Document text
photo by Andy Atkinson North Medford senior post Travis Hinkle (40) backs in on Crater's Mike Jacobs. The 6-foot-4 Hinkle had a big game in the paint with 16 points and 11 rebounds. North roars from behind, trips Crater Zimmer sparks comeback as Tornado goes 7-0 in SOC By RANDY HAMMERICKSEN For 12 horrendous minutes of basketball, North Medford High's boys basketball team looked like anything but the best team in the Southern Oregon Conference. The Black Tornado shot less than 30 percent from the field and had just 12 points to show for those awful minutes. But rattle home a couple of confidence-building shots, turn up the defensive intensity and start running. That's what the resilient Black Tornado did on Friday night in rallying from an 18-point deficit (30-12 midway through the second quarter) on the way to a 70-63 win in overtime over the Crater Comets. The victory allows the Black Tornado to complete the first round of Southern Oregon Conference play with a perfect 7-0 record and a two-game lead atop the standings. "We didn't give up," said point guard Jeff Zimmer, who scored 23 points and hit big shot after big shot down the stretch, and converted three of four free throws in the final 62 seconds of overtime to seal the win. "We didn't play with heart in the first half," said Zimmer. "But we sure did in the second half and in the overtime." Zimmer scored 15 points in the final 10 minutes, including the four-minute overtime. His biggest shot came with 28 seconds left in regulation time when he wheeled around a screen at the left wing and gunned in a 20-foot jump shot for three points with two Crater players jumping out at him. "They (shots) don't get much bigger than that," said North Medford coach Gene Quilhaugh. "We ran a set play for him to shoot the 3, and he just stroked it. You talk about delivering under pressure. That's what it's all about." Following Zimmer's game-tying 3-pointer, Crater ran the clock down and wing Matt Brown missed a straining 3-pointer under extreme pressure from 22 feet as time ran out. That meant overtime. North Medford took a 63-59 lead in the extra session on a 15-foot jump shot by center Travis Hinkle and a 17-foot pull-up jumper from Zimmer just outside the free throw line. Guard David Husel converted one of two free throws and banked in a 5-footer after missing the second free throw and leaping high for the rebound. That gave the Black Tornado a 66-60 lead with 1:27 left in the game. North appeared to have sealed the victory with a steal and a long pass for an open layup by Jason Brownell. But Brownell laid the ball off the backboard too hard and the ball wouldn't fall. Crater rebounded and guard Jason Korthals streaked the other way and bombed in a 3-point shot from the right wing on the run. Suddenly, North's lead was down to 66-63. But Quilhaugh made sure the ball was in his best shooter's hands in the final minute as the Comets tried to press. Zimmer converted three of four free throws in the final minute and Brownell made one of two. "I've said most of the year that Matt Brown and (Mike) Jacobs of Crater and (Phil) Garrett of Eagle Point were the three best players in the league," said Quilhaugh. "But after tonight, I'm going to have to move Zimmer to the top. He's done it for us consistently. Tonight, he did it while he was ill (flu)." Zimmer, an 80-percent free throw shooter, made just 7 of 14. Most of his shots came up short, perhaps due to his weakened condition due to his illness. But his 3-point shooting and perimeter bombing was superlative all night. He made two of his three attempts from 3-point range and made 7 of 10 shots from the field for the game. "Coach (Jerry) Schultz said I was leaning on my free throws, and they were coming up short," said Zimmer. "It was strange. It was like I was looking at the wrong basket." Zimmer appeared to have shot North into commanding position with a 56-50 lead with 2:25 left in the fourth quarter. He hit two perimeter jump shots and drove for a layup. North went on an 11-2 run to wipe out a 46-41 Crater lead and take a 52-48 advantage. But the gritty Comets battled back on a 9-3 run of their own to take a 59-56 lead on a 3-point goal by Jason Korthals, two free throws by center Matt Harthun and a full-court drive for a layup by Joel Wangle with 45 seconds to play . That set up Zimmer's 3-point shot that sent the game into overtime. "It was a great game for the fans," said Crater coach Matt Meunier. "The gym was packed and the crowd was noisy. The difference was the North fans went home happy and the Central Point fans went home disappointed. "I told our kids at halftime North would make a run," said Meunier. "I told them to just be calm and handle it with the lead. "But North just gets into you on defense," said Meunier. "Our kids didn't catch the ball with much comfort during the whole game. They were always backing off and trying to pass it (the ball) or do something with it before they traveled, or something. "There's no doubt North plays the best defense in the league," said Meunier. "It's not even close." Meunier credited the shooting and play for Crater senior Matt Brown, who finished with 17 points. "He hit some great shots in the first half," said Meunier. "As great as Zimmer's shots were, I thought Matt hit two even more amazing ones." Brown gunned in a 20-foot jump shot from the corner and a 19-footer, just inside the 3-point line, in a span of 26 seconds as the Comets took a 14-9 lead in the first quarter. "I talked about those two shots and at halftime and that we needed to step up our defense in the second half," said Quilhaugh. ``We played better defense and we didn't let Brown have the ball as much. We switched off three different guys (Brownell, Husel and Charlie Jensen) on him in the second half." Hinkle finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds, and Kelly Jantzer had 9 points and 8 rebounds for the Black Tornado. North Medford (70) -- Pickrel 2, Mellbye 0, McNeil 0, Zimmer 23, Husel 10, Jensen 3, Brownell 0, Hinkle 16, Jantzer 9. Totals: 26-51 14-25. Crater (63) -- Wangle 10, Korthals 6, Foster 5, Smith 2, Jacobs 10, Brown 17, Harthun 13. Totals: 24-59 10-12. North Medford .....10 14 19 16 11 -- 70 Crater ..................19 15 12 13 4 -- 63 3-point field goals: Crater -- Brown 2, Wangle 1. North Medford -- Zimmer 2, Jensen 1, Hinkle 1. Technical foul -- North Medford: (Husel for dunking in pre-game warmups). Today's Sports Index Mail Tribune Copyright� The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford,