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Unlikely spark helps South romp past Pelicans By TIM PYLE Mail Tribune In need of a spark following a dreary first quarter, the South Medford girls basketball team found an unlikely lightening bolt Tuesday night at South Medford High School. Junior guard Angela Ingram burst off the bench, and after missing her first shot, drilled five consecutive field goals to get the Panthers rolling. By the time Klamath Union regrouped at the halftime break, South had constructed a 31-14 lead thanks to a 20-4 second-quarter spurt that featured 10 points from Ingram. In the second half, the Panthers (4-3 overall, 2-0 Southern Oregon Conference) kept the turnover-plagued Pelicans (2-5, 0-2) at bay to secure a 51-35 victory for their fourth straight win. "It was pretty sluggish," said fifth-year South head coach Andrea Jaime, whose team made 21 steals but shot just 29.6 percent from the field. "I was pleased with the effort. We played hard. It was real ugly, but we played hard." Ingram, after playing two quarters of junior-varsity ball earlier in the night, finished with a team-high 14 points on 7-of-10 shooting. She also claimed three rebounds and swiped three steals. "That's a breakthrough game for her," Jaime said. KU led most of the way in the first quarter and played the Panthers even in the second half. But 37 turnovers - including 12 in the second quarter - were too many for the Pelicans to overcome. Many of the miscues came under duress from South's full-court press. "Turnovers have been a sore spot for us all year," said first-year KU head coach Brandon Jensen, who has just one senior on his roster and started a freshman, a sophomore, two juniors and a senior on Tuesday. "When we don't turn the ball over, we play OK. But we're so young, we're so inexperienced, and we haven't quite figured it out yet." The Panthers got another solid performance from their only senior, point guard Whitney Grant. Despite illness and nagging injuries, Grant scored nine points, made six steals and had three rebounds and three assists. Her poise in running the South offense kept her younger teammates calm and effective. "She creates a lot," Jensen said. "She does a good job of making the offense work." The Pelicans opened the second half with a 6-0 run to pull within 31-20. But Grant drilled a long jumper, then stole the inbounds pass and converted a three-point play to cap an 11-2 South streak that deflated KU. Down 42-22 at that point, the Pelicans couldn't get closer than the final margin, 15, the rest of the way. "It was a little bit sloppy," said Grant, nursing soccer-related knee and mouth injuries, a sprained thumb suffered during last Friday's win over Ashland and a head cold. "It wasn't our best performance, but at least we got a win out of it." As for being the only senior on a junior-dominated squad, Grant said she's getting used to her role. "It's a little different," Grant said. "A lot more leadership falls on me because I'm the only senior." KU's only senior, 6-foot post Megan Leppert, scored a game-high 15 points and corralled 10 rebounds. The Pelicans shot 42.9 percent from the field but attempted less than half as many shots as the Panthers. Both teams resume SOC play Jan. 2. South's next action is at the Laker Shootout in Lake Oswego starting Dec. 26. KLAMATH UNION (35) - Uerlings 6, Leppert 15, Hackett 2, Fagan 1, Gardner 2, Ritter 4, deGroot 2, Cooke 3. Totals 15-35 5-8 35. SOUTH MEDFORD (51) - Gillingham 7, Mueller 4, Wright 5, Grant 9, Brennan 8, Silva 0, Ingram 14, Magness 0, Carlton 0, Singler 4. Totals 21-71 8-14 51. Klamath Union ................................... 10 4 12 9 - 35 South Medford .................................... 11 20 11 9 - 51 3-point goals - South Medford 1 (Wright 1). JV result - South Medford won. Reach reporter Tim Pyle at 776-4483 or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.