ywI

2'

MAISEL

BAUER

KNAPP

The 1917-18 Basketball Season
By Guy S. LOWMAN
I I the fifth Conference championship in seven years safely tucked away, Wisconsin
can look back with pride upon the record of the 1917-18 basketball team, which lost only
thr ee games in a total of twelve, after a hard season of up-hill play. The prospects for
a winning team at the start of the season were poor; a championship would have been consid-
ered unattainable. Captain Chandler and Simpson were the only two men back from last sea-
son's squad, and the material for the other positions u T crl and nCar[ci. The( t.am s.ttrcd

discouragingly, being beaten by a top-heavy score b%
Northwestern in the first game, but rallied with indon-
nitable spirit and started a streak of victories which
brought the five from last to first place.
The team would probably have gone through the
season without another defeat, had not the defense
been cracked just before the game with Chicago, when
one of the guards was lost at the end of the first semes-
ter. After this game, however, the team hit its stride
again, and by a great victory over Minnesota and a
dazzling win over Purdue clinched the title. The final
game of the season was lost to Minnesota, mainly be-
cause the team let down after its series of hard bttlks,
knowing that the reult could ot ITlect the .ean
showing.

Page 177

V


M