11th Annual
North Central District "A"
Boys Basketball Tournament
1968

Champ

ionship

Mar

ch 2

Qui
(20

ncy
-3)

Score

: 73-46

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Quincy 64, Chelan 58
Game 1. (Loser out)
At Chelan, WA

Quincy edges Chelan in District opener

Quincy launched its bid for a third straight North Central District basketball title by overcoming the Chelan Goats, 64-58, in a sizzling scoring battle.
Both teams engaged in a terrific shooting match in which the score was tied on 11 occasions and the lead changed 12 times.
The biggest margin of the game was the final score. Quincy twice led by five points; Chelan led by four points on four occasions in the third quarter.
The deadly outside shooting of Quincy's Tom Evers broke the game open in the late minutes.  He struck for five field goals, mostly on 18-footers from the side, in the last nine-and-a-half minutes. Evers broke a 50-all tie with one of  his howitzers and is brother Tracy, followed with a basket from the key.  A free throw by Tom Evers gave Quincy a five-point lead with 2:49 to play.
But the Goats were not yet dead.  They came back to narrow the gap to one point on three occasions.  Tom and Tracy Evers and Oliver Halterman - now scoring from inside on feeds - answered Chelan baskets in each instance to boast a 61-58 lead with 47 seconds to play.
Chelan had come back from a 12-7 deficit to pull into a 14-14 tie at the end of the first period on the scoring of Brian Tuttle.  A basket by Tom Evers just before the end of the second quarter gave Quincy a 28-26 halftime lead.
After taking a four-point lead in the opening minute of the second half, the Jackrabbits went cold.  Chelan immediately took charge with a flurry of baskets and surged into a 37-33 lead.
Halterman ended Quincy's field goal famine by scoring from outside with 1:55 to play in the quarter, igniting a furious exchange with culminated in a 43-43 period-ending tie.
Chelan last led at 46-45 on a fantastic twisting shot from the baseline by Larry Bowers.
Quincy, after its five minute field goal lapse in the third quarter, pumped in 13 field goals in the last 10 minutes of the game.
For the game, Quincy coach Bob Woodworth's club shot just a shade under 50 percent with 27 field goals in 56 attempts.  Chelan made 25-of-63 shots.
With Richard Brim and Lester Gardner alternating at the post position, the Jackrabbits had the rebounding edge, 35-24.
Tom Evers led the scoring with 21 points. Halterman contributed 16 points to the Quincy attack and did his usual superb job of defense. Jim Engstrom, a driving demon, scoring 16 points and Bowers collected 14 points to lead Chelan coach Jim Talley's Goats.
Said a relieved Jackrabbit coach Bob Woodworth, who had nothing but complimentary words for the Chelan players: "This is the team I was afraid to play all year."

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Okanogan 45, Royal 44
Game 2. (Loser out)
At Chelan, WA

Okanogan defense holds on to eliminate Royal

Okanogan, tough and tenacious all season, survived a last ditch rally by Royal to squeeze out a thrilling 45-44 win over the Knights in the opening round of the North Central District 6 basketball tournament Saturday night.
The second period was decisive in the Okanogan-Royal tussle.
Dean Weyrick's Bulldogs came back from an early 7-2 deficit to trail by only two, 18-16, a the end of the first quarter as Jim Walker hit a 25-foot howitzer at the buzzer.
The Bulldogs switched to a box-and-one zone with Duane Morrison bird-dogging the Knight's Monty Armstrong, and the Knights were unable to adjust to this defensive strategy before halftime.
Okanogan intercepted a number of Royal passes, limited the Knights to just eight shots in the second quarter and held them to just two points, a pair of free throws.
Even so, the Knights led, at 20-18, with 3:48 to play.
Okanogan finally got its offense rolling again to ring up a 29-20 halftime lead.
Royal tried to delay game in an effort to spread the Okanogan defense in the third quarter, but it too, was ineffective. Mike Tomco of Okanogan, meantime, was doing a terrific job on the boards, and the Bulldogs carried a 36-28 lead into the final period.
A pair of cripples by Walker and Scott Harrison put the Bulldogs ahead by 10 points with 5:27 to play.  And then Royal toughened up its board play to score three straight field goals and chop the Okanogan lead to four.
Charley Lynch struck from the top of the key with 16 seconds to play to bring the Knights with a single point. Okanogan, though, was able to control the ball during the the remaining time.
Okanogan made 16 field goals in 43 attempts, while Royal sank only 13-of-41. The Knights, with Dave Balmer and Kelly Huss doing the bulk of the work, held a slight, 30-26, advantage on the boards.
Armstrong topped all scorers with 13 points. Harrison scored 11, sophomore Alan McIlhenny 10 and Morrison 10 for Okanogan.
Game Notes: Royal coach Al Keeler coached the Okanogan Bulldogs from 1963-66 before handing the reigns over to then assistant and current head coach Dean Weyrick.

