Show Capacity Crowd Watches A C Prove Title Merit I I By nr The Tho Telegram Sports Editor Utah not only clinched the western division basketball championship championship cham cham- Friday night b by their 55 43 triumph over Utah but they also convinced a great crowd of enthused spectators that they are thoroughly entitled to the crown Five Aggie stalwarts stalwarts Captain CaptaIn Captain Cleo Petty and Kent Ryan forwards forwards forwards for for- wards Eldon Watson center and Rollic- Rollic Gardner and Ed Wade Vade at guards went guards went the entire distance At furious pace they outmaneuvered outmaneuvered vered a tight Utah defense with their brilliant short passing game and capitalized on their chances with spectacular shooting Utah put up a great battle fighting fight tight ing jag for the victory that would have kept It in the title running es especially especially es- es with the champion Cougars losing to Montana State at Bozeman Bozeman Boze Boze- Bozeman man 53 led most of ot the way but never by enough to be safe until the waning minutes of the spectacular lar mr battle battle- The new champions led 21 28 21 at the half and forged into an 11 point lead 32 21 in the first minute after alter hostilities were reS re re- re S II rn v 1 With Bill Kinner leading the way WilY the Utes hammered away at the Aggie Ag gie lead ead lead but the Farmers were too stubborn to be denied Time and time again they employed their short passing pas sing game to shake a man loose Under under un Un- der the basket for short shots that kept them continually ahead First it was Ryan who broke into the clear Then it was Watson who played his greatest ball since the first series 0 of ot the campaign against Mon tan tana State Finally it was Captain Pett Petty who was here there and everywhere every where on the floor rustling with tenacious tenacious te te- persistency to turn in one ne of ot his best games of ot the year Utah came within five points of their flying foes midway in the last ast half halt 37 42 and Kinner missed a golden gold lold en opportunity to put on the pressure when he failed to convert two free throwing changes Wade stepped Into the breach with two baskets to make the Aggie cause safer sater and when Virgil James and arid Orb Orlo Childs sank buckets to leave Utah only four tour points behind 46 42 it was Petty and Gardner who got loose with the field goals to push the well out ahead again Both teams did some exceptional shooting had 83 chances at the basket or one less than Utah yet they made six more buckets from the floor largely because they got in a little closer on most of at their shots Because of their greater height the had a n utile little better of the argument ar argument under the backboards backboard except when Kinner was able to get we well located IL L beneath the u hoops Kinner had we me Den or ot the me tight fight for tor the center jump lump and Utah's mid mEd court performance perform perform- ance was fully as good as was the Aggles A An ankle Injury slowed Paul Callis up until the Ute coach deemed it ad ad- viable SV to keep him on the bc bench h most ost of r the last lat half halt With the Utah guards guard converging convening toward the middle of ot the floor th the e Aggles worked into and out of th the e corners for clever dashes under th the e bosket basket for lor their setups Utah Rambled gambled on the six ix foot loot seven seve n inch Orlo Orb Childs in the moments mo ments merits but Wade guarded him 1 8 tn ft J. J j.- j. u. u u 1 stray into the corners instead of hugging hugging hug hug- ging the thc basket baket and he was not fast last enough to break away from the ever watchful Wade Childs' Childs presence brought one spectacular spec spec- basket just after he entered the game Kinner breaking away for fora a setup because the Uie Aggles were too absorbed in keeping an eye on the beanpole As the high scorer with 17 points Kinner was as us great a player in defeat defeat defeat de de- de- de feat as any of 01 the Meanwhile the defense defens was nearly as brilliant brilliant bril as their short passing attack and it took some mighty clever work on the part of ot Larson James Miller and Pendleton to work the ball past their more ran rangy y foes for lor the points they did make |