New Britain herald., 1927-01-20

pOblHk Ol clly udlHttl tc visit here in a long number of years and the National Guards proceeded to run up their second highest score of the season in win ning the game played at the state armory on Arch street. The Fitton A. C., 8 highly touted combination of basketball players from the Hub, might be a world beater as . professional combination, but the exhibition the team put up un- der amateur rules last night was far from living up the reputation that had preceded the quintet here.
 Tho Guards. playing as the un- 6er-dogs for the first 10 minutes of the game, suddenly came to life and started to pile up points against the visitors that branded them poor second raters in com parison with the locals. The Boston team had the New Britain hoop tossers 10 to 1 for 1S minutes when a field basket by Rubenstein started the local boys off on rampage. Holding the Bostonians to their 10 points. the Guards came on with terrific rush, caught them and passed them out to leave the score at the end of the first half IS to 10 in favor of the local team. ...
 The second half was simply a runaway Passing around the vis- tors with flashing plays of all de- scriptions, the Guards showed marked superiority in every line of play. Shots of all descriptions, short and long, from the middle and from the side, were caged by the Guards as they sped here and there on the floor to the bewilder- ment of the "Bean- eaters"
 The visitors flashed a sweet passing game and it seemed at the beginning that the Guards were sticken with awe at the imposing reputation the Boston team has in its own corner of the country. However, after the team had sounded out the opposition and found that it could travel faster and with more assuredness on the floor, nothing could stop them.
 Non-acquaintance with amateur rules seemed to prevent the Fit tons from showing their best stuff. Time after time the team lost the ball on travelling but some of the shots they pulled off were as sen sational as any seen on the local floor this year.
 Taylor the Star
 Every man on the National Guards was at top form last night but above all others Mert Taylor was the star of last nights game. Playing with a dazzling speed that seemed at times almost impossible, Taylor sped around the floor until he ran O'Rourke, the speediest man on the Fitton team, ragged and IT, win was substituted in his place. The same condition existed In his case with Taylor, with a great team behind him slipped in five field goals while playing in only little more than one-half of the game. Taylor's form last night equalled his best showing at any time during his career. The fans about the court rightly branded him as "a playing fool" and the Boston retainers mar yelled at him.
 Taylor's work was scintillating but no better exhibition could be asked of any other man who took part in the game. Sloman flashed brilliantly on the floor and Ruben stein, except for nervousness that caused him to miss a string of free tries, starred on the floor. For the centers, no more need be said than that they outplayed their man. The visiting pivot man, Martin, got the jump. but he was held almost help less once Restelli and Reynolds got his style of play.
 Sheehan, Kilduff and Sturm left nothing to be wanted in their game Every man was far ahead of his opponent and Crotty and "Flash" O'Connell went scoreless while Thompson got three field baskets, two of them on long shots. Hold ing forwards such as these to six points from the floor is sufficient to describe the work of the local guards. On their own part, Kilduff scored three field goals, Sheehan did the same and Sturm got two.
 Man for man. the Guards out played, out-starred and out-speeded the Boston team. The New Britain team scored 31 points in the second half to nine for the Boston team, giving the Hub men the worst beat ing they have ever experienced on Connecticut basketball floor. The