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South's Frantz made the most of his moment By DON HUNT Mail Tribune PORTLAND -- The moments were fleeting but nonetheless exhilarating for South Medford junior guard Jeremy Frantz at the Class 4A boys state basketball tournament. Frantz, who spent the entire season on the Panthers junior varsity squad until coach Dennis Murphy added him to state tournament roster, logged just four minutes of action but raised some eyebrows when he buried the first two shots of his varsity career - both of them 3-pointers - during South's 57-52 second-round loss to Beaverton on Thursday. And they didn't come during garbage time. They came with the Panthers desperately trying to fight back from a double-digit deficit in the fourth period. Frantz wasn't in the game more than 30 seconds when the ball rotated to him at the top of the key. Shoot. Swish! A little more than two minutes later, he caught the ball on the left wing. Shoot. Swish! Frantz's second trey crept the Panthers within 49-43 with 1:42 left in the game, but Beaverton held on for the victory. "I heard the coaches yelling, 'Shoot it! Shoot it!' the first time I had the ball," Frantz said. "I let it go and was just hoping it would go in. "The second one I knew was in right after it left my hand. "I was a little nervous but more excited than anything. Playing here at the state tournament is a dream come true for me. It's hard to describe the feeling." Frantz narrowly missed hitting his third shot, a 3-pointer from the baseline, and wound up going 2-for-4. Some fans must have wondered why Frantz wasn't in uniform on Friday when South Medford bowed out of the tournament with a 62-45 loss to Churchill. With 11 players on the Panthers' regular roster and a tournament limit of 12, Frantz alternated dressing down with sophomore point guard Ryan Fiegi. "It was something we had worked out before the tournament," Frantz said. "I can't complain. I was happy just to make the trip." Speaking of hot shooting, Grants Pass senior center Kory Mahr set a tournament record for field-goal percentage. Mahr made 18 of 22 shots in the Cavemen's four games for a percentage of .818. Medford High's Darrell Webb had the old mark of .769 when he went 20 of 26 at the 1976 tournament. "You've got to give a lot of credit to our guards," said Mahr, who got off to a great start when he went 7-for-7 from the field in GP's stunning 82-68 victory over Jefferson in the Cavemen's tournament opener on Wednesday. "Those guys spoon-fed me for a lot of layups." Maybe so, but Mahr still had a great tournament. He scored in double figures all four games and added 19 rebounds and seven blocked shots. He also sank 14 of 18 free throws. "Kory was just outstanding the entire tournament," Grants Pass coach Bill Cowell said. "We knew all along he could be more of a force for us offensively, and he really stepped up this week. "When you look at the difference between us and South Medford during the season, it was (Eric) Fiegi being that constant threat inside. Kory gave us that inside presence this week." Cowell drew some laughs at the pre-tourney luncheon early in the week. Reacting to a comment from Thurston coach Doug Piquette about how his biggest post player only weighed 215 pounds, Cowell said, "Hey, that's 30 more pounds than any of my guys carry." The 6-foot-5 Mahr weighs 185. It's a good year for high school basketball talent in Oregon. No fewer than six players at the Class 4A state boys tournament are headed for NCAA Division I schools on scholarship. Churchill's Jordan Kent, a son of Oregon coach Ernie Kent, will play basketball and run track for the Ducks next season. Jefferson's Brandon Lincoln, a 6-4 point guard, has also signed with the UO. Westview's Marshal Hartman, a sharp-shooting 6-7 post, is headed to Portland State. Thurston's Shea Washington, a 6-6 post, has signed with Montana State. And Lake Oswego's Ben Sullivan, a 6-9 post with perimeter skills, has signed with Cal State Northridge. The most talented player in the tournament, however, might well be Jefferson's Thomas Gardner, a 6-4 junior wing who can hit the 3, attack the rack and run the court with equal prowess. Gardner can't sign until the beginning of next basketball season in November but is already being looked at by several colleges, including top-ranked Kansas. 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 � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.