10th Annual
North Central District "A"
Boys Basketball Tournament
1967

Champ

ionship

Qui

ncy

Score

: 67-62 (OT)

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Royal 50, Oroville 47
Game 1. (Loser out)
At Chelan, WA

Royal held the upper hand nearly all the way in its battle with Oroville.
After taking a 9-6 lead late in the first quarter, the Knights stayed on top until 5:57 remaining in the game. A free throw by Mike Morris at that point put Oroville in front, 37-36, and the teams struggled for the lead during the next four and a half minutes.
With 1:30 to play, Monty Armstrong scored from underneath to put Royal on top to stay, 46-45.  Oroville followed with two missed shots. Royal rebounding in both instances to maintain control.  The Knights hit four free throws in the last 43 seconds to clinch the victory.
Oroville, down by a 24-19 margin at halftime, had switched to a zone defense in the third quarter.  Royal, which was having a lot of success by being the aggressor in the first half, decided to stall and force the Hornets out of their zone. The strategy worked.
Key play of the game was a steal by Pat Halpin which he turned into a three point play that erased a 43-41 Oroville lead and put Royal in front with 3:11 to play.
Halpin was a thorn to the Hornets all evening while scoring 20 points. Pat Maher led Royal's strong board play which gave the Knights a 31-23 rebounding advantage.  Both teams attempted 43 shot, Royal making 18 and Oroville 15.
Guard Greg Durheim led the Hornet attack with 15 points, while Craig Jones contributed 13.

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Quincy 67, Tonasket 62 (OT)
Game 2. (Championship)
At Chelan, WA

Quincy coach Bob Woodworth's parting shot at the state class A basketball tournament in Tacoma 51 weeks ago was, "We'll see you next year."
Woodworth and his Quincy Jackrabbits made good that promise here Friday night, but this state trip didn't come easy.
The Jackrabbits had to fight for their lives and finally go into overtime to defeat Tonasket in a hectic North Central District basketball championship battle witnessed by a crowd of approximately 3,000 that had the Chelan gym bulging at the seams.
The Jackrabbits not only retained their district crown but extended their string of victories to 21 in a row and will take the only untarnished record in the state Class A ranks into the Tacoma tournament, opening Wednesday.
Tonasket, beaten only by Quincy this season, --- Friday night's loss was the Tigers' second such harrowing defeat at the hands of the Jackrabbits --- get a crack at the North Central District's number two berth in the state tournament.
Tonasket coach Ed Pariseau's Tigers meet Royal's surprising Knights in the second-place battle here Saturday at 7:30pm.

Controversy in Championship Game!

The district championship game will give North Central Washington basketball fans plenty to talk about between seasons.  The last three minutes of regulation time were clouded with controversy.
The game was delayed for several minutes with 3:04 to play while officials consulted a rulebook.  The consultation was requested by Woodworth, who had protested a basket by Ken Krell following a Tonasket free throw attempt.
On the disputed free throw, two Tonasket players had taken the inside lanes, which are reserved for the defensive team.  But this alignment had gone undetected by the officials.  Krell grabbed the rebound and put it back in for two points which gave Tonasket a 59-56 lead.
After the delay to consult the rulebook, play was resumed with no change in the score.  A minute later, a technical foul called against Tonasket when a substitute failed to report to the scorer's bench enabled the Jackrabbits to tie the score.
Then a goaltending call against Quincy with three seconds to play gave Tonasket two points that tied the score and sent the game into overtime.
Quincy missed six free throw attempts in the overtime session, but still outscored the Tigers, 5-0.
Robbe Pitts, turning in a spectacular performance, scored two field goals, both on rebound shots following missed Quincy free throws and added a final point with 36 seconds to play to seal the verdict.
With Quincy star Pete Romano on the sidelines most of the evening after getting into foul trouble, Pitts shouldered much of the offensive burden.  He collected 15 field goals and totaled 37 points. He was the only senior in the Quincy lineup through much of this frantic struggle.
The Tigers, playing an inspirational game in the absence of their big pivot-man, Rodney Pickering, were in control until the late moments of the first-half.  They held a 15-7 lead at the close of the first quarter and led by 10 points, 25-15, midway through the second period on the scoring and rebounding of Ken Michels.
Tim Evers and Pitts then began to find the range for Quincy as they led a comeback that put the Jackrabbits in front for the first time, 29-28, with 1:14 to go in the half.
A basket by Evers gave the Jacks a 31-30 halftime lead.
These rivals engaged in a furious offensive exchange in the third quarter as they traded one-point leads seven times. Tonasket, hitting nine of its first eleven shots of the second half, broke a 41-all tie to open a six-point lead.
Seven points by Pitts brought the Jackrabbits back into contention and again the lead began to alternate as the fourth quarter approached.
A free throw by Greg Forge on that technical foul call lifted Quincy into a 59-all tie. Pitts then drove the baseline to put the Jackrabbits ahead with 1:54 remaining and sank a free throw with 36 seconds to go, making the score 62-60.
Evers grabbed the rebound of a Fred Visser shot with 22 seconds to play and Quincy seemed to have the victory wrapped up, but a muffed pass followed and Tonasket had possession again.
Visser shot from outside and the ball bounced off the rim as three seconds flashed on the clock. A whistle blew and goaltending was called, giving Tonasket a basket that tied the score.
But the Tigers were now without the services of Krell, who fouled out with 2:03 to play and Quincy was in complete command during the overtime period.
With Krell in the lineup, Tonasket had rebound control, but Quincy made up for this deficit during the overtime to show a 39-37 over-all rebounding edge.
The Jackrabbits out shot the Tigers from the field while hitting 27-of-63 shots.  Tonasket sank 24-of-63.

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Tonasket 65, Royal 53
Game 3. (winner to state, loser out)
At Chelan, WA

Tonasket fought its way into the State Class A basketball tournament for the second time in as many years by turning back Royal in the North Central District's second-place battle here Saturday night.
Tonasket, which was the North Central District's number two entry last year also, placed fourth in the 1966 state tournament.
Ed Pariseau's Tigers received a stiff test from Al Keeler's Royal Knights Saturday.
The game was tight nearly all the way.
The Tigers and Knights traded baskets through the early action.  Tonasket moved out to a 20-16 lead midway through the second quarter, only to have Royal charge back to within one point, 23-22. By halftime, the Tigers had rebuilt their lead to 30-26 and they continued to widen the margin after intermission.
But Royal, sparked by the rebounding of Pat Maher, once again, rallied, shrinking an eight-point Tonasket lead to 40-38.
Tonasket, getting solid offensive efforts from Ken Krell, Fred Visser and Ken Michels, responded to the challenge and carried a 47-42 lead into the final period.  The Tigers steadily pulled away during the fourth quarter.