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53 °F Forecast | Road Cams Friday, January 28, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Opportunities Moving to Southern Oregon? MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend January 5, 2005 North Medford senior post Michelle Westermann, left, sizes up the basket as Ashland junior post Danielle Thompson, right, defends during Tuesday�s SOC opener. Grizz stuns Tornado in SOC opener By KEVIN GOFF Mail Tribune ASHLAND — Not much went the way of the Ashland girls basketball team in nonconference play. The Grizzlies went 2-7 as they adjusted to players they lost from last year through transfers and fought to overcome injury. One thing was certain, however: Ashland was ready for a fresh start. It got it with a 47-44 upset of eighth-ranked and league-favorite North Medford Tuesday to kick off the Southern Oregon Conference campaign. Alysse Carlson, a returning first-team all-SOC pick, scored 19 points, including two 3-pointers in the final two minutes, to put Ashland ahead for good. Advertisement "Not a bad way to start," said first-year Ashland coach Ken Lathen, whose team was picked to finish second behind North by the SOC coaches. "We all had to grow and overcome a lot. I’m very pleased with the way we finished." The back-and-forth contest was still in doubt in the waning seconds. Ashland missed the front end of three straight one-and-one free-throw opportunities over the final 35 seconds to keep the Black Tornado alive. But North missed on its last three attempts from beyond the arc, including Kailey Bostwick’s leaning 3-point effort to tie it that bounded off the rim as the final horn sounded. "(The close win) just shows the kind of heart this team has," said Carlson, a senior guard. "We knew we didn’t play as well as we could have in the preseason. "North Medford is a great team, but this is our home court, and we had to defend it." Making the task of knocking off the Tornado — Ashland’s third ranked opponent this season — even more difficult was a short bench the Grizzlies had to work with. Starting junior post Tess Golling missed the game due to illness. Ashland, which lost three players heading into the season to transfer, was also without the services of reserve guard/forward Rheana Laipply, who is out for the season after tearing her ACL one week ago. "We’ve had some bad luck," said Lathen, "but we’ve got some girls with a lot of character on this team." Ashland showed from the get-go that it was more than a 2-7 squad. The Grizzlies (3-7, 1-0 SOC) clawed back from a six-point deficit in the second quarter to send the game into the half tied at 21-all. North Medford (9-2, 0-1) trailed by as many as eight (33-25) early in the third period before finding its rhythm against Ashland’s zone defense. The Tornado forced three consecutive turnovers midway through the third stanza, and turned those miscues into a 9-2 spurt to end the period. Ashland’s lead vanished when Mellisa Eastwold opened the fourth quarter with a layup for a 36-35 edge — North’s first advantage since 21-20. Bostwick followed with a 3 from the corner and Megan Ross made 1 of 2 free throws to put the Tornado ahead 40-35 and prompt a timeout from Lathen. "I was thinking we’d darn well better shoot and defend a little better or we’re going to lose this thing," he said. Lathen also stressed the need to get the ball back in the hands of senior post Abeni Hill, who had scored six points in the third quarter. The move worked, as Hill connected from point-blank range right out of the timeout to stem the North run. A Bailey Hasty jumper at the 3-minute mark brought Ashland within 43-41, and Carlson proceeded to put the Grizzlies ahead to stay with a pull-up 3-pointer a minute and a half later. "I didn’t even know the score," said Carlson of her momentum-changing shot. "It’s a little risky to take a shot like that but coach says if you have an open shot, then take it. And I did." Junior guard Jaime Roupp dumped in nine points and hauled in eight rebounds for Ashland. Hill also grabbed eight boards, while Hasty led the way with four steals. North Medford, which suffered its first defeat since a 12-point setback to second-ranked Lakeridge one week ago, was led by Eastwold’s 14 points and Bostwick added 11. The Tornado stayed close despite shooting just 7 of 16 from the free-throw line and missing several close-range shots at the game’s outset. "I think we need to understand that we’re going to get everybody’s best effort," said North coach Tim Karrick. "Ashland brought more to the table with their intensity. We just picked a bad night to not play real well." NORTH MEDFORD (44) — Bostwick 11, Seeley 8, Westermann 9, Eastwold 14, Schultz 1, Ross 1, Mautz 0, Hodnett 0. Totals: 16 7-16 44. ASHLAND (47) — Hasty 7, Roupp 9, Carlson 19, Hill 8, Thompson 4, McDermott 0, Sohl 0. Totals: 19 5-11 47. North Medford..........................10 11 13 10 — 44 Ashland.......................................9 12 14 12 — 47 3-point goals — North Medford 5 (Bostwick 3, Seeley 2), Ashland 4 (Carlson 3, Roupp 1). Fouled out — Seeley. JV result — North Medford won. Reach reporter Kevin Goff at 776-4483 or e-mail [email protected] . Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? 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