Wide-open race in SWC girls hoops

When you look at all the Class 6A girls basketball conferences in Oregon, you may have trouble finding a more balanced division than the Southwest Conference.

Four of the six teams reached the 4A state playoffs last season and two of those — Grants Pass and South Eugene — went on to play in the state tournament.

No. 8-ranked Sheldon is off to a 7-0 start, while one of the teams that missed the playoffs, No. 7-ranked North Medford, brings back its best eight players from a year ago.

Roseburg and South Eugene each return four starters and Grants Pass brings back a young but experienced core. South Medford has some up-and-coming players, but the consensus among SWC coaches is that the Panthers are a year or two away from playoff contention.

With most of the SWC teams seemingly starting on an even playing field, it’s difficult to predict what might happen from one game to the next.

“Just like last year, it’s going to be a very competitive league, and unfortunately, one very good team is going to be left out of the playoffs,” said North Medford coach Tim Karrick, whose team lost its first game of the season Wednesday to No. 6-ranked Jesuit.

“Any one of these teams can get hot, and a lot of it is going to depend on who has to play where. We have to go to Eugene four times, so we may be at a slight disadvantage out of the gate.”

With only six schools in the SWC, all the teams will play each other three times. The top four teams will advance to the 6A playoffs in late February.

The conference season kicks off Tuesday when Roseburg hosts Grants Pass, Sheldon visits South Eugene and North Medford travels to South Medford.

“It’s going to be a battle night in and night out,” said Roseburg coach Jeff Thomas, whose team sits at 6-1 after Wednesday’s 50-40 loss to Myrtle Point at the South Coast Classic.

“Everyone is a year older and more experienced, and we’re all capable of beating each other on a given night. Playing three times through the league will be interesting. We’re going to have to make adjustments from game to game.”

Thomas said his team won’t be able to rely on its size as much in league play as it has during the preseason. Sheldon, North Medford and Grants Pass are just as big inside, which will put pressure on the Roseburg backcourt to find ways to score.

“We have to learn to be effective against teams who are just as big as we are,” Thomas said. “We won’t have as many mismatches and that will be a test for us. But we’ve shown we have the ability to play tough under pressure.”

Pressure will be a common theme for all the SWC teams this season, both on the court and in the locker room. There don’t figure to be any off nights, which means everyone will be expected to bring their best effort every time out.

“We’re going to have to show up and play well every night if we expect to compete for a playoff spot,” said Grants Pass coach Robert Lingo, whose team improved to 4-2 Wednesday with a win over Crook County at the South Coast Classic.

“We lost a little to graduation, but we have a chance to be pretty good. We’ve been to the playoffs for three straight years now and the kids are starting to expect it.”

The Cavers, who tied Roseburg and Ashland for last year’s Southern Oregon Conference championship, return three starters in Tasha Torgerson (6-foot-1, Soph., forward), Gabby Randall (6-1, Jr., post) and Brianne Hurst (5-6, Sr., guard).

They have also gotten solid contributions from juniors Amber Franko and Chelsey Chamberlain, who lead the team with a 9.5 points per game average.

“We’ve had a different leading scorer in all six games, which shows that we can spread things around,” Lingo said. “It’s not just one or two girls. We have pretty good balance, and that should help our progress.”

North Medford has also taken advantage of its depth during a 6-1 start. Seniors Lauren Berger (6-1 post), Rachael Barry (5-7 guard) and Megan Ross (5-10 wing) all saw starting minutes last season along with juniors Whitney Hodnett (5-11 wing) and Erica Schultz (5-11 forward).

Karrick said those five players are beginning to find a rhythm, and he’s not surprised at the Black Tornado’s hot start.

“We expected to be pretty good because all these girls played a lot last year,” the coach said. “We also have a strong, experienced bench, and we think we have what it takes to compete for the league title.”

Sheldon also figures to be in the mix, with two of the state’s best players — junior Katie Steigleman (6-0 wing) and senior Kendra Little (6-0 wing) — leading the way.

Returning varsity contributors Theresa Brown, Katie Pavlat and Gabbi Parker will also play significant roles, while sophomore point guard Taylor Ward has been learning on the fly.

South Eugene (4-2 overall) also brings back a wealth of experience, including starters Taylor Woods (5-9, Sr., post), Amy Densmore (5-4, Sr., guard), Sarah Whitfield (5-11, Jr., post) and Elyse Barnes (5-9, Soph., wing). Sophomore transfer Carmen Williams (5-7 wing) has also given the Axemen stability.

The SWC coaches believe South Eugene, Grants Pass and Roseburg may be a notch below North Medford and Sheldon. But nothing will be determined until each team has 15 league games in the books.

“Someone’s going to get left out,” Lingo said. “If they play to their potential, Sheldon and North Medford are probably the teams to beat. But Roseburg, South Eugene and us aren’t far behind.”



• You can reach sports reporter Dave Leder at 957-4221 or by e-mail at dleder@newsreview.info.