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Click Here 39 °F Forecast | Road Cams Saturday, February 7, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Email Story to a Friend February 1, 2004 Southern Oregon�s Jared Abell (35) goes up for a shot over a host of Northwest players. SOU holds off Northwest College By ROB McCALLUM for the Mail Tribune ASHLAND — The Southern Oregon men’s basketball team got a friendly reminder of their own past Saturday night, as they faced off against a team that looked much like themselves a year ago. The Raiders dealt visiting Northwest College a three-point loss, 69-66, a year after being on the receiving end of similar close losses. "There are a lot of close games in this conference," said SOU coach Brian McDermott. "They’re a young team and have had some tough losses, a lot like we did last season." Southern Oregon’s growth since last season, when they dropped three overtime games and four in the final minute in the Cascade Conference, was depicted in no better manner than by their clutch shooting down the stretch of Saturday’s win. "In an ugly game, it’s the little things that make a difference," said sophomore forward Shea Washington, who scored 20 points to lead SOU. "And tonight it was free throws and defense." Advertisement The Raiders (15-12 overall, 10-3 Cascade) squandered a 41-30 halftime lead against the Eagles, with Northwest taking its first lead since midway through the first half on a Tyson Dodd 3-pointer with 3:06 to go, 64-63. Foul trouble for several of the Raiders left the door open for Northwest, with Washington and backup post Travis Elam each called for four fouls while sophomores Jared Abell and Nick Borrevik had three apiece. "I was pretty frustrated with the calls," Washington said. "But our other guys came in and did awesome. They really picked things up." Out of necessity, McDermott went with a smaller, quicker lineup, moving starting point guard Peter Nelson to shooting guard while sophomore Steve Farley handled the ball-handling duties. "I like the lineup a lot," Farley said of the revamped look. "It takes the pressure off of Pete and allows us to get a lot more fast-break points. We get the ball up quicker and allows (Nelson) to get more shots." The plan worked as Nelson and Farley combined for 22 points and seven assists, but more importantly, the game’s final points. Following Dodd’s trey, the two teams battled to a 66-all deadlock with a minute to play. Washington converted one of two free throws for a one-point lead. On the other end of the court, Northwest threw the ball away on the baseline with 9.8 seconds to play, and McDermott drew up an inbounds play that put the ball in the hands of two of the team’s best free throw shooters — Nelson and Farley. Farley received the inbounds, was fouled immediately, and gave SOU a three-point lead with two perfect free throws. "I’ve been practicing a lot of free throws the last few days," Farley said. "We wanted the ball in either me or Pete’s hands. It worked." Northwest’s Andrew Gard led all scorers with 21 points on 10 of 13 shooting, but his final shot attempt went wide and SOU escaped with a win. "We were expecting a battle," McDermott said. "We beat them by one at their place and both teams shot poorly. This time, they made some shots. We were lucky tonight." The Raiders won despite being outrebounded 30-25 and shooting 46.4 percent from the floor to Northwest’s 57 percent. The win enabled SOU to keep pace with conference-leading Albertson and in a tie for second place with rival Oregon Tech. Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S RESOURCES Oregon Road Conditions & Cams SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Food for Thought Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Prime Times