Evening star., 1955-03-12
WI Five Underdoq
In Title Game With
Roanoke Jefferson
BY the Assoeiotsd Press

RICHMOND, Va, Mar. 12.-
A couple of opposite numbers
jefferson Seniors free-wheelng
Magicians and Washington-Lee's
slow w-'em-down Little Generals
tangle here at 9 o'clock tonight
for the State Group I high school
basketball championship.
A more unpredictable struggle
hardly could have been dreamed
up for the tournament finale.
Nor could two teams have
reached the title round in more
divergent ways.
For Jefferson Senior of Roa-
noke. top-seeded, it's been a
relatively easy road. With g.
foot-8 Dick Kepley the killer
and 5-foot-9 Lewis Mills the
undertaken. the Magicians have
not been seriously threatened in
brushing aside Maury of Nor
folk 1859 and Newport News
57-40 in the first two rounds.
Westinghouse, on the other
hand, has found the path to the
title showdown quite rocky. The
Generals, playing uneven basket
ball, waited until the last three
seconds to whip E. c. Glass of
Lynchburg 45-43 in their first
outing. And last night they had
to wait literally until the last
second to squeak by Woodrow
Wilson of Portsmouth 1892.
Jefferson Senior Favored
Newport News and Woodrow
Wilson clash at 7:3O tonight in
a consolation tile preceding the
championship test.
Mainly because of Kepley and
Mills, Jefferson Senior rated the
nod as tonights favorite. Yet
there was nothing approaching
unanimity among tournament
observers as to the finals winner.
Ralph Guinther, Washington
Lee coach, whose team is seeded
second, professed dissatisfaction
with the Generals play to date
but added: IF we play the way
I know we can, I believe we can
win. We have been simply lousy
at times in the first two days"
Pres Brown, Roanoke coach,
q h
teams showing last night against
a good Newport News outfit but
said he wasn't sure how his fast
break quintet would react to
Washington Lees possession
game.
Jefferson Senior moved in
front of Newport News early in
the second quarter of their semi
finals collision last night and
stayed there on the fine shooting
of Kepley and the last period
dribbling and foul ul-shooting show
staged by Mills. Kepley hit on
10 of Is field goal attempts and
grabbed % rebounds. He mad "a
points in all. Mills. driving the
Typhoon daffy with his all-court
floor game in the closing mo-
ments, collected IS points-19 of
them from the free throw line
and IA of these in the last SIG
of action when Newport News
tried desperately to break up his
one-man freeze.
"Kepley murdered us and Mills
buried U.S." said Bill Chambers,
Newport News coach. The Ty-
phoon hit on only IA of SO shots.
Bucky Keller topping their at
tack with IL points.
Players, Fans in Melee.
The hotly-contested closing
moments of the game produced
a near riot when Keller acci-
dentally tripped Mills while try
ing to break up the Roanoke
stars dribbling act. Mills fell,
Keller fell atop him and in
twinkling players from both
teams and spectators from the
stands Joined in a merry melee
IN midcourt. In all the scuffing
only Ken Catron of Roanoke was
hurt. He got a black eye.
The Washington Lee Ports
mouth tilt which opened last
nights program proceeded al
most to the fourth quarter be-
fore Woodrow Wilson suddenly
came to life while trailing 1920.
Two set shots by Substitute
Dennis McMurran and two more
by Bill Phelps narrowed the
count to 1923 after As seconds
of the final quarter, then Nc
Murran dumped in a pair of
free throws to knot the score
at 30-30.
Sonny Dugan converted two
free tosseS to make it 1890,
WaShington-Lee, but Richard
Weinstein matched the charity
pitches for Woodrow Wilson and
it was tied again at 32-all with
2:34 left. Here Westinghouse
froze the ball for a last-second
shot. 1t was taken with three
seconds left by Jim Woodbridge.
He was short of the basket but
AL Baldwin captured the ball as
1t came down and pitched it
into the nets as the gun went off.
Dugan's 6-for-13 accuracy
figure-he had 16 points in all
was the big factor in Washing
ton-Lee's victory. The Little
Generals hit 13 of 48 in all to
II sof Al for Wilson, badly off
form.
Guinther's reaction to it all,
after the first flush Of victory,
was glum.
Playing the kind Of game we
play, we should never have
blown a 10-point lead under any
circumstances" said the Wash
ington-Lee coach.
W. Wilson. G.F Pts. Wash.-Lee. GFPts.
RaSshsh 2; smish & ! : Psldsin Psl%sT 3 9 3
Meisstein WIS : : 9 MoaiGrfd Il Gyaf ! 3 I
skeeter Q . 0 DuRan 418