MEDFORD — It’s a trend the Roseburg High School boys basketball team hopes won’t continue.
The Indians trailed by double figures at halftime on the road against Southwest Conference leader South Medford on Tuesday and the Panthers hung on for an 88-78 win despite a furious second half rally from Roseburg.
“It’s pretty tough to mentally focus for that long,” Roseburg coach Jordan Humphreys said of the Indians’ failed comeback attempt.
Roseburg (12-7, 4-3 SWC) trailed South Medford (14-6, 8-0) by 19 points in the third quarter, but managed to pull within 82-78 with less than a minute left to play.
The rally stalled out from there as the Indians missed a lay-in at the rim, a corner 3-point shot and turned the ball over on their final three possessions.
It was a similar story last week when Roseburg trailed by double digits on the road against Sheldon and rallied, only to lose to the Irish 79-76.
Humphreys attributed much of the struggles at South Medford to “awful” help-side defense in the first half, but also said the Panthers have a mental toughness that his team isn’t displaying consistently.
“You can see our guys, a couple of things don’t go their way, and we take a possession off or we’re not locked in for a possession and that ends up costing us two, three, six quick points because we can’t move on to the next play,” the coach said.
Asher Vredenburg scored 13 of his team-high 24 points during a critical third quarter run that helped Roseburg close the gap to single digits. Mykah Mendoza had eight of his 16 points in the fourth quarter to keep the pressure on the Panthers.
South Medford senior Jackson Weiland helped seal the win with 12 of his game-high 30 points in the final period. Fellow senior Ty Dahlin netted 14 of his 25 points in the first half to help the Panthers build a large lead by halftime.
Roseburg remained near the top of the Southwest Conference standings despite the loss. The Indians are tied in the loss column with Grants Pass, which lost 63-60 at North Medford on Tuesday.
South Medford has now won 30 consecutive conference games and holds at least a three-game lead for the SWC title.
Roseburg visits last place Willamette on Friday. The game tips off at 5:30 p.m.
ROSEBURG (78) — Asher Vredenburg 24, Mendoza 16, Fanugao 2, Lopez 8, Ash, Bentea 17, McCurdy 8, Bosley 3, Luther. Totals 28 11-13 78.
SOUTH MEDFORD (88) — Jackson Weiland 30, Livdahl 10, Dahlin 25, Shuldberg 5, Mills, Johnson 15, Adee 3. Totals 32 16-20 88.
Roseburg;18;18;22;20;—;78
S. Medford;25;22;20;21;—;88
3-Point Goals — Rose. 11 (Bentea 3, Lopez 2, Vredenburg 2, McCurdy 2, Mendoza 1, Bosley 1), S.M. 8 (Johnson 3, Weiland 2, Livdahl 1, Dahlin 1, Adee 1). Fouled Out — Bentea. Technical Fouls — Bentea.
JV Score — South Medford 66, Roseburg 48.
