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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Archives Revels Classifieds Real Estate Menu Guide Wedding Weather Subscribe Contact Us February 17, 2006 Missed opportunity for Grizz Ashland blows a chance to lock up the No. 1 seed By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Ashland’s road to the Chiles Center just got more treacherous. The Grants Pass High girls basketball team forced a three-way tie atop the final Southern Oregon Conference standings and earned its first league championship in 23 years by beating the sixth-ranked Grizzlies 43-34 Thursday night at Mountain Avenue Gym. Ashland High senior forward Bailey Hasty, left, goes for a loose ball during a wild scramble in Southern Oregon Conference girls’ basketball action Thursday night at Mountain Avenue Gym. Grants Pass beat Ashland 43-34 to force a two-game tie-breaker. Orville Hector | Ashland Daily Tidings The Grizzlies were looking to bag first place outright — which would have yielded the SOC’s No. 1 seed to state and a more travel-friendly path to the Class 4A state tournament in Portland — but were forced to share the title for the second year in a row after managing just two points in the last 4:30. Now, co-league champions Ashland, Roseburg and Grants Pass must play a two-game tie-breaker to determine the seeds. Ashland (21-3, 11-3 SOC) hosts fourth-ranked Roseburg (21-3, 11-3) tonight. The loser of that game will head to state as the No. 3 seed, while the winner will face the Lady Cavers (18-6, 11-3) for the No. 1 seed on Saturday. “This was huge for us not only to win the conference title and be conference champions with Roseburg and Ashland, but to get in a place where we could draw a one or two seed and maybe have two (home) playoff games,” said Grants Pass coach Robert Lingo, who led the Lady Cavers to their first SOC championship since the 1982-83 season. “We really knew we were playing for a lot more than just avoiding that fourth-place spot. I think we had a sense of urgency and the girls played like they had a sense of urgency.” Grants Pass seized control of the game with a 6-0 run to end the third quarter, but led just 35-32 after Ashland’s Josi McDermott swished her second straight 3-pointer midway through the fourth. The rest of the game belonged to the Lady Cavers. Senior guard Amanda Potts, who finished with eight points and a game-high eight rebounds, hit 2 of 4 free throw attempts to push the lead to five points with 2:43 to go. Ashland had one of its 12 turnovers on its next possession and Grants Pass capitalized when freshman post Natasha Torgerson scored inside for two of her game-high 14 points. Ashland freshman post Brenna Heater countered with her own inside layup with 1:22 on the clock, but Grants Pass milked 30 seconds off the clock on its next possession. Down by five with 45 seconds left and the ball the Grizzlies had one more chance to get back in the game, but Jamie Roupp’s pull-up jumper from 15 feet out missed badly and Potts snared the rebound. Potts was immediately fouled and hit both free throw attempts to finish the Grizzlies off. “I don’t think mentally we were there the whole time,” said Roupp, who was held to eight points, including a goose egg in the second half. “We had some unforced errors and we weren’t always on the same page and I think (tonight) our main focus is going to be to come out mentally focused and for each of us to do what we need to do.” Like score. Heater was the only Grizzly in double figures with 11 points, as Grants Pass’ strategy to clamp down on Roupp worked to perfection. Ashland’s most dangerous playmaker found precious little room to maneuver less than a month after torching Grants Pass for 19 points in the Grizzlies’ 41-37 win back on Jan. 24. “We just felt like if we could contain Roupp and keep her from beating us and do a good job inside with Heater, then we would have a good chance,” Lingo said. “I think Grants Pass played really good defense and we didn’t respond very well,” Ashland head coach Ken Lathen added. The Lady Cavers forced Ashland to play catch-up most of the night, taking early leads of 10-6 and 16-10. Roupp led the Grizzlies back from both deficits, swishing an open 3 to tie the game at 10 and hitting another 3 followed by a steal and a layup to get the Grizzlies within 16-15. Heater’s rebound put-back with 4:38 left in the first half put Ashland up 17-16, but Cameron stiff-armed the rally with her second trey of the first half. Heater scored three points early in the second half to put the Grizzlies up 22-21. That was Ashland’s last lead of the night, however. Senior post Ashley Franko scored her only basket on the Lady Cavers’ next possession, igniting a 10-2 Grants Pass rally that set the tone for the rest of the game. “We knew that this was the chance of a lifetime and we had to go all-out and show that we had the bigger heart,” Cameron said. “Our program has been building a lot lately and we’re trying to build it and this is just a huge step for us.” The SOC tie-breakers could make or break the season for the three teams involved. The league’s top two seeds both open the 4A state playoffs Wednesday at home, but the No. 2 seed will likely have to travel if it advances into the second round on Feb. 25, while the top seed likely will not. The SOC’s No. 3 seed will be on the road in the first round and will probably be traveling for a second-round game as well. The eight teams that advance through those two playoff rounds — there’s also one sub-round for fourth seeds — will play in the 4A state tournament, March 2-4 at the Chiles Center. Grants Pass (43) — Torgenson 14, Randall 4, Potts 8, Cameron 8, Franko 6, Woodhead 0, Loffer 0, Hurst 0, Straw 0. Totals: 17 7-13 43. Ashland (34) — Heater 11, Laipply 2, Hasty 2, Sohl 1, Roupp 8, McKinnis 2, McDermott 8, Thompson 0. Totals: 14 2-4 34. Grants Pass 12 7 12 12 — 43 Ashland 10 9 5 10 — 34 3-point goals — Grants Pass 2 (Cameron 2), Ashland 4 (Roupp 2, McDermott 2). JV result — Ashland won. Sports editor Joe Zavala can be reached at 482-3456 ext. 3020 or [email protected]. 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