Evening star., 1949-03-04
W.HighMeets
Central
Plays ST. John S
All But Presidents
Have Earned Titles
In Same Event
BY George Huber

oy george nuDer
Two teams with the classiest
records of any high schools around
Washington and two teams that
played in last years final game
are in tonight's semifinals of the
17th annual Evening Star high
school basket ball tournament at
University of Maryland's Ritchie
Coliseum.
This tourney, sponsored by the
Interhigh Athletic Council in CO.
Operation with The Star, always
has brought out the best in school
boy basket ball and tonight's pair
ings promise another display of
talent such as attracted a record
f1rst-round crowd for Wednesday
nights games.
The 7:30 pm. opener tonight
sends George Washington High
of Alexandria. owner of a 21-game
undefeated string. against Con-
zaga, winner of "a games in 26
starts. At $50, st. Johns winner
of last years tourney, stacks up
against Central High, the team it
defeated for that title.
It is a championship lineup
throughout. G.. w. is Northern
Virginia Glass l champion, Con-
zaga and st. Johns are tied for
the Catholic League title and
Central owns the District public
high school crown.
Tonight's two winners will clash
Monday night at Ritchie Coliseum
for the tourney championship.
Gonzaga Spirit Is High.
Gonzaga has the class to give
G. W.'s undefeated string a Sc
we're test. The never-give-up
Eagles showed their ability We'd
nesday in overcoming an 1l-point
handicap to beat Blair Mont
gomery County champlon) and
should be a good match tonight
for the Presidents.
Such sharpshooters as Tippy
Larkins, Needle Smith ana Mike
Nolan, plus a number of others,
give Coach Joe Kozik a we'll
rounded team that rates as only
slight underdog to the high
flying AleXandrians..
Coach Rasty Doran Of G.. w.
probably will depend again on the
iron-man quint of limbo Gaha-
gan. Bill Smith. Tony Daukas,
Donnie Hanback, and Smiley
Moore. Each is feet tall or bet
ter-mostly better-and all played
the entire game while eliminat-
ing Wilson in Wednesdays OPEN
ing round. G. W. is a hungry
team, overdue for a title in The
Star tournament.
All the other schools in to-
nights semifinals have won in the
past, but never G. W., despite
some excellent teams. Central
won the year the tourney started
in 1888. Gonzaga came home in
front in 1941 and St. Johns tri-
umphed in 1888 and again last
year.
Central Battling Jinx.
In tonight's windup game, Gen.
tral will be trying to overcome the
st. Johns jinx that has persisted
for two years. Not only did the
Johnnies top the Vikings in last
years tournament final, but they
also won an earlier game this
year.
The Vikings now are going
much better than when they
last tangled with the Johnnies.
They won by sizable margins in
the semifinals and final of the
District public high tourney last
week and started in The Star
tourney with a one-sided triumph
over Hyattsville, Prince Georges
County champion.
Jimmy Pantos is the big star of
Central's team. but his mates
have been helping him more and
more Of late. If the Johnnies by
some means manage to handcuff
Pantos tonight, which is not likely
to happen. others like Jack String
er. Bill bunker or Lou Glickfield
are likely to cause much trouble.
Glick1eld especially is proving
valuable to the Vikings in this late
part of the season after having
been hampered with an injured
ankle for a month.
st. Johns appears to have
enough to match the Vikings,
though, and off it's earlier triumph
should be considered the favorite.
Don Kokes generally is top scorer,
although he must share the point
getting duties with Bob Mcdonald,
Joe Cardaci or Bill Mattingly.
Seldom a high scorer, but never
theless one of the Johnnies' more
valuable. is little Bob McLindon,
their floor leader and play setter
upper.