18th Annual
North Central District "A"
Boys Basketball Tournament
1975

Cashmere
(17-4)

Score: 63-43
#1 seed to state

Tonasket
(20-3)

Score: 55-44

Game 7.
Loser 3rd

Liberty Bell
(17-6)

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Tonasket 64, Leavenworth 49
Game 1.
At Chelan, WA

Tonasket, loser only to Cashmere (twice) this season, is eager for a rematch with the Bulldogs. But coach Gary Jorgenson maintains that the Tigers are not looking past tonight's semifinal clash.
They can ill afford to. The Mountain Lions have the gunnery to scare any club.
Tonasket beat back one Leavenworth rally and went on to a decisive victory over the Grizzlies Friday night.
Jorgenson felt his Tigers were not at top form against Leavenworth. "I think we were a little nervous tonight," he said.
But their nervousness was not reflected by the shooting figures. The Tigers hit better than 50 percent of their tries from the floor as they banged in 26 field goals in 51 attempts.
And they proved they can hurt a team from anywhere on the court.
The Tigers went inside to Andy Helm, the late season transfer from the State School for the Deaf, received baseline shooting from Jim Clarkson and outside scoring from Don Freeman and Ron Pilkinton.
Jorgenson was pleased with the balanced effort and further pointed out that he like the way the other guys, Gary Brown and Jim Verbeck, hit the open man on assists. Verbeck though may be lost for the rest of the season as he collided with Leavenworth's Rick Kriewald, who gave the 6-7 Helm a rugged argument and led all scorers with 25 points.
The Tigers switched from a 2-3 zone to a man-to-man defense, "because Kriewald was hurting us against the zone," Jorgenson said, pointing out that the rugged 6-4 Leavenworth senior scored 14 points in the first half.
Incredibly, two players accounted for all but two points of Leavenworth's total. Randy Alexander, erupting for 16 points in the last 10 and a half minutes, totaled 22.
"Alexander was bound to hurt us some time," Jorgenson noted, recalling that Randy had scored just six points in the two previous meeting between these teams.
In addition to the accuracy from the field, the Tigers struck for 12 straight free throws before Clarkson broke the string with a pair of misses near the end.
With Kriewald accounting for 10 straight Leavenworth points and 14-of-16 over one stretch, the Grizzlies made one good run at the Tigers in the second quarter.
But each time the Grizzlies pulled to within two points, Tonasket responded with a field goal or a pair of free throws to maintain the edge.
The Tigers outscored the Grizzlies, 10-2, in the last three minutes of the first half, to show a commanding, 32-20 lead at the break, and it was 38-20 before Leavenworth on on the scoreboard again.
Leavenworth sank 21 field goals in 48 attempts.

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Liberty Bell 66, Lake Roosevelt 58
Game 2.
At Chelan, WA

Liberty Bell and Lake Roosevelt battled for the lead through a wild first quarter before the Raiders broke on top by six, 25-19, early in the second period.
The Raiders maintained a slim lead until late in the third quarter when the Mountain Lions pumped in three straight field goals from long range to spurt ahead, 45-42.
But a hot streak by Daryl Moulton, sinking four jumpers in a row, three from long range, put Lake Roosevelt back in control.
The lead changed hands five more times before Liberty Bell went ahead to stay.
The Raiders last led, 58-57, on two free throws by Jeff Loe with just under three minutes to play. They did not score again.
Ray Ellis put the Mountain Lions on top 59-58 with 1:39 remaining and Lake Roosevelt promptly called a time out to set up some time consuming strategy and a possible winning shot. After an exchange of turnovers and some delay work by the Raiders, Moulton put up a shot form down low in the key with 35 seconds to go. It missed the mark and Tom Richardson rebounded for Liberty Bell.
It was all Liberty Bell in the last 18 seconds. Brad King fairly well wrapped it up with two free throws, then Rod Gardner, who was having a frustrating night, gained some measure of satisfaction by stealing the ball and dashing down floor for a clinching lay-up. Undercut on the play, he added two more free throws.
Ellis was the Mountain Lions' main gun. He hit from the corners, on the rebound shots from outside to total 19 points. Richardson and King, coming off the bench, followed with 14 each.

