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Photos by Jim Craven South Medford's Steve Hilgendorf, left, and Damian Rasmussen, right, get into a pileup with Klamath's Nick Caleb. South downs KU for fifth win in a row By RANDY HAMMERICKSEN South Medford High's boys basketball team cruised to its fifth straight victory Friday night. It wasn't pretty, according to South head coach Dennis Murphy. But nevertheless, it was effective as the Panthers' win streak increased with relative ease within the cozy atmosphere of the South Medford gym. Ethan Wallenberg (25) goes to the hoop. The Panthers' full-court defensive pressure forced numerous Klamath Union turnovers early, as South built a 12-2 lead after one quarter, and rolled on to defeat the Pelicans, 71-52. South improved to 7-4 for the season, and the Panthers remained in a tie for first place in the Southern Oregon Conference with a 2-0 record. Despite the win, Murphy wasn't pleased with his team's overall play. He cited 17 South Medford turnovers and inconsistent play, particularly in the second half when the Panthers' lead grew to more than 20 points. "We turned it over too much and made too many mistakes," said Murphy. "We aren't going to get away with this against some other teams in this league." "To turn it over 17 times with an experienced point guard (senior Steve Hilgendorf) is disappointing," said Murphy. "We need to work on taking better care of the ball." Despite the mistakes, South Medford still managed 71 points and controlled the game from the early minutes of the first quarter. David Kime, a 6-foot-4 senior forward, scored 12 points and pulled down five rebounds for the Panthers, while Hilgendorf added 12 points and five assists. Guard Damian Rasmussen scored nine points for South, forward Colin Grant had eight and forward Ethan Wallenberg and guard Ryan Heil both had seven in the balanced South scoring. Adam Bailey, a senior guard, led Klamath Union with 13 points. "We held them pretty well with our defense in the first half," said Kime. "We were trying to get our hands in the passing lanes, get steals and go (run). "We played all right," said Kime. "But we can play a lot better." South Medford forced three Klamath Union turnovers and raced for four consecutive layups by Wallenberg, Nick Decker, Hilgendorf and Kime in the opening four minutes of the first quarter to take an 8-0 lead. Rasmussen scored the next four South points on a layup and 15-foot jump shot to give the Panthers a 12-2 lead after one quarter. South used a 3-point basket by forward John McKay and a 16-foot shot by Rasmussen to build its lead to 17-5. An 8-0 South run during the next three minutes allowed the Panthers to build a 27-9 lead. Post Jared Mulhollen had two layups during the South spurt and Heil added a 3-point play on a spin layup and free throw. Leading 31-11 at halftime, South got a fastbreak layup by Hilgendorf and a layup and offensive rebound basket by Kime to take a 41-20 lead with 4:55 left in the third quarter. With the outcome decided, Murphy experimented with combinations of players and substituted liberally the rest of the way. He said the Panthers lost focus in the fourth quarter while giving up 21 points. "We didn't play good defense in the fourth quarter," said Murphy. "There's no excuse to let up there." "We're playing well, but we will have to play better than this Tuesday at Crater," said Kime. "But I think we will respond and be ready to play. We want to continue our winning streak." KLAMATH UNION (52) -- Bailey 13, Mortenson 2, Munson 9, Smith 0, Baker 4, Woodrum 7, Caleb 6, Thomas 4, Baker 3, Mejia 0, Mitchell 0, Pisan 0. Totals: 19 11-12 52. SOUTH MEDFORD (71) -- Kime 12, Hilgendorf 12, Tomlins 9, Heil 7, McKay 5, Rasmussen 9, Wallenberg 7, Mulhollen 6, Grant 8, Decker 3, Fiegi 2. Totals: 26 18-27 71. Klamath Union ...........2 9 18 23 -- 52 South Medford ........12 19 22 18 -- 71 3-point goals -- South Medford 1 (McKay 1); Klamath Union 3 (Munson 1, Bailey 1, Baker 1). JV game -- South Medford won. Today's Sports Index Mail Tribune Copyright� The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, OR U.S.A.