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South sticks it to Mountain View photo by Alex Szlachtianshyn Panther overcome ragged play to win their first game By Greg Stiles It�s tempting to sum up South Medford�s season-opening performance as ragged. Perhaps it was. Whatever first-game foibles plagued the Panthers Friday night, however, were easily overcome as South Medford ran visiting Mountain View ragged, 53-31. "I like the pace we played," fourth-year South Medford coach Andrea Wegner said. "We did a good job of putting pressure on them and getting the ball up the court for easy baskets." A few errant passes and off-balance shots did nothing to deter South, but the pace seemed to push the Cougars (0-2) out of their comfort zone. "We utilized our quickness," Wegner said. "And it all starts with our defense. We were capitalizing on the mistakes we forced." An 11-2 run midway through the first half put the Panthers in command and a 12-0 third-quarter run all but clinched the matter as South built an 18-point advantage. "We�re a fast team," said senior Emily Perttu. "With our skills, it�s to our advantage to keep things going and push the tempo." Perttu showed no ill effects from the knee surgery that sidelined her for her entire junior season. The swift, 5-foot-9 guard scored 18 points, mostly on the front end of fastbreaks. Whitney Grant added nine points and four assists; Karla Zenz had eight points, 10 rebounds and four steals; Amber Hunt had eight points, eight rebounds and four steals; and flu-ridden Kelly Thomas had eight points, seven steals and four assists. In all, South outrebounded Mountain View, 50-33, and forced 25 turnovers, while losing it just 13 times. "We want 10 more steals than turnovers," said Zenz. "That�s a goal every game. There may have been a few shaky points, but that�s expected in the first game." South jumped to a 7-0 lead in the first 70 seconds before Mountain View coach Bill Bauer sent in a fresh five, which pulled even with the Panthers in less than two minutes. But the Panthers went on another 7-0 run and Mountain View never got closer than four. Perttu scored on back-to-back breakaways in the final minute of the half to give South a 22-14 lead at intermission. Despite getting floored several times as she went to the hoop, Perttu popped up quickly. "I don�t think about the knee anymore," said Perttu, who wore a brace during soccer season. "I don�t wear the brace any more. When I go down, the bench worries more than I do." Perttu scored six points in the third quarter as the Panthers scored 12 straight to double the Cougars, 36-18. "We needed to come out and get rolling on the right foot," Perttu said. "We established in the (Crater) jamboree that we�re a contender this year and I hope we play that way the whole year." Emily Helmy scored 11 points to lead Mountain View, which plays North Medford today, while Bend calls on South Medford. Both games tip off at 2:45. MOUNTAIN VIEW (31) � Goeman 0, Taylor 0, Groves 2, Denfeld 0, Field 4, Berke 0, Bales 3, Helmly 11, Passage 6, Steiert 3, Thomas 2, Root 0. Totals: 13-51 3-3 31. SOUTH MEDFORD (53) � Perttu 18, Wright 2, Grant 9, Hunt 8, Berkey 0, McHenry 0, Thomas 8, Zenz 8. Totals: 23-66 7-12 53. Mountain View..............................................9 5 8 9 � 31 South Medford.........................................14 8 18 13 � 53 3-point goals � Mountain View 2 (Helmly 1, Steiert 1). JV score: South Medford 36, Mountain View 29. Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2000 Mail Tribune, Inc.