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Faust, North Medford rout South Medford North Medford senior Kaison Faust gets fouled on the way to the hoop during the first quarter against South Medford in a Southwest Conference tilt on Tuesday. [ANDY ATKINSON/MAIL TRIBUNE] Wednesday Jan 31, 2018 at 2:00 AM Kris Henry Mail Tribune @Kris_Henry North Medford wasn’t able to get off to the start that it wanted Tuesday night at South Medford, but the finish was just fine for the Black Tornado boys basketball team on this night. Spearheaded by senior Kaison Faust and a boost off the bench by juniors Darrius Wells and Jaray Thomas, North Medford shook off an early deficit in the crosstown rivalry to win going away, 70-47, in front of an energized crowd at South Medford High. “This is one of their most important games of the year because it’s a big rivalry,” said Faust of South’s early surge. “We knew they were going to come out strong and we just had to match it, and if we match it we’re going to win.” Faust played a key role in the comeback, scoring 21 of his game-high 29 points in the first half to offset an otherwise slow start by North’s regulars in the Southwest Conference showdown. The 6-foot-2 standout also finished with 10 rebounds, three assists and two blocked shots. “I just do what my team needs me to do,” said Faust. “If I’m not scoring then I can always help them out somewhere else, but tonight I guess I was just on.” Faust’s ability to get to the basket and draw fouls was especially pivotal as he went 15-for-18 from the free-throw line to keep the scoreboard moving for North Medford (17-2, 6-1 SWC). Overall the Black Tornado knocked down 26 of 32 from the foul line compared to a 7-for-23 showing by South (6-12, 2-5). “I can’t say much more about Kaison because he’s just so special,” said North Medford head coach Scott Plankenhorn. “He just does so much for us.” The runaway win was the Black Tornado’s third straight over the Panthers, and trimmed North’s overall deficit in the series to 53-27. North Medford also fell just shy of a record for its most lopsided win over South, with the 23-point spread one point shy of an 82-58 triumph in the 1991-92 season. “Anytime we beat this team it’s always a big win, no matter what,” said Faust. “It felt like a playoff game with this whole atmosphere tonight, it was unbelievable. The intensity was crazy.” That intensity was in South Medford’s favor out of the gate as sophomore Sherman Hunter dropped in two of his three 3-pointers in the first quarter to help the Panthers build an eight-point advantage. Hunter finished with 15 points. “I knew my guys were going to come out strong,” said South head coach James Wightman. “Sherman hit some shots that were big but then Scott took that timeout with us up 12-6 (with 2:25 to go in the first quarter) and the energy was gone at that point.” That Panther energy was replaced by an instant jolt off the bench by Wells and Thomas, who stepped in and sparked the Tornado with their pressure defense. Wells was especially pivotal, netting five points to close the first quarter with North only down 14-12. The 5-9 guard then added five more points in the second quarter to keep the momentum going and allow the Tornado to take a 36-27 edge into halftime. “That’s why our team is so good,” said Faust. “With our bench we can compete with the best. What Darrius did today was unbelievable, I’m so happy for him. What he does in practice is really important so I’m glad he stepped up tonight.” Wells finished with 12 points, while Thomas scored all 11 of his points in the second half to go with three blocks. North’s starting guards Quinton Rumrey (11 points) and Oscar Banuelos (four points) combined for all but three of their points in the second half, where the Tornado outscored the Panthers 34-20 to close the game. “Kaison was doing things he does in the first half but we didn’t have a secondary guy step up until Darrius came in with his 10 points,” said Plankenhorn. “What we talked about at halftime is if the rest of you will join this party we’ll be all right, and that’s what happened in the second half. We finally got some more movement and some more guys scoring, because it’s not just the Kaison show. We just didn’t have that early.” Beyond the missed free throws, the biggest issue for South Medford was its inability to handle the physicality and the relentless defensive pressure of North Medford. “Eventually what they did was kind of break our will it’s kind of safe to say,” said Wightman. “It’s too bad, especially after that first quarter. It just snowballed from there.” Nick Randleman returned after a four-game absence with a knee brace but still managed nine points and six rebounds for South, which also saw fellow senior Jaalen Owens make his season debut after a nagging back injury has had him sidelined since the Class 6A football state championship game. NORTH MEDFORD (70): Faust 29, Wells 12, Rumrey 11, Thomas 11, Banuelos 4, Parker 2, Spence 1, O’Connor 0, Sandoval 0, Carpenter 0, Orozco-Bernal 0. Totals: 20-45 26-32 70. SOUTH MEDFORD (47): Hunter 15, Randleman 9, Higgins 6, DeBoer 6, Patterson 4, A. Boster 3, English 2, T. Boster 2, Losinski 0, J. Owens 0, P. Owens 0, Bottero 0. Totals: 18-57 7-23 47. North Medford;12;24;16;18;—;70 South Medford;14;13;10;10;—;47 3-point goals — North Medford 4-15 (Faust 2, Rumrey 1, Thomas 1), South Medford 4-12 (Hunter 3, Randleman 1). Technical fouls — P. Owens. JV score — South Medford 65, North Medford 51. Reach reporter Kris Henry at 541-776-4488, [email protected], www.facebook.com/krishenryMT or www.twitter.com/Kris_Henry