Rindge Tech, Cambridge Latin Vie for State Titles

The mid-March hoopla of the various post-season basketball tournaments has slowly begun bouncing its way across the country. However, due to the dismal seasons (what else is new) of the Crimson's quintets, the bouncing play off ball won't stop off in Cambridge.

You see, the playoff ball only hits cities with winning basketball teams. And records of 8-18 (Harvard) and 7-11 (Radcliffe) aren't quite what the tournament committees have in mind. Sure the Celtics will eventually be going after yet another flag to flaunt from the Garden rafters but until then Harvard hoop fans will have to languish in their rooms dispassionately watching an endless stream of regional triple headers.

Locals

Luckily there's now a remedy for those suffering from a terminal case of IAB-itis (i.e. losing basketball). The prescription can be found at your local corner high school.

Cambridge High and Latin's girls basketball went down to the wire before losing its first game of the season, 63-62, to a strong Brockton squad in the Eastern Mass. finals. The Latin five did compile a 19-1 record prior to last night's defeat. Across the park the Rindge Tech Warriors have been enjoying similar success, cruising into tonight's encounter with Springfield Commerce sporting a 21-4 slate.

Life is not gay and bright in all corners of Cambridge's roundball courts, however, as Latin's boys squad finished the season riding the crest of a 62-game losing streak, a streak which reaches back three years to the glory days of 1973.

It is the victors who gather the spoils, though, and in the case of the Cantab girls the spoils have included all the fans who had vainly followed the boy's team in hope of witnessing that elusive win.

"We've gotten a lot of fan support since the start of the tourney," coach JoAnn O'Callaghan said yesterday. "A couple of buses from the Teen Center and a lot of parents and friends have been coming to the games. Cambridge fans have been known to be a little rowdy, but that's alright with me."

The heart of O'Callaghan's starting five is a sister act from East, Cambridge. The Shinkwin sisters (Mary, Terry and Patty) along with Maureen Goddard, Theresa Muolo and Cathy Schaum have led Latin to a 34-2 record under O'Callaghan's helm.

The key to the girl's success this year has been its collectively hot shooting hand. Powered by Terry Shinkwin's 15-point-per-game clip, the Latin five has utterly decimated its opponents before last night's derailing by the Boxertown women. The Cantab quintet has shot close to 60 per cent from the floor over the course of the season.

Its winning ways have not spilled over into the boy's program, unfortunately. "The boy's sports just needs a big morale boost," O'Callaghan said, "They're a nice bunch of guys but they just can't shoot and I'm afraid I don't see any change in the next year or two."

A Future Star?

Mary Shinkwin, the captain of the squad, hopes to attend Radcliffe next year. She and her sisters began playing basketball just three years ago in the playgrounds of East Cambridge and despite her meteoric rise to stardom she has maintained a supportive attitude towards her male counterparts. "They ma have been a little jealous of us but we went to all their games and never gave them a hard time."

Hard times have not fallen on coach Bob Richard's Rindge Tech troops for some time now, as the Warriors consistently turn out championship squads.

Led by a starting five which has been playing together for five or six years, Rindge has impressively handled one of the toughest schedules in the state.

"We've just got great balance, speed and quickness," Richards said, "And we just let them roll when they're going."

Walking on Air

In preparation for tonight's contest against Springfield Commerce Richards big men Turo Russell and Rudy Williams, were throwing Dr. J moves at their imaginary foes and finishing off their moves with stylish slam dunks.

Russell and Williams, each hitting for 14 points a game, and guard Jerry Scott, who has a very smooth walking on air move which has led him to his league leading 21-point average, make up the nucleus of the Rindge attack. They are joined by starters Ray Young and Weston Grainger.

Williams refers to the fivesome as the "brothers in one." Scott explains, "We've been playing in summer leagues for five or six years now and we're a real tight group."