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Cold fourth dooms North, 65-56 By RANDY HAMMERICKSEN GRANTS PASS -- Through three quarters, North Medford High's boys basketball team was on its way to its best shooting performance of the season. And a possible major Southern Oregon Conference road win. The Black Tornado, which has struggled with its shooting for much of the season, hit 20 of 32 shots during the opening 24 minutes. But then came crunch time of the fourth quarter. North made only one of its 12 field goal attempts in the final period, scoring just five points, and fell to Grants Pass, 65-56, at Heater Newman Memorial Gym Friday night. North Medford (5-9, 2-3 SOC) rallied to take a 50-46 lead in the third quarter on a 14-6 surge behind the outside shooting of point guard Mike Olson and wing Wes Towne. But North Medford wasn't able to hold off the inside game of the taller Cavemen during the final 12 minutes, as 6-foot-6 center Ian Elseth led a 14-2 Grants Pass run that turned the game around. Elseth led the Cavemen with 23 points and nine rebounds. Mike DeLaGrange, a 6-6, 260-pound senior forward, scored seven points and had six rebounds. With the win, Grants Pass (12-3, 4-1 SOC) remained tied for first place in the SOC standings with South Medford and Roseburg. "We're in pretty good shape, but we have a long ways to go," said Grants Pass coach Bill Cowell. "If it doesn't matter if we play at home or on the road, I'd say we're all right. "But it does matter. And we still have to go to Roseburg and North Medford in the second round." Cowell said he wasn't surprised that the Black Tornado not only stayed close to Grants Pass, but took a 50-46 lead behind 10 points from Towne in the third quarter. "Towne shot the ball well, and North really comes after you with their defense," said Cowell. "(North coach) Gene Quilhaugh really keeps bringing defenders to attack you. I really like how Olson and Towne defend." Towne led North Medford with 20 points, while Olson finished with eight points and seven assists. Grants Pass countered North Medford's pressure defense with solid play out of sophomore point guard Tyler York, who took care of the ball and maneuvered it inside to Elseth and DeLaGrange. "I thought Tyler York did a good job of running our offense," said Cowell. "We only had eight turnovers, which is real good considering how tough North defends and presses." Quilhaugh praised the play of 6-3 junior guard-post Kevin Foreman, who scored six points, pulled down 10 rebounds and had two assists. "Foreman earned a start tonight with the way he's been playing," said Quilhaugh. "He shot 50 percent (from the field) and made 2-of-2 free throws. That was a pretty solid game for him." Quilhaugh said he was also pleased with the scoring and overall play of Towne, the hustle of 6-1 post Tate Mellbye and the shooting and defense of Olson. "The smaller lineup helped us do some nice things," he said. "Our offense went a little tentative in the fourth quarter, and we didn't shoot as well." North Medford lost the battle of the boards to the bigger Cavemen, 36-26. "We're not bigger than many teams," said Quilhaugh. "But I thought our kids battled." Mellbye, who went into the game averaging just over 11 rebounds a game, finished with nine before he fouled out. NORTH MEDFORD (56) -- Olson 8, Weyers 5, Foreman 6, Mellbye 5, Anderson 0, Towne 20, Jensen 6, O'Brien 2, Schlichting 4. Totals: 21-44 10-14 56. GRANTS PASS (65) -- Lesher 3, York 4, Minor 14, Dobner 11, Berg 1, Lathen 2, McIntosh 0, DeLaGrange 7, Elseth 23. Totals: 25-46 14-30 65. North Medford ............15 19 17 5 -- 56 Grants Pass ..............23 15 16 11 -- 65 3-point goals -- Grants Pass 1 (Elseth 1), North Medford 4 (Towne 3, Weyers 1). Fouled out -- Mellbye. JV result -- Grants Pass won. Today's Edition : News | Sports | Business | Weather | Tempo | Classifieds Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA