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Varsity 541 NEWS NOW Man faces federal charges in fire caused by pot extract ... Century-old practice of writing graffiti in Mount Ashland lichen has to stop, forest officials warn ... Firefighters battle fire at Biomass One ... Man faces federal charges in fire caused by pot extract ... Century-old practice of writing graffiti in Mount Ashland lichen has to stop, forest officials warn ... Firefighters battle fire at Biomass One ... PREP BASKETBALL ‘Special’ delivery Comment By Kris Henry Mail Tribune Follow @@Kris_Henry MailTribune.com By Kris Henry Mail Tribune Follow @@Kris_Henry Posted Feb. 20, 2016 at 12:01 AM By Kris Henry Mail Tribune Follow @@Kris_Henry Posted Feb. 20, 2016 at 12:01 AM --> South Medford 81, South Eugene 56 RECAP: Josh Washington scores a career-high 27 points with seven rebounds and South Medford notches assists on 20 of its 35 field goals to supply head... » Read more X South Medford 81, South Eugene 56 RECAP: Josh Washington scores a career-high 27 points with seven rebounds and South Medford notches assists on 20 of its 35 field goals to supply head coach Dennis Murphy with an 18th league title in his final season. UP NEXT: Tuesday, Grants Pass at South Medford; Wednesday, South Eugene at Willamette. » Social News South Medford’s boys basketball team had one goal on its mind Friday night, and the fourth-ranked Panthers wasted little time accomplishing just that against South Eugene. Needing one win to secure an outright Southwest Conference title — and 18th for head coach Dennis Murphy in his final season at the helm — South Medford blitzed the Axemen with a sensational first half en route to an 81-56 triumph at South Medford High. The Panthers (22-2, 12-1 SWC) were 11-for-17 from the field in the first quarter to open a double-digit lead that was never in question thereafter. All told, South Medford posted a season-high in points by halftime with its 47-24 edge over South Eugene, sporting 12 assists on 20 first-half field goals. “I’m so proud of how hard our guys played today,” said Panthers senior Josh Washington, who tallied a career-high 27 points to go with seven rebounds. “We just came out wanting it more. We wanted to get this conference championship for Murph one more time and it was just a great effort from everybody.” Washington, a 6-foot-6 post, capitalized time and again on his teammates’ willingness to set him up, scoring 19 points by halftime and finishing with three highlight dunks overall. “Josh obviously came out with lots of fire and had a great game,” said Murphy, who is calling it quits after his 28 seasons at South Medford. “He’s worked awfully hard and has a great passion for the game and he keeps getting better every day in practice. I’m awfully happy for him and proud of him.” Conor Carroll and Chase Cota each added 10 points for the Panthers, while Hunter Bradford totaled nine points, four rebounds and four assists and Eskari Carter had six points, five rebounds and six assists. Kaleb Franklin also contributed five assists and Raymond Benford had six points, three rebounds and four steals for South Medford, which has now earned at least a share of the conference title in 13 of the past 15 years. “Knowing it’s the end, it’s very special,” said Murphy of the 18th title overall. “To the kids’ credit, I think they worked hard and wanted to make that happen and I can’t thank them enough for it. They’re all good and they never get old and it’s always fun. Hopefully we’ll continue to build on this but you sure cherish the moment when you have it, which is right now.” “I’m just very, very thankful for the great kids, great coaches and the parents who have been extremely supportive,” he added. “You put all those things together, it’s hard to screw them up, and I don’t think I’ve done that yet.” South Eugene (9-14, 7-6) fell prey to one of the Panthers’ best starts of the season, trailing 15-6 just four minutes into the contest, and couldn’t find a solution despite trying hard to the end. The Axemen were limited to four field goals in each of the first two quarters and notched seven of their 21 baskets in the final five minutes. “They were just too good for us in a lot of positions,” said South Eugene head coach Dave Hancock, whose 2009-10 and 2014-15 teams are the only ones to edge out the Panthers in the past 15 seasons. “They just ran the floor harder and just outplayed us. It wasn’t so much about Xs and Os, the bottom line is you have to play at that speed and at that intensity level and we’ve got kind of a young team as far as having to play at this level.” For the Axemen, sophomore Myles Green-Richards had 16 points, junior Collin Chubb-Fertal added 10 and sophomore Jay Elmore hit three 3-pointers and scored all 11 of his points in the fourth quarter. Overall, South Medford finished with 20 assists on 35-for-61 shooting to highlight one of the best team efforts this season in terms of making the extra pass and finishing around the basket. “You surely like to see that because it’s something we work on,” said Murphy. “There’s times we do it and times we don’t, and tonight we really did do a great job of sharing the ball. We passed the ball better and are starting to see more things and that goes back to your basketball IQ. I think when you’re starting to pass the ball like that, obviously your basketball IQ is going up and you’re starting to understand the play that needs to be made.” The Panthers will wrap up the regular season at home on Tuesday night against Grants Pass and then host the first round of the Class 6A state playoffs at home on March 2. “This is honestly a very special team, for sure,” said Washington. “I’m just happy to be part of this team. Going into the playoffs, it’s just going to be more excitement for everybody.” SOUTH EUGENE (56): Fredericks 5, Bowers 1, Stice 5, Chubb-Fertal 10, Green-Richards 16, Glenzel 4, Gorman 0, Holland 3, Elmore 11, Brandt 1. Totals: 21-43 8-12 56. SOUTH MEDFORD (81): Washington 27, Carroll 10, Cota 10, Bradford 9, Benford 6, Carter 6, Schuster 5, Franklin 3, Metcalf 3, Martin 2, Bock 0. Totals: 35-61 7-12 81. South Eugene;12;12;13;19;—;56 South Medford;23;24;18;16;—;81 3-point goals — South Eugene 6-15 (Elmore 3, Fredericks 1, Green-Richards 1, Stice 1), South Medford 4-9 (Carroll 1, Bradford 1, Metcalf 1, Schuster 1). JV score — South Eugene 60, South Medford 46. Reach reporter Kris Henry at 541-776-4488, [email protected], www.facebook.com/krishenryMT or www.twitter.com/Kris_Henry By Kris Henry Mail Tribune Follow @@Kris_Henry MailTribune.com By Kris Henry Mail Tribune Follow @@Kris_Henry Posted Feb. 20, 2016 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction Schedules & Events --> Recent Scores --> Prep Notebook Kris Henry Challengers make it back on top in softball Winning the Southern Cascade League title seemed like a pretty bold goal this spring considering the recent history of the Cascade Christian... 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