Evening star., 1949-02-22
Wilson and COOLIDGE,
Central and Eastern
In Crucial Contests
BY George Huber

District public high schools bring
out their best basket ball tonight
at the AImory when Wilson plays
Coolidge and Central plays East
ern in semif1nals of the schoolboy
championship series. The winners
advance to Saturday afternoon s
title game at the Armory and also
to The Star tournament next week
at University of Maryland. To-
nights first game starts at 7::30
pm.
Wilson beat Coolidge, 35-31,
early this season while only last
week Central tripped Eastern. ST.
81. Central is defending cham
pion, but all the other teams have
been holders of the title in recent
years. Wilson, which finished atop
the round robin series with only
one setback, has gone longest
without wearing the crown. It
finished in front in 1912, while
Eastern was champ in 1914 and
Coolidge in 1916 and 1947.
Pantos Centrals Hope.
Central's hopes of retaining its
title are built largely around
Jimmy Pantos, a speedy eagle
eyed guard who has had numerous
hot scoring hands this year. His
top effort was 26 points, the series
season record, and he regularly
gets around Is points or more.
He also is an outstanding defen-
sive player and floor leader, and
as he goes so do the Vikings,
usually. It isn't a one-man team,
though, and such players as Jim
Gleason, Terry Gregory. Jack
Stringer and Bill bunker carry
a good share of the load.
Despite its loss to Central last
week, Eastern appears in shape to
give the Vikings a battle tonight.
The Ramblers finished their reg
ular schedule last week by handing
Wilson its only defeat of the series
and themselves finished in a Sec
ond-place tie with Central. Coach
Bobby Hart's Eastern boys make
use of deliberate game with lots
of back-court checking that has
bothered more than one opponent
this season.
Only Johnny Selby. the Rambler
center who has shown improve
ment with every game, can match
the Vikings in general height, but
Eastern has a group of very good
little players. One of the smallest
in the city, but also one of the
best is Francis Dyer. a blond
haired youngster who is a little
giant when it comes to defensive
work and setting up scoring plays
for his teammates. Jim Lamon
perhaps is the most consistent
scorer among the Ramblers. but
Ken Atchison and Johnny Ward
have enough shooting ability to
make the Ramblers a well-bal-
anced outfit.
Wilson Boasts Balance.
Wilson too has plenty of bal
ance and also has plenty of re-
serves. This Is one team particu-
larly that can't be stopped by
stopping one player. Scoring gen.
orally Is well spread throughout
the team with Leo Speros usually
top man but with Don Scott, Jim
Young. George Pappafotis and
Sherry Jones also well repre-
sented.
For Coolidge tonight's game
and also Saturdays. if it wins to-
night, will be the elimination of
rebuilding effort. Players from the
1916 and 1947 team were all gone
last year, and Coach Julian Colan-
geo started with a new group that
he hoped would win more titles
for the Colts this year and next.
Colangelo has some fairly tall
players in Carl and Dennis Hev-
ener, Bob Cannon and Byron An
derson, but the teams standouts
are two smaller players, Ken Lux
and Don Eslin. Gutenberg
is the all-around star, the one
counted on for most of the scoring
and the one generally put to
guarding the opposition's star.