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Lake Roosevelt 52, Leavenworth 41
Game 3. (Loser out)
At Chelan, WA

Nervy Lake Roosevelt went into a stalling offense with 7:15 to play and owning only a six point, 40-34 lead.
But coach Jerry Riggan's tactics worked. Leavenworth could not get possession by fouling because the Raiders weren't in a 1-and-1 free throw situation.
The Raiders held the ball for a full two minutes on one occasion and the better part of two minutes another time.
Three straight free throws, one of those coming on a technical foul, by Jeff Loe and field goal by Darryl Moulton enabled the Raiders to open up their lead to 11 points. Leavenworth came back to within six on one occasion by Lake Roosevelt moved out of range by hitting three more free throws.
A tough Lake Roosevelt defense played a vital role in the victory.
A 1-3-1 zone prevented the Grizzlies from getting the ball into Rick Kriewald, and a Lake Roosevelt zone press frequently tied up Leavenworth in back court.
The Grizzlies, with Randy Alexander hitting a pair of jumpers and assisting on another field goal, had taken a 6-0 lead. But Loe and Moulton combined to send Lake Roosevelt ahead to stay at 11-8.
Leavenworth came back momentarily, with Alexander connecting for two more baskets from the 18-foot range, in the second quarter.
Moulton, who had put the clamps on Liberty Bell's Gardner Friday night, again was a key man in the Raider defense. He also led his team in scoring with 16 points. Loe collected 15. Alexander shared scoring honors with Moulton.
Kriewald wasn't able to operate with freedom until the late action.
Both teams made 19 field goals, Lake Roosevelt attempting 40 shots and Leavenworth taking 52. Board work was fairly even with the Grizzlies showing a 24-23 edge.

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Liberty Bell 65, Tonasket 63 (2OT)
Game 4.
At Chelan, WA

It wasn't the crimson and gray of Winthrop, nor the orange and black of Twisp, but it was that same old Methow Valley tenaciousness, under the green and yellow banner of Liberty Bell.
The green and yellow Mountain Lions, representing the two Upper Methow Valley communities, three times came back from what appeared to be almost certain defeat then went into two overtimes to pull off one of the biggest shockers of the basketball season.
The Mountain Lions, exercising considerable control and patience, knocked off Tonasket in the semifinals of the North Central District "A" basketball tourney here Saturday night and moved within a game of earning a state tournament berth.
Liberty Bell's big win thrusts the Methow Valleyites into the district championship struggle against Cashmere here next Friday night. One of the district's two state berths will be decided in that game.
Still in contention for the other berth are Lake Roosevelt and Tonasket. They will collide in a preliminary to the title game, with the loser being eliminated and the winner playing the loser of the title game Saturday night for that coveted number two berth.
Liberty Bell simply refused to quit against Tonasket Saturday night.
The Tigers seemingly were in control after carving a 19-10 first-quarter lead. The led by 11 points two and a half minutes into the second quarter, by nine early in the third period and by eight with a little less than five minutes remaining in the game.
But in each instance, Liberty Bell would come back, trimming a 27-16 Tonasket lead to 27-25 in the second quarter; coming from a 44-35 deficit to a 44-all tie in the third period, and bolting from a 57-49 deficit to a 59-57 lead in the fourth period.
The Mountain Lions had run off 10 unanswered points, from 4:25 to 1:55 of the fourth quarters to seize the lead for the first time. Actually, a flurry of four straight field goals, ignited by Ray Ellis' shot from the corner, was the momentum changer. Ellis accounted of three of those baskets, including the go-ahead points with 1:55 to play. Tonasket had contributed to its own downfall during this Liberty Bell burst with a turnover and a violation.
Ellis hit again from the side with 31 seconds to go to offset a Tonasket bucket. Then Don Freeman sent the game into overtime when he struck for the Tigers at the 13 second mark.
It was pandemonium at the end of regulation.
A foul was called on Tonasket in the din which drowned out the buzzer. Officials, after consulting with the time, ruled that the foul occurred after time had run out.
Liberty Bell used considerable patience to set up the winning shot, winding the clock down by controlling the ball most of both overtimes.
There was no score in the first overtime.
After Tonasket had two shots at it to open the first overtime, Liberty Bell took its time and waited until five seconds remained. Rod Gardner's shot missed and Tonasket called time out with three seconds remaining. But there was time only for a desperation heave at the bucket.
Gary Brown put Tonasket ahead by scoring from outside in the second overtime. Ellis tied it up with a baseline shot and the Tigers had a chance to gain control when Andy Helm went to the free throw line. He missed and clutch player Brad King rebounded for Liberty Bell with 1:18 remaining.
Liberty Bell moved the ball around until only five seconds remaining again. This time, Tom Richardson found the net from 20 feet out.
Again, Tonasket got the clock stopped, with four seconds remaining, but with Liberty Bell pressing, the Tigers had trouble moving the ball down court and Freeman uncorked a baseball type throw, hitting the backboard, just before the buzzer.
Tonasket had opened the game brilliantly, with Jim Clarkson playing a key role, but the Tigers made crucial mistakes and cast off with some bad shots when things were tight in the fourth quarter.
Meantime, Liberty Bell coach Gene Nelson was receiving solid efforts from reserve Al Holcomb and Brad King, along with Richardson, Ellis and Gardner.
Holcomb provided some key rebounding.
King dropped in an occasional howitzer, including a 30-footer at the end of the third quarter, lifting Liberty Bell into a 49-all tie.
Liberty Bell, normally a running team, had switched to a cautious type of game in the third quarter and these tactics ultimately paid off.
The uncanny Ellis, driving off the side for key baskets, totaled 23 points. Clarkson scored 16 and Freeman had 14 to lead Tonasket.
Liberty Bell hit an even 50 percent, on 30 field goals in 60 attempts, while Tonasket also shot well, with 26 baskets in 56 tries. Liberty Bell out-rebounded the more physical Tonasket team, 28-25.

