Document text
64 °F Forecast | Road Cams Tuesday, March 8, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery 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 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 February 24, 2005 North Medford�s Mellisa Eastwold tries to squeeze between a pair of Glencoe defenders on Wednesday. Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli North passes first test In first game since losing an all-star guard to injury, No. 9 Tornado uses stifling defense to top Glencoe By KEVIN GOFF Mail Tribune There was no flash, very few quick-strike layups and rarely a fastbreak opportunity. But what the typically run-and-gun North Medford girls basketball team displayed Wednesday was far more impressive. A state-playoff caliber performance. The ninth-ranked Black Tornado turned in a picture-perfect display of gritty defense and patient offense to defeat Glencoe, 47-33, in a second-round Class 4A state-playoff game at the North Medford gym. The Tornado (23-3) will host the Three Rivers League’s No. 3 team and seventh-ranked Lake Oswego, a 68-53 winner over Redmond, Saturday at 6 p.m. in a third-round contest. The winner advances to the eight-team state tournament starting March 3 at the Chiles Center on the University of Portland campus. Advertisement Glencoe, the fourth seed from the Metro League, ends the season at 16-9. "That was a tremendous defensive effort," said North coach Tim Karrick. "It was a case of us completely buying into the concept of team defense. "I’m just impressed." North Medford played its first full game without senior all-Southern Oregon Conference point guard Kailey Bostwick, who is out for the postseason after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee Saturday in a seeding game with Ashland. The Tornado, which shared the SOC title with Ashland but earned the conference’s No. 1 seed after Saturday’s playoff victory over the Grizzlies, made up for Bostwick’s absence with the shooting of sophomore wing Megan Ross and the all-around efforts of senior posts Mellisa Eastwold and Michelle Westermann. Ross hit a key 3-pointer to start the fourth quarter and finished with a game-high 16 points. Westermann scored 12 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, while Eastwold also tallied 12 points. Westermann had the task of guarding third-team all-state post Elisabeth Dissen, who was held to 12 points before fouling out with two minutes to play. "I worked with the coaches all week in practice on staying low and taking away her baseline side," said Westermann. "I couldn’t do it all by myself. I got a lot of help from my teammates." Freshman Whitney Hodnett made her first varsity start at point guard and, along with senior guard Caitlin Seeley, shared a majority of the ball-handling duties. Hodnett committed just two turnovers and Seeley, not accustomed to bringing the ball up, mixed heady play on the offensive side with a shutdown defensive effort on Glencoe standout wing Jaime Duyck. "It’s tough to play wing for most of the year then have to bring the ball up in a playoff game," said Karrick of Seeley’s performance. It took a while for North to grease its wheels but a 15-4 scoring edge in the second quarter brushed away any nerves the Tornado felt early. The Crimson Tide, behind six points from Dissen, surged ahead 13-8 after the first quarter. North Medford, however, countered with a quick 6-0 spurt — keyed by five points from Ross — to start the second quarter. Glencoe managed to regain the lead, 17-16, but Hodnett followed with a game-tying free throw, Westermann muscled in a layin, Ross drained a jumper and Eastwold connected on a pair from the foul line to give North a 23-17 lead at the intermission. Ross led all scorers with nine points at the half. "I practiced a lot during the week," said Ross on her offensive emergence. "We knew we’d have to step up. "(The win) feels awesome. There’s been so much skepticism all week at our school on whether we could win without Kailey." Eastwold began to catch fire in the third quarter. After a Dissen hoop brought Glencoe to within 23-19, Eastwold answered with two free throws, then later tossed in a twisting left-handed circus shot off the glass while being fouled. Her foul shot was good and North went into the final quarter ahead, 30-25. "I think everyone was extremely nervous at the start," said Eastwold. "Once we pulled through that we thought, ‘Gosh, we can win this.’ "We played our hearts out." In the fourth period, Westermann and Eastwold each made 1 of 2 from the free-throw line and Ross drilled a 3 with just under five minutes to play to give North a 10-point advantage. The lead grew to 15 (42-27) and Glencoe could climb no closer than 10 the rest of the way. The Tornado made just enough free throws (12-for-23) in the final period to keep a comfortable edge. The Crimson Tide was somewhat successful finding Dissen in the opening minutes but labored getting the all-Metro post the ball as the game wore on. "We’ve been successful all year getting the ball into Elisabeth," said eighth-year Glencoe coach Mike Melin. "Basically, we need to shoot the ball better than we did tonight from inside if we’re going to have a chance to win. "We struggled and, against North, it’s a tough deal. Especially at their place." Duyck, a junior wing, managed nine points against Seeley’s harassing defense. Westermann led North with three steals and committed only one turnover. GLENCOE (33) — Jan. Duyck 4, Scott 0, Jehan 0, Collins 2, Pitts 6, Jai. Duyck 9, Steinmetz 0, Dissen 12, McNeely 0. Totals: 10 13-14 33. NORTH MEDFORD (47) — Schultz 1, Westermann 12, Eastwold 12, Ross 16, Seeley 2, Preston 0, Hodnett 4, Heim 0. Totals: 12 21-35 47. Glencoe...........................................13 4 8 8 — 33 North Medford..............................8 15 7 17 — 47 3-point goals — North Medford 2 (Ross 2). Fouled out — Dissen. Reach reporter Kevin Goff at 776-4483 or e-mail [email protected] . 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 Student Loan Consolidation Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers home equity loans helzberg Slippers Student Loans afsa teleconferencing Memory Foam Mattress Advertisement s