by an Alma team. When
the FIVE opened fire with its 75's, and
charged the Kalamazoo trenches, il
simply battered down the five mar
defense which had stood the test OF
two championship seasons. Richards
Tebo. ID. Smith, +. Smith, and Ander
son, one or the other seeped through
causing such CONSERVATION in the
Kalamazoo ranks, that the defense
could not be pulled together unit
the final moments of play, wher
Alma had lead of two points.
When the change came, the Alma
defense changed with it, and becam,
a regular Verdun, which could not b,
stormed. The highly touted Hoek
stra and Emerson, who had swep
aside the defense of every NJ. |. A
A. five that Kalamazoo had met, wer,
completely blocked. being able L
score just six points between them
Mckay who had run wild the frs
five minutes, when he annexed fiv,
field baskets, dwindled from the siZ
of a giant to an infant in the eyes o
Tebo, Crittenden and Anderson, ant
from then on faxed just as did tn
touted veterans of the Kazoo scoring
machine.
Slowly, but none the less surel,
Alma gained back the points tha
she had presented to Kazoo. Tn
first half ended l6 20 10 with tn
celery eaters leading. Alma con
tinued her pounding, battering, un
failing offensive work in the secon
half, and with FIVE minutes TO go ha
lead of two points.
At this time Kalamazoo manage
to pull her defense together and
became a question as to which de
fense was the stronger. Neithe
could then be penetrated. On wv
foul throws, however, the visitor
annexed a point, the lost foul losin
Kalamazoo her chance to tie.
1t is hard TO give credit for tn
victory 20 any one man. Richards
who was constantly slipping throug
the five man defense, worried KazoC
He was there when needed and h
was elsewhere when needed. Ander
son was all over the floor, both o
defense and ofrense Tebo, at runnin
! guard, played the best game of tn
season. Crittenden, back at the sta
tionary guard with instructions {
stop Hoekstra and Emerson. stoppe
r them so completely that they faile
to figure much in the game. The tw
midget Smiths battled royalty fo
= Alma. Every man was in the gam
every minute. All deserve praise, q
: does Robinson who is running th
team. And in giving credit for I'll
victory, the early season work {
Harry Helmer must not be forgotten
He evidently has been the piones
Continued on page four)