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Panthers pull past Ashland Mail Tribune / Andrew Mariman Ashland's Marla Morin (34) battles South Medford's Kirsten Gillingham, center, for a rebound in Friday's game. South's Jennifer Brennan (41) and Ashland's Abigail Gooch (10) come in to assist. South Medford junior post Kirsten Gillingham leads the charge with 22 points and 11 rebounds By Ted Burnham A tad more experience. A bit more patience. Just a little more composure. The Panther girls basketball team used all those attributes to outlast Ashland, 50-48, Friday night at South Medford High School. The lead changed nearly 20 times in the first 31/2 quarters until South post Kirsten Gillingham hit a layup to break a 42-42 tie with less than three minutes remaining. The Panthers went on to score eight unanswered points, Ashland missed a couple easy shots and free throws during the run and South held off a Grizzly charge in the final seconds for the win. Gillingham had her best game of the season, scoring eight points in the final 5:30 to end the night with 22 points and 11 rebounds. The Panthers double-teamed Grizzly post Marla Morin, the third-highest scorer in the Southern Oregon Conference, and held the junior to 11 points. The win puts the Panthers at 7-2 in the SOC. They trail only Crater (9-0) and Roseburg (8-1). Ashland (4-5) is tied for fourth place with Grants Pass. Gillingham, who blocked Morin shots twice in the second half, said stopping the Ashland standout was the key. "We were trying to contain Marla and we did," Gillingham said. "Going in, I was intimidated. But after this game, I feel like I can do better. I know I can play against other (good players)." South Medford coach Andrea Jaime concurred about the importance of stopping Morin. "I am really pleased with our defense," she said. "We are playing (aggressively) and holding most of our opponents to under 50. But we are still struggling with our offense." Ashland coach Stephanie Santos thought South's experience was the difference. "It was so well-matched," she said. "We each missed five free throws and we both had about 25 turnovers ... The difference was, they have more experience. They stepped up when they needed to. Our girls tried, but it didn't work." South's concentration on Morin opened the door for Grizzly post Julia Sobolik, who led Ashland with 15 points. Junior wing Stephanie Talbott, who was recently called up to varsity, hit three 3-pointers to end the night with 11 points. Panther senior guard Whitney Grant had three 3-pointers and scored 13 points. Freshman guard Katie Singler chipped in nine. Grant started the scoring, nailing a 3-pointer for South just 10 seconds into the game. Morin hit two free throws and Grizzly freshman Alysse Carlson hit a layup to give Ashland it's first lead, 4-3, two minutes into the contest. Gillingham hit her first basket and added a free throw to put South up, 6-4, but Sobolik struck a minute later to tie the game, 6-6. It was a back-and-forth affair for the remainder of the first half. South led five times, Ashland led four times and the game was tied twice before the end of the half, which saw the score tied, 19-19. In a defensive battle, both teams turned the ball over 14 times in the first half and neither squad shot better than 35 percent. In the second half, South jumped out to a 23-19 lead, thanks to free throws by Gillingham and Grant. Morin and Sobolik hit baskets and free throws to give Ashland the edge, 24-23, with 5:08 left in the third quarter. South led, 33-31, going into the fourth quarter, and extended its lead to 42-38 with 4:15 remaining, thanks to baskets by Gillingham and Singler. Sobolik answered with a basket and Grizzly senior Abigail Gooch hit two free throws to tie the game, 42-42, with 3:36 remaining. Gillingham, seemingly unstoppable in the fourth quarter, scored to begin the Panthers' final run. She struck again and Singler added a bucket to put South up by six points with 45 seconds remaining. Morin was fouled but missed two free throws with 40 seconds left on the clock. South guard Natasha Wright was fouled seconds later and hit her free throws to give South a 50-42 lead. It was exactly what the Panthers needed. Sobolik sunk two free throws moments later and Talbott hit a 3-pointer with 11 seconds left. Down by three, Gillingham put Morin on the line with 1.4 seconds left. She hit the first free throw, then purposely missed the second, but Gillingham grabbed the rebound to cement the victory. "I felt like we gave it our all, Talbott said. "But there are more things we need to do ... We really wanted this one, and it showed. It's frustrating, but we just have to go (into the North game) knowing we have to win." Ashland hosts North Medford (2-7 SOC) on Tuesday. Gillingham said the victory will help South play better Tuesday against Roseburg, which beat the Panthers in the first round of SOC play. "I think going into the game, we will feel more confident against Roseburg," she said. Jaime said that playing well inside will be the key to beating the Indians. "We have to defend inside," she said. "And we have to rebound. We have to control the boards." ASHLAND (48) - Gooch 2, Carlson 5, Morris 3, Talbott 11, Hansen 1, Sobolik 15, Morin 11. Totals: 16 12-17 48. SOUTH MEDFORD (50) - Wright 2, Grant 13, Ingram 0, Gillingham 22, Mueller 2, Singler 9, Brennan 2. Totals: 18 11-15 50. Ashland.................................................. 9 10 12 17 - 48 South Medford........................................8 11 14 17 - 50 3-point goals - Ashland 4 (Talbott 3, Morris 1), South 3 (Grant 2, Singler 1). Fouled out - Mueller. JV score - Ashland 57, South Medford 46. 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