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M/CLOUDY Temp: 41 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Saturday, December 21, 2002 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend December 8, 2002 North Medford�s Beau Hovland (14) drives on South Eugene�s J.R. Morgan in Saturday�s game. Mail Tribune / Andrew Mariman Tornado gets axed South Eugene uses a second-half rally to beat North Medford By DON HUNT Mail Tribune It’s been said that basketball is a game of momentum, and that when old "Mo" switches from one team to the other, there isn’t much anyone can do about it. The North Medford High boys had "Mo" on their side during the first period Saturday afternoon, but he seemed to be wearing a South Eugene uniform the rest of the way. The upshot was a 76-57 Axemen victory in the North gym. Senior wing Michael Duke scored 19 of his 21 points in the second half and reserve senior post Brandon Hausmann had 14 of his 17 points after the intermission as South Eugene roared back from an early 13-point deficit to post its first victory of the season . The Axemen are now 1-1, while the Black Tornado fell to 1-2. "We just had too many lapses," said North Medford junior post Ryan Lucas, who registered a game-high 22 points and added six rebounds. "We play well in six-minute spurts, and then we kind of go to sleep and the other team takes advantage." With Lucas scoring 10 quick points on a combination of low-post moves and baseline jumpers, the Tornado took leads of 20-9, 24-11 and 26-13 before settling for a 26-16 advantage after the first quarter. But then South Eugene slapped on a halfcourt press, forced a barrage of turnovers and began to seize control of the game. North Medford still led 35-31 at halftime and, with Lucas erupting for eight points over the first three minutes of the third period, held a 45-39 edge at that juncture. But four straight North Medford turnovers led to four straight South Eugene baskets — three of them by Duke — and a 47-45 Axemen lead. Lucas retaliated with a textbook hook shot at the other end that tied the game at 47, but from that point on, South Eugene outscored the Tornado 29- 10. It didn’t help that the 6-foot-3, 215-pound Lucas had to momentarily leave the game with a bloody nose with 1:19 left in the third. He scored only two points the rest of the way. "The halfcourt trap changed the flow of the game," South Eugene coach Dave Hancock said. "We’ve got some athletic kids, and the trap gave them some good opportunities to score. "And when we went back to our regular man-to-man (defense), they (North Medford) were still having trouble with the ball." Duke, who scored just one point while mired in foul trouble during Friday’s 62-53 loss to South Medford, repeatedly hurt the Tornado with slashing drives to the hoop in the second half. Fittingly, he scored the game’s final points on a slam dunk. "When we get him into the open floor he’s a very dangerous player," Hancock said. "And you saw what he did in our press. He’s very quick." South Eugene shot a sizzling 68 percent (17-of-25) in the second half and 58 percent (28-of-48) for the game. North Medford hit at a much cooler 37.5 percent clip (21-of-56) from the floor, but did make 12-of-14 free throws. The Axemen held a 40-26 edge on the boards, and both teams wound up committing 26 turnovers. Junior guard Beau Hovland and senior guard Jeff DeLine backed up Lucas with 10 points each for North Medford. What can the Tornado do differently the next time out? "Just work a little harder," Lucas said. And keep "Mo" on its side. SOUTH EUGENE (76) — Duke 21, Hausmann 17, Thomas 9, Morgan 8, Dow 6, Appel 5, Applebaum 4, Williams 3, Bramon 2, Carothers 1. Totals: 28-48 19-32 76. NORTH MEDFORD (57) — Lucas 22, Hovland 10, DeLine 10, Timmerman 5, Cliffton 4, Thiesen 2, Faaeteete 2, Strahm 2, Higgins 0, O’Brien 0. Totals: 21-56 12-14 57. South Eugene ....................... 16 15 22 23 — 76 North Medford ....................... 26 9 12 10 — 57 3-point goals — South Eugene 1 (Thomas); North Medford 3 (Timmerman, Hovland, DeLine). JV score — South Eugene 66, North Medford 64, OT. Reach reporter Don Hunt at 776-4469, or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search M Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright 1997-2002 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy web master feedback A D V E R T I S E R S