The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1939-03-23
Sport
Wags-
BY Chuck Rattle


ALEX Massacred in Final Game
of Tournament" the Park Reg
ion Echo said that Alexandria
had twice beaten the Main
Streeters in the season play.
We believe that statement was
unintentional for Sank Centre
split games with Alex. The
Main Streeters defeated Alex in
one of two season games play
ed in this city, and they lost
to Alex on the latter's own
floor. Both games were close
ly played. That could have
been a consoling fact to the
Alex sport writer, if true. A
check-up on the score book,
however, will reveal that Sank
Centre won one of the two sea-
sons games played, and they
capped the climax by the fam
our 35 to II victory over the
representative of Douglas
County's metropolis. The loo
ais went into the district tourn-
ament even up with Alex and
proved themselves the cham
pions when they administered
the bitter" poison of defeat in
the final stanza.
The following letter, an argument
for smaller schools in athletic con-
tests, came to our desk this week
We publish the same without COM
ment, as follows:
Pine City, MINI
March Is, 1899
Dear Sir:
In boxing matches one does not
pit lightweight against a heavy
weight. Neither do you cede a
heavyweight into the finals on the
basis that no one can beat him
However in the present set up OF
high school tournament play this
is what is being done.
The small schools with limited
potential basketball material are
being matched against schools with
large potential material. Teams OF
the large systems are being ceded
into district play without effort on
their part.
How many teams are being ced-
ed I do not know except that the
purpose in this is very clear. The
aim is to give the small schools a
chance to fight it out between
and have some semb-
lance of a tournament and post
pone the inevitable quick kill' by
the larger school. The small
school in trying to duck tough pair
ings is willing to cede as the lesser
of two evils. Half a loaf if better
than no bread at all. The entire
plan of the present set-up is a
defeatist psychology as far as the
small school is concerned. The
plan leads to arguments, wrangling
and a great fuss about tournament
pairings.
District Is made up of moderate
sized schools will always be paired
against the Iron Range teams. Or
the basis of past history I do moi
believe a time will ever come wher
this district can come through g
Regional playoff, let alone meet
sitter competition in metropolitan
areas. District 20 has the same
problem in meeting Minneapolis
schools of Region 5. Naturally il
is of great credit for Buffalo high
school to knock at the door of the
state finals so many times, but
how much better would it have
been if Buffalo had been crowned
of their class?
What can be done about It? The
only sensible plan is to divide the
schools into groups Of secondary
school enrolment, and have these
schools play through to a Class A
B, c, and o championships. This
would eliminate the present defeat
list psychology and substitute hope
enthusiasm, and health condition
Often the mental set Of small
school team is shaken when they
play on super large floors, meet
new type Of officiating, and semi
college basketball of large urban
centers.
Under the grouping plan all
teams can play out their district
and region games as they do now
No team would have to meet un-
obstacles. After four
champions are determined, a final
tournament could take place If nee
essary to crown an All Division