Document text
Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend January 28, 2006 Southern Oregon�s RaShawn McAllister attempts a layup as Warner Pacific�s Josh Jackson defends Friday at McNeal Pavilion in Ashland. Warner Pacific won the game 69-65. Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli Raiders suffer setback By DON HUNT Mail Tribune ASHLAND — Two head-to-head matchups. Two overtimes. Two Warner Pacific victories over Southern Oregon. Freshman point guard Nate Menefee scored a game-high 22 points as the 15th-ranked Knights posted a hard-fought, 69-65 overtime victory over the No. 3 Raiders Friday night at McNeal Pavilion. Warner Pacific handed SOU an 81-73 overtime loss on Dec. 30 in Portland, but Friday’s victory was more meaningful. It marked the Knights’ first successful trip to Ashland since the school reinstated basketball seven years ago (they were 0-6), and it moved them within a half-game of first place in the Cascade Conference. SOU (20-4, 9-3 Cascade) holds a half-game lead over Warner Pacific (18-5, 8-3) with Oregon Tech (19-5, 8-4) lurking another half-game back following its stunning loss to Cascade Friday. "This was a must-win for us," said Warner Pacific senior forward Donny Woods, who muscled his way inside for 13 points, six rebounds and four steals. "We needed this win to keep alive our hopes of getting to the national tournament. Advertisement "We knew it was going to be tough — we’ve never won on this floor — but we got the job done at crunch time." Senior wing RaShawn McAllister led Southern Oregon with 19 points and senior All-American center Shea Washington had 17 points and nine rebounds. But Washington was just 5-for-13 from the field as the Knights blanketed him from all sides in their 2-3 zone defense. "We worked all week (in practice) sealing the middle because that guy (Washington) is a monster down low," Woods said. "He’ll kill you on the glass if you don’t screen him out. I thought we did a good job with that, especially in the overtime." Warner Pacific appeared to have the game wrapped up in regulation, leading 55-50 with 1:19 remaining following a layup by 6-7 senior post Jeff Eischen. But McAllister drilled a 3-pointer from the right wing with 50 seconds left, and Washington knifed inside for a layup with 7.7 seconds remaining that tied the game at 55-all. The Knights still had an opportunity to triumph in regulation, but Scott Gallagher’s 12-foot jumper from the base line went in-and-out as time expired. In the overtime, Woods and Menefee drained two free throws each and Josh Jackson sank a long trey as Warner Pacific catapulted to a 62-56 advantage midway through the five-minute session. SOU never recovered, largely because the Knights made 11 of 12 free throws in the extra period. Warner Pacific coach Bart Valentine credited his team’s full-court pressure with turning the game in its favor. The Raiders held a 21-13 lead 13 minutes into the game, but the Knights went on a 16-6 run the rest of the half to take a 29-27 lead at the intermission. SOU had 10 turnovers, most of them coming against the press, in the first half. "We got some steals and some transition baskets, and we also caused them to go deep into the shot clock even when they beat our press," Valentine said. "It certainly worked to our advantage. We’ve got some quick kids." None quicker than Menefee, a 5-11, 165-pound dynamo from Timberline High in Lacey, Wash. Menefee sped to the basket for several layups and had five steals to go with his 22 points. Jackson chipped in 12 points and Gallagher 10 for Warner Pacific. "We didn’t execute our press break in the first half and that cost us the game," Southern Oregon coach Brian McDermott said. "We didn’t move to open spots, and we didn’t attack the thing when we got the ball to our end of the floor." All three of SOU’s conference losses have come in overtime — two to Warner Pacific and one to Oregon Tech. "These losses are painful," said McDermott, who looked mentally exhausted 20 minutes after the game. "But we’re still in first place. We’ve just got to take care of business (tonight at home against Cascade) and keep fighting. It’s a long season." WARNER PACIFIC (18-5) Menefee 8-15 4-4 22, Jackson 5-12 1-2 12, Gallagher 1-5 9-10 11, Woods 4-10 5-6 13, Eischen 3-5 0-0 6, Montgomery 0-1 0-0 0, Perry 1-3 1-4 3, Oury 0-0 0-0 0, Stewart 1-3 0-2 2. Totals: 23-54 20-28 69. SOUTHERN OREGON (20-4) Farley 3-9 1-2 9, Washington 5-13 7-8 17, McAllister 7-15 2-2 19, Cowell 3-5 1-2 7, Williams 2-7 3-4 7, Krasowski 0-0 0-0 0, Ward 1-3 0-0 2, Espinoza 1-3 0-0 2, Moore 1-3 0-0 2. Totals: 23-58 14-18 65. Halftime — Warner Pacific, 29-27. Regulation — Warner Pacific 55, Southern Oregon 55. 3-point goals — Warner Pacific 3-17 (Menefee 2-3, Jackson 1-3, Gallagher 0-2, Woods 0-4, Eischen 0-2, Montgomery 0-1, Perry 0-2), Southern Oregon 5-19 (Farley 2-7, McAllister 3-5, Cowell 0-2, Williams 0-1, Ward 0-2, Espinoza 0-2). Fouled out — Ward. Rebounds — Warner Pacific 30 (Gallagher 6, Woods 6), Southern Oregon 41 (Williams 11). Assists — Warner Pacific 11 (Gallagher 4, Woods 4), Southern Oregon 18 (Farley 9). Totals fouls — Warner Pacific 16, Southern Oregon 20. A — 725. Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker Custom Build Computers Computer Security Discount Hotel Reservations Casinos Canada dvd-r Generic Viagra Myspace Windermere Van Vleet Deep Muscle Stimulator Sports Equipment Online Casino Reviews Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Online Casino Fundraisers Student Loans Sudoku Online Advertisement s