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Yet another heartbreaking loss to end a season Commentary By Joe Zavala Want to know how to crack the shell of a radio/CD player with your bare hands? Wait until Pete Belcastro tells you that the Southern Oregon University women's basketball team's 24-point lead has been cut to 11, then lift that radio shoulder high and launch it through nearest window. Ever feel like warping the antenna like a Burger King curly fry? Listen to Belcastro tell you the game is tied, then clasp the base of the antenna with your right hand and use your left to twist (careful: don't touch that freaking dial!). Need a flatter radio? After Belcastro reports a controversial foul call has gone against the Raiders with four seconds left, essentially costing them the game and their dream of a national championship, simply place the radio on a hard surface (concrete works great) and slam repeatedly with anything hard enough to withstand the force (i.e. hammer, baseball bat, referee, etc.). After watching the Ashland High girls basketball team drop that heartbreaker to Redmond in the first round of the state tournament two weeks ago, I convinced myself that the Grizzlies had discovered the most painful way to lose. I hate being wrong. Ashland's last-second defeat was like losing a Dairy Queen free Sunday token in a paper-rock-scissors game compared to what happened to Southern Oregon on Thursday, when the Raiders appeared to win twice, then didn't. First, they stormed out to a huge 50-31 halftime lead to all but punch their ticket to the second round, only to watch the Cougars use a 49-25 spurt to overcome that deficit and take an 80-75 lead with 1:36 to go. Then, after the Raiders miraculously re-claimed the lead on Lindsey Hilaire's third 3-pointer of the season with 12.8 seconds left, Sioux Falls forward Lindsey Schneiderman drove into the lane and drew a blocking foul on Raider post Ashley Nunley with 4.3 seconds left. Schneiderman hit both freebies to give her team an 83-82 lead, and Sara Marks' 10-foot running jumper hit the back of the iron as time expired. All these disastrous endings to the seasons of local teams are enough to make a bald man sprout hair, then pull it out. In case you've lost track (share the pain, I always say), there have been four in the past 10 months: The AHS baseball team gave up a one-run lead last May to Oregon City in the bottom of the seventh inning of the state quarterfinals with their ace on the mound; the SOU football team in December blew a 17-point fourth quarter lead to Carroll College in the NAIA national quarterfinals (Carroll claimed the national title three weeks later); the Ashland girls basketball team lost its first-round state playoff game two weeks ago to Redmond on a last-second rebound put-back; and the aforementioned SOU women's setback. Each were uniquely painful in their own special way. The Grizz baseball team was a senior-laden club that had turned the program around by winning two straight Southern Oregon Conference championships. The SOU football squad was only minutes away from avenging a 2001 quarterfinal loss to Carroll when disaster struck. The AHS girls basketball team had a first-year coach beloved by the Ashland community and a small, but gutsy roster. And as for the SOU women, they were perhaps the easiest to root for. Led by outspoken second-year coach Kevin Wilson, the Raiders have been a run-and-gun sensation for the past two seasons, scoring at will and throwing up shots from all over the court. That strategy led them to a Cascade Conference regular season championship, two straight CCC tournament titles and two straight national tournament appearances. Last year they were blown out in the first round, but this time, things would be different. They had six seniors, including Cascade Conference Player of the Year Kara Magee-Arick and all-everything guard Sara Marks, and went through the heartbreak of 2002. Then they went out and put together their best half of the season, at one point taking a 24-point lead, until � Until radios throughout Ashland took flight. While Wilson's heat-of-the-moment comments ("That was a shameful disgrace of officiating") were harsh, their theme was supported by the final game statistics. Southern Oregon, an aggressive team which had out-shot its opponents at the free throw line 21-19 on average, was out-shot at the charity stripe 29-14 Thursday, and was also called for 10 more fouls (24-14). But that won't take the sting away from yet another heartbreaking setback dealt to area sports fans. "It's a nightmarish way for a season to end," Wilson said. Tells us about it. LINKS: DAILY TIDINGS: Main | News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. OTHER: Road Cams Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -