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Defensive-minded North stifles Pelicans Tornado limits KU to five field goals during 51-25 win By RANDY HAMMERICKSEN North Medford's swarming defense turned downright uncomfortable for the Klamath Union girls basketball team. The Black Tornado limited KU to one field goal and 13 points in the second half and 15 percent shooting for the game en route to an impressive 51-25 Southern Oregon Conference win Tuesday night in the North gym. The victory propels North to a positive start in the second round of Southern Oregon Conference play. North (12-5, 6-2 SOC) has home games coming up against Crater on Friday night and Ashland on Feb. 5 Ashland (12-3, 8-0). "Basically, we know we need to run the table to have a chance to win or tie for the championship," said North Medford coach Mike Kay. "And we need some help from somebody to beat Ashland. They have to play Crater and Roseburg on the road, and we'll need some help at one of those spots." North Medford force one turnover for every shot Klamath Union attempted and the Pelicans made just 5-of-32 (.152) shots from the field. "It was one of our best defensive efforts of the year," said Kay. "They were extremely active. They were working with their feet, not their hands. "The way we played defense allowed us to play at our (quick) tempo, even though the final score didn't exactly show it." Senior wing Ashlee Giles, who signed a letter of intent to play for the University of Portland last November, led the Black Tornado with 16 points. She added further luster to her game with 8 steals, three rebounds and two blocked shots. "I've been working on my shot pretty hard," said Giles. "Portland recruited me as a shooter. I need to be ready to do that." Center Tressa Manwaring scored six points and pulled down nine rebounds for North. Lu Crenshaw had seven assists. Center Pam Frei scored seven points and had 11 rebounds for Klamath Union. North Medford streaked away on an 18-7 run to take a 26-12 lead with 1:31 left in the first half. Giles led the run with 10 points in six minutes, including a 3-pointer from 21 feet on the right wing. "We did a good ob of moving the ball and attacking the basket," said Kay. "Ashlee Giles played well on offense and defense, and Jamie MacLauchlan had three great drives to the basket." North Medford shot 35 percent (18 for 55) and outrebounded the Pelicans 29-27. North finished with 19 turnovers. "We came ready to play tonight," said North junior forward Jennifer Ross. "We practiced hard all week. It's our time to win now." KLAMATH UNION (25) -- Gilbert 5, Sarah Davison 5, Dobey 5, Richards 3, Frei 7, Shannon Davison 0, Denson 0, Fagan 0, Sharp 0, Dearborn 0, Munson 0. Totals: 5-33 15-26 25. NORTH MEDFORD (51) -- Close 2, Crenshaw 5, Ross 3, MacLauchlan 6, Bennett 2, Giles 16, Manwaring 6, Hwang 5, Ledford 4, Nelson 2, Carrigan 0. Totals: 18-55 13-18 51. Klamath Union .............6 7 7 6 -- 25 North Medford .......14 12 11 14 -- 51 3-point field goals -- North Medford 2 (Giles 1, Hwang 1). JV score -- North Medford 36, Klamath Union 34. Today's Sports Index Mail Tribune Copyright� The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford,