Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-03-08
Rugged Test
Due Tonight fol-
WI in Tourney
BY BOB HANSON
Star Stan Correspondent

4 ItxOI1MOINO, mdI. o. WHICH,
Washington-Lee's Generals en-
counter host Thomas Jefferson
High School at the Arena here
tonight in the last of four games
in the opening round Of the
Virginia State Group u basket
ball championships. they will be
playing perhaps their toughest
Opponent in the tournament.
That is the belief of wills
Coach Ralph Guinther and a
look at Thomas Jefferson'S rec
ord would seem to confirm it.
The Richmond team, seeded
fifth, finished as Central District
champion with a 1872 record.
Overall, the mark was 1873.
Thomas Jefferson lost its
opener to George Washington at
Alexandria. 60-58, then reeled
off IA straight victories. Its other
losses were to John Marshall,
51-41, and Hopewell, 1864, the
latter its last same of the season
and without its top scorer. Bob
Parker, out with an injury.
Parker, 6-foot-5 center, finished
with 1873 average.
Revenge for Losses
But Thomas Jefferson showed
its mettle by beating the same
teams it lost to, defeating CIV
1852. John Marshall, 44-43, and
Hopewell, 52-48.
Extensively and defensively
Jefferson is an average team. 1t
ranks fifth on offense among
tourney teams with a scoring
average of 63.8 points per game.
Defensively it is third with a 48.8
figure.
This could very well be our
toughest game, even if we stay
in the tourney" Guinther said.
eff we get by this bunch we no
doubt will take on Newport News
IN the semif1nalS. Although New
port News is top ranked, we saw
them play E. c. Glass of Lynch
burg during the season and
weren't too impressed. Thomas
Jefferson appears to be the more
solid club of the two"
AS for solid teams, WI quite
possibly has the best all-round
strength of any in the tourney.
| In Bob Brown, Tom Hyde, Bob
Clements, Hank Ide and Joe
Loughran, with Skip Rust as first
line substitute, Guinther has a
proven outfit.
Season Mark Of 20-3
The fourth-seeded Arlington
team compiled a 20-3 season rec
ord and ILL in taking the
Northern District title. WI
ranks fourth among tourney
teams in both offense and de-
Tense with Sc points per game
and a defensive yield of 49.4 per
contest.
The starting five that hung up
these records didn't have a pro-
life scorer among them. Hyde's
14.0 was tops. At 6-foot-2, he did
an outstanding job of rebound
ing, along with Ide, 6-foot-5 and
ILoughran, 6-foot-3.
Brown and Clements work out
front, with the former a defen-
sive stalwart as well as a play
maker on offense.
AS Pete Rockwell, athletic di-
rector at WI puts it: This is
the best basketball team they've
had at the school in my IL years
here"
The Generals are going to try
to prove that tonight.
CIV in Tourney Opener
Meanwhile. George Washing
ton of Alexandria was to get the
tournament off with a $3.50 game
against Woodrow Wilson of
Portsmouth. Danville and High
land Springs follow a, S o'clock.
Newport News takes on Hampton
at 7:30 with the WI VS.. Thomas
Jefferson contest winding up the
first round.
Winners this afternoon meet
in the first seminal tomorrow
night and the winners of to-
nights games clash in the Sec
ond.
The championship game will
be played Saturday night, pre-
ceded by a consolation game
between tomorrow nights losers.