Medford, OR- On the drive back to Portland from Los Angeles, the SPARQ West truck stopped by South Medford High School to test the defending 6A Oregon state champion basketball team.  Lead by current Duke freshman Kyle Singler, the Panthers defeated UCLA freshman Kyle Love's Lake Oswego team 58-54.  The state championship was South Medford's first title, and capped a dream season for the players, coaches and fans.

To see complete pics from this event, click HERE!

To see complete results for the Panthers, click HERE!

Senior forward Conner Egan scored a near-elite level rating of 73.17, and talked about the I AM MY TEAM, MY TEAM IS ME slogan, "You are only as strong as your weakest link, everyone has to play well, everyone has to play with continuity."

Senior forward Cody Walport described himself as an athlete by saying, "I'm an effort player - I might not be the quickest or the strongest but I never quit"

Senior center Shawn Phillips talked about the thrilling last few moments of the state championship game, "There were three seconds left and I was already on the court running around - it was crazy." 

South Medford strength and conditioning coach Jerry Wolfram operates out of a weight room nicknamed "The Blue Room" which is adjacent to the basketball gym.  Wolfram, who calls Singler the best athlete he has ever seen, shared his training philosophy, "We really emphasize core strength and spend a lot of time with olympic lifting." 

A sign that hangs over the entrance to "The Blue Room" reads "Where individual preparation ensures team success."  This slogan is very similar to ours at SPARQ, and this mentality was expanded upon by Wolfram, "Every individual needs to realize that the better they get, the better the team gets - we want our kids to take that approach here in the weight room." 

The SPARQ West tour is complete - thanks again to all the athletes and coaches for your hard work!  Good luck in your seasons and train hard!