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PREP BASKETBALL South Medford unanimous choice to win SWC title Nationally ranked South features strong cast Comment By Dan Jones Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Dan Jones Mail Tribune Posted Dec. 12, 2014 at 8:52 PM Updated Dec 13, 2014 at 12:11 AM By Dan Jones Mail Tribune Posted Dec. 12, 2014 at 8:52 PM Updated Dec 13, 2014 at 12:11 AM » Social News The South Medford girls basketball team skipped the soft opening to the 2014-15 season, instead kicking things off in grand fashion at an invitational in La Jolla, Calif., that featured strong programs from around the nation. Later this winter, the Panthers will play in the West Coast Jamboree in Lafayette, Calif., and in the Nike Hoop Hall of Fame Classic in Springfield, Mass., the birthplace of basketball. If you’re hoping to catch South at home, you’ll get seven chances — all conference contests, beginning Jan. 9 against Thurston. Based on preseason voting by Southwest Conference coaches, it appears the Panthers will be well worth the price of admission. South — ranked 17th nationally in the preseason MaxPreps poll — was the unanimous favorite to win the eight-team league. Sheldon came in second, Roseburg third, Willamette fourth, South Eugene fifth, North Medford sixth, Grants Pass seventh and Thurston last. The Panthers’ recent resume is exceptional: They have appeared in the last three 6A finals — winning in 2012 — and are in search of a fifth straight trip to the state tournament. South owns four straight undefeated league seasons (50-0), with their last conference loss coming on Feb. 17, 2010. The star-studded roster includes two seniors who have signed with NCAA Division I schools, a junior with at least two dozen scholarship offers and several others who appear primed to play at the next level. For South head coach Tom Cole’s part, he strived to match his personnel with the appropriate challenge. The Panthers’ biggest boost so far has been the rapid development of returning starters Lauren Orndoff (a sophomore) and Jasmin Falls (junior) and the emergence of first-year varsity player Hannah Washington, a sophomore. All can fill numerous roles around the bucket, and all have turned heads early on. And then there is Julissa Tago — an electrifying junior guard with offers from at least 25 DI schools — and the Pepperdine-bound Keyari Sleezer (senior), South’s linchpins. The program’s X-factor is senior Andee Ritter, who missed most of last year with a knee injury. Cole has incorporated the UC Davis-bound star cautiously thus far, keeping her to around 15 minutes off the bench. She was cleared to play by doctors in mid November and, at full strength, can make as big an impact as anybody. “Part of our journey this season will be the constant development of the health of her leg,” Cole said. “As much as it is physical, it’s equal parts mental recovery — acclimating to the intensity and physicality of the game.” “Having Ritter back at full capacity, she just brings so much,” Cole added. “We lost so much when we lost her last year. She has looked good in workouts and rehabbing that leg all summer and worked really hard to return to a certain level of competition.” Washington, Falls, Orndoff and Tago all proved pivotal in helping the Panthers go 3-1 at the Sweet Sixteen Invitational that kicked off the year down south. South took fifth out of 16 schools from Colorado, Florida and California. Those four each had a game where they were the leading scorer. The Panthers (4-1) then beat Enterprise (Calif.), 105-82, on the road Tuesday, getting contributions everywhere. La Jolla’s Sweet Sixteen was a good test and a great stage for evaluation, Cole said. “I think it showed us some early signs of strengths and weaknesses,” he said. “It gave us at least an understanding of what we need to do to get better. And the best thing for us, we recognized after four games, we have depth in scoring.” The 5-foot-9 Tago didn’t play with any other teams aside from South Medford during the offseason. She did a few viewing events for scouts and private workouts. In one instance, coaches from Arizona State, Washington, Nevada and Weber State came to Medford to see her during a period that was permitted. Sleezer did some similar training, playing