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Varsity 541 NEWS NOW Jackson County commissioners approve 75-foot pot grow buffers ... Updated: Power restored after Medford area outage ... Jackson County commissioners oppose expanded gun background checks ... Jackson County commissioners approve 75-foot pot grow buffers ... Updated: Power restored after Medford area outage ... Jackson County commissioners oppose expanded gun background checks ... GIRLS BASKETBALL Rising to the occasion Comment By Dan Jones Mail Tribune Follow @@danjonesmt MailTribune.com By Dan Jones Mail Tribune Follow @@danjonesmt Posted Feb. 17, 2016 at 12:01 AM By Dan Jones Mail Tribune Follow @@danjonesmt Posted Feb. 17, 2016 at 12:01 AM --> South Medford 65, Roseburg 50 RECAP: Senior Julissa Tago has 23 points, eight rebounds and seven steals and junior Jonnay Foote adds 12 points for South Medford as the Panthers win the... » Read more X South Medford 65, Roseburg 50 RECAP: Senior Julissa Tago has 23 points, eight rebounds and seven steals and junior Jonnay Foote adds 12 points for South Medford as the Panthers win their 76th straight conference game. UP NEXT: Friday, South Medford at South Eugene; Roseburg at Willamette. » Social News Blink and you might have missed her. Jonnay Foote, South Medford's diminutive starting point guard, zoomed under and around the outstretched arms of Roseburg defenders all night long on Tuesday. Using her speed and size, the 5-foot-tall junior provided the spark for teammate Julissa Tago's offensive fireworks as the fourth-ranked Panthers defeated the Indians, 65-50, during Southwest Conference play at South Medford High. Foote finished with 12 points — including some buckets at critical periods — five assists, four rebounds and three steals and the senior Tago had 23 points, eight rebounds and seven steals as South (20-3, 12-0 SWC) earned its 14th straight victory and 76th consecutive league triumph. South starting senior post Jasmin Falls played while fighting the flu. Noticeably affected, she finished with two points and four rebounds before fouling out. "That says a lot about her heart," South Medford head coach Tom Cole said. Foote, who has started since Hannah Washington's foot injury, has stepped up big, Cole added. "Jonnay was a spark plug as usual," Cole said. "She has become the unsung hero in more ways than one. She just plays with so much heart and plays so hard. She's just relentless in her hustle." For her part, Foote says she tries to capitalize on her stature. "I think the biggest thing I focus on every game is defense because, well, size-wise I am lower, so I can be closer to the ball," she said. "I think I'm pretty fast around the ball. So I focus more on my defense than offense most of the time. I think my shots were falling this game so I took more shots than I normally would." A few of her hoops came just in the nick of time in the team's regular-season home finale. The Panthers trailed 7-6 before Foote drove to the basket for a layup with 4:11 left in the first quarter. South would never trail again. A 3-pointer by Roseburg's Jalen Robles tied the game at 13 before South ended the quarter on an 11-0 run. Ten turnovers in the first period hurt the Indians (14-8, 7-5), who lost 64-48 to South Medford on Jan. 26. The Panthers led 24-13 after the first eight minutes and led 39-28 at halftime. Roseburg's Jordan Stotler, a 6-foot-3 senior, had 17 of her 22 points by intermission. "It came down to composure on the press and we lost it a little," Roseburg head coach Rich Robles said. "We gave up some easy buckets." The Indians cut it to six with 6:49 left in the third quarter before Foote canned a jumper. And it was again Foote who had the response with a swish after a Stotler bucket made it a three-point contest later in the third. The Panthers entered the final frame up 50-42 before ending on a 15-8 run. Tago put her fingerprints all over the victory. Before the contest, the Hawaii-bound guard gave a speech thanking her family, coaches and fans as the seniors were recognized. Falls and Jeryka Johnson (who scored eight points) were the other seniors honored. "She was special tonight," Cole said. "For her senior night, I haven't seen many performances in my nine years that were as good as what she did tonight. She was special." Freshman Ula Chamberlin added 12 points and four steals and junior Lauren Orndoff had six points, six rebounds, four steals and three blocks for the Panthers, who next travel to play at South Eugene. They have two regular-season contests left, both on the road. South knocked down six 3-pointers and went 13 of 16 from the free-throw line in the win. Jessie Farrington scored 11 points for the Indians. ROSEBURG (50): Robles 6, Verduzco 3, Bolin 4, Benedict 0, Crince 0, Stotler 22, Goins 4, Farrington 11. Totals: 15 18-29 50. SOUTH MEDFORD (65): Chamberlin 12, O'Brien-Long 2, Johnson 8, Orndoff 6, Foote 12, Falls 2, Tago 23. Totals: 23 13-16 65. Roseburg;13;15;12;8;—;50 South Medford;24;15;11;15;—;65 3-point goals — Roseburg 2 (Robles 1, Verduzco 1), South Medford 6 (Chamberlin 1, Johnson 2, Orndoff 1, Tago 2). Fouled out — Falls. JV result — Roseburg won. Reach reporter Dan Jones at 541-776-4499, or email [email protected]. Find him online at twitter.com/danjonesmt By Dan Jones Mail Tribune Follow @@danjonesmt MailTribune.com By Dan Jones Mail Tribune Follow @@danjonesmt Posted Feb. 17, 2016 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction Schedules & Events --> Recent Scores --> Prep Notebook Kris Henry OSAA puts pitchers, coaches on notice The art of pitching has always been a subject near and dear to the heart of North Medford baseball coach Brett Wolfe. So when the Oregon... Varsity 541 Photos North vs. Willamette North vs Grants Pass Cascade Christian vs. St. Mary's South vs North South vs Willamette Ashland vs. Crater » More Photo Galleries Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications | Contact Us | Advertise | © Copyright Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.