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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Archives Revels Classifieds Real Estate Menu Guide Wedding Weather Subscribe Contact Us December 22, 2005 Farley unloads in win Guard gets hot, leads SOU past Northwest By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings SOUTHERN OREGON SENIOR POINT GUARD Steve Farley had 24 points, seven assists and four steals to lead the Raiders to a 78-68 win over the visiting Northwest Eagles, Wednesday night at McNeal Pavilion. Ken Royce | For the Tidings Led once again by their Cascade Conference player of the year candidate, the Southern Oregon Raiders scorched another league foe Wednesday night. No, not Shea Washington. Steve Farley. SOU’s senior point guard made 7 of 11 shots, including 5 of 9 3-pointers, and scored 24 points to help the Raiders throttle Northwest 78-68 at McNeal Pavilion. The win sends the top-ranked Raiders into their four-day Christmas break on a high note. SOU has won 14 straight, is 15-1 overall and 4-0 in the Cascade Conference and is tied with sixth-ranked Warner Pacific atop the league standings. “We’re exactly where we hoped to be,” SOU head coach Brian McDermott said. A night after knocking down four long balls Farley was at it again, but he did much more than make shots against the Eagles (9-5, 1-3). The 5-foot-10 sharp-shooter also dished out seven assists and had four steals, both team highs, in 35 minutes of work, spearheading an offense that hit a remarkable 59.6 percent of its shots. While Farley probably won’t realistically be considered for the league player of the year award, he continues to provide the perfect counter to Washington’s overpowering inside play. “There were times tonight when there were five guys on Shea and when they do that we’ve got to have guys knocking down shots,” Farley said. “Tonight, I made them, other nights it’s going to be RaShawn [McAllister], [Matt] Cowell and [Matt] Espinoza, so we’ve just got to keep shooting.” SOU and Northwest were neck-and-neck throughout the first half and halfway through the second half before the Raiders sprayed Northwest’s defense with 3 after 3 to pull away. SOU hit a trio of 3-pointers — one by Farley and two by Espinoza — to quickly turn a four-point lead into a 14-point cushion, 58-44, with 7:32 to go. Northwest cut the lead to 11 a minute later, but Farley’s three-point play with 5:22 to go kick started a 10-point SOU rally, burying Northwest 70-49. A 19-8 game-ending rally by the Eagles made the final score more respectable. Farley and company worked through Washington as usual. The 6-foot-7 forward drew most of the attention from Northwest’s perpetually sagging defense, which limited Washington to four points and five rebounds in the first half. It didn’t last. The Raiders rediscovered their dominant big man in the second half and Washington finished with 16 points and nine rebounds. McAllister and Espinoza added 14 points apiece for the Raiders. Both helped loosen up Northwest’s zone by hitting two 3-pointers. SOU was 9-for-21 from beyond the arc overall. Stephen Ishmael, a 6-foot-7 forward, led Northwest with 26 points on 10 of 15 shooting and three other Eagles chipped in 11 each. Farley, who’s played in Washington’s shadow since high school, emerged as a go-to player for the Raiders during their run last year to the NAIA national quarterfinals. He worked on his outside shot in the offseason and has also showed his ability to drive and make plays. On one play against the Eagles, he used a cross over dribble to fake out a defender, then found a streaking Erion Moore for a dunk assist. On another, more indicative play, Farley took the ball at the top of the key against a defender then, with a defender in his face, stepped back and drilled one of the longest shots of the night. “He’s just not afraid,” McDermott said of Farley. “To make those shots, you have to take them. He takes them.” SOU played most of the game without senior center Jeff Williams, who went down in the first half after taking a shot to the ribs. Espinoza replaced Williams and was praised by McDermott for solid fill-in work. The Raiders don’t practice again until Monday and don’t play until a Dec. 29 game at Cascade. The next night, the Raiders will travel to face Warner Pacific in a huge early-season clash. “We’ve done a good job taking care of business at home and if we can go and steal one there at Warner Pac that would be a big one for us,” Farley said. “If we can get to January with only one lost, that would be big.” Sports editor Joe Zavala can be reached at 482-3456 ext. 3020 or [email protected]. 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