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Benson ends South�s run PORTLAND � South Medford set the stage for an improbable upset Saturday night, only to have Benson drop the curtain with an outstanding second half in the third round of the Class 4A boys basketball playoffs. With a game plan to keep tight reins on the third-ranked Techmen, the Panthers did just that as Benson went into halftime with a mere 30-26 lead. A quick basket in the third quarter cut South�s deficit to two points, but that seemed to ignite, rather than deflate, the PIL squad. A 9-0 run helped Benson reclaim its advantage. A 17-4 run helped the Techmen earn a spot in the state tournament with a 77-56 romp past the Panthers. "We were down four at the half and thought we were OK," said South Medford coach Dennis Murphy. "The next thing you know, they�re on a 17-4 run and the game was probably over." Benson, which shares the No. 3 state ranking with Jesuit, improved to 20-5, while South, the No. 3 seed from the Southern Oregon Conference, capped its season at 20-6. Benson has won 15 of its last 17 games � with both losses coming in league to top-ranked Jefferson. "We told our kids at the start of the season that you don�t want to be third in the league because you�ll have to go through Benson, and that�s not what you want to do," said Murphy. "In my opinion, they�re a top-four team. We�ll see what happens when the seedings come out (today), but they should be up there." Darren Cooper scored 21 points and Drew Dukeshire had 14 to lead Benson. Ryan Heil had 18 points and four assists and Jared Mulhollen had 14 for the Panthers. Mulhollen dropped in the first five Panther points of the game to give South a much-needed third offensive weapon besides Heil and 6-foot-8 post Eric Fiegi. The senior Mulhollen drained four of South�s six 3-pointers on the night. "Jared stepped up and made some shots for us which we needed to do," said Murphy. Unfortunately, those shots weren�t there for any of the Panthers in the second half. "We needed some things to happen for us to dig back into it, and they didn�t," said Murphy. "We just missed some shots, and they transitioned real well. They�re so darn quick, and we don�t see that kind of quickness in our league." The Techmen also took care of business with pinpoint shooting in the second half, scoring 47 points on 14 of 25 from the field and 12 of 14 from the free-throw line. "We thought we could defend pretty well, but we gave up 47 points in the second half, and I don�t think that�s defending very well," said Murphy. "We played hard, but the better team won. That�s what it amounts to." The Panthers struggled to get the ball down low to Fiegi for much of the game, and when they did, Benson�s 6-8 center, Martin Moore, forced the South junior into a 3-for-9 effort from the field. Fiegi finished with nine points and four blocked shots, while Moore also had nine points for the Techmen. SOUTH MEDFORD (56) � Heil 18, Tomlins 2, Lower 2, McKay 5, Mulhollen 14, Johnson 2, Marshall 4, Fiegi 9, Smith 0, Hilgendorf 0, Olson 0, Burnett 0. Totals: 21-59 8-16 56. BENSON (77) � Cooper 21, Lambert 2, Allen 2, Norris 8, Wyatt 11, Eisele 4, Harrison 4, Moore 9, Dukeshire 14, Harvey 0, Sanders 0, Tillery 2. Totals: 25-49 20-25 77. South Medford.....................................13 13 11 19 � 56 Benson..................................................16 14 23 24 � 77 3-point goals � South Medford 6 (Mulhollen 4, McKay 1, Heil 1), Benson 5 (Norris 2, Cooper 3). Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.