some with the Panthers. Falls did the same, except she also played with Portland’s Team Concept. South will continue to focus on creating turnovers and transition buckets, Cole said. The adjustment to life without Ashley Bolston (who is now a freshman at Washington State) has been eased some by the maturation of Falls, Orndoff and Washington. “That’s a brand of ball that’s been successful for us,” Cole said. “We like to be able to play a faster brand of ball and focus on defense. That hasn’t changed.” The end result is another Panther lineup that features plenty of experience, both on the national stage and in the OSAA tournament. “We certainly have some kids who have talent and experience,” Cole said. “We lose the dynamic of a kid, a two-time conference player of the year, in Ashley Bolston ... But I’ve got to be feel pretty optimistic about this team because we have good senior leadership and some youth. Hannah and Lauren are just sophomores. It’ll be a different style and different kind of chemistry.” Here’s a brief look at the other teams: SHELDON By almost all accounts, it’s South Medford and everyone else. That said, Sheldon (2-1) will be tough, coaches say. The Irish went 18-8 and won their third consecutive District 2 league crown last year in undefeated fashion. Sheldon picked up a talented addition in Autumn Baumgartner, the first-team all-league Willamette standout who transferred, and returns four of its five starters from last year: senior guards Mariah Moore, Aurionna Kirton and Karina Clark and senior forward Sarah Hall. Fifth-year coach Brian Brancato owns a 72-33 record at Sheldon. “They return a nucleus of kids that are very competitive,” Cole said. ROSEBURG The Indians (2-1) graduated standout Pele Gianotti, who is now a freshman at UC Davis, but return 6-foot-3 junior post Jordan Stotler. Roseburg hopes her size pays off. Ball control and rebounding will be key, said first-year head coach Rich Robles, who was formerly the Umpqua Community College men’s basketball coach. He replaced Jeff Thomas, who stepped down after eight seasons. The other returning starters are guard Ashley Backen (senior) and guard Baylee Wyscaver (junior). WILLAMETTE The two-time defending Class 5A champion moves up a peg and doesn’t have any returning starters from last year. Chris Stewart takes over after working as an assistant the past two seasons. He coached 18 years at Churchill, the last 10 as varsity head coach. Willamette is 0-3. SOUTH EUGENE Coming off a 5-20 season, South Eugene is looking to make some growth with returning starters Hannah Nordstrand (senior), Elise Pierce (senior) and Sydney Bowers (sophomore). So far, so good: The team is off to a 4-0 start under head coach Steve Eastburn. NORTH MEDFORD North (1-2) has six freshmen. The team’s starting five: freshman point guard Maggie Freeman, sophomore two-guard Jo Ross, wings Lexi Hall (senior) and Savannah Bumgardner (sophomore) and post Kathleen Martin (senior). The Black Tornado lost three starters from last year, including all-league talent Joci Ellis. Freeman “has a chance to have a pretty amazing career,” North head coach Tim Karrick said. The Tornado, which went 11-14 overall last winter, will play in the Lake Oswego Shootout beginning Dec. 27. The squad opens conference play at South Eugene on Jan. 6. GRANTS PASS Grants Pass (0-2) has four players with starting experience: junior guard Abi Johnson, junior guard Jacque Luaders, senior guard Skylie Brummett and Kayla Miller, a senior guard who is back after missing last season with an ACL injury. Miller was a starter her freshman and sophomore seasons. The Cavers also have a pair of 6-foot-1 junior posts in Amanda Tobey and Karly Dinkle. THURSTON The Colts are learning a new system under first-year coach Derek Duman. Thurston (2-0) is led by returning starters Kendall Minium (junior), Madison Hunter (senior), Allison Rich (senior) and Nancy Regas (sophomore). Reach reporter Dan Jones at 541-776-4499, or email [email protected]. Find him online at twitter.com/danjonesmt By Dan Jones Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Dan Jones Mail Tribune Posted Dec. 12, 2014 at 8:52 PM Updated Dec 13, 2014 at 12:11 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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