Indoor Basketball FIRST MATCHES IN SECOND ROUND

Press, Volume C, Issue 29539, 14 June 1961, Page 17

Indoor Basketball FIRST MATCHES IN SECOND ROUND

First matches in the second round of the Canterbury msn’s indoor basketball competition were played in King Edward Barracks last evening. There were only two games New Zealand Regiment, which will soon embark for overesas, has withdrawn from the senior A grade (accordingly, University had a bye); and Teachens* College could not make up a team and lost by default to the top side, Boys’ Gordon Hall. Results are:— Y-Bey* 48. L.D.S. 39. Rex n. Wtgran M. High Scoring After being a point behind at half time. Y-Boys finished 1U game against Latter Day Saints a point in front. Yet five minutes before the end of the second spell tt looked as it L.D.S. would run out an easy winner for Y-Boys was nine points away. A spurt of energy closed the gap and L.D.S. lost narrowly. it was anybody's game. The pace was rapid and the basketwork accurate—as the statistic of a point on the average of every IS seconds for the entire game indicates. The movement* generally, although very fast, did not have a great deai of coordination. tat both teams ware deadly once they got to their opponents’ circles. Latter Day Saints went into the game the favourite, having been beaten only once in the previous eight games (by Boys' Gordon Hall); the final score—--40-38 tn favour of Y-Boys—was a fair Indication of the menu of the two teams on the night. Points for Y-Boys were scored by C. Harley (Hi, A Boley <«>. K. Baker (Si. K

Ewing (8), M. McDougall (4). J. Dalton (4). L.D.S. scorers were Lang (18), De Mars (13). Zollinger (4). Peterson (4). Gray (2).

Scrappy Game For those who had seen the early game between Y-Boys and L.DS. the Wigram-Rex encounter immediately afterwards was an anti-cllmax. There was movement enough—whether to play the game or keep warm in the swirling, frost-damp air of the Barracks was debatable—but little direction in the play other than runs up and down court after countless misplaced shots at the baskets Rex emerged from a tedious first period in the lead by 10 points to t. Something like a forgotten form appeared fleetingly In the second half on two or three occasions, so fleetingly that one eould not be blamed for just having imagined tt Once, lust once, there was an entertaining minute of team passing among the Rex players with the airmen pinned helpless against their basket. The shot at the basket, when tt finally came, was symptomatic of the whole game—it missed. Rex maintained its two-point margin until two minutes before full time when Wigrain drew level with three long shots from out tn the court. Neither team seemed to appreciate the delicate balance of the points, although spectators yelled enough, and suicidal play (for the circumstances) was seen on both side*. Wigram cut its throat first by conceding a needless point just before the gon* went and Rex came out a clear winner from the free throws. Rex points were scored by P Fox (Io>. A. Harbott («). N. West (B). R Smith (4), D. Ward (1). Points for Wigram were gained by Dockery 18). Belcher 14). De Felice (4). Bach (4), Fern <2*. Baasen (2).