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Redmond trips up Black Tornado By TED BURNHAM The Black Tornado boys basketball team may have potential, but the team couldn't tap into it Friday night as Redmond defeated North Medford, 54-40, in the 12th annual Abby's Holiday Classic. North Medford (3-5) rallied from a 10-point deficit to lead by three points early in the fourth quarter, but the home team couldn't sustain the momentum and the Panthers outscored North by 15 points in the final minutes to win. The victory puts Redmond (8-1) into today's championship game against South Medford (8-1). Tip-off is 7:45 p.m. at South Medford High School. North will face Lake Oswego at 6 p.m. Sophomore forward Marty Leunen and senior guard Joe Billings led Redmond in scoring. The 6-foot-7 Leunen had 11 points and grabbed 12 rebounds - including three rebounds and two baskets in a 60-second span late in the game. Billings added three 3-pointers. Senior post Randy Liedtke had 10 points and six rebounds for Redmond, and junior guard Sam Huston came off the bench to add eight points in the second half. Senior Gabe Burchfiel and sophomore Ryan Lucas contributed 10 points each for North Medford. "When we get a lead, maybe were are too aggressive," Burchfiel said. "Then we make mistakes. They (Redmond) had so many offensive rebounds. We have to work on boxing out." Indeed, the Panthers recorded 40 rebounds to North Medford's 27. Redmond jumped out to a 25-18 halftime lead, thanks to three 3-pointers by Billings and three baskets by Leunen. North Medford answered with a 9-0 run early in the third quarter, taking the lead, 27-25, with a Lucas putback four minutes into the half. Baskets by Burchfiel, Chris Strahm and Aaron Barlow put the Black Tornado up, 36-33, early in the fourth quarter. A Liedtke steal converted into a basket sparked the Redmond comeback. The Panthers ended up going on an 18-0 run to dash all hopes of a North Medford victory. "I don't think we adjusted well until late in the game," Redmond coach Kelly Bokn said. "It was a good mental battle for us to pull through like we did." Said Black Tornado coach Tim Sam: "We had them down after three quarters, but we couldn't do it. We are working on getting the team to believe it can play against the state's best. "I was really hoping that winning some close games would help them believe. We lack self- confidence. It will just a take a couple kids to step up and make a difference" Burchfiel agrees. "We run good," he said. "We had a lot of steals, too. If we play like we know we can, we can win those games." REDMOND (54) - Billings 11, Leunen 11, Liedtke 10, Huston 8, Scurlock 5, Wagenblast 5, Klontz 2, York 2. Totals: 20 9-15 54. NORTH MEDFORD (40) - Burchfiel 10, Lucas 10, Taylor 7, Barlow 6, Weeks 4, Poulton 2, Rettmann 1. Totals: 15 9-21 40. Redmond ................................................ 14 11 8 21 - 54 North Medford............................................9 9 16 6 - 40 3-point goals - Redmond 5 (Billings 3, Scurlock 1, Wangenblast 1), North Medford 1 (Taylor 1). Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.