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Quincy 77, Tonasket 47
Game 3. (Semifinal)
At Chelan, WA

Quincy's second-half surge repels Tonasket

Defending district champion Quincy scored a stunning, 77-47, victory over Tonasket to clinch a state tournament berth in Tacoma next week.
Quincy coach Bob Woodworth's green-clad will be be bidding for its third successive North Central District basketball title here Saturday.
Both teams hooked up in a hectic first-half battle, but the Jacks broke away by outscoring the Tigers, 18-5, in the third quarter then began scoring lay-ins against the Tigers' press to add to their lead in the final period.
Tonasket stayed with Jackrabbits through the first half, trailing by two to four points most of the time. Quincy posted a 16-14 lead at the end of the first quarter and a 33-30 advantage at halftime in spite of a seven-point output by Tonasket's John Sylvester during the second quarter.
Quincy's outstanding point-guard Oliver Halterman, went out of action late in the first half with a twisted ankle, but he returned after intermission to spark the Jackrabbits' offense.  He dumped in three field goals and set up Richard Brim with a couple of baskets inside as the Jackrabbits were rolling to a 51-35 lead.
Tonasket, meantime, was unable to connect from the outside and the Quincy defense was putting a blanket around the Tigers' Ken Krell.
Quincy received balanced scoring from its starting unit.  Halterman topped all scorers with 21 points, while Tom Evers, Tracy Evers and Brim also hit in double figures.  Brim did a fine defensive job on Krell, who scored 19 points before fouling out.
Quincy connected for 33 field goals, compared to 18 for Tonasket.

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Othello 63, Okanogan 55
Game 4. (Semifinal)
At Chelan, WA

Okanogan's state hopes dashed by Othello

Okanogan put up a stiff argument Friday night before having their state tourney hopes squelched by the Huskies.
The Bulldogs outshot the Huskies, 25-22, but made only five-of-13 free throws while Othello was sinking 19-of-27. The Bulldogs, led by Alan McIlhenny and Mike Tomco, gave Othello's Tom Pardun and MIke McCourtie a battle on the boards all the way.
Trailing by a 21-13 margin at the end of the first period and by 39-30 at halftime, Okanogan rallied in the third quarter to go ahead once briefly at 42-40.  Okanogan accounted for all 14 of its third-quarter points on field goals while Othello was going scoreless from the field.
But the Huskies sank seven free throws during that quarter to carry a 46-44 edge into the final period.
The McCourtie hit three jump shots from about 18 feet out and Pardun got a couple of baskets to put the Huskies in command in the fourth quarter. Pete Taggares hit five-of-six from the free throw line in the final period to clinch it.
Pardun, McCourtie and Taggares accounted for all but four points in the Othello scoring total.  Pardun took game honors with 25.
McIlhenny play magnificent game for Okanogan while leading his club with 18.  Duane Morrison was close behind with 16 points.

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Quincy 73, Othello 46
Game 5. (Championship)
At Chelan, WA

Quincy destroys Othello to win top spot

Basketball is game of finesse and finesse won out here Saturday night.
The sharp passing, accurate shooting, alertly defensing Quincy Jackrabbits defeated the Othello Huskies and sailed into the State A basketball tournament as the top representatives from North Central District 6.
With this incredibly decisive win, coach Bob Woodworth's amazing Jackrabbits captured their third successive district basketball crown. Othello, which earlier had beaten the Jackrabbits in a playoff for first place in the North Central League, will go to state for the first time in that school's history.  The Huskies, who had clinched a tourney berth Friday night in a semifinal win over Okanogan, will be the district's number two seed in the state tournament which opens in Tacoma Wednesday.
The district championship game had all the appearances of a grudge match between the two Columbia Basin schools who were meeting for the fourth time this season.
Quincy played sharp basketball, moving the ball with authority and befuddling the Husky offense with a 1-3-1 zone defense.  The Huskies, with no effective outside fire power, couldn't contend with the 1-3-1 zone and when they began to experience complete futility in the second half they resorted to rough-house tactics.
The Jackrabbits maintained their poise and, as the score steadily mounted, Quincy's large following showed their appreciation by greeting each basket with a thunderous outburst.
Quincy was in command all the way after spotting Othello the first basket of the game.
With the incomparable Oliver Halterman scoring 10 points, the Jacks took a 15-7 lead in the first quarter and expanded it to 28-14 at one state of the second period, on the shooting of Greg Forge and Richard Brim.
Othello's only good spurt of the game, sparked by a full-court press, brought the Huskies to within nine, 33-24, at halftime.
With Halterman and Tom Evers each converting three-point plays, the Jackrabbits ran their single-post offense effectively, repeatedly breaking inside for baskets, to steadily increase their margin.
Halterman not only was the key to the Quincy defense as the middle man in the 1-3-1 zone, but he led all scorers with 22 points.
Pete Taggares breaking loose for 10 points in the fourth quarter after Halterman went to the bench, led the Huskies with 15.
Big Tom Pardun, stationed out front against the Quincy zone, was limited to his smallest offensive output of the season, with 10 points.
Game Notes:  Quincy coach Bob Woodworth paid tribute the team's number one fan, Elmer Gerken, after the Jacks won their third successive North Central District basketball title.
"You know, Elmer Gerken, is our number one fan. He will take all these kids down to The Turf after the game and buy them a steak," said Woodworth.
Elmer's steak dinners have become a tradition with Quincy basketball teams.