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It's deja vu as Eagle boys down South Square SOC record at 3-3 By DAVID DAUGHERTY EAGLE POINT -- It was last year on Feb. 19 that the Eagle Point boys basketball team needed a spark in their season. What the Eagles found that night was a raging fire in themselves; the result was the charred remains of the South Medford Panthers. Fast forward 11 months and the scene was hauntingly similar: The Eagles needed an injection of life into their season, same opponent, same result. Behind the spirited play of senior post Jake Kleker, point guard Danny Acrey and the clutch foul shooting of Steve Gray, Eagle Point edged the sluggish Panthers, 58-50, at the Eagle Point gym Tuesday. The victory improved the Eagles to 3-3 in Southern Oregon Conference play and, more important, injected a huge dose of confidence into a team searching for an identity. "Hopefully it's deja vu," said Eagle Point coach Keith Williams, whose team springboarded off its win over South last season into the state playoffs. "We drop this game and we're 2-4. Not a situation we wanted to be in. We're happy, but there's still a long way to go." From the opening tip, the Eagles served notice to the Panthers that they would be in for all they could handle. Eagle Point jumped to a 15-13 lead at the end of one period behind guard Nick Rouhier, who tallied nine points in the period, including two 3-pointers. South rallied to even the contest at the half, 20-20, but a defensive tone had been set, with the Panthers connecting on just 7 of 25 shots and the Eagles 7 of 23. "We just took terrible shots," said South coach Dennis Murphy, whose club fell to 4-2 in SOC play. "Our perimeter people were 1 of 14 in the first half. You're not going to beat anyone doing that." The Panthers' main perimeter weapon, point guard Steve Hilgendorf, didn't start due to illness and could never seem to find a groove, or an open shot. The South senior was held to a season-low two points on two free throws. Even with its shooting problems, South appeared to take control of the contest, going on an 8-0 run to take a 38-31 lead late in the third. But the Eagles refused to go down quietly, as Eric Boucher knocked down a 3-pointer at the third-period buzzer, cutting the lead to four. It was a shot that seemed harmless at the time, but on the Eagle Point bench, confidence was building. "Boucher's 3 was really a big shot," said Williams. "It gave us a huge momentum lift." The Eagles used the momentum to tie the score at 39 early in the fourth. The Eagles suffered a blow with 4:10 left when Rouhier picked up his fifth foul and was disqualified. But just when things appeared to be turning in the Panthers' favor, the Eagles responded. "All we had to do was get the lead and get into our delay offense," said Gray. "Some guys were nervous when Nick fouled out, but Danny (Acrey) kept us alive." "I was really upset at that point (when Rouhier fouled out), but you have to get your kids to believe in themselves," said Williams. "Danny had four fouls, so the other guys had to step up." Those guys were Kleker, Acrey and Gray. Kleker responded with five fourth-quarter points, Acrey seven and Gray eight. The threesome all finished the contest in double figures. But of the three it was Gray's performance at the foul line that made the biggest difference. The senior hit eight consecutive free throws in the fourth period, including four straight thanks to a South foul that was piggybacked with a technical foul call on Murphy. "Those are the biggest shots I've ever made because it was a conference game," said Gray, who finished with 14 points. "I just thought back to when I was a little kid shooting outside. I just go up there and make them." Gray's free throws vaulted the Eagles to a 55-46 lead and showed their coach something he hasn't seen this season. "We would have folded earlier in the year," said Williams. "I asked them to believe in each other. Sooner or later, you have to in order to be successful." The Eagles' newfound fortitude left South's Murphy wondering where his team lost theirs. "It all comes down to how bad you want it," said the Panther coach. "We're not hungry. When it came down to it, they wanted it more than we did. We were just happy to play along." Sophomore guard Ryan Heil led South with 12 points, while Colin Grant added 10. SOUTH MEDFORD (50) -- Tomlins 0, Hilgendorf 2, Heil 12, McKay 4, Rasmussen 1, Wallenberg 3, Mulhollen 0, Grant 10, Kime 9, Decker 7, Fiegi 2. Totals: 14-42 22-31 50. EAGLE POINT (58) -- Gray 14, Rouhier 11, Boucher 4, Crawford 1, Anderson 4, Nackerud 0, Acrey 11, Kleker 13. Totals: 18-44 19-27 58. South Medford ............13 7 18 12 -- 50 Eagle Point .................15 5 14 24 -- 58 3-point goals -- South Medford 0-2 (Hilgendorf 0-1, Rasmussen 0-1), Eagle Point 3-8 (Rouhier 2-3, Gray 0-3, Boucher 1-1, Acrey 0-1). Fouled out -- Rouhier, Wallenberg. Technical fouls -- South Medford coach Murphy, Eagle Point coach Williams. JV score -- South Medford 53, Eagle Point 46. Today's Edition : News | Sports | Business | Weather | Tempo | Classifieds Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA