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South off the mark in setback Mail Tribune/Andrew Mariman Eric Fiegi of South Medford, left, battles Joe Newton of Roseburg By Greg Stiles Can�t blame this one on defense. The rebounding was respectable. Turnovers weren�t a major factor. And free throws weren�t the story. The salient point in explaining South Medford�s 51-38 Southern Oregon Conference boys basketball loss to Roseburg Tuesday night was the Panthers� inability to score from the field. South sank just 15 of 59 shots, including 1 of 16 from behind the 3-point arc. Had the Panthers been able to nurse a half-dozen more field goals through the hoop, they may well have been sharing second place with Roseburg. Instead, they now trail the Indians by two games with six to play. "We haven�t shot 30 percent in our five losses this season," South Medford coach Dennis Murphy. "When you don�t shoot 30 percent, you don�t give yourself a chance to win. "Eventually, we�ve got to reach a point where we step up mentally and start making shots." The Panthers (13-5, 5-3 SOC) played good enough defense to earn five-second counts on inbounds plays and 10-second counts with their press. "We held them to 51 points, and what we want do is to hold them to 56," says senior wing Craig Tomlins. "We�ve been on a (four-game) winning streak where we�ve been shooting 45 to 50 percent every game. But in the two big games we�ve played at home, we�re shooting 25 percent. I don�t know if it�s concentration or what." Roseburg (13-4, 7-1 SOC) had a clear height advantage and got another big effort from 6-foot-7 junior post Joe Newton, who scored 17 points � 13 in the second half � and snared 15 rebounds to go with three blocked shots. But the Panthers outrebounded the Tribe, 40-32, and had 18 offensive rebounds. "They don�t shoot extremely well, but they are as good of an offensive-rebounding team as there is in the state," Roseburg coach Mike Pardon said. "They had a couple that hurt us." Nonetheless, the Indians led by as many as 14 points in the second quarter before Tomlins converted a three-point play with a second remaining to pull South within 27-17 at the intermission. The Panthers were 6 of 26 (.231) from the field in the first half. Eric Fiegi, who has been scoring 18 points an outing, and Ryan Heil, who has been netting 17 per game, combined for 15. Heil led the Panthers with nine points and the 6-8 Fiegi had six to go with six blocked shots and six rebounds. "We wanted to keep Heil out of the paint and not let him drive the middle," said Roseburg�s Kerry Hall. "And we didn�t want to give him open 3s." Hall had four assists and two steals to go with 10 points, including a pair of 3-pointers. The 5-foot-11 freshman wasn�t even in the preseason mix. But injuries put him on the varsity, and when senior guards Ole Sheldon and Mike McInerney were dismissed from the team, Hall soon found himself in a starting role. "I think the kids have shown great resiliency," Pardon said. "It hasn�t always been easy, and they could�ve easily packed it in with what they�ve had to go through." "The bottom line is that I�m going to play the best player in each position and I don�t care what their age is. I would�ve liked to have taken a little longer to get (Hall) in the line-up. He�s really stepped up, and he�s a competitor." Despite the horrific shooting, South matched Roseburg�s competitiveness and made a charge in the final 3� minutes of the third quarter. After Newton dropped in two free throws to make it 35-21 with 3:29 to play, South went on a 9-0 run as Heil scored five points, Pat Lower knocked down a shot from the baseline and Fiegi hit a layin to make it 35-30 with 1:03 to play in the period. But an untimely turnover halted the streak, and Newton connected on one of two free throws to stop the bleeding with four seconds. Jered Moss, who finished with 12 points for the Indians, scored two quick baskets to start the fourth quarter and South never got closer than nine the rest of the way. "We�ve been playing good enough defense," said South senior John McKay. "We�ve just got to figure out our shooting." ROSEBURG (51) � Walker 3, Moss 12, Williams 3, Osborn 4, Garrelts 2, Hall 10, Newton 17. Totals: 18-44 10-13 51. SOUTH MEDFORD (38) � Tomlins 5, Lower 2, Smith 2, Heil 9, McKay 6, Mulhollen 4, Johnson 0, Marshall 4, Fiegi 6. Totals: 15-59 7-9 38. Roseburg...............................................10 17 9 15 � 51 South Medford........................................6 11 13 8 � 38 3-point goals � Roseburg 5-12 (Walker 1, Moss 2, Hall 2). South Medford 1-16 (Heil 1). JV score � South Medford 56, Roseburg 45. Reach reporter Greg Stiles at 776-4483, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2000 Mail Tribune, Inc.