South Medford cools off Benson, wins Oregon 6A girls basketball state title: ‘We proved everyone wrong’

The chant might have been heard from the north side of Portland all the way to southern Oregon. 

The South Medford Panthers were loud and proud Saturday night in the Chiles Center, and they just had to share their joy with their band and their cheerleaders and anyone else who took the four-and-a-half hour drive to experience this championship feeling.

“It’s the South Side Party Chant,” senior Kimberly Ceron-Romero said. “Ain’t no party like a south side party.”

Ain't no other 6A girls basketball team like this one, too. Because only one can be the state champion. 

South Medford used a suffocating defense to frustrate Benson, then held off a furious rally from the Techsters in the final quarter to record a 48-38 victory, claiming the OSAA 6A girls basketball state championship. 

“The fact that we were able to pull it off is great,” Ceron-Romero said. “No one expected us to be here. We took that personal, and we came out on top.”

South Medford made the final last year but graduated three talented players. This season’s squad had one senior starter — Ceron-Romero — one talented junior, and a bunch of underclass standouts.

“I knew we were good enough to get back here,” South Medford coach Tom Cole said. “Getting back here is a huge feat, but winning it is special.” 

Sara Schmerbach, a junior, was named the player of the game by the OSAA. She had 15 points and four assists.

Sophomore Taylor Young also had 15 points, including a crucial three-point play to stop the final wave of Benson’s momentum in the fourth quarter.

Then there was sophomore Mayenabasi Akpan, who had 15 rebounds Saturday, giving her a 6A tournament record 51 for her three games in Portland.

Akpan said Ceron-Romero is the heart and soul of the team, though. She said Ceron-Romero and Schmerbach are great leaders and that they set the tone for everyone else. 

Ceron-Romero had a blocked shot in the first quarter that led to a shot-clock violation for the Techsters.

Later in the quarter, Ceron-Romero was fouled hard and fell awkwardly to the floor. She would be out for a few moments but quickly returned. In the third quarter, she blocked a shot on one end of the court, hustled to the other end, got a great feed from Schmerbach and scored on a layup to give the Panthers a 15-point lead.

“It was scary, for sure, but at that point, I wanted to do anything to win,” Ceron-Romero said of her injury. “I knew I was going to come back. I just wanted to come here and compete.”

Again, her teammates followed that lead.

Akpan and the Panthers held Benson standout Mahogany Chandler-Roberts to eight points. Akpan took three charges, too. 

“I love playing players like her that are big like me. I was really excited to do that,” Akpan said. “Charges? They are a new thing for me, but I got good at them.”

The South Medford defense held Benson to 10 points in the first half. The Techsters were 3 for 18 from the field with 10 turnovers.

“I thought our kids really locked in early,” Cole said. “A team like Benson is so dynamic and athletic and versatile. We really matched up in every position, locked in and took our assignments seriously and personally. Collectively, they bought into playing team defense, and it shows.”

It took some time for the Panthers to get going on offense, but they pushed out to a 12-point halftime lead, courtesy of Ceron-Romero’s 3-pointer just before the break.

Midway through the third quarter, the lead was 17 when Schmerbach scored on a fast-break pass from Young. 

Benson had a small rush of points at the end of the third to make it a 13-point game.

Then things got a bit chaotic in the Chiles Center. A Portland-based crowd — maybe 80 to 90 percent rooting for Benson — encouraged the Techsters during their comeback bid.

A 3-pointer by Eboni Clay, who led Benson with 16 points, made it a six-point game with 5:25 remaining. The teams exchanged baskets, and again it was Clay for the Techsters to make it 36-30 with plenty of time to play.

“It was hard to hear everything. It was pretty loud,” Schmerbach said. “We just had to block it out.”

Young took it upon herself, driving more than half the court and into the taller Techsters toward the hoop. 

“I just drove in there and got contact, and it went in,” she said matter-of-factly.

She swished the free throw, and the Benson crowd got quiet again. That three-point play with 4 minutes to go was exactly what the Panthers needed.

“We weren’t doing our game. We were letting them control the game,” Young said of the first part of the final quarter. “We just had to get it back together and say, ‘We should be in control.’ It worked out. We won.”

The Techsters never got closer than eight the rest of the way. 

Benson, it should be noted, is the last team to beat South Medford. Cole said the Techsters taught the Panthers a lot back on Dec. 20.

“That loss gave us a real perspective of things to work on,” Cole said. “To their credit, they really bought into this team-oriented defense. The result has been undefeated since then and a state championship. We’re really proud of them.” 

South Medford (26-3) finished the season on a 22-game win streak.

Benson (23-5) had won 17 in a row. The Techsters will always be able to say they beat the defending state champion, Clackamas, in Friday’s semifinal. 

“I just think defensively, they got after us and we didn't respond,” Benson coach Eric Knox said. “They took us out of what we normally do. I don't know — we just didn't play with a lot of pace. We didn't move the ball. We didn't cut. 

“They took it to us. When you get to this level, it's about taking the team away in front of you from the things they do, and they did it better.” 

Mauriana Hashemian-Orr added 10 points in the championship game. Chandler-Roberts had 11 rebounds.

The Panthers said they were excited to get on the long road home, to be able to celebrate with their classmates next week in school.

“It means so much. Nobody thought we were going to be here,” Young said. “Nobody had faith. We were the only ones who had faith.”

Schmerbach said she remembers the first coaches poll, with South Medford barely mentioned as a contender.

“We worked our way through it and proved everyone wrong,” Schmerbach said.

Saturday night, they danced as they chanted with their fans.

Ain’t no party like a South Medford party in Portland in March. 

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Photos by Taylor Balkom