Harthun heats up as South wins Red Bluff title

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South High basketball Michael Harthun

RED BLUFF, Calif. — El Camino put as much pressure as it could on South Medford during Saturday night's championship game of the Red Bluff Holiday Classic, but it still didn't matter.

Not on a night when Michael Harthun brought his shooting touch.

Not on a night when the Panthers were determined to claw for every loose ball and apply just as much pressure back on the Wildcats, ranked No. 1 in San Diego County boys basketball.

Harthun poured in 34 points — two shy of equaling his career high — to help top-ranked South Medford surge to its second Red Bluff championship with a thrilling 73-61 triumph.

"When he gets it going, he's tough ... he's really tough," said South Medford coach Dennis Murphy of the 6-foot-3 point guard. "It was a great effort from him and all of our kids."

The Washington State recruit scored 15 of the Panthers' 25 points in the third quarter and was 14-for-29 from the field with four 3-pointers and four assists.

E.J. Singler added 17 points and six rebounds and Zach Haveman had 12 points for South Medford (5-0), which was playing in its fourth Red Bluff title game. The Panthers also took home the crown in 2005.

"We really are coming of age," said Murphy. "We played extremely well. If we can continue to play like that, we can be pretty good."

El Camino had built the bulk of its success in the tournament on ball-hawking pressure and a relentless attack on the boards, but the Panthers were able to counter everything the previously undefeated Wildcats threw at them. El Camino had 16 offensive rebounds in its semifinal win over Rancho Cotate, but was limited to only five Saturday against 10 by the Panthers.

"They had quickness like we hadn't seen before," said Murphy, "but the big thing is we were able to control the boards. And defensively we played tough. It was a really good test for us and a great high school game to watch. It was really up and down. There wasn't anyone here who would say they didn't get their money's worth."

Conner Egan provided a key effort for South with his eight rebounds, while Haveman hit a big shot to end the first half and give his team a 32-27 lead heading into the break.

Dee Love, a 5-9 senior, and Luke Evans, a 6-7 junior, each had 18 points to lead El Camino.

South Medford returns to the Rogue Valley for its next game on Friday, when third-ranked Sunset and University of California-bound guard Garrett Sim come to town. Tipoff at South Medford High will be at 7 p.m.

SOUTH MEDFORD (73) — Harthun 34, E.J. Singler 17, Haveman 12, Duran-Chaparro 4, Egan 4, Kezer 2, M. Singler 0, Boyd 0. Totals: 32 3-7 73.

EL CAMINO (61) — Love 18, Evans 18, Cox 0, Aldridge 0, Wright 2, Trammel 4, Anderson 4, Willis 5, Hunter 3, Johnson 7. Totals: 23 9-11 61

South Medford 19 13 25 16 — 73

El Camino 16 11 17 17 — 61

3-point goals — South Medford 6 (Harthun 4, Haveman 2), El Camino 6 (Hunter 1, Willis 1, Love 4).

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