The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1930-03-04
Drawings in Four Journeys
Since 1921 Discouraging
to Business Managers
SEEDED IN ONE MEET
Luck Favored Draw Twice,
While Two Other Draws
Y Were Deemed Acceptable
BY WILLIAM S. MOELLER

approaching, it seems a proper time
i. for a repetition OF that suggestion
made often but in a faint tone-that
!. entrants in the state classic be seed
: ed before the draw is made.
This plan, it seems, would help
maintain interest in the tournament
until the final gun, would boost the
gate receipts in most instances, and
at the same time would have little
effect on the championship other
than making the titlist more repre-
sentative in some cases.
OF course, it would not do to at
tempt to seed all eight teams, but it
would be practical and logical to place
the two foremost pre-tournament
efavorites in opposite brackets. This,
in its turn, presents the problem of
who should do the seeding. This
question might be answered by leav-
ing the seeding to the state board of
control of high school athletics. Even
it the state board OF control could not
make a decision from its own perspec-
tive Of the state situation. it's men,
bers are in a strategic position to OBJ
tain views from all sections Of the
state, reduce these views to what
they may seem worth. and select the
most representative pre-tournament
~favoriteS.
Officials Judged In 1923
Only once in state tourney history,
at Fargo In 1923. have teams been
seeded, and it was not done in that
case with the official seal. In four
state tournaments since 1921 the
draws proved weak from the interest
and gate receipts points of view-at
Fargo in 1922, at Valley City in 1924,
and at Mandan in 1927 and 1929.
Two came out as well as could be ex-
pected, unwittingly-at Valley City in
1925 and Mandan in 1926-while it is
questionable If improvement could
have been made in the drawings at
Minot in 1921 and Mandan in 1928 by
seeding.
In 1923 at Fargo. if memory serves
us correctly, officials Judged and drew
a second time in order to place Fargo
and Mandan, the predominating fav-
orites, in opposite brackets. And this,
of course, brought the desired results
interest until the final scoring and
swelled gate receipts, because Mandan
end Fargo, as had been expected,
were finalists.
In 1921, Valley City won the cham
pionship from Grand Forks in the
final game. though the FIiliners had
a tougher time with Mandan in the
semi-fina1. However, Grand Forks
and Mandan were quite even in
strength and 1t didn't make much |
difference.
In the other draw Of questionable" |
result, Grand Forks. the ultimate !
1928 champion, defeated Mandan in
the first round, and from the II to 9
score 1t would seem that It was the
toughest game in the meet for the
titlists. The champions defeated
Valley City % to Is in the final en-
gagement, a game which might have
been just as hard to win. Neverthe-
less, If drawn III the other bracket,
Mandan, the home team, might have
gone through to the finals. Mandan
was q favorite that year and the city
OF Mandan would have presented
more cardboards at the gate the night
of the final game if the Braves had
been playing.
Luck Appeared Twice
In 1926. Fargo and Dickinson, fav-
orites, were drawn in opposite
brackets by q stroke of luck and both
went to the finals, while in 1925,
Devils Lake, the ultimate winner,
walked away with every game in COM
paratively easy fashion and the draw
would have made but little differ
ence.
In 1922 Fargo had a tough time
beating Grand Forks % to Is in the
semt-final but took Egeland Is to 10
In comparatively easy fashion in the
finals. Interest waned with the
semi-finals.
In 1924, Fargo defeated Valley City, |
the home team and q favorite, Is to
10 In the first round. This was the
feature game Of the tournament, de- |
spite the fact that Grand Forks show |
ed surprising strength against Fargo |
in the final, and interest of the VAL !
ley City fan in the tournament died |
before the first round had been COM |
pleted.
In 1927. Grand Forks barely nosed
out Valley City is to IA in the first
round but swanped both Devils Lake.
IS to 18, aud Minot, 81 to IA, in the |
semi-final and final respectively. In
terest IN the final game vas at q low
ebb and gate receipts received anoth-
er bat.
Last Tournament Weird
And then, last year. Though it is !
merely q speculation at the best, q
good percentage Of fans figure that
Fargo beat Bismarck out Of the state
championship In the first round. Bis
ularck spent q good part Of its re-
serve energy In its uphill battle in
which 1t beat Fargo Is to Is, and for
this reason many made the winner
IN the other bracket the favorite.
Though Bismarck was an overwhelm-
ing favorite to win. Valley City made
BASKETBALL history by defeating the
Demons 16 to Is In the final game.
Many interested in state basketball
that Bismarck and Fargo
would have gone to the finals togett-
u. 0e1ptte the strength shown by VAL
lsy CITY and Grand Forks, II they
hAd been drawn IN opposite brackets.
uate receipts suffered slightly at the
chaEap1onship game. though not =
Ixeat deal Ia this case because Bis
ln1S1k Was the home team.
sOpporlents q seeding Will argue
theN proposal will lessen interest
becG1nee It utilities the element Of
,ha&pe TOR IN advantage ct the draw.
DstS11s ~ that high school athletes
~ tomperemsntal md that the draw