Evening star., 1950-02-23
Eastern, Tech
PLAY Saturday
For City Title
Gain Public High Final
And Tourney Berths;
Blair Also Qualities
BY GEORGE Huber

oy Seor9e nuDer
Eastern and Tech will battle
for the District public high bas-
ketball championship Saturday at
2 pm. at Uline Arena. Victories
in last nights semifinal games
Eastern upset Central, 41-31, and
Tech trimmed Western, 62-45-
earned them their shots at the
title and also put both in The
Stars Metropolitan tournament
opening Monday night at Univer-
sity of Maryland.
In a game on January Tech
topped the Ramblers, 61-54 to
open regular series play and prob
ably will be favored to repeat
Saturday off it's better overall
record and it's high scoring habit.
Also earning a place in The Star
tournament yesterday was Mont
gomery Blair of Silver Spring.
The Blazers won a repeat ap-
pearance in the big schoolboy
affair by taking the Montgomery
County championship along with
a 1924 triumph over Bethesda
Chevy Chase at Ritchie Coliseum.
1t was rubber match and left the
Blazers with a season record of
17-3.
Settle Final Berth Tonight.
The final tournament berth will
be filled tonight by the winner of
the Hyattsville-Oxon Hill game.
They are meeting at o'clock at
Laurel High gym with the Prince
Georges County title at stake.
Other teams already in the
tournament are George Washing
ton, Northern Virginia champ;
Washington Lee, runnerup to
G. W.; st. Johns, the Metropoli-
tan Catholic League champ and
Gonzaga, the Catholic runnerup.
Pairings for tournament play
opening Monday night will be
made at meeting of the tourna-
ment committee tomorrow after
noon in The Star sports depart
ment.
The Eastern-Central game was
the big thriller of last nights
double-header at Uline Arena with
the Ramblers unable to get a
clear edge until we'll into the final
period. Tech, too. had real trouble
from Western all during the first
half but took command in the
third frame.
Duke Pantos Injured.
An unusual injury marked the
first game when CentraIs Duke
Pantos was hit in the face by a
loose ball and received two cuts
that required three stitches. 1t
happened in the first period and
undoubtedly the Vikings missed
this calm and fast little play
maker.
Central had an 81 first-period
lead. but that was the last time
it was in front. Little P. A. Dyer
tossed in field goal to open the
second period for Eastern. The
score was tied at 1910 a moment
later, but Richie Hites set shot
put the Ramblers on top to stay.
Their margin wasn't much though
until we'll into the final quarter.
Dyer'S three field goals supplied
the big punch toward Eastern's
16-ll halftime lead.
| The third period was a close and
low-scoring session. Eastern had
22-l9 lead going into the final.
There Kenny Atchison and Jim
O'Donnell dumped in three goals
apiece to give the Ramblers a safe
margin. The result reversed a
regular season game in which Cen
tral beat Eastern by four points.
Western Puts Up Scrap.
Western gave Tech a terrific
battle in the first half in last
, nights final game. Shots by Stan
Karas and Lou Snouffer twice hao
the Red Raiders in front durina
the second period but the Maroons
managed a 1923 halftime lead
Two foul shots by Jay Howard
pulled the Raiders even to start
the second half. but after that II
was all Tech. Bill Breen and
Smoky Herman each scored three
times during the third frame ano
Tech was able to waltz into the
final with 4s-s7 edge.
In the Montgomery County
championship game at Maryland
the Blazers were ahead all the
way, taking 1876 first-perioo
lead. Leading point-makers TO,
the winners were John Selby
Charley Deffinbaugh and Bill
Schief.