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South one win from tourney photo by Drew Fleming South Medford guard Steve Hilgendorf, left, drives around David Douglas' Jon Miller. Despite slow beginning, it knocks off David Douglas By DAVID DAUGHERTY There is no substitute for playoff experience, and for 16 minutes, the South Medford boys basketball team played the part of a team which only has one player with any playoff minutes. But in the end Thursday night at the Pawlowski Athletic Center, the Panthers shook off their nerves and notched a 64-57 Class 4A sub-tournament playoff victory over Portland's David Douglas High. The victory earns South a trip to West Linn for a Saturday tilt against the Lions, the No. 2 representative from the Three Rivers League, with a berth to the state tournament on the line. It was evident early that South (14-10) had a case of the playoff jitters. The Panthers opened the first quarter making only 4 of 21 field goals. "I was surprised we shot so poorly," said South coach Dennis Murphy. "This was the first playoff game for all but one of our kids (guard Steve Hilgendorf). Though the games are not supposed to be different, they are." While the offense misfired, the Panthers' defense kept the contest close at the end of the first period, 11-8. photo by Drew Fleming John McKay, left, and David Kime rebound for South. "We defended well," said Murphy. "We told the kids in the first period if we could just make a basket, we would be fine and dandy." The South offense continued to miss its mark in the second period. But a combination of defense and just enough offense kept the David Douglas lead at three, 24-21, at the half. "We got all the shots we wanted in the first half," said forward Ethan Wallenberg referring to South's 8-for-34 first-half shooting. "It was a combination of nerves and the playoff game, but we picked things up." "Our goal was to not let their inside people shoot where they normally shoot," said David Douglas coach Stan Woodfill, whose team finished the season with a 15-10 mark. "When you're our size, you have to play good defense." After the intermission, Wallenberg and the Panthers started to come to life. The 6-foot-4 senior slashed his way to the hoop for eight third-quarter points. "I just got the ball in positions where I only had one man to beat," said Wallenberg, who finished with 17 points. "I can go over just about anyone, so I just drove in for the layins." South also received a spark from an unlikely source in 6-7 sophomore post Eric Fiegi, who corralled four rebounds, two steals and two blocked shots in the third period with starting center Nick Decker on the bench. "He (Fiegi) played smart," said Murphy. "He bothered some shots. It was a good sign to see him just step up and play." For almost three quarters, the Scots put the clamps on Hilgendorf, who was held scoreless in the first half. But the senior point guard's first points of the night a key 3-pointer late in the third, was a prelude of things to come. Hilgendorf's 3-pointer tied the contest at 38 and when reserve Damian Rasmussen scored on a layin at the third period horn, South had its first lead of the night, 40-38. "That basket was huge," said Murphy. "That swung the momentum in our favor and brought the crowd back into the game." "Once we got the lead we knew we would win," said Wallenberg. "When Damian hit that shot it really set us up." Hilgendorf came to life in the final period, as the senior tallied 10 of his 14 second-half points in the final period. "I told him he had to step up and look to score," said Murphy of his floor general. "He just relaxed and let his instincts take over." "Their point guard did such a good job tonight of pushing things up the court," said Woodfill of Hilgendorf, who also dished out 10 assists. "The difference tonight was him and the rest of his teammates that can run like gazelles." Even when the Panthers started to fire on all cylinders, the Scots refused to go down quietly. Guards Josh Rist and Jeremy Walker, who both finished with 18 points, kept things close with clutch 3-pointers. Rist was a particular thorn in South's side all night, connecting on 4 of 8 3-pointers on the night, but none in the final few minutes. "He missed some shots down the stretch he normally makes," said Woodfill of Rist. "He really didn't get to show his range tonight, but his presence did open things up for other guys." "We should have put Hilgy on him all night," said Murphy of his guard that blanketed Rist in the second half. "I made the mistake of not taking our press off sooner. When I finally did it allowed up to get back on defense faster." Though David Douglas put up a gallant fight down the stretch, the Panthers ensured their victory by scoring on nine of their final 10 possessions. "We finally got things going," said Murphy. "It's hard to play a playoff game, but we'll definitely have our hands full on Saturday." Decker, who was ice-cold from the field in the first half, going 2 of 9, finished the night with 12 points and 10 rebounds. DAVID DOUGLAS (57) -- Rist 18, Lowery 2, Miller 7, Biehl 0, Walker 18, Ridgeway 0, O'Neal 4, Hardy 4, Heppner 4. Totals: 18-46 14-15 57. SOUTH MEDFORD (64) -- Hilgendorf 14, Heil 7, McKay 2, Rasmussen 4, Wallenberg 17, Mulhollen 2, Grant 2, Kime 2, Decker 12, Fiegi 2. Totals: 24-61 14-19 64. David Douglas ............11 13 14 19 -- 57 South Medford .............8 13 19 24 -- 64 3-point goals -- David Douglas 7-19 (Rist 4-8, Miller 1-4, Walker 2-3, O'Neal 0-1, Hardy 0-3; South Medford 3-8 (Hilgendorf 2-5, McKay 0-2, Decker 1-1). 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