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Panther pressure stops Eagles Photo by Bob Pennell Eagle Point's Michelle Morton, foreground, wins a scramble for the ball with South Medford's Heather Fossen. South girls win SOC start, 65-40 By RANDY HAMMERICKSEN South Medford's girls basketball team flashed the kind of man-to-man defensive pressure that coach Andrea Wegner hopes will propel it to a position among the elite in the Southern Oregon Conference. South used its pressure to force 26 Eagle Point turnovers Tuesday in a 65-40 victory in the Panthers' gym. South coach Andrea Wegner makes a point to her team. It was the SOC opener for both teams. South moved to 4-2 overall, and the Eagles slipped to 0-6. Wegner said South played primarily zone defenses in her first season as coach because she had no choice. "We couldn't play it (man-to-man) last year," said Wegner. "But we worked hard on it because we have to play it to compete with teams like Crater and North Medford. You have to pressure the ball to win. "I think we're capable of beating anybody in the league when we play good defense and execute like we can. That's what I expect." Lynn Wooton, a 6-foot junior post player for the Panthers, scored 17 points and pulled down five rebounds. She was 5-of-8 from the floor and 7-of-8 on free throws. "I worked hard on my shooting in the off-season, and it's paying off," said Wooton. "Andrea (Wegner) has worked hard to get the post players to post up hard. I'm a lot better player in both areas." Wooton said South's convincing conference-opening win over the Eagles is just the beginning. "We're going to be better than most people think," she said. "We play good defense, and we have some good shooters and good skill players. Our goal is hopefully to win the league. If not, then to at least make the (state) playoffs." Senior forward Nicole Munoz scored 12 points for South. Sophomore guards Emily Perttu and Kellie Thomas both scored eight points and Heather Fossen had seven. "Lynn Wooton did a good job on the boards and played hard," said Wegner. "Nicole (Munoz) played real hard and took the ball to the hole well. She had five rebounds and played strong." Senior guard Megan Smith led Eagle Point with 11 points and point guard Stephanie Lucas had seven points and eight assists. After a close first quarter, South outscored the Eagles 20-5 to take a 30-13 lead late in the second quarter. Wooton had six points during the surge, on two inside field goals and two free throws, and Munoz scored six in the second quarter. By halftime, South was coasting with a 34-17 lead. South built its lead to 53-33 with 1:09 left in the third period as Wooton scored back-to-back field goals on inside plays. South shot 40 percent (23-for-58) from the field, while Eagle Point shot a cool 21 percent (12-for-45). EAGLE POINT (40) -- M. Smith 11, Rouhier 0, Lucas 7, Shearin 0, Damon 6, Jacobsen 1, Corliss 5, Bernhardt 0, Martin 3, S. Smith 2, Ford 5. Totals: 11-45 17-28. SOUTH MEDFORD (65) -- Perttu 8, Flood 4, Wooton 17, Munoz 12, Fossen 7, Gillingham 3, Narus, Mason 4, Thomas 8, Zenz 2. Totals: 23-58 16-19. Eagle Point ................................8 9 18 5 -- 40 South Medford ...................12 22 20 11 -- 65 3-point field goals -- Eagle Point 1-2 (M. Smith 1). South Medford 1-6 (Fossen 1). Fouled out: Bernhardt. Today's Sports Index Mail Tribune Copyright� The Mail Tribune 1998, Medford,