Document text
48 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, January 27, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Opportunities Moving to Southern Oregon? MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend December 30, 2004 North falls to Crescent Valley By KEVIN GOFF Mail Tribune The 3-point shot can be a struggling basketball team’s best friend or its worst enemy. In two nights, the North Medford boys basketball team has experienced both ends of the spectrum. The Black Tornado hit 9 of 18 from behind the arc Tuesday while snapping a four-game losing streak. Wednesday night, however, was a different story. North made its first 3-pointer, then missed the next 19 in a 66-51 loss to Crescent Valley in the semifinals of the Abby’s Holiday Basketball Tournament at South Medford High. Crescent Valley moves on to face South Medford in tonight’s championship game at 7:45. North Medford plays Aloha for third place at 6 p.m. Advertisement Ben Running had his second consecutive big scoring night, pouring in a career-best 27 points on 13 of 17 shooting. He tallied 24 points Tuesday night. But Running’s teammates were just 10-for-42 (24 percent) from the field as North Medford fell to 2-5 on the season. The Raiders sat back in a zone defense and dared North Medford to beat them from the perimeter. The Tornado tried in vain. "Last night, I thought we got over (our struggles) a little bit," said Running of his team’s 90-76 victory over Wilson. "Tonight felt a lot like our last five games. "We’re battling hard, we’re just not very patient in our half-court offense." Running’s offense came off hustle plays or when the Tornado worked the ball for a good shot against Crescent Valley’s defense. Although North was able to race out to an 11-4 lead to start the game, two plays hinted at things to come. Starting point guard Drew Herrera picked up a quick foul just 14 seconds in trying to guard speedy Raider guard Brett Casey. Herrera, who is playing with a torn MCL, would pick up his second personal foul at the 4:18 mark and sit out the rest of the first half while Casey ran wild against North’s man- to-man defense. Another play that seemed to set a trend also took place in the first 30 seconds. Kyle Williamson, who scored a career-high 29 points on Tuesday, drilled a 3-pointer to give North a 3-2 lead. The shot put the Tornado on top, but it also started a barrage of quick attempts from the perimeter. "We made some adjustments in where we put certain people in our zone," said Crescent Valley coach Bruce Reid. "(North) rebounds well and we knew we’d have to do a better job on the boards to stay with them. "We’re a little undersized, but we’re quick and have some kids that can shoot." After North established an early advantage, Casey, who finished with 22 points, began to find seams in North’s defense. He used the opportunities to get to the basket or find teammates open on the perimeter. Shooting guard Brice Kelly was the main beneficiary. The lefty stroked a pair of 3s and used his quickness to consistently get into the paint. With Casey wreaking havoc, North Medford’s seven-point edge quickly evaporated after a 10-0 burst by Crescent Valley. The Raiders would take a 29-22 advantage into the break and wouldn’t trail again. Crescent Valley went for the throat in the third period, and used an 11-4 burst to snag a double-digit lead. The Black Tornado made a brief run in the fourth quarter to get within 55-43 but Kelly converted a three-point play and scored on a putback to build the lead to 17. "We got a little behind and started to force shots," said Running, who also collected nine rebounds for the second straight night. "Crescent Valley’s a good team, but we can compete with a lot of people once we figure out how to play better as a team." Williamson added 11 points, while Herrera dished out six assists and Ty Ryan pulled down eight boards. Crescent Valley post Michael Golden, who, along with Casey, made last year’s Abby’s all-tournament team, scored 15 points. CRESCENT VALLEY (66) — C. Blaustein 1, Casey 22, Kelly 20, B. Blaustein 6, Rice 0, Kullowatz 2, Golden 15. Totals: 23-55 15-19 66. NORTH MEDFORD (51) — Barry 0, Herrera 0, Williamson 11, Running 27, E. Stroh 1, Eubank 0, Berger 3, Ryan 9. Totals: 23-59 4-10 51. Crescent Valley.........................18 11 22 15 — 66 North Medford............................16 6 15 14 — 51 3-point goals — Crescent Valley 6-20 (Casey 1, Kelly 2, B. Blaustein 2, Golden 1), North Medford 1-20 (Williamson 1). WEST SALEM 64, RED BLUFF (Calif.) 39 — Junior point guard Cory Davis scored 20 points as West Salem cruised to a second-round win at South Medford High. The Titans will play Rex Putnam today at 4:15 p.m. in the fourth-place game. Caleb Singleton added 13 points for West Salem, which surged to a 34-17 lead at the half. Tim Burch scored nine points to lead Red Bluff, which takes on Wilson today at 2:30 p.m. WEST SALEM (64) — Singleton 13, Davis 20, Potter 2, Huber 2, Kongslie 3, Kelly 0, Heller 2, Donsworth 9, Whittington 3, Johnson 2, Stanton 3, Huntley 2, Farrell 3. Totals: 25 10-23 64. RED BLUFF (39) — Valenzuela 0, Dotson 0, Helmick 2, Burch 9, Poppleton 3, Haver 0, Ramirez 3, Harris 2, Button 6, Bretzke 6, Fulks 0, Kingsley 8. Totals: 17 2-6 39. West Salem...............................17 17 17 13 — 64 Red Bluff......................................4 13 14 8 — 39 3-point goals — West Salem 4 (Singleton 1, Davis 2, Kongslie 1), Red Bluff 3 (Burch 1, Ramirez 1, Button 1). REX PUTNAM 55, WILSON 45 — Steven Vaughan scored 18 points and A.J. LeBaron 14 as Rex Putnam rebounded from only its second loss of the season in the second round at South Medford High. The Kingsmen (6-2) advanced to meet West Salem in the fourth-place game today at 4:15 at South. Putnam took control in the third quarter, upping a 27-23 halftime lead to 12 points by the start of the fourth quarter. Ian Anderson scored 18 for Wilson, which plays Red Bluff, Calif., at 2:30 today at South. WILSON (45) — Norton 0, Hoarfrost 0, Zonoozy 0, Anderson 18, Dunn 4, White 2, Fritz 4, Hereford 9, Kenney 0, Erceg 2, New 4, Hoy 0, Noll 2. Totals: 18 7-9 45. REX PUTNAM (55) — Zeller 2, Mendes 0, Kirkpatrick 9, Thompson 9, Tafoya 2, Rickert 1, Forell 0, McLeod 0, Vaughan 18, Mihub 0, LeBaron 14, Cuff 0. Totals: 18 17-23 55. Wilson..........................................10 13 6 16 — 45 Rex Putnam...............................13 14 14 14 — 55 3-point goals — Wilson 2 (Anderson 2), Rex Putnam 2 (Kirkpatrick 1, LeBaron 1). Fouled out — Hereford. Reach reporter Kevin Goff at 776-4483 or e-mail [email protected] . Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Student Loan Consolidation Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers