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Indians smother cold-shooting South By DAVID DAUGHERTY For the past three seasons the South Medford boys basketball team has been the king of the heavyweight division in Southern Oregon Conference basketball. The Panthers had withstood every challenge from top-ranked contenders in winning the last three SOC titles. But now, like an aging fighter that's hung on a bit too long, South's legs look wobbly and might not be able to answer the bell for the final round and muster a final flurry to make the state playoffs. On Friday at the Floyd Pawlowski Athletic Center, Roseburg battered and bruised the Panthers en route to a 49-34 SOC victory. "I don't think we can answer the bell," said South coach Dennis Murphy. "The challenge is, will we step it up when we play North on Tuesday? I think that's a question we have to answer." If Friday was any indication, the answer is a bona fide NO. From the opening tip, Roseburg (8-8 overall, 5-2 SOC) asserted itself as a playoff contender, holding the Panthers without a basket for the first three minutes of the first period thanks to a physical defense that would have made Roseburg football coach Thurman Bell proud. The Indians' defense bullied and pushed South around in forging an early 12-4 lead behind long-range haymakers from wing Joe Gonzales. "We pride ourselves on in-your-face defense," said Roseburg post Dustin Michalek. "We were just trying to smother them and make them uncomfortable." Michalek, an undersized post at 6-foot-1, made life miserable for 6-7 South center Nick Decker, denying every entry pass, while rendering his taller foe a non-factor. "When we play a physical team we have a hard time matching up," said Murphy, whose team fell to a disappointing 2-5 in league play. "We just weren't willing to attain anything tonight." Even against a much more physical opponent, the Panthers eventually cut the Roseburg lead to 12-11 at the end of the first period and a 21-21 tie at the half. "We turned it over 10 times and weren't efficient by any means," said Murphy. "But we were still in it." "We didn't come out with much intensity in the first half," said Gonzales, who scored nine points on the night, all on first-half 3-pointers. "In the second half we just didn't let them come back." After battling back to forge the tie at the half, South appeared ready to come out punching in the second half. But for the first 4:30 of the third quarter, every open Panther opportunity came up empty, as the Indians parlayed their opponents' 3-of-16 third period shooting into a 36-28 lead at the horn. "You have to be able to put the ball in the basket," said Murphy, whose team missed five straight baskets on one possession at the start of the period. "We challenged our kids at the half, but they didn't respond." The man who made the Panthers pay the most was Michalek, who scored eight of his game-high 3 points in the third. "Once you make a couple of shots you start wanting it more," said Michalek. "I was wanting it quite bad in the end." "They (Roseburg) just had more heart and desire than we did," said Murphy, whose team stands on the verge of its first losing season in his 11-year tenure. "We just didn't compete." The final period was no better for South, as the Indians spread out their offense while their defense held South to just six points in the final eight minutes. "We played great defense in the second half, said Roseburg coach Mike Pardon, whose team held the Panthers to 6-of-28 shooting in the final two quarters. "It was just a good effort on our part." On the flip-side, the Indians shot 12-of-16 from the floor in the final two periods. "When you can't stop them you just can't slow them down," added Murphy. The victory moves Roseburg into a secondplace tie with Crater in the conference standings, but Pardon won't be resting on his teams' first victory at South since 1995. "You just take one game at a time," said Pardon. "I just feel fortunate to come out of here with a win." Steve Hilgendorf's nine points led all South scorers. ROSEBURG (49) -- Coen 9, Anderson 6, Linderman 8, Michalek 13, Sarcona 0, Gonzales 9, Christenson 6, Stone 0. Totals: 19-37 9-11 49. SOUTH MEDFORD (34) -- Tomlins 0, Hickey 5, Hilgendorf 9, McKay 0, Rasmussen 7, Wallenberg 3, Grant 0, Kime 0, Foster 4, Decker 6. Totals: 15-45 2-8 34. Roseburg ...............12 9 15 13 -- 49 South Medford .........11 10 7 6 -- 34 3-point goals -- Roseburg 4 (Gonzales 3, Coen 1), South Medford 2 (Hickey 1, Hilgendorf 1). JV score -- Roseburg 44, South Medford 41. Today's Sports Index Mail Tribune Copyright� The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford,