The shots may not have fallen during the opening half of the first quarter Monday night, but the focus and decisive play by South Medford foretold big things to come in a battle of Panthers with visiting Redmond at South Medford High.

Playing with a determination to put forth a performance more in line with its pedigree, South Medford finally broke through halfway through the opening stanza and then seemingly could not be stopped en route to a 67-31 romp.

The Medford-based Panthers (4-0), ranked No. 2 in the Class 6A coaches poll, roared to a 20-3 lead after one quarter and carried a 36-9 advantage into halftime over the Redmond Panthers (2-3), ranked No. 5 in the 5A poll.

A running clock was set in motion for Monday’s fourth quarter thanks to a 36-point difference in score.

The energetic effort was a far cry from last Friday, when South Medford beat Corvallis by 27 points but left with a bitter taste in its mouth following an out-of-sync and foul-prone outing.

“Everyone after the last game said we needed to focus up, and that’s exactly what we did,” said South Medford junior Dyllyn Howell. “We came into today ready to win and ready to make that happen.”

Howell played a key effort defensively against Corvallis but was more assertive and took better shots Monday — leading to a season-high 17 points to go with four assists and three steals against Redmond.

Howell scored six points in the first quarter but really added a bounce in her step with three 3-pointers in the final two minutes of the second quarter.

“Basically just after the first shot — right when it got in — the confidence went up and everyone else was playing a lot better so it just brought my energy up and we all started hitting shots,” she said.

The breakthrough effort from Howell came as no surprise to South Medford head coach Tom Cole.

“She put in so much work during the offseason and you can really see her confidence building,” said Cole. “And then when she starts going, all of a sudden you see Elise Richardson and Malia Taulani doing more. The depth of this team, I think, gives us a lot.”

The unsung hero of it all, however, was junior post Mayen Akpan. The 6-foot-3 standout was a terror in the paint, pulling in 18 rebounds to complement 13 points and two blocked shots.

“It’s amazing,” Howell said of playing alongside Akpan. “It just makes you feel like you can shoot every shot that you want just because you know that she’s going to be there to get the rebounds.”

Akpan was a workhorse in allowing for second-chance opportunities for her teammates as well as herself, and also created space to allow perimeter threats like Howell and Maddy Warberg to let it fly.

“She makes taking those outside shots a little easier for everybody,” said Cole.

Warberg finished with three 3-pointers in her own right, scoring eight of her 14 points in the first quarter as she continues to jell with her new teammates following a transfer from Willamette High this summer.

Warberg and fellow South Medford senior Sara Schmerbach signed to play next season at Santa Clara University in November.

“We saw that in the first game when Maddy came out and got into a streak and really set the tone for that game,” Cole said of the difference-maker Warberg can be for the Panthers. “She’s been quiet for a couple games but I think they’re all still learning how to play together. Sara and Maddy are seniors, but Maddy is really new to us so learning how to play with these kids is going to take a little bit of time. But you can certainly see what she brings to the table, the kid can shoot.”

Added Howell: “It definitely gets the energy up right when one person hits a 3, and then everyone on the court just starts shooting 3s and starts driving with confidence.”

Schmerbach, South Medford’s leading scorer, stabilized Monday’s effort from her point guard position, controlling the offense to dissect Redmond’s trapping zone defense and find her opponents for quality shot opportunities. Schmerbach finished with five assists to go with her six points and two blocks.

South Medford went on a pair of 10-0 runs in the first quarter against Redmond, closed the second quarter on a 13-3 run and scored on all but four possessions in the third quarter.

“Like anything, when they get into a rhythm, it makes the game a lot easier than when those shots aren’t falling and then they’re scrambling to figure out if it’s a good shot and do I take it,” said Cole of Monday’s more relaxed outing, especially from Howell and Warberg. “Those kids are good enough shooters that eventually they start getting into a rhythm. Even if one of them kind of goes in peaks and valleys, the other kids are able to fill in.”

South Medford played without the services of junior starter Jordan Barlow, who suffered a concussion on the first play of the second quarter last Friday. Cole said Barlow, who faced a similar setback this summer, hopefully will be cleared before this weekend’s trip to the Capitol City Classic in Salem.

In Barlow’s absence, Taulani was able to supply a defensive spark and also put up six points, while sophomore Payton Andersen gave South Medford a definite jolt on both ends of the floor with her play off the bench.

Andersen had back-to-back steals to create a 5-0 run right after entering the game late in the first quarter and kept up that level of intensity to generate five rebounds and four assists as well as a 3-pointer of her own.

“Payton Andersen is bringing a level of energy off the bench with hustle and rebounds that really helps us,” said Cole. “Because of her size and proficiency in shooting, she brings something that’s really important for us. Her energy is really contagious.”

Redmond was led by sophomore center Freya Snow, who scored seven of her 10 points in the third quarter and finished with six rebounds. South Medford limited Redmond to 3-for-20 shooting in the first half.