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North drowns in a Pool of points Sarah Pool photo by Andrew Mariman By Don Hunt Sarah Pool is recognized as one of the top point guards in Oregon high school basketball, but the 5-foot-6 junior has never been viewed as a shooter that opposing coaches feared. Until recently. Pool scored 26 points on 11 of 16 shooting from the field in just three quarters of work Tuesday night at North Medford High to lead the No. 2-ranked Comets to a 76-37 victory over the Black Tornado. Pool wooed the crowd with her typical array of dazzling passes and her mastery of the open court, registering nine assists and six steals. But it was her willingness to shoot and her deadeye marksmanship from long-range � she swished all four of her 3-point attempts � that made Tuesday�s performance truly extraordinary. "I wouldn�t have done that last year," Pool said with a grin after Crater extended its Southern Oregon Conference record to 2-0 and its season mark to 6-1. "But the coaches have been getting on me to shoot when I�m open." Pool exploded for 12 first-period points and tacked on three assists as the Comets raced to a 27-8 lead. By halftime the Comets� lead had swelled to 44-17 and by the end of three periods it was 63-28. And the omnipresent Pool seemed to be in the middle of every play. "I�m not sure I�ve ever seen someone put on a performance like that in the 13 years I�ve been coaching in Medford," North Medford coach J.T. Thomas said. "She did a heck of a job hitting her shots and running that team." Thomas said he was more concerned about containing Amy Denson, the Comets� 6-foot-1 power forward and their leading scorer on the season, than he was Pool. Denson finished with just seven points. "We did a good job on Amy but Pool answered the bell," Thomas said. Crater coach David Heard said Pool has become the Comets� main perimeter threat now that Sarah Yager is missing from the lineup due to illness. "She�s our point guard and our shooting guard, all rolled into one," Heard said of Pool. "And the thing is, she�s so tough off the dribble that you�re asking for trouble if you get on her real tight." Janelle Sapienza added 10 points, Carissa Nafie chipped in nine and Jody McLeod had eight points and a game-high 10 rebounds for the Comets. Despite the lopsided defeat that dropped his team to 1-1 in the SOC and 2-5 overall, Thomas wasn�t discouraged. The Tornado starts a pair of freshmen at guard � Anna Lilly and Brittany Hodges � and Tuesday�s contest was a learning experience, he said. "We beat a team behind us in the standings the other day (Eagle Point) and tonight we lost to the team at the top," Thomas said. "We�re going to fit somewhere in the middle, and, hopefully, somewhere in the upper half. "We�ve got the potential." Senior post Ashley Nelson had a strong game for the Tornado with 18 points and six rebounds. However, North Medford had a tough time as a whole doing much damage to a Crater frontline that features the 6-foot McLeod, the 6-foot-1 Denson and 6-2 Bre Johnson, a vastly improved senior who contributed four points and eight blocked shots Tuesday. "When we�re in our 2-3 zone that�s an imposing back line," Heard said. "I don�t think there�s a bigger one in the state, unless it�s Westview." CRATER (76) � Pool 26, Sapienza 10, McLeod 8, Denson 7, Johnson 4, Sapienza 10, Nafie 9, LeBel 2, Black 0, Anhorn 0. Totals: 32 7-8 76. NORTH MEDFORD (37) � Nelson 18, Hwang 5, Hodges 3, Lilly 4, Meager 2, Stevenson 2, Mellbye 3, Versteeg 0, Gentry 0, Miller 0. Totals: 14 9-16 37. Crater ........................................................27 17 19 12 � 76 North Medford ............................................8 9 11 9 � 37 3-point goals � Crater 4 (Pool 3, Sapienza 1). JV score � Crater 49, North Medford 22. Reach reporter Don Hunt at 776-4469, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2000 Mail Tribune, Inc.