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Panthers roar past Klamath Union By KRIS HENRY If Friday's boys basketball game between South Medford and Klamath Union were played in a more forgiving sport, the mercy rule would have taken effect after one quarter of play. That's how long it took third-ranked South Medford to take a 20-point lead on the gun-shy Pelicans. Everything else was simply for the official statisticians because, for the most part, the game was over after the opening eight minutes of play at South Medford High. "They had all their wheels working and ours fell off," said Klamath Union coach Bret Crawford. Shooting at a 75-percent clip, South Medford took a 27-7 first-quarter lead on the Pels and upped that margin to 43-10 by halftime in one of the more lopsided games of the Southern Oregon Conference season. The Panthers merely went through the paces in the second half, claiming a 78-42 victory to run their record to 15-1 overall and 6-0 in the SOC. Klamath Union, fighting for one of the league's four playoff spots, dropped to 8-7 overall and 3-3 in SOC action. "We wanted to jump 'em and get off to a good start," said South senior guard Ryan Heil. "We really haven't done that a whole lot this year. "It was a nice surprise, but we still kind of expect ourselves to do that. We were due to have a breakout like that in the first quarter." Whereas South seemingly couldn't miss from the field in the first half, going 12-for-16 in the first quarter and 19-for-31 overall, KU simply couldn't buy a basket. Three minutes into the game, KU posted its first two field goals. Amazingly, those would be the only two for the first half as the Pelicans shot a woeful 2-for-34 to open the game. "We just couldn't get the ball to go into the basket," said Crawford. "I think our kids were very tentative coming out playing a team that was 5-0 in the SOC and 14-1 overall." Spurring that slump was a pressing Panther defense that jumped the passing lanes and had a hand in the face of most Pelican shooters. "We were a little bit responsible for that but not entirely," South coach Dennis Murphy said of KU's errant offense. "It's a game of breaks and it's a game of luck and they just couldn't get a bounce." KU couldn't get a bounce because South was busy hoarding them all. Ten of the 11 Panther players scored at least one point, with Eric Fiegi leading the way with 20 points, eight rebounds and five blocked shots. Heil added 16 points and four assists, with Boomer Marshall chipping in seven points, seven rebounds and three assists. KU was led by Jeff Pisan's 17 points. As a team South outrebounded KU 44-22 and posted a 25-10 advantage in assists. Just about everyone on the Panther bench got in on the fun. Alan Johnson had eight points and six rebounds, while Adam Walport had seven rebounds to go with five points. Reserve players who rarely see much action like Shaun Olson, Tim Carpenter and Andy Hagert combined for 15 points, while backup point guard Matt Smith came off the bench to grab seven rebounds and dish out three assists. "They're a great team and very well-coached," said Crawford. "Heil was just incredible tonight from the outside, and Fiegi was just incredible from the inside. But it's not a two-man show. That team has a lot of depth, and the players seem to know their role and they play well together." That's the kind of recap Murphy hopes all opposing coaches have in store. "One of the biggest things that's happened is from Eric Fischer to Pat Lower to Adam Walport to Boomer to Alan Johnson, all of those kids have just gotten better," said Murphy. "I think that's a good sign. I think we're becoming a pretty good team." The South coach won't get many arguments from those at KU. KLAMATH UNION (42) - Pisan 17, Baker 8, Wynn 2, Tucker 2, Caleb 5, Mortenson 4, Sargent 2, Metz 2, Garcia 0, Lockrem 0, Hughes 0, Baldwin 0, Ritter 0. Totals: 13-68 12-20 42. SOUTH MEDFORD (78) - Fiegi 20, Heil 16, Marshall 7, Johnson 8, Walport 5, Lower 6, Olson 5, Carpenter 6, Hagert 4, Smith 1, Fischer 0. Totals: 29-57 15-23 78. Klamath Union.......................................7 3 19 13 - 42 South Medford.....................................27 16 21 14 - 78 3-point goals - Klamath Union 4 (Baker 2, Pisan 2), South Medford 5 (Heil 4, Marshall 1). JV score - South Medford 66, Klamath Union 53. Reach reporter Kris Henry at 776-4488, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.