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Tonasket 55, Lake Roosevelt 44
Game 5. (Loser out)
At Chelan, WA

About the time Tonasket was ripping off 15 unanswered points at the end of the first quarter and the start of the second quarter, the Chelan gym was beginning to overflow with a crush of 2,800-plus spectators.
Speedster guard Gary Brown led Tonasket's  take-charge splurge, which started with a lead-taking (10-8) tip-in by 6-7 Andy Helm.
Brown hit from the head of the key, drove the key for two more points and struck from the base-line during this momentum-building spree. He also snared several rebounds and, later, contributed some fine feeds.
Lake Roosevelt, thereafter, twice threatened to launch a come-from-behind charge.
Superb guard Darryl Moulton stopped Tonasket's momentum by connecting with three straight spectacular shots from the side, helping to bring the Raiders back to within seven, 23-16. But then Brown started to apply a little more defensive pressure to Moulton and the Raiders leader was stopped for the rest of the night.
Lake Roosevelt's last crack at catching the Tigers came just before the mid-point of the fourth quarter. Successive baskets by Greg Jones, on a feed from Brian Barnaby, and Moulton, on a steal, suddenly brought Lake Roosevelt to a hopeful 49-41.
Another quick turnover by Tonasket really brought the Lake Roosevelt crowd to life. But Jones missed a shot from under the basket and Tonasket went into its control game with 4:10 to play.
Tonasket, hitting 10-of-16 shots in the first quarter, finished with 23 field goals in 48 attempts. Lake Roosevelt, which could make only eight field goals in 38 second-half attempts, wound up with 18-in-62 tries. Rebounding favored Tonasket, 39-32.
Don Freeman led the Tigers in scoring (17 points) and assists (6). Helm and Brown followed with 16 and 13 points. Jeff Loe led the Raiders with 13.

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Cashmere 63, Liberty Bell 43
Game 6. (Championship, winner to state)
At Chelan, WA

