Document text
48 °F Forecast | Road Cams Monday, April 18, 2005 Today's News | Shop Our Valley | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery | Contact Us SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend March 11, 2005 Weary Raiders prepare for early tip-off By JOE ZAVALA for the Mail Tribune POINT LOOKOUT, Mo. — His eyes just a little bloodshot and his voice just a little hoarse, Southern Oregon University men’s basketball coach Brian McDermott looked like a man in need of some rest. After the Raiders’ late night win over St. Ambrose (Iowa), his players could relate. SOU’s first-round game in the NAIA Division II national championships at Keeter Gym didn’t start until 11 p.m. local time (9 p.m. Pacific) and finally wrapped up early Thursday morning. After crashing back at their motel the eighth-seeded Raiders were back at it by Thursday afternoon, when they gathered for a light walk-through at nearby Branson Junior High. SOU (21-9), already the only team in program history to gain a national tourney win, shoots for a spot in the national quarterfinals this morning against upset-minded Newman (Kan.). "You know, I’m more relieved than anything," McDermott said, "because we had a good year and it just wouldn’t feel complete unless you got past that first round and we want our whole league to get past that first round to sort of solidify what the rankers did. I didn’t want to be the one holding us back, because it happened the last time (1999) and we just didn’t want that. We wanted to make sure that we represented and we did. We did what we were supposed to do." Advertisement What the rankers did was fit four Cascade Conference teams into the 32-team tournament — two automatic qualifiers (SOU and Oregon Tech) and two others (Albertson and Western Baptist) that were awarded at-large berths. SOU and Oregon Tech both advanced through the first round Wednesday, but Albertson lost to Flagler (82-70) and Western Baptist dropped a 68-65 decision to Bellevue on Thursday. While 6-foot-7 junior forward Shea Washington received most of the credit after the Raiders’ historic win, he and McDermott were quick to point out the efforts of the Southern Oregon second- stringers. With injuries, sickness and foul trouble taking their toll, McDermott was forced to look to the Raider bench for a lift. For the most part the backups came through, allowing the Raiders to hang on to a lead that was cut to as little as four points late in the second half. "Everyone stepped up," Washington said. "That was a team win and that’s how we get all our wins. I think that’s what makes us unique. It’s not just our starters. It seems like every night we have somebody picking it up." True freshmen guards Matt Cowell and Thomas Ward, junior forward Jeff Multanen, junior guard RaShawn McCallister and senior forward Travis Elam each played key roles, some for the first time in a long time. Cowell provided the biggest spark. The wiry 6-foot-3 sharpshooter out of Grants Pass, who averaged 15.8 minutes per game during the regular season, played 28 minutes and scored 13 points. He hit two 3-pointers in the first half to help the Raiders take a lead they never relinquished. Cowell may be called upon for big minutes again this morning. Elam and junior center Jeff Williams both sprained their right ankle during the game, Multanen suffered a stinger on his shooting hand, while several others, including starting point guard Steve Farley, Ward and Washington, played sick. "We had enough guys to come in and make plays and we just kept recovering," McDermott said. "But, you’re still not full strength when you’re out a week. Your training level drops, stamina level’s not so good. But playing another day is good, so I think we’ll be better (today)." They may not have to be. The Jets (23-9), who upset ninth-seeded Huntington (Ind.) to advance to the second round, has a style that seems to play right into the Raiders’ hands. Newman loves the 3-point shot — it hoisted up 788 during the regular season — and tries to keep the tempo fast and furious by constantly substituting in fresh bodies. Only one player on the Jets’ roster, senior guard Seth Elliott, averages in double figures. Elliott averages 11.8 points per game, while six of his teammates average over six points per contest. "A lot of 3s and a lot of people — they just bring them in waves," McDermott said. "They’ll try to push it up. They’ve got a couple guys that dribble penetrate pretty well. They’re so relentless. They’re going to shoot about 25 to 30 3s a game." McDermott added that he expects the Jets to play zone against the Raiders in an attempt to limit Washington, who had 30 points and 12 rebounds against St. Ambrose. Game film and scouting revealed Newman to be a man-to-man defensive team, McDermott said, but against the overpowering Washington the Raiders expect that defensive strategy to change. "Oh, they’ll zone us," McDermott said. "It’s just like St. Ambrose — we didn’t see any possessions of zone on the two tapes that we had and then they started it against us. (Washington) is just scaring people to death, and last night didn’t help." ERIC FIEGI MAY play center for the Western Baptist Warriors, but the 6-foot-9 gentle giant is still a Panther at heart. Hours before the Warriors’ NAIA Division II National Championships first round game against 15th-rated Bellevue (Neb.) Thursday, Fiegi already knew what he would be doing afterward — checking up on his former school South Medford, which was set to face Lake Oswego the same night in the first-round of the OSAA Class 4A boys basketball tournament. "I definitely am going to be calling some people trying to find out what happened ," said the junior. "It’s really exciting to be up here and for them to be in the final eight." Unfortunately, the Panthers and Fiegi’s Western Baptist squad both missed the win column. South Medford lost 61-45 and fell into the consolation bracket, while Western Baptist was eliminated from the national tournament following a 68-65 defeat. Fiegi was a marked man at nationals for good reason. He led the nation in scoring (27.3 points per game), had one of the top field goal percentages (.602) and was also the Warriors’ No. 1 rebounder (9.1). While he was a rock of consistency all season long, his team as a whole was not. The Warriors won their first 18 games and were ranked No. 1 for the first time in school history halfway through the season. They crashed back down to Earth, however, losing six of their final 16 games to finish the regular season ranked No. 16. The unseeded Warriors, though, still gained an at-large bid to nationals. Despite all the defensive attention paid to him, Fiegi managed 19 points and 16 rebounds in Thursday’s defeat. Western Baptist finished the season 28-7. Joe Zavala is sports editor of the Ashland Daily Tidings. Reach him at 482-3456. Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback Free Music Downloads Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers home equity loans helzberg Distance Education Diamonds Online Poker Slippers Student Loans tcg student loan consolidation teleconferencing Memory Foam Mattress w2 forms Tatoo Tatoos Advertisement s