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Grant leads Panthers past South Eugene Whitney Grant still wasn't her old self on Friday night, but 80 percent was plenty good enough. Grant had 17 points, six assists and three steals to lead the South Medford girls to a 56-42 basketball victory over South Eugene at South Medford High. Burdened by a strained medial collateral ligament in her left knee along with a nasty cut on her mouth suffered on the soccer field last month, Grant got off to a slow start this season. But the three-year starting point guard was the determining factor Friday as the Panthers notched their first victory of 2001. "Having Whitney back up to speed is huge for us because we're such an inexperienced team," South Medford coach Andrea Jaime said. "You could see that look in her eyes tonight. She was ready for a big game." Grant is the lone returning starter from last season's Panthers squad that posted a 16-10 record, finished second in the Southern Oregon Conference and advanced to the Class 4A state tournament. The inexperience has periodically reared its ugly head, and Friday was no exception as South Medford suffered five turnovers in as many possessions to start the game. By then, South Eugene had a 6-0 lead. But then Grant swished an 8-foot jumper in the key for South Medford's first points, added another 8-footer a couple minutes later and drained a 3-pointer with 48 seconds left in the first period as the Panthers rallied for an 11-11 tie. From there, the game was nip-and-tuck until the midway point of the second period, when South Medford reeled off eight straight points, the final two coming on a rebound basket by freshman wing Katie Singler that gave South Medford a 25-19 advantage with 1:22 remaining in the half. South Eugene coach Jim Denker called a timeout to stop the bleeding, and the Axemen got a layup from Caitlin Schauer when the ball was put back in play. But Grant drained her second 3-pointer with six seconds left in the first half that gave the Panthers a 28-21 lead at the break. "I think I'm lacking some of my quickness having to wear this thing," Grant said, pointing to a knee brace that hugged her left leg. "And I've got to ice my knee after every game. "But this is the best I've felt, and it sure feels good to get a win." South Medford stretched its lead to 37-27 at the end of the third period and widened the gap to 54-33 on a steal and layup by junior wing Natasha Wright with 2:44 to play before both coaches emptied their benches. "We took a lot of quick shots that allowed them to get into their transition game, and in the half court, Grant broke us down," Denker said. Kirsten Gillingham added eight points and Wright, Beth Mueller and Teri Silva chipped in six apiece for South Medford, which improved its record to 1-3. South Eugene fell to 1-1. Tricia Flegal paced the Axemen with 14 points. "We needed to get a win under our belt," said Jaime, whose team meets North Eugene at 1:30 p.m. today at the South Medford gym. "And now we need to build on it." SOUTH EUGENE (42) - Flegal 14, Stokes 9, Blum 6, Ruggels 5, Schauer 4, Gordon 2, Kilbourne 2, Lauren 0, Rizza 0. Totals: 17 8-13 42. SOUTH MEDFORD (56) - Grant 17, Singler 11, Gillingham 8, Wright 6, Mueller 6, Silva 6, Brennan 2, Ingram 0, Carlton 0. Totals: 25-54 3-4 42. South Eugene...........................................13 8 6 15 - 42 South Medford.......................................13 15 9 19 - 56 3-point goals - South Medford 3 (Grant 3). JV score - South Eugene 40, South Medford 36. 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 � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.