Cashmere's Bulldogs are the North Central District "A" basketball champions for the second straight season and for the fourth time in five years.
The Orange Machine, returning to game action, after two weeks of idleness, rolled into the State Class "A" tournament in convincing fashion over Liberty Bell in the district title game here Friday night.
Liberty Bell, after contending through the first half, failed to score a field goal, in 15 attempts, in the third quarter.
Cashmere used the first half to work out the cob webs that had accumulated since they had clinched the Caribou Trail League championship then stormed to their 15th straight victory.
Liberty Bell, playing a deliberate-like game, patiently looking for the good shot against Cashmere's 1-2-2 zone, gave the Bulldogs all they could handle in the first half.
The lead bounced around seven times before the Bulldogs cashed in on a three-point play by sophomore Phil Barnhart for a 17-15 edge with 3:51 to play in the second quarter.
Liberty Bell stayed close for awhile to trail only 23-22 at the half.
Then the normally hot shooting Mountain Lions lost their touch.
Cashmere, hitting Dean Johnson with key feeds around the baseline, ran off 11 straight points to open the second half for a 34-22 lead. The Mountain Lions, frustrated by the inability to put the ball through the hoop, never challenged again.
Not until the fourth quarter was nearly one minute old was Tom Richardson able to break Liberty Bell's long scoring famine from the field.
As in most Cashmere wins, this was a team victory.
Barnhart, led the scoring with 15 points and was closely followed by Johnson and Ron Franklin, both with 14 points.
Tim Smith directed the offense and otherwise played an all-around fine game and Troy Whitehall came off the bench to deliver a couple of crucial baskets in the second period.
Cashmere took only 44 shots and sank 24 for 54.5 percent accuracy. Liberty Bell, after its 0-for-15 third quarter, finished with 16 baskets in 58 attempts.
The Mountain Lions used their surprising rebound strength to show a 38-27 advantage on the boards.

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Tonasket 46, Liberty Bell 44
Game 7. (winner to state, loser out)
At Chelan, WA

The North Central District's representation in the State Class "A" basketball tournament in Tacoma this week will be the same as last year, Cashmere and Tonasket.
Tonasket earned a second-successive trip to state to the four-day event for schools in the 150-400 enrollment bracket by turning back tenacious Liberty Bell as the District Class "A" tourney wound to a close here Saturday night.
Tonasket's victory over Liberty Bell avenged the Tigers' double-overtime loss to these same Mountain Lions in a semifinal game a week earlier.
Another hair-raiser, reminiscent of that double-overtime affair, seemed in the offing as the fourth quarter unfolded.
The Mountain Lions had waged their typical uphill struggle, refusing to give up in the face of adversity. They were down by as much as eight points twice in the third quarter.
Then six quick points in the first minute of the fourth quarter, suddenly vaulted Liberty Bell into the lead, 36-35.
Tonasket's Jim Clarkson twice struck for baskets to erase one-point Liberty Bell leads. The Mountain Lions led again, 40-39, on a baseline shot by classy Ray Ellis with 2:50 remaining.
Then speedster guard Gary Brown gave Tonasket a deciding advantage by scoring two baskets in the space of 10 seconds.
Brown connected from the head of the key, giving Tonasket the lead, then promptly stole the ball and dashed down court for a picture-perfect lay-in and a three point Tonasket lead.
Three free throws enabled Tonasket to build a commanding four-point margin in the late seconds and Ellis shot at the buzzer created the final margin.
A tremendous second-quarter offensive splurge by 6-7 Andy Helm had put Tonasket in control after the two Okanogan County rivals had jockeyed for the lead through the first 12 minutes.
Helm bucketed 13 of his game-total of 20 points during that take-charge second period. It wasn't until 3:35 remaining in the quarter, through, that Tonasket took the lead which the Tigers maintained until Liberty Bell's surge at the start of the fourth period.
Helm hit three times on rebound shots or tip-ins and otherwise was set up with good shots on the baseline by timely feeds from his teammates during his big second quarter.
He and Clarkson each hit two baskets during the third quarter as Tonasket was opening eight point leads, 31-23 and 33-25.
Tonasket, which had not been using its great rebound strength to full advantage in this tournament, finally got together to show a decided boarding edge, 34-23, over the Methow Valley team. Ellis, single-handedly gave the Tigers a tussle around the boards in the first quarter, but he just wasn't getting enough support.
He topped the Mountain Lions in scoring with 16 points. His teammate, Rod Gardner, did some fine things in collecting 10 points, equaling Clarkson's total.
Tonasket's man-to-man defense limited Liberty Bell to seven field goals in 30 attempts in the first half.
Liberty Bell finished with 18 baskets in 56 tries, while Tonasket sank 19 of 41. Nearly all Tonasket's 41 attempts were high percentage shots.
It was a double triumphant tourney, for Tonasket High, which was the recipient of the Del Thorton Memorial sportsmanship award for Caribou Trail League schools.