South Medford picked a bad time to play its worst game of the season, realistically losing its chance at a potential sixth straight Southwest Conference girls basketball title with a 66-44 loss at home to Willamette.

The top-five showdown featured frantic play from end to end, but it was the fourth-ranked Wolverines who were able to execute at a higher level than the No. 5 Panthers in a physical affair that resulted in an extremely rare outcome in the South Medford gym.

Since moving to their new confines in 2010, the Panthers have lost only three previous games at home: to Springfield in 2012 and in back-to-back seasons against Sheldon in 2018 and 2019. Those three losses were by a combined 26 points, so Friday’s result was certainly new territory for South Medford head coach Tom Cole and company.

“We’ve never had that,” Cole said of the 22-point defeat, “but I have to start with giving credit to Willamette. They were very poised and had a great game plan. They were prepared for us, and they were determined.”

“They were motivated to do something that they haven’t done, and they did it,” he added. “They won a conference championship, they beat us twice. As disappointed as I am about how we played, I can’t just diminish how good they played, and I have to give them credit.”

South Medford (16-4, 6-2 SWC) received 14 points and eight rebounds from center Mayen Akpan, while fellow junior Dyllyn Howell kept the Panthers afloat early with 11 of her 13 points in the first half.

Junior point guard Jordan Barlow scored nine points, while sophomore Payton Andersen gave the Panthers a spirited boost off the bench with five rebounds and two steals. Sara Schmerbach, one of two South seniors, added five rebounds but was limited to a single second-half 3-pointer.

Brynn Smith led four Willamette players in double figures with 19 points to go with four assists and four rebounds, while fellow senior Isabella Harms finished with 15 points and seven boards. Senior transfer Diamond Wright registered 10 of her 16 points in the second half and senior Harper Wagner scored eight of her 10 points in the first quarter.

The Wolverines (18-5, 10-0) opened the game with a 17-7 push, knocking down three of its nine 3-pointers in the process, to put South Medford on its heels. The Panthers were able to claw back to make it a two-possession game on a handful of occasions in the second quarter, but invariably that was followed by a 3-pointer or open shot in the paint.

“You fought back to get into a reasonable place where you feel like you could make a run,” said Cole, “and then they answered, and that ended up deflating us, there’s no question about it.”

Smith connected on Willamette’s fifth 3-pointer of the first half with about 30 seconds remaining to answer a 3-pointer by South Medford’s Andersen for a 31-24 edge at the break, and the second half was played at an arm’s length after the Wolverines built a double-digit lead and did not waver.

A 10-0 run early in the fourth quarter by the Wolverines erased all doubt beyond the final tally as the Panthers grasped to find — and convert — quality shots.

“When we weren’t able to capitalize, we got frustrated and then kind of unraveled,” said Cole.

The loss was the second this season for South Medford against Willamette, which earned its first win over the Panthers in at least 15 years on Jan. 17 in Eugene.

The Wolverines have only two home SWC games remaining in Grants Pass and North Medford so Friday’s victory ensured no worse than a tie for the conference crown for a veteran group that essentially plays five senior starters — most in their fourth year among that lead group — and another senior off the bench. Willamette emptied its bench with 28.9 seconds remaining Friday.

For the Panthers, who played hard but were not rewarded in results, the mindset following the game was mostly on looking forward. South Medford stands No. 4 in the Class 6A state power rankings — one spot ahead of their status in the 6A coaches poll — and trails only Tualatin, Jefferson and Willamette with two weeks left in the regular season.

State title favorite Clackamas, led by USC-bound Jazzy Davidson, is No. 5 in the power rankings and No. 1 in the coaches poll in what could be a crowded race for a 6A title South Medford earned one year ago.

“They haven’t been on this side of things — many of them ever,” said Cole, “and so for them, this is an opportunity — if you could call it that — but definitely a lesson, and you can choose to do what you want with it. You can let it motivate you or you can stay disappointed about it, but it’s over and you can’t do anything about it now. I think for us the big challenge will be how do we respond.”

“Regardless of how this feels, this is not the end of the season,” added the coach. “You have three weeks left. If you want to make it meaningful, you have the opportunity still to finish strong. You’re still a top-five team in the state and if you can use this to motivate yourself, maybe let it be the energy to move into the end of the season, which is always what our goal is.”

WILLAMETTE (66): Harms 15, Nguyen 6, Smith 19, Wagner 10, Wright 16, A. Ireland 0, J. Ireland 0, McBride 0, Cain 0, Leavitt 0, Alley 0. Totals: 27 3-3 66.

SOUTH MEDFORD (44): Taulani 0, Warberg 0, Imperial-Viray 0, Schmerbach 3, Barlow 9, Howell 13, Akpan 14, Andersen 3, Vasey 2. Totals: 17 5-7 44.

Willamette 19 12 17 18 — 66

South Medford 10 14 10 10 — 44

3-point goals — Willamette 9 (Harms 3, Nguyen 2, Smith 2, Wagner 2), South Medford 5 (Howell 2, Schmerbach 1, Barlow 1, Andersen 1).