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Comets too hot to handle Mail Tribune / Andrew Mariman Crater junior Erin Kinney, right, and North Medford freshman Michelle Westerman fight for position as they scramble for a loose ball during the fourth quarter of the Comets' 66-37 win over the Black Tornado. No. 2-ranked Crater takes advantage of North's shooting woes for 66-37 SOC triumph By DON HUNT Mail Tribune CENTRAL POINT - The North Medford High girls basketball team did a lot of good things Tuesday night when matched up against No. 2-ranked Crater. The Black Tornado played tough defense. It handled the Comets' full-court press. And it ran the court at opportune times to get off a number of high-percentage shots. What the Tornado didn't do well was put the ball in the basket, and that flaw proved fatal in a 66-37 loss to the Comets. North Medford made just 14 of 43 shots from the field (32.5 percent) and went 6-for-22 from the free-throw line (27.2 percent). Senior guard Sarah Pool registered 18 points and six assists and senior post Amy Denson had 17 points and nine rebounds to pace the Comets to their second victory in as many starts in the Southern Oregon Conference. Crater is 6-0 overall, while North Medford dropped to 1-1 in the SOC and 2-5 overall. "We're shooting the ball well in practice but game situations are different and we're struggling in that area," said North Medford coach J.T. Thomas, who has three sophomores in his starting lineup and four freshmen on his roster. "It's frustrating to play as well as we did in several areas and still lose by 20-some points." Brittany Hodges scored on a layup seven seconds into the game to give North Medford a quick 2-0 lead, and the Tornado was within 14-9 late in the first period following Chelsea Rettmann's 3-pointer. But Crater's Whitney Black nailed a 3-pointer of her own from the baseline and Sarah Yager and Pool each made two free throws in the final 41 seconds of the period as the Comets stretched their lead to 21-10 after one. Denson muscled in a short jumper after collecting a loose ball and followed with a driving layup that extended Crater's advantage to 25-10 one minute into the second period. That's about the time the Comets' opponents often fold, collapsing under their press and falling victim to the shooting of Pool and Denson. But the Tornado refused to buckle. It kept the deficit to 15 points at halftime (36-21) and was still within 15 at the 1:53 mark of the third period (45-30) when Renee Miller scored her only basket off a rebound. But the Comets went on an 8-0 run to end the period as Pool converted two free throws and reserve guard Kelsey Anhorn and Yager drained long 3-pointers. The Tornado was never in contention after that. "I thought they did a good job of handling our press and making us play halfcourt basketball, which we didn't do a very good job at," Crater coach David Heard said. "Their team speed is as good as anyone we'll see in this conference, and they make some good decisions passing the ball. "What saved us was our defense. We had a goal of holding them to 10 points or less per quarter and we accomplished it." North Medford beat Crater 32-29 in a 12-minute jamboree last month, a fact that wasn't lost on Heard. "We talked about that before the game," he said. "We knew North would come in here and go at us." While Denson and Pool had big games offensively, the 3-pointers by Anhorn and Yager late in the third period were the most crucial baskets of the game. "That's what's nice about this team," Pool said. "We've got a lot of people that can hit the open shot." If only North Medford could say the same thing. NORTH MEDFORD (37) - Hodges 11, Mellbye 6, Siebenlist 3, Miller 2, Lilly 1, Rettmann 13, Seely 1, Bostwick 0, Reeves 0, Westerman 0, Gentry 0, Hwang 0. Totals: 14 6-22 37. CRATER (66) - Pool 18, Denson 17, Robertson 2, Yager 5, Kinney 2, Wiersma 6, Black 9, Anhorn 3, LeBel 2, Huntley 2. Totals: 24 11-12 66. North Medford................................... 10 11 9 7 - 37 Crater................................................. 21 15 17 13 - 66 3-point goals - North Medford 3 (Rettmann 3), Crater 5 (Black 3, Yager 1, Anhorn 1). JV score - North Medford 62, Crater 56. Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.