Statesville schools were operat ing today after a three-day layoff because of an influenza epidemic, but Supt. M. T. Lambeth said that attendance was litle better than was on the day school closed. However, rainy weather is be lieved to have kept many pupils indoors who had recuperated over the weekend from the flu. The superintendent is hoping that at tendance will improve with the weather. Statesville’s championship girls’ basketball team, scheduled to play in a high school tournament open ing this afternoon, was crippled when illness knocked out the top four forwards. If the girls don’t recuperate by gametiae, the team my have to forfeit its contest.