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Panther seniors net win in SOC finale By JASON LEAVITT Senior night always has a special meaning to those departing after the season�s end. What made this senior night more meaningful to the South Medford Panthers was a firm grip on the No. 3 playoff spot in the Southern Oregon Conference after a 63-45 win over visiting Klamath Union. The Panthers won their sixth straight using a stifling defense, fullcourt pressure, and a late scoring surge to hold off the Pelicans. South�s defense continuously put pressure on the Pelicans, forcing them to play a perimeter game for most of the first half. But while on offense, the Panthers weren�t converting themselves and that kept the score close. "They didn�t expect us to play so tight on defense, so it took them a while to adjust to the pressure," South Medford coach Dennis Murphy said. "At one point we had five turnovers and no points. When you work that hard, you have to convert the points." The Panther defense, led by senior Craig Tomlins� game-high five steals, held Klamath Union to only two buckets in the second quarter, setting a defensive pace that forced the Pelicans into 22 turnovers. Junior post Eric Fiegi dominated under the basket, grabbing eight rebounds and scoring 19 points for the game. Senior John McKay added 16 points and three steals. "They came out and tried to slow us down, to shorten the game and give us fewer possessions," said McKay, "but in the end our defense was a big reason why we won this game." The Pelicans, down by 14 to start the second half, started using the fastbreak to open up the game. They scored quickly, forced turnovers, but South Medford seemed to have an answer for every Pelican basket. The teams traded steals repeatedly, but the Panthers finally broke out with McKay leading the way. South Medford finally started clicking offensively late in the third quarter, at one point enjoying a 21-point lead. Klamath Union countered near the end of the period, working the fastbreak harder and utilizing the fullcourt press again to narrow the score to 46-33. "Our defense started to give up points in the fourth quarter, and when I took the starters out for a moment, they saw what was going on, and did much better coming back in," Murphy said. Even though they were outscored 26-23 in the fourth quarter, the Panthers started pulling away for good, with sophomore Boomer Marshall providing a spark off the bench with 14 points, including converting a three-point play that put the game away for his team. "I thought we played pretty good for the most part, we came out and got the job done," McKay said. The Panthers receive a first- round bye in the playoffs, and will host a second-round game next Thursday against an undetermind opponent. "We have some things we need to do better in order to prepare for next week�s game, but I feel good about heading into the playoffs playing like we are," said Murphy. South ended the regular season at 19-5, 11-3 in the SOC. Klamath Union finished at 6-8 in league play. KLAMATH UNION (45) � Ja. Mortenson 4, Garcia 6, Tucker 6, Pisan 2, Tr. Baker 4, Orwiler 0, Je. Mortenson 9, Mitchell 3, Ty. Baker 7, Mejia 0, Caleb 4 SOUTH MEDFORD (63) � Tomlins 1, Lower 2, Smith 0, Heil 5, McKay 16, Hilgendorf 0, Mulhollen 6, Johnson 0, Burnett 0, Marshall 14, Fiegi 19. Klamath Union............................................8 2 9 26 � 45 South Medford.......................................10 14 16 23 � 63 3-point goals � Klamath Union 4-7 (Ty. Baker 1-1, Mitchell 1-1, Garcia 2-2), South Medford 0-4 JV score � South Medford 58, Klamath Union 53 OT. Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.