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52 °F Forecast | Road Cams Friday, January 28, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Opportunities Moving to Southern Oregon? MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend January 12, 2005 Black Tornado junior Eric Stroh (15) works to get a shot off past Roseburg�s Jacob Schott during Tuesday�s Southern Oregon Conference boys basketball game at North High. Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli North rally comes up short By DON HUNT Mail Tribune A 13-day layoff left a bit of rust on the Roseburg High boys basketball team. The eighth-ranked Indians built a 15-point lead over North Medford Tuesday night, then had to hang on for dear life to post a 64-61 victory in the North gym. Senior point guard Steven Davis scored a game-high 16 points and senior wing Isaiah Smith added 14 for the Indians, who hadn’t played a game since a 52-39 nonconference victory over Ashland on Dec. 29. "You always worry about how you’re going to play when you’ve had that long of a layoff," said Roseburg coach Mike Pardon, whose team was scheduled to meet Klamath Union in its Southern Oregon Conference opener last Friday but had the game postponed because of adverse weather. "We were careless with the ball at times and didn’t shoot it like we can, but we got it done when we had to." Roseburg (11-0, 1-0 SOC) went on a 21-5 run over the first six minutes of the third period to build a 50-35 lead. Advertisement But North Medford (3-7, 0-2) charged back behind seniors Kyle Williamson and John Berger, who scored seven points each in the fourth period. Mike Barry’s deep 3-point basket with 1.9 seconds remaining in the game pulled the Black Tornado within 62-61. Following a quick foul, Davis sank two free throws with 1.7 seconds left, but North Medford had a chance to send the game into overtime when senior point guard Drew Herrera launched a 40-foot shot at the buzzer. The shot was on target but fell a couple of feet short. The Tornado was kicking itself afterward for not capitalizing on a good opportunity to spring the upset. It trailed throughout most of the first half, but 3-point baskets by Williamson and Herrera and a layup by Ty Ryan over the final 1:19 gave North a 30-29 lead at the intermission. But the Tornado stumbled in the third quarter. It quit running its offense with efficiency, got sloppy with its passes and Roseburg went on a 21-5 run to take control of the game. North Medford finished the game with 17 turnovers compared to 18 by the Indians. "We came out flat in the third quarter — the emotion wasn’t there," said Williamson, who led North Medford with 14 points. "We quit running our offense and then didn’t get back on defense, and that was a bad combination." The big burst gave Roseburg a 50-35 lead late in the period before Barry finally stopped the bleeding with a jumper that made it 50-37 heading into the fourth. That’s when North Medford coach Tim Sam decided to slap on a full-court press. The pressure defense got the Indians out of sync and fueled a Tornado comeback, but Davis sank 6 of 8 free throws over the final 2:56 that allowed the Indians to escape with the win. "We’re not looking for moral victories but I was proud of the way we battled back in the fourth quarter," Sam said. "We showed some character and heart. "That’s exactly what we need to get over the hump." Senior post Ben Running backed up Williamson with 11 points and seven rebounds, while Barry added eight points and six boards. Berger, North Medford’s second-leading scorer on the season, was in foul trouble virtually the entire game. He scored all seven of his points in the fourth quarter before fouling out with 2:17 to play. ROSEBURG (64) — Davis 16, Smith 14, Stricklin 12, Walkup 8, Schott 6, Thompson 4, Stephens 2, B. Malone 2, J. Malone 0, Snook 0. Totals: 21-49 21-27 64. NORTH MEDFORD (61) — Williamson 14, Running 11, Herrera 10, Barry 8, Ryan 8, Berger 7, Stroh 3, Eubank 0, Waldron 0. Totals: 20-50 15-22 61. Roseburg...................................10 19 21 14 — 64 North Medford..............................7 23 7 24 — 61 3-point goals — Roseburg 1-10 (Walkup 1), North Medford 6-20 (Barry 2, Williamson 2, Herrera 1, Berger 1). Fouled out — Berger. JV score — Roseburg 61, North Medford 44. Reach reporter Don Hunt at 776-4469, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. 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