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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Advertisement Email Story to a Friend February 15, 2006 South Medford post Kendall Gielow, right, powers a shot over Ashland�s Ryan Pittman on Tuesday. Panthers clinch No. 1 spot By KEVIN GOFF Mail Tribune South Medford celebrated at least a share of the Southern Oregon Conference boys basketball title in style Tuesday night at South Medford High. Kyle Singler threw a block party, while Myles Daley and the rest of the top-ranked Panthers feasted on whatever point guard Michael Harthun was serving as South rolled by Ashland, 71-36, to secure the conference’s No. 1 seed and clinch at least a share of the SOC title. The Panthers (21-1, 12-0 SOC) have now won at least a share of five straight conference championships. "It’s quite an accomplishment," said South coach Dennis Murphy of his team’s recent run. "Now I just hope we can translate some of this to March 1 (first round of the state playoffs)." South Medford can clinch the league title outright on Friday with a victory over Roseburg or a loss by second-place Grants Pass. Advertisement The Grizzlies (10-13, 4-8 SOC) must win their final two games and hope for two straight losses from Klamath Union to force a fourth-place tie for the final state-playoff berth. Every Panther found different ways to contribute to the lopsided victory Tuesday. Singler blocked seven shots to go with his game-high 23 points and 10 rebounds. Harthun had 13 of the Panthers’ 22 assists, Daley scored a season-high 15 points and every South player to touch the court found the scoring column. "I was having a good time out there," said Harthun, a sophomore, who scored only two points but finished with his second-best assist total this season. "I don’t have to score to be effective. I like setting up my teammates and helping them get better scoring opportunities." Daley was the main recipient in the first quarter. The 6-foot-7 senior wing scored five of his nine points in the opening 2½ minutes to spark an 11-0 burst. "I was just moving off the ball and Mike was finding me," said Daley, who entered the game averaging eight per contest in the SOC. "Our scoring is so spread out because we have so many weapons. We do a great job of sharing." Ashland senior guard Sam Littleton banked in a 3-pointer at the first-quarter buzzer to trim South’s lead to 21-10, but Singler drilled a 3 of his own, then followed two free throws from Kendall Gielow with back-to-back buckets to push the advantage to 30-13. Singler finished off the 15-5 run to start the second period with a dunk off a lob from Harthun. The two hooked up again in flashy fashion midway through the fourth quarter when Harthun intercepted a pass at halfcourt, wiggled through traffic and zipped a behind-the-back pass on the money to a cutting Singler for a two-handed dunk. The South Medford lead grew to 42 points (68-26) with 5:30 left before Murphy emptied his bench. The Grizzlies were outrebounded 38-16 and shot just 16 of 41 (39 percent) against the taller Panthers. "There are mismatches all the way around," said Ashland coach Rick Cornelius. "It comes down to taking the air out of the ball and setting up possessions in the halfcourt. I thought we got some good looks. I was actually pretty pleased with how we played. "South has a bunch of race horses. You just try to not get your doors blown off." Ashland lost its top scorer, Josh Cornelius, in the second quarter when the senior wing hit the floor hard while lunging for a rebound. He suffered a cut on his chin, a mild concussion and left to get X-rays at halftime on his arm. Gielow added 10 points for South, while Rory Blanche scored nine to lead Ashland. ASHLAND (36) — Costantino 6, Blanche 9, Hartzell 0, Javna 2, Clement 2, Littleton 7, Reinstedt 2, Cornelius 1, Pittman 7, Raymond 0, Lipski 0, Ramos 0. Totals: 16-41 2-10 36. SOUTH MEDFORD (71) — Stanek 3, Harthun 2, Anderson 3, DeSimone 4, E.J. Singler 2, Grimes 2, Johnson 7, K. Singler 23, Gielow 10, Daley 15. Totals: 31-57 5-10 71. Ashland.........................................10 8 6 12 — 36 South Medford..........................21 19 18 13 — 71 3-point goals — Ashland 2 (Blanche 1, Littleton 1), South Medford 4 (Daley 1, K. Singler 1, Stanek 1, Anderson 1). Technical foul — K. Singler. JV score — South Medford 58, Ashland 50. Reach reporter Kevin Goff at 776-4483 or e-mail Panthers clinch No. 1 spot ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. 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