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North, South boys face tough road By Kevin Goff As the Southern Oregon Conference boys basketball season heads down the stretch, North Medford got good news while South Medford prepares for a tough road. The two teams are tied for third in the SOC at 6-3 and each meets one of the top two teams tonight. North Medford is host to No. 9-ranked Roseburg, which shares first in the SOC with Grants Pass at 8-1. South Medford, which plays four straight league games on the road, starts the stretch at No. 3 Grants Pass. Both games are at 7 p.m. North hosts the Indians in the first of four consecutive home games and will do so with the services of guard Mike Olson. Olson, who missed the majority of the conference schedule, returned to practice Monday with a brace replacing the cast that had covered his broken right hand. "Mike�s going to see limited action (tonight)," said North Medford coach Gene Quilhaugh of the 6-foot senior. "He�s handled the ball fairly well, but it�s going to take him a while to get back. "He broke his right hand and he�s a right-handed player." Olson, who will spell point guard Brian Weeks, gives the Black Tornado a much-needed extra ball handler and perimeter defender against Roseburg, which won the first meeting at home, 70-54, in the third conference game for both squads. In the first meeting, North held the lead at halftime and limited 6-foot-7 post Joe Newton to six points. The Indians, however, stormed back behind Newton�s 19 second-half points and cruised to the victory. "Joe Newton has torn us apart the last two years," said Quilhaugh. "We don�t match up with him sizewise, so we�re going to have to put pressure on the guards and help down." For South Medford to exact revenge for its 49-39 loss to Grants Pass earlier in the season, it must find the hoop. In the first meeting, the Panthers took 55 but made only 11 for a 20 percent. "What we�ve got to do is figure out a way to relax and just play," said South Medford coach Dennis Murphy. "Defensively, we played well enough to stay in it. Hopefully we can go over and just relax." South Medford did hold down last year�s SOC player of the year, Ian Elseth, limiting the 6-foot-7 post to nine points. "We hope to come out sharper," said Murphy. "We�re capable of doing much better from the field. "The kids are wanting to do that, and they aren�t shooting to miss." In other SOC boys games, Klamath Union is at Crater, and Ashland hosts Eagle Point. In SOC girls action, North Medford travels to Roseburg, Grants Pass is at South Medford, Klamath Union hosts Crater and Ashland is at Eagle Point. All game times are 7 p.m. Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.