The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1939-03-23
Sank Centre Beats Alexandria
High In District Tourney

Sank Centre Beats Alexandria
High In District Tourney
Alexandria Citizen-News = With
their defeat by Sank Centre in the
district tournament finals last Fri
day night, the curtain fell on Alex
1899 basketball season, and behlnd
them the boys leave quite an I'M
pressive record.
Included in this record are the
three defeats which the locals
handed Glenwood this year, max
ing it eight straight over the 500
Liners.
Also included is place in the
upper bracket of the tough Gen.
trail Eight Conference. This year
they ended up in fourth place, only
one game out of the number three
spot.
In looking over the won and lost
column, we see that the boys have
won IA games and dropped IL, a
mighty nice average when one con-
siders the tough teams which Alex
plays during the season.
The Alex boys cannot be
blamed too much for their de-
feat by Sank Centre in the dis
trict finals, for any team has
off" nights, no matter who
they are.
You must consider the fact
that Alex played an under-rat-
ed Osalxis five on Tuesday night
and won only after the game
had been forced into overtime.
Glenwood also won their first
round game, and the local boys
were so keyed up for this game on
Thursday night that the Sank Cen
tire tilt on Friday night was merely
an anti-climax. 1t is no wonder the
Alex boys were tired by the time
Friday night rolled around. Sank
Centre undoubtedly had its cap set
for Alex all along, and didn't play
their best ball until this game.
Alex started out slow at the be-
ginning of the season, but came
back strong in the final grind. They
only lost five out of the II last
games played, and only dropped
two since the first of February, in
GLIDING the Sank Centre game.
Main Streeters Gain
District Championship
Long Prairie Leader-Sauk Cen
tire was the winner of the district
basketball tournament at Glenwood
last week, defeating Alexandria
after having taken the measure of
Long Prairie by a 20 to % count.
Long Prairie came thru against
Upsala in the first game the locals
played in the tournament while
Glenwood disposed of Bertha. In
the second round Alexandria defeat
ed Glenwood and Sank Centre de-
feated Long Prairie. In the conso-
lation game Glenwood defeated the
locals, the score indicating the Or
ange and Black had little heart for
further playing after having given
their all in vain against the Main
Streeters.
Last Thursday nights game which
Sank Centre took from the Orange
and Black, will live long as one of
the most exciting games ever seen
in tournament play. What made
the game a heart breaker from the
standpoint of the locals was the
fact the Orange and Black was
out in front during the entire
game. With only IS seconds to go,
Sank Centre went into the lead and
safely maintained it by some clever
stalling.
The first quarter the locals were
out in front 8 to 5 and were leading
at the half IA to 10. The end of
the third quarter still saw the locals
out in front 20 to Is. The pace con-
tinued just as fast in the final
stanza with the Main Streeters win
ming by one point. 1t was a fit
ting climax to previous hard fought
games the two teams have engaged
in.
Fans here are of the opinion that
had Long Prairie vanquished Sank
Centre the locals would have been
district champs. However, would
have beens" have little place in
basketball, the final score being
the thing that counts.
There is not little smiling over
the fact Sank Centre won the title.
Rumor has it that Alexandria has
recently felt that it is growing a
little too big for the small schools
in the district and if rumor is true
some suggestions were made that
certain small schools be eliminated.
Thus when Alexandria was unable
to take the Main Streeters there
was general satisfaction in that it
proved that the Alexandria quint
is perhaps not nearly so much the
class Of the district as 1t has tried
to lead others to believe. Whether
or not there is truth to the matter,
the facts are that it did add spice
to the tournament which again
proved the supremacy of the east
half of the district.
So far as the locals are concern
ed, they gave their all and while
Sank Centre won, the locals are
not grumbling. Naturally they
would have liked to win, but it
was not in the cards and the play
ers took the defeat with the same
good sportsmanship they displayed
all season. In many respects there
is reason to believe Long Prairie