Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 68, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 March 1916 — BASKET HONORS GO TO JEFFERSON [ARTICLE]

BASKET HONORS GO TO JEFFERSON

Wins State Championship by Defeating Crawfordsville 27 to 26 in Overtime Game. SATURDAY AFTERNOON. x Lafayette 29; Martinsville 17. Crawfordsville 33; Vincennes 17. SATURDAY EVENING.—Lafayette 27; Crawfordvsille 26. Jefferson high school of Lafayette was crowned the new state basketball champion Saturday night, succeeding Thorntown, winner of the title last year, when they defeated the powerful Crawfordsville five in the iinal game 27 to 26 in an overtime battle.

_ A more fitting climax to the tournament could not have originated in the fertile brain of a yellow journal writer. Coming to the final game of a tournament that had abounded with sensationalism since the start, two teams that had stood out head and shoulders above the rest of the teams entered, and the clash between these two powerful aggregations seemed imminent from the start. Both teams had trodden roughshod over their opponents in such decisive manner that it coild leave no doubt but that they should meet in the decisive battle. And the game was what indications had pointed that it would be, for it was forced into an overtime fight, the teams being tied at the finish at 25 all, and the winner won by the scantest margin possible, one point. What genius of imagination could paint a more graphic word picture of a fictitious meet than this ? Tilson, of Lafayette, was the fortunate individual to annex the title winning basket in the over session. During the extra five minutes Craivfordsville counted one point when Grimes registered a free throw. The final score was Lafayette 27, Crawfordsville 26. Lafayette was deserving o£, the title for they have a, team • that, according to -critics', is the-best all around five that ever wore the" state laurels. Crawfordsville should not be overlooked, for was but the merest formidable than that of One more basket* for the losers and the entire complexion of things would have been changed. Congratulations to yoti, Lafayette; sympathy for you, Crawfordsville.