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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend January 21, 2006 South-Jefferson tilt tonight garners statewide attention By KRIS HENRY Mail Tribune For South Medford boys basketball coach Dennis Murphy, polls and rankings only serve for water-cooler talk. It’s the one-on-one matchups that truly matter for Murphy; the games that show how far you’ve come and how far you still need to go. Tonight will be one of those games for the top-ranked Panthers, who are in Portland to take on No. 3-ranked and host Jefferson in its fourth annual Martin Luther King Jr. Tournament. Tipoff is at 7. "We just look at this as a great opportunity for us to try to compete with one of the best teams in the state," says Murphy. "Jefferson’s a very quality team that has had as much success as anybody in the state the past five or six years." With at least two Division I recruits in the Democrats’ starting lineup and five college recruits for the Panthers, tonight’s game stands to have the substance to live up to its considerable hype. Advertisement "What you hear is it’s the talk of the town in Portland," Murphy says of the matchup, which follows a 5 p.m. Benson-Franklin (Seattle) tilt. "What you hear is tickets are going to be hard to come by so you better get there early or you’ll be left out." That means if it’s daylight in the Rogue Valley and you’re reading this, it’s likely too late for you to get a ticket to tonight’s clash. The ticket office at Jefferson High in north Portland was scheduled to open at noon today, with prices to watch all four tourney games at $6 for students and $9 for adults. The first game of the day pits the Jefferson girls team against De LaSalle North Catholic at 1 p.m. Considering the anticipation for the late game between South Medford and the Demos, it’s unlikely the gym crowd will recycle at the conclusion of each prior game. "My guess is you aren’t going to have many people leave once they get there," says Murphy, whose team left Medford early this morning after playing Friday night in Ashland. "If you’re not there by at least 5 p.m., I’m not sure you’re going to be able to find a seat." It’s exactly that kind of big-game appeal that led Murphy and Jefferson head coach Marshall Haskins to schedule the nonleague affair. The Democrats, 10-1 entering Friday’s home game against Grant, are led by 6-foot-3 senior guard Lathen Wallace, who has verbally committed to play for Oregon State. An athletic guard who likes to slice to the basket, Wallace ranks fourth in the state with a 22.4 scoring average. Point guard Marquis Hall is a shifty 5-11 senior who has verbally committed to Lehigh and can heat up like a microwave. Providing a third prime scoring threat for Jefferson has been senior forward Michael Simmons, who has 3-point range and is coming off a breakthrough campaign at the 22nd annual Tournament of Champions in Springfield, Mo. Manning the post is 6-6 senior Markhuri Sanders-Frison, with senior guard Dontae Bryant capable of double-digit scoring as well. All in all, Haskins has said he believes his current group to be the second-best team he’s had in his eight years at Jefferson, with the 1999-2000 undefeated state championship team as No. 1. That team featured Division I players Brandon Brooks, Aaron Miles and Michael Lee. "I’ve played with most of those players and they’re really good," South senior post Kendall Gielow says of the current Demos. "It’s going to be a tough test for us. It’s going to be like a playoff game in the middle of the season." Jefferson’s lone loss came at the hands of Vashon High of St. Louis, which is No. 14 in the USA Today national rankings. The Democrats have eclipsed the century scoring mark three times already, outscoring teams by an average of 83.9 to 62.2. Not making it any easier for South, adds Murphy, is the notion that the Democrats will be coming into the game with a bit of a chip on their shoulder. "It seems like there’s a lot of talk about Lake Oswego and us (on who deserves to be ranked No. 1)," says Murphy, "and I’m certain Jefferson feels like they belong in that group and rightfully so, so I’m sure they’ll be up for the game." The Panthers no doubt will be up to the challenge as well, with a key to the game involving how they handle Jefferson’s aggressive, full-court defense. "They really get after you with their first surge defensively," says Murphy. "If you can handle that first wave efficiently, I think you give yourself an opportunity at the other end." And while being strong with the ball and not getting caught on your heels will be ingrained in the Panthers’ heads prior to tipoff, they also hope to give Jefferson pause for concern with their rebounding prowess and lockdown defense of their own. "I think our kids will step up and we’ll rise to the occasion," adds Murphy. "It’s going to be another great challenge and should be a lot of fun." Reach reporter Kris Henry at 776-4488, or e-mail South-Jefferson tilt tonight garners statewide attention ">[email protected] . 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. 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