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Burchfiel scores at least one shining moment By Don Hunt Gabe Burchfiel probably won't go down as one of the top basketball players at North Medford High. The 6-foot-4, 210-pound center, nicknamed "The Rock" by coach Tim Sam because of his strong physique and steady play, is averaging 14.4 points and 10.3 rebounds for the Tornado. In conference play, the numbers escalate to 18.5 points and 11.9 rebounds. He's not flashy, he's not flamboyant and, at times, he looks more like a robot than a basketball player. But Burchfiel has been the glue that has held together a North team that started the season with high expectations but faded after two of its better players were removed from the team for disciplinary reasons and a third was suspended for a game in the wake of a now infamous alleged head-butting incident against Klamath Union. It's not the kind of season Burchfiel had hoped for, but he'll take from it a golden game that most players only dream about: the school's single-game scoring record. Burchfiel exploded for 42 points in a 97-37 victory over Eagle Point last Friday, exceeding the old record of 39 set by Jeff Nielsen in 1996. Burchfiel's point total shattered his previous best of 27 points set earlier this season against Ashland. "Once I got close (to the record) my teammates kept feeding me the ball and telling me to shoot," said Burchfiel, who also collected 18 rebounds in the game. "I've never been in a situation like that before. It was fun." Burchfiel started the game inauspiciously, scoring seven points in the first period as North Medford took a 19-7 lead. But then he drilled a couple jumpers, funneled in a couple rebound baskets and hit a couple free throws to start the second period, and by halftime he had 26 points in the book. Burchfiel scored 10 more points in the third period and Sam left him in the game for the first two minutes of the fourth, when he broke the record and then departed to a big ovation from the North Medford fans. Some would suggest that Burchfiel's record was cheapened because it came during a blowout game. After all, he single-handedly outscored Eagle Point and the Tornado won by 60. Sam admits he left Burchfiel in the game to set the record but notes that the other four players on the floor were reserves. "Gabe sat out a couple minutes in the second quarter and the last six minutes of the game, so he actually played less than 24 minutes," Sam says. "I know it looks like he got a bunch of cheap points but he would have scored 50 had I left him in." Burchfiel hit 15 of 21 shots from the field and 12 of 15 from the free-throw line on his way to the record performance. Burchfiel says he would trade his big game for a berth in the playoffs. But all the Tornado, 7-15 overall and 4-9 in the Southern Oregon Conference, has left is tonight's season finale against Crater in the North gym. THE ONLY BLEMISH on South Medford's record was a 71-67 loss to El Camino High of Oceanside, Calif., on Dec. 21 at a tournament in Red Bluff, Calif. Since then, the Panthers have rattled off 17 straight victories to stand 22-1 overall and 13-0 in the SOC heading into tonight's game at Klamath Union. El Camino, meanwhile, is 22-4 and ranked fifth - among 96 schools - in its section in California. THE DAYS OF LAKEVIEW High School remaining a 3A school appear to be numbered. Principal Todd Limoges says the school has dropped to 317 students - below the 2A cutoff of 325 - and will likely petition the Oregon School Activities Association to move to the 2A ranks for the 2003-2004 school year. Lakeview had more than 400 students during the 1970s and 80s but has steadily dropped since the closure of several mills in recent years. Limoges says a couple classes at the lower levels have as few as 30 students. Reach reporter Don Hunt at 776-4469, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.