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Panther duo carries them to title game By Don Hunt Almost everyone in the gym knows that Eric Fiegi and Ryan Heil are the players you have to stop if you�re going to beat the South Medford High boys basketball team. And yet few teams have been able to do it. The Panthers� Mr. Inside (Fiegi) and Mr. Outside (Heil) were at it again Friday night in the semifinal round of the Abby�s Holiday Classic. Heil registered a game-high 27 points and nine assists while Fiegi had 22 points, 10 rebounds and four blocked shots as the Panthers cruised to a 71-53 victory over Canby. The win boosted South Medford into tonight�s championship game of the eight-team tournament. The Panthers meet St. Mary�s High of Berkeley, Calif., at 7:45 p.m. in the South gym. North Medford takes on Canby in the third-place game at 6. South Medford coach Dennis Murphy wouldn�t mind seeing another player or two reach double figures more often. But Fiegi, a 6-foot-8 junior, has been nearly unstoppable in the paint while Heil, a 6-1 junior, has scored consistently from the perimeter. Like the old saying goes, if it ain�t broke, why fix it? "Both of those kids take good shots and they�re getting them out of our offense," Murphy said. "And the other kids are very unselfish about setting them up." The twosome scored 29 of South Medford�s 34 points in the first half Friday. Fiegi scored all 14 of his first-half points within eight feet of the basket while Heil went the howitzer route � nailing five 3-point baskets in the opening two periods. "I got into a rhythm and my shot really felt good," said Heil, who hit a couple of treys from well beyond the arc that is 19 feet, 9 inches from the basket. "When you get into a rhythm, those deep 3s don�t seem so deep." Despite the prolific point production from Fiegi and Heil, South Medford led just 34-26 at the intermission. The Cougars did a reasonably good job of handling South Medford�s fullcourt pressure in the first half and crept within four points (40-36) midway through the third period on a steal and layup by Brandon Brown. But four points each by Fiegi and Heil along with a tip-in by sophomore post Boomer Marshall pushed the lead back to 10 (50-40) by the end of the quarter. Canby got within seven points three times in the final period, but the relentless Panthers outscored the Cougars 17-6 over the final 6� minutes to win going away. The 18-point differential at game�s end was the largest of the night. Todd Ricksger paced Canby with 11 points and Tyler Stewart had 10. "They�re a very explosive team, and we unraveled a little at the end," said Canby coach Dennis Burke, whose team fell to 2-6. "We knew we had to create a slower tempo if we were going to win and for much of the game we did that. "But we never really stopped their big guy (Fiegi) when he got the ball on the block and the other kid (Heil) hurt us. "South Medford is a good basketball team." John McKay and Pat Lower also hit 3-point baskets � giving South seven on the night. The Panthers also hit 10 of their first 11 free throws before ending with a 12-for-21 performance at the line. Tonight�s championship game matches two teams with similar styles. Both like to push the ball up the floor and clamp on fullcourt presses. No one would argue that St. Mary�s is the more athletic team, however, which means South Medford will have to limit its turnovers, make a high percentage of its shots and muscle up and defense to emerge triumphant. And get a point or two out of their dynamic duo. CANBY (53) � Ricksger 11, Stewart 10, Stone 9, Warren 7, Brown 6, Yoder 6, Kirsch 4, Miller 0. Fahsholz 0, Roberts 0, Miller 0. Totals: 18 14-20 53. SOUTH MEDFORD (71) � Heil 22, Fiegi 22, McKay 7, Mulhollen 2, Tomlins 2, Lower 5, Marshall 4, Hilgendorf 2, Johnson 0, Burnett 0, Smith 0. Totals: 26 12-20 71. Canby..................................................... 12 14 14 13 � 53 South Medford.......................................20 14 16 21 � 71 3-point goals � Canby 3 (Stewart 2, Warren 1), South Medford 7 (Heil 5, McKay 1, Lower 1).� SHELDON 55, CENTENNIAL 42 � At South Medford High, Tyler Ross and Derek Martell combined for 24 points as Sheldon slipped past Centennial in the consolation bracket of the Abby�s Holiday Classic. Ross poured in 13 points and Martell added 11 for Sheldon, which used a 12-4 edge in the second quarter to pull away from Centennial. Mario Jones had 13 points to pace Centennial. SHELDON (55) � Vesaw 0, Martell 11, Erickson 4, Trench 2, Mart 0, Ross 13, Perry 6, Copley 8, Marsden 4, Smith 0, Haliski 7. Totals: 19 14-20 55. CENTENNIAL (42) � Lee 0, Rankin 0, Knudsen 10, Speak 3, Chezik 2, Gustafson 10, Slent 0, Harker 2, Jones 13, Nemmert 2, Evers 0. Totals: 16 8-10 42. Sheldon...................................................11 12 14 18 � 55 Centennial...............................................12 4 12 14 � 42 3-point goals � Sheldon 3 (Martell 1, Ross 2), Centennial 2 (Knudsen 2). � CHICO (Calif.) 57, NORTH BEND 50 � At South Medford High, Garrett Cross scored nine of his game-high 17 points in the first half as Chico managed a 29-23 halftime lead and held on for a win in the consolation bracket of the Abby�s Holiday Classic. Steve Nelson added 13 points for Chico, which will play Sheldon in today�s fifth-place game at 4:15 at South Medford High. Matt Johnson posted 12 points while Kyle Johnson and Mike Mowe each had 10 for North Bend, which will take on Centennial in the seventh-place game at 2:30. CHICO (57) � Englebert 6, Hartman 2, Baccam 8, Pichardo 9, Nelson 13, Cross 17, Kennedy 2. Totals: 23 10-17 57. NORTH BEND (50) � Mowe 10, Christenson 3, Bockwinkel 2, Liport 2, Schrader 4, Sterling 3, K. Johnson 10, M. Johnson 12, Vasey 2, Parmeter 0, Thurber 2. Totals: 18 9-13 50. Chico, Calif............................................10 19 14 14 � 57 North Bend.............................................12 11 12 15 �50 3-point goals � Chico 1 (Englebert 1), North Bend 5 (Mowe 1, Christenson 1, Sterling 1, K. Johnson 2). Reach reporter Don Hunt at 776-4469, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2000 Mail Tribune, Inc.