Evening star., 1948-03-02
Second Place in Loop
Tourney Seen Best
For 6. W. or Terps
By MerreH Whittiesey

George Washington Coach Art
Zahn was not coming q phrase
when he said the Southern Con-
ference basket ball championship
that starts tomorrow will "be a !
nine-way fight for second place.
That's the opinion Of most Of the
contending teams and It's only 1ogi-
cal thinking as N. G. State has q
great ball club, the best Of the
others Just fair.
Zahn was pleased, however, after
his Colonials drubbed Maryland
$3.50, last night in the Districts
last college court offering. They
showed flashes OF brilliance and
when Bill Cantwell was In there,
q. w. worked some nice screen
plays and with the exception Of
some one-handers by Art Cerra,
the Colonials did not take shot
that they didn't stand . good chance
Of making.
Zahn was paying . compliment
to Maryland when he said 1t would
be . nine-way scrap for second
place. The Terps are not long for
the tournament II they don't snap
out Of 1t. Coach F1ucie Stewart
admitted that last nights perform
anoe was Maryland's worst of the
season and he certainly hopes for
something better when the Terps
meet Davidson at 4 o'clock Thurs
day afternoon.
Road Rough for G. w.
Asked If he conceded the cham
pionship tournament to State, Zahn
said "No, If we could get hot and
they were off, we could beat them"
then he added as an afterthought,
"but we'd have to be awful hot and
they'd have to be way off,"
George Washington has a lot of
work ahead before 1t worries about
the Wolfpack, however. Thursday
night the Colonials meet the winner
Of Wednesdays Duke-South Caro-
lima game and based on past per-
formances, 1t will be tossup. II
G. w. wins that one. they'll have to
face North Carolina or v. P. l., prob
ably Carolina.
The G. w. courtman who left the
best impression last night was
Johnny Moffatt, the ex-Tech ALL
High choice who hates to see the
ball In the hands Of the opposition.
He completely dominated the back
board play and had time to tie Can't
well for scoring honors with II
points.
Although Cantwen played only
half the game and continually lied"
his teammates, he passed Maryland's
Bill Brown in the race for District
college scoring honors with 256
points to 252 as Brown made only
4 points.
Zahn, who admits he is partial
toward big basket ball players, used
Chet Pietras for almost half the
game and the 5-foot-8 play-maker
from Adams, Mass, was a pleasant
surprise as he played more than
two or three minutes for the first
time this season. Pietras may give
the Colonials some needed reserve
strength for the tournament grind.
Win 10Th for Colonials.
The victory was George Wash
ington's 18th of the season and
their 14th in the conference, giving
them two more loop victories than
any other team. They lost three
conference games, six in all. Mary
lands defeat was its 18th in "a
games, but the Terps had the faculty
of beating the right teams at the
right time to qualify for the cham
pionship. II
Arnold Heft, the Washington off, |
cial who made hit with Southern {
basket ball fans last year In his ]
first appearance in the Southern
Conference tournament, is one Of |
four officials named for the tourna-
ment this year.
The others are Dalton Williams
OF Charlotte, John M. Stephens, jr.,
Of Salem, Va, and Bum Hackney
Of High Point, N. G. Four were
named instead Of three because of
the extra davs play.