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South Medford boys deny Grants Pass South Medford's Jesse Higgins (42), Austin Boster (5) and Payton Owens celebrate after the Panthers defeated Grants Pass 47-45 during Southwest Conference action at South Medford High on Tuesday. [ANDY ATKINSON/MAIL TRIBUNE] Wednesday Jan 24, 2018 at 2:00 AM Jan 24, 2018 at 6:45 AM Kris Henry Mail Tribune @Kris_Henry If there ever was a night for South Medford’s boys basketball team to draw a line in the sand, Tuesday was it. Picked to finish last in the Southwest Conference in a preseason coaches poll for the first time in the league’s history, the Panthers have been out to prove they are not going to be anyone’s pushover. On Tuesday, they took a big step toward that goal … but it certainly didn’t come easy. South Medford gained the edge on visiting Grants Pass late in the third quarter and then held off a rally that included a final buzzer-beating attempt by the Cavemen for a 47-45 victory at South Medford High. The win moved the Panthers to 2-3 in SWC play and 6-10 overall, while Grants Pass dropped to 3-2 in league and 10-7 overall. “I think that this was make or break for us,” said South Medford head coach James Wightman. “If you’re 1-4 in league, where that puts you is in a tough spot moving forward.” Whatever that spot may have been, Panthers senior Robbie Patterson did his best to make sure it didn’t happen. Not known for his 3-point prowess or overall scoring, Patterson was a man on a mission against the Cavemen. The 6-foot guard drained two 3-pointers in the first quarter and finished with eight of his team’s 10 points in the frame, then added another 3-pointer in the third quarter to go with a tough driving basket for a career-high 13 points all told. Patterson entered the contest averaging 5.4 points and was a mere 5-for-12 from 3-point range for the Panthers. “Robbie’s just a warrior,” said Wightman. “His concentration level is so high. He was huge. I could just tell in his eyes before the game started that he’s a senior and this is not going to happen on his watch. He really came through.” South Medford 6-9 senior post Jesse Higgins added 12 points, six rebounds, five assists and three blocks and sophomore Austin Boster added six points, including a pivotal four-point play in the fourth quarter that gave the Panthers their largest lead at 43-37 with six minutes to play. Still, the Cavemen weren’t willing to go away quietly. Junior point guard Taylor Anderson, who finished with 13 points, seven rebounds and five assists, led a comeback that tied the game at 45 on his 3-pointer with about 90 seconds to play. South Medford provided an immediate answer when Patterson found Higgins inside and the lanky senior went to work in the paint for a go-ahead basket with 1:15 to go. Anderson then had consecutive misses in hopes of tying or overtaking the Panthers before Grants Pass forced a final turnover just beyond halfcourt to have one last shot at a comeback. With 2.8 seconds remaining, Tyler Rund found a curling Anderson, who split the defense and offered up a floating jumper that barely missed as time expired. “We got a good look at it with a kid that we want taking that shot,” said GP head coach Tyler York. “It’s just one of those situations, if we have a little bit more time who knows? But at the end of the day I’m proud of my guys. To have two starters out and come in here and just battle our tails off, I’m real proud of my guys.” Grants Pass senior Tayler Phillips (flu), who is averaging 12.4 points, and junior Randy Clark (ankle injury) were late scratches for the game. The Panthers remained without 6-foot-4 senior post Nick Randleman (knee) and senior guard Jaalen Owens (back). “We had guys step up and really play well tonight,” added York. “It’s going to make us better in the long run because we played guys that haven’t played a lot. It’s just going to make us deeper and more confident to make this late run in the league.” Rund finished with 12 points and nine rebounds and Skyler Rich had seven points for the Cavemen, who were 18-for-47 shooting (38 percent) from the field and committed eight of their 12 turnovers in the second half. “It was just one of those games where it was a little sloppy,” said York. “A lot of travels called and some untimely fouls and it was just hard to get into a rhythm sometimes.” South Medford finished 19-for-42 from the field (45 percent) and knocked down 5 of 12 beyond the arc. The Panthers did commit 11 turnovers of their own, but Wightman said he was happy to see his team continue to battle against the tough Cavemen. “This was enormous for my kids and just a confidence builder,” said the second-year coach. “I’m proud of them, they played well. They’re playing harder and they’re playing better. Now we’ve got to get back to work and see what happens in South Eugene on Friday night.” GRANTS PASS (45): Anderson 13, Rund 12, Rich 7, Lopez 6, Johnson 5, Lackey 2, Rucker 0, Coyle 0. Totals: 18-47 7-10 45. SOUTH MEDFORD (47): Patterson 13, Higgins 12, A. Boster 6, Losinski 5, Hunter 4, P. Owens 3, DeBoer 2, English 2, Fealey 0, T. Boster 0. Totals: 19-42 4-8 47. Grants Pass;11;12;10;12;—;45 South Medford;10;12;15;10;—;47 3-point goals — Grants Pass 2-10 (Rich 1, Anderson 1), South Medford 5-12 (Patterson 3, P. Owens 1, A. Boster 1). Technical fouls — Rund. JV score — South Medford 60, Grants Pass 59. Reach reporter Kris Henry at 541-776-4488, [email protected], www.facebook.com/krishenryMT or www.twitter.com/Kris_Henry