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Fiegi propels South to title game Mail Tribune / Andrew Mariman South's Eric Fiegi muscles his way to the hoop during the Panthers' late surge past Lake Oswego By DON HUNT South Medford High center Eric Fiegi admitted he was a little extra motivated heading into Friday night's game against Lake Oswego. The 6-foot-9 Fiegi was matched up against the Lakers' 6-91/2 Ben Sullivan in a duel of two of the state's premier big men. Although the two are entirely different types of players - Fiegi is an inside force while Sullivan spends much of his time on the perimeter - Fiegi clearly held the upper hand. The big redhead registered 21 points, 15 rebounds and six blocked shots to pace the Panthers to a 69-56 victory and a berth in tonight's championship game against Redmond, a 54-40 winner over North Medford. Sullivan, who received a scholarship from with Cal State-Northridge last month, finished with 15 points, eight rebounds and two blocks. "This was the first big challenge I've faced this season, and so I definitely wanted to come out and play well," said Fiegi, who thus far hasn't been heavily recruited by any NCAA Division I schools. "I always try to come out and be active, and tonight I was a little more pumped up than usual." Sullivan lived up to his reputation as a long-range sharpshooter, hitting three 3-point baskets, including a couple from 25 feet out. But he admitted that Fiegi outplayed him. "I don't like losing, so hopefully I can learn from this," Sullivan said. "He (Fiegi) was tough. He's definitely a force in the middle." Lake Oswego coach Mark Shoff agreed, but he wondered how Fiegi could be so aggressive at blocking shots and finish the game with just one foul. "When we take the ball to the rim as much as we did and never get a call, something's wrong," Shoff said. "I thought he wacked us a couple times and got away with it. "That said, the kid played great. I doubt we'll see a better big man than him all season. He's tough on defense, he's a very good shooter on the block and he knows his limitations." As well as Fiegi played, the one who turned the game around for the Panthers was senior point guard Ryan Heil. With Lake Oswego holding a 24-23 lead at the half, Heil scored 10 points in the third period as South Medford went on a 22-13 run to take a 45-37 lead. "I wasn't in rhythm in the first half but I got it going in the third quarter," said Heil, who matched Fiegi's 21 points and added four assists. "I hit a couple of shots driving to the hoop and then I got my confidence and hit a couple of 3s." The Panthers carried their momentum into the fourth period and ultimately led by as many as 16 points (60-44) when Heil converted both ends of a one-and-one free-throw opportunity with 4:02 left. Boomer Marshall added seven points for South Medford, Alan Johnson chipped in six and Eric Fischer and Pat Lower had four each. Fischer, a 6-5 junior, provided some quality minutes off the bench when the Panthers turned the game in their favor. The loss was Lake Oswego's first following eight wins to start the season and left only Oregon City and Sunset unbeaten among Class 4A boys teams in the state. South Medford, which lost to El Camino High of Oceanside, Calif., last weekend at a tournament in Red Bluff, Calif., is also 8-1. Lake Oswego led throughout most of the first half Friday thanks to the spectacular shooting of Mike White. The 6-foot junior guard buried two 3s along the baseline in the game's first 31/2 minutes and finished the first half with 17 of the Lakers' 24 points. White had only two points after the intermission. "I don't think we were ready to play when the game started," South Medford coach Dennis Murphy said. "We weren't aggressive on defense, and after Eric (Fiegi) scored twice early, we went 13 possessions without getting him the ball." The Panthers exacerbated their problems by shooting only 31 percent (8 of 26) from the field in the opening two periods. But then Heil got hot, Fiegi got more touches and South Medford was on its way to landing a berth in the tournament's championship game for the third straight year. LAKE OSWEGO (56) - White 19, Sullivan 15, Robertson 10, Collins 9, Joselow 3, Reeves 0, Mildren 0, Shoff 0. Totals: 21 8-10 56. SOUTH MEDFORD (69) - Fiegi 21, Heil 21, Marshall 7, Johnson 6, Lower 4, Fischer 4, Smith 4, Walport 2, Hagert 0, Olson 0. Totals: 25 16-26 69. Lake Oswego......................................... 13 11 13 19 - 56 South Medford...................................... 11 12 22 24 - 69 3-point goals - Lake Oswego 6 (Sullivan 3, White 2, Joselow 1), South Medford 3 (Heil 3). Technical foul - South Medford bench. Other Games GLENCOE 53, McNARY 45 - Senior wing Chris Orton scored 21 points to lead Glencoe to the consolation victory. GLENCOE (53) - Orton 21, McInnis 9, Pitts 8, Henningsen 5, Apodaca 4, McAuley 4, Culligan 2, Ainge 0, Faulk 0, McCullough 0, McClary 0. Totals 21 7-14 53. McNARY (45) - Miller 12, Wood 8, Rufener 7, Erickson 5, Schmidt 4, Cross 3, Ohrt 2, Johnson 2, Rieff 2, Wichman 0. Totals 14 14-19 45. Glencoe .......................................... 13 10 15 15 - 53 McNary ............................................. 7 11 18 9 - 45 3-point goals - Glencoe 4 (Orton 2, Henningsen 1, McInnis 1), McNary 3 (Wood 2, Erickson 1). Technicals - McNary coach Gahr, McNary bench. SHELDON 53, REYNOLDS 26 - Sheldon had 11 players score while trouncing Reynolds in consolation action. SHELDON (53) - Best 10, Hinkle 7, Perry 6, Tanquary 6, Brown 5, Besaw 4, Deffenbacher 4, Souder 5, Mart 4, Densmore 2, Kuhnhenn 0. Totals 18 16-20 53. REYNOLDS (26) - Hyatt 9, Denus 4, Holwege 4, Jannsen 3, Brittle 3, Belt 2, O'Donnell 1, Oliver 0, Jackson 0, McCoy 0, Eoff 0, Hamerin 0. Totals 8 7-11 26. Sheldon .......................................... 13 12 13 15 - 53 Reynolds .......................................... 5 6 4 11 - 26 3-point goals - Sheldon 1 (Brown 1), Reynolds 3 (Jannsen 1, Hyatt 1, Brittle 1). Reach reporter Don Hunt at 776-4469, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.