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Varsity 541 NEWS NOW Crews encircle Cleveland Ridge fire ... Lawnridge Street fire levels house, sends man to hospital with burns ... Truck crashes, spills gravel into road in east Medford ... Crews encircle Cleveland Ridge fire ... Lawnridge Street fire levels house, sends man to hospital with burns ... Truck crashes, spills gravel into road in east Medford ... GIRLS BASKETBALL South settles for sixth Panthers fall to McNary in overtime at 6A state tourney Comment By Kris Henry Mail Tribune Follow @@Kris_Henry MailTribune.com By Kris Henry Mail Tribune Follow @@Kris_Henry Posted Mar. 12, 2016 at 5:25 PM Updated Mar 13, 2016 at 12:42 AM By Kris Henry Mail Tribune Follow @@Kris_Henry Posted Mar. 12, 2016 at 5:25 PM Updated Mar 13, 2016 at 12:42 AM --> McNary 57, South Medford 52, OT RECAP: South Medford senior Julissa Tago totals 26 points, six rebounds and two blocks and Jasmin Falls adds 15 points, 11 rebounds and three blo... » Read more X McNary 57, South Medford 52, OT RECAP : South Medford senior Julissa Tago totals 26 points, six rebounds and two blocks and Jasmin Falls adds 15 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks but McNary holds the Panthers scoreless in overtime in the fourth-place final. OF NOTE : The Southwest Conference champion Panthers wrap up their season 25-5 and earn a state trophy for the fourth time in the past five years. » Social News PORTLAND — State-concluding games have been a nemesis for South Medford seniors Julissa Tago and Jasmin Falls ever since their Panther careers began, and that form held true again despite a valiant effort against McNary here Saturday at the Chiles Center. As freshmen and sophomores, Tago and Falls had their championship hopes dashed in the Class 6A girls basketball state final. Last year, they didn’t even get to see a Saturday game. Like all the Panthers, Tago and Falls had high hopes this time in their final go-round, but the hungry Celtics had other plans in Saturday’s fourth-place final. McNary, the No. 8 seed, got off to a fast start and was able to counteract every South Medford surge with key baskets in the early morning affair, eventually holding the second-seeded Panthers scoreless in overtime to gain a 57-52 win. “I think we just came out and had the best intentions and obviously we played hard, we just couldn’t finish,” said Falls, who had 15 points, 11 rebounds and three blocked shots. “Obviously it’s incredibly tough and not what we wanted but I’m proud of my team. I’ll always love them and I’m excited for the future for them.” The sixth-place trophy proved to be the fourth state trophy earned in five years for South Medford (25-5). For their efforts, Tago and Falls were each named to the 6A all-tournament second team. Falls led the tournament at 18.7 points per game and in blocked shots (12) and was third in rebounding (11.7 per game), while Tago was third in scoring (16.0 ppg) and second in rebounding (13.7 rpg). McNary (23-6) held a 40-38 lead entering the fourth quarter but Tago was undeterred in bringing her team back in the fourth quarter. With Falls sidelined by four fouls, the 5-foot-9 guard scored eight straight points for the Panthers in every way imaginable to give her team a 46-43 edge with 4:45 to play. The Hawaii-bound Tago scored 12 of her team’s 14 fourth-quarter points and finished with a game-high 26 points to go with six rebounds and two blocks despite being slowed by a foot injury. “I didn’t want to lose,” Tago said of her late-game heroics. “I wanted to win for my team but, instead, some things don’t work out how we want them. I’m thankful for my team, they found me in open spots.” After one free throw by Lauren Orndoff pushed South Medford’s advantage to 47-43, McNary found an answer as it did all morning in the form of Madi Hingston, who dropped in consecutive 3-pointers to push her team ahead 49-47 with three minutes to go. Missed free throws on both sides kept the outcome in doubt down the stretch before McNary used two Hingston free throws to build a 52-49 edge with 16.7 seconds remaining. South Medford got the ball in Tago’s hands, as it did in Wednesday’s state quarterfinal loss to Canby, and this time the senior was pure on a 3-pointer from the corner to help send the game into overtime. “It felt good when I let it go,” said Tago, “but I also thought I was going to airball it because it felt kind of light off my hands, but it went in. Those are shots we practice over and over again and it went in for me thankfully.” Instead of being able to carry that momentum into the extra four-minute session, the Panthers simply couldn’t find another push to the finish. Three interior misses by South and three free throws by McNary put the Panthers again in a bind down 55-52 with 20 seconds to go. The Panthers worked the ball around and ultimately got a good look at a tying 3-pointer by Orndoff but it bounced off the rim and into the Celtics’ hands to close out the contest. “We just couldn’t get stops when we needed them and rebounds,” said Tago, whose team was outrebounded 45-31 by the taller Celtics. “And if we would’ve made all our free throws (3-for-6 in the fourth quarter, 8-for-14 overall) it would’ve been a different game, but it just wasn’t our day.” Orndoff finished with six points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals while fellow junior Jonnay Foote had three points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals for the Panthers. “I knew they wouldn’t go down without an effort,” said South Medford head coach Tom Cole of his team’s back-and-forth battle with McNary. “They wanted to win and I think it says a lot about their character, it’s just the ball didn’t bounce our way today. It wasn’t because they didn’t give an effort. McNary beat us in some spots and credit goes to a team that makes those big shots.” After the game ins and outs were complete, Cole couldn’t help but lament the last run at South Medford for the likes of seniors Tago, Falls and Jeryka Johnson, who was also slowed by a foot injury at the state tourney. “While the loss is disappointing, it’s also a reflection of loss because you lose some kids you’ve been extremely close to for a long time,” said Cole. “That probably hurts the worst.” MCNARY (23-6) Madi Hingston 7-16 4-5 24, Kailey Doutt 3-13 3-5 9, Sydney Hunter 2-9 4-6 8, Kaelie Flores 3-9 2-4 8, Reina Strand 2-5 2-2 6, Paige Downer 0-2 2-2 2, Jaylene Montano 0-1 0-0 0. Totals: 17-55 17-24 57. SOUTH MEDFORD (25-5) Juli Tago 12-23 1-2 26, Jasmin Falls 6-10 3-5 15, Lauren Orndoff 1-10 4-7 6, Jonnay Foote 1-3 0-0 3, Ula Chamberlin 1-7 0-0 2, Jeryka Johnson 0-0 0-0 0, Shyanne O'Brien-Long 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 21-53 8-14 52. McNary;13;14;13;12;5;—;57 South Medford;11;16;11;14;0;—;52 3-point goals — McNary 6-17 (Madi Hingston 6-10, Kailey Doutt 0-3, Sydney Hunter 0-1, Kaelie Flores 0-1, Paige Downer 0-1, Jaylene Montano 0-1), South Medford 2-11 (Juli Tago 1-3, Jonnay Foote 1-2, Lauren Orndoff 0-2, Ula Chamberlin 0-4). Rebounds — McNary 45 (Madi Hingston 13), South Medford 31 (Jasmin Falls 11). Assists — McNary 11 (Kaelie Flores 5), South Medford 6 (Jonnay Foote 3). Total fouls — McNary 12, South Medford 19. 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 Mar. 12, 2016 at 5:25 PM Updated Mar 13, 2016 at 12:42 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... Varsity 541 Photos Coach K Summer Competition at SOU U19 Memorial Day Challenge North Medford vs. Grant State Track & Field 6A-6 SWC District Championships 5A-3 Midwestern League Districts - Day 1 » More Photo Galleries Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications | Contact Us | Advertise | © Copyright Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.