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Zimmer's shooting lifts North By DAVID DAUGHERTY Coach Gene Quilhaugh is waiting for his North Medford boys basketball team to put together 32 solid minutes of basketball. On Monday at the North High gym, the Black Tornado didn't grant its coach his wish, but thanks to Jeff Zimmer's clutch free throw shooting, North showed brilliance in spurts to earn a 59-51 victory over Oregon City in the first round of the Abby's Legendary Pizza Holiday Basketball Tournament. The victory earns North (4-2) a second-round matchup with McMinnville, a 47-42 winner over Aloha, tonight at 7:45 p.m. at the North gym. "We just outlasted them," said North guard David Husel. "We haven't played that good all year long." From the opening tip, the Black Tornado set a frenetic pace, forcing 10 Oregon City first-quarter turnovers to jump to a 19-11 lead. "We established the tempo in the game," said Quilhaugh, whose club forced 19 Oregon City first-half miscues. "We just took some ill-timed shots in the second quarter when (Travis) Hinkle got into early foul trouble." While the first-quarter battle was won by North, the second belonged to the Pioneers, who stormed back to cut the halftime deficit to 29-28, outscoring the Black Tornado 17-10 in the period behind Jesse Flachsbart's nine points. Wes Towne's 10 first-half points and two Zimmer 3-pointers at the end of the half were crucial in keeping the Black Tornado, which was playing its first game in 11 days, on track, though the Tornado shot a dismal 3-of-13 in the second period. Oregon City kept up its offensive pressure in the third quarter before the Black Tornado put together another spurt of good basketball. "We played poorly on defense and it took us until late in the third to get over our blah," said Quilhaugh. "We just haven't put together 32 minutes of good basketball all year." North saved its last offensive spurt for just the right moment, piecing together a 10-1 run to start the fourth quarter to give themselves room to breathe. "We made good adjustments on defense in the fourth quarter," said Quilhaugh. "We're showing our hard work. We play our best basketball in practice and now we're starting to carry that over. "If we could play (all game) how we play in spurts we'd blow people out," said Husel, who tallied five points. "We're just too streaky right now." The Pioneers mounted a mini-charge in the final period behind Chris Spencer, who tallied 12 points on the night, before Zimmer took things into his own hands. The senior point guard, who scored a game-high 24 points, knocked down 12 straight free throws down the stretch to ice the game. "He does those sorts of things," said Quilhaugh. "I try to put him in situations where he'll get fouled. Someday somebody will figure that out. He's definitely better in the fourth quarter, when he's under pressure, than in the first." Zimmer's clutch shooting was aided by the inside presence of Hinkle, who scored 10 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Most importantly, Hinkle stayed out of foul trouble after his two quick whistles in the first quarter. "We've asked a lot of him to play post," said Quilhaugh of the 6-foot-4 Hinkle. "If he were 6-7 there would be major college scouts out to see him every night." Despite forcing 23 Oregon City turnovers on the night, North coughed up the ball 18 times -- equaling its season average. "If you play pressure basketball you have to expect 20 percent turnovers," said Quilhaugh. "We're operating higher than that now and some of that is due to sloppy passing. We just need to play better when we're exhausted." OREGON CITY (51) -- Chapman 2, Spencer 12, Solaita 5, Brownlee 2, Tondreau 0, Houck 8, Flachsbart 16, Branderhorst 6. Totals: 20-38 10-17 51. NORTH MEDFORD (59) -- Pickrel 0, Mellbye 1, McNeil 0, Zimmer 24, Towne 12, Husel 5, Brownell 2, Hinkle 10, Schlief 0, Jantzer 5. Totals: 19-45 17-22 59. Oregon City .....................11 17 11 12 -- 51 North Medford ...................19 10 9 21 -- 59 3-point goals -- Oregon City 2 (Spencer 2), North Medford 4 (Zimmer 4). MCMINNVILLE 47, ALOHA 42 -- Clint Russell scored a game-high 11 points to help McMinnville rally past Aloha in first-round Abby's Holiday Classic action. The Grizzlies, who trailed throughout the first three periods, mounted an impressive 20-6 fourth quarter run to rally for the win. Jayson Pratt scored eight points for McMinnville, while teammates Travis Jones and Tom Patterson added seven apiece. Mitch O'Conner led the Warriors with 11 points, while Dustin Hummel chipped in nine. Tonight at the North High gym, McMinnville will meet North Medford at 7:45 p.m., while Aloha will face Oregon City in the losers' bracket at 6 p.m. ALOHA (42) -- Nilan 8, Hanson 6, O'Connor 11, Peterson 0, Wright 0, Walter 0, Esping 6, Charters 0, Gross 0, Hummel 9, Hope 0, Brigham 2, Gabel 0, Klepper 0. Totals: 18-52 2-3 42. MCMINNVILLE (47) -- Hurl 2, Hutchens 0, Pratt 8, Patterson 7, Noble 0, Dale 4, Wess 0, Jones 7, Fricke 6, Casey 0, McCoy 2, Russell 11. Totals: 20-50 5-9 47. Aloha ...........................18 9 9 6 -- 42 McMinnville ................13 8 6 20 -- 47 Today's Sports Index Mail Tribune Copyright� The Mail Tribune 1998, Medford,