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Crater gets the top seed By Greg Stiles The Crater Comets were awarded the top seed for the Class 4A state girls basketball tournament that begins Tuesday at the Chiles Center in Portland. Crater spent most of the season ranked No. 2 behind Oregon City, the state�s most storied program that produced six championship teams in the 1990s. But after South Medford and Ashland � the Southern Oregon Conference�s second- and third-place teams � earned tournament berths Saturday night, it was hard to deny the Comets the top spot. "We did every thing we could to be in a position to be a one or two seed," Crater coach David Heard said "There�s not a huge difference, because the one and two are the top teams in their brackets and once you get to the championship game, it doesn�t matter. "What this says is something about the strength of our league. We wouldn�t have been No. 1 if South and Ashland hadn�t won Saturday." Crater plays No. 16 Forest Grove, champion of the Pacific-9 conference, at 8:45 p.m. Saturday. Ashland earned the No. 10 seed after dispatching Midwestern League runner-up Sheldon, 55-49, in Eugene. The Grizzlies play No. 7 Beaverton, the Metro League runner-up, at 7 p.m. Tuesday. South Medford fended off the Metro League�s third-place team, Glencoe, 83-74, and was seeded No. 13. The Panthers play No. 4 Jesuit, the Metro League champion, at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday. This is the first time in the tournament�s 26-year history that a seedings format will be used and its the first time three SOC teams have made the tourney field since 1984. "Looking at the schedules, we felt Crater had played a better quality schedule and Oregon City had close league games and Crater didn�t," said Len Harrington of Klamath Falls, who is a member of the five-man seeding committee Until Crater reached the 1998 final against Oregon City, no SOC team had played for the championship. The Comets finished second to Westview last season. Prior to this weekend, Heard desired and anticipated the No. 2 seed. He liked the idea of playing Tuesday and having a day off before the quarterfinals. But a look at the bracket changed his mind. "We�re away from Oregon City, Beaverton, Central Catholic and Springfield," Heard said. "It�s not going to be easy, but I like where we�re at." With a win over Forest Grove, the Comets would play the survivor of the Barlow-Crescent Valley game in the quarterfinals. Heard said a lot of people would�ve scoffed at the thought of a SOC team being seeded No. 1 when he began his tenure seven years ago. "I think that this is a major step forward for our league and I think we all have legitimate shots at winning several games," Heard said "If either South or Ashland win their first games, I think our conference has a real case to say that we�re the best conference top-to-bottom. A lot can happen in a week, but I think there is a legitimate chance for all three of us to bring trophies home." Ashland coach Heather Roberts was "pleasantly pleased" that the Grizzlies earned the No. 10 spot. "I was hoping we wouldn�t get the 15 or 16 seed," Roberts said. "After we beat Sheldon, I thought we�d be somewhere between 12 and 14. If we play well, we�ll be a good 10 seed." The people wondering why Oregon City coach Brad Smith was in Salem Thursday to scout the Ashland-South Salem game got their answer on Saturday when the Grizzlies beat Sheldon. Ashland finished third behind South Medford and stumbled a little bit in the second half of conference play in losses to Grants Pass and Roseburg. But the win over the Irish and all-star post Jackie Woods� resurgence with 23 points and 10 rebounds, against the Irish, have to give potential foes pause. "We had a lull and some injuries, but we were able to take care of business," Roberts said. "Now that we�re back in the tournament, our seniors� goal is to be playing on Saturday. The win at Sheldon gave them a lot of confidence." Panthers� coach Andrea Wegner knows the Metro League�s strong reputation. She also knows that the Glencoe team her Panthers beat on Saturday defeated Jesuit, 66-51, on Feb. 1. "The girls are still excited about beating Glencoe," Wegner said as her team gathered Sunday to talk about the week ahead. "We�re starting to think about Jesuit this afternoon." Reach reporter Greg Stiles at 776-4483, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.