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North whips Tribe, earns share of title By DON HUNT The North Medford High girls basketball team got precisely what it wanted Tuesday night: a win over Roseburg and a piece of the Southern Oregon Conference championship. The Black Tornado smothered the Indians, 59-32, then retired to its locker room and listened on the radio as Crater put the finishing touches on its 61-51 upset victory over Ashland, thereby leaving the Tornado and the Grizzlies with 12-2 records and a share of the SOC title. North Medford (18-5 overall) and Ashland will meet in a one-game playoff in the North gym in a seeding game, with the winner advancing directly to the Class 4A state tournament in Portland. The day of the game has yet to be determined. "This is what we were hoping for -- a win over Roseburg and some help from Crater," said North Medford senior guard Ashlee Giles, who had 11 points, nine steals and eight rebounds against the Indians. "Now we can control our destiny and get to the state tournament with one more win." The Tornado handed Ashland its first conference loss Feb. 5 and has won all 11 of its home games this season. In fact, North Medford hasn't lost on its home court since December of 1996, a stretch of more than 30 games. Roseburg was no threat to end the streak Tuesday. The Indians couldn't cope with North Medford's fullcourt man-to-man defense as they turned the ball over 10 times in their first 12 possessions, 22 times in the first half and 40 times in the game. Giles and 5-foot-4 senior Lu Crenshaw continually made life miserable for the Roseburg guards, unmercifully pressuring them into one mistake after another. "They couldn't handle the ball against our pressure and we just kept going at 'em," Giles said. "Defense has been the key to our team all season." Roseburg coach John Thomas went with a big lineup, starting 6-foot-1 Becci Randall and 6-footers Crystal Stephens and Sarah Gilding. But the trio combined for just six points -- Gilding managed four and Stephens two -- and rarely got their hands on the ball in the first half due to the rash of turnovers in the Roseburg backcourt. North Medford was missing its best post player -- 6-foot junior Tressa Manwaring is nursing an ankle sprain -- but junior Jenny Ross stepped in and scored eight points on 4-for-10 shooting. "They out-quicked us and out-hustled us," Thomas said. "Their guards are tough to handle but we weren't very disciplined in what we were trying to do. At times our girls were just running the ball to nowhere." Gilding muscled in a layup for the game's first basket but Giles and Crenshaw fueled a 13-0 Tornado run and it wasn't long before the rout was on. Giles put an exclamation point on the first half when she drove the lane and fed Ledford for a layup with one second remaining. North Medford had melted the final 21 seconds off the clock and, thanks to the multi-talented Giles, closed the half with a flourish. A couple of minutes earlier, Giles stole the ball from Jordan Crossfield, put on a crossover move near the basket to get free and then, after missing the shot, got her own rebound and scored. "I hope people realize how good she is," North Medford coach Mike Kay said of Giles. "Ashlee can do it all." North Medford maintained its intensity in the second half and on two occasions jacked up its lead to 30 points. Tornado sophomore posts Ashley Nelson and Kara Hwang came off the bench to score eight and six points, respectively. Roseburg finished the season at 7-7 in the SOC and with a 10-11 overall mark. The Indians would have made the playoffs with a win over North Medford coupled with a Crater loss to Ashland. ROSEBURG (32) --Wecks 2, Johnson 3, Stephens 2, Randall 0, Gilding 4, Makinson 7, Goodell 3, Loomis 5, Crossfield 4, Bradburn 2. Totals: 11-25 8-15 32. NORTH MEDFORD (59) --Crenshaw 13, Giles 11, Ledford 6, Ross, 8, Close 1, MacLauchlan 3, Bennett 3, Hwang 6, Nelson 8, Horn 0. Totals: 22-52 15-27 59. Roseburg ......................5 9 4 14 -- 32 North Medford .........15 15 14 15 -- 59 3-point goals -- Roseburg 2-8 (Goodell 1, Loomis 1), North Medford 0-4. Fouled out -- none. JV score -- North Medford 53, Roseburg 23. Today's Sports Index Mail Tribune Copyright� The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, OR U.S.A.