Raiders finish 10-2 in non-conference play, aim to clinch GNC in last week
MEDFORD BOYS BASKETBALL
One of the most ambitious non-conference schedules the Medford Raiders have ever put together in boys basketball was completed Tuesday with yet another win, a 48-43 defensive grinder over Wausau West at Raider Hall.
With the win, Medford finished 10-2 in its non-conference games for the 2020-21 regular season. The slate included four games against the Big Rivers Conference, which right now stands as northern Wisconsin’s premier league. The Raiders went 2-2 against those teams. The win over West Tuesday put Medford at 3-0 against Wisconsin Valley Conference teams and the Raiders earned wins over ranked teams from Tomah, Edgar and Appleton Xavier.
Now 19-2 overall, the Raiders will try to put the finishing touches on a second straight unbeaten run through the Great Northern Conference in their last three regular-season games. Friday’s trip to Rhinelander is a big one for the 9-0 Raiders. The Hodags come into the game at 7-1 in league play and are the team that still has the best shot at catching Medford in the title chase. A Medford win clinches at least a title tie with two more chances to win it outright. A Rhinelander win puts the Hodags in position to get at least a tie when the season ends next week.
Medford hosts Northland Pines Monday for Parents Night and the regularseason home finale at 7:15 p.m. The Raiders wrap things up at Mosinee Feb. 11. The Indians are 7-3 in league play.
Tuesday’s defensive battle was decided by a 7-0 run that broke a 33-33 tie. Medford never trailed in the game, but the Warriors drew even five times. The last of those ties came when West’s leading scorer, Amillion Buggs hit one of two free throws with 5:30 left.
Just 11 seconds later, Medford’s leading scorer, Peyton Kuhn worked off screens by Joe Sullivan and Ty Baker and hit a 3-pointer from just left of the circle. Brady Hupf rebounded a Sullivan miss and scored with 3:55 to go and Baker hit two free throws at the 3:10 mark to put Medford ahead 40-33.
Baker hit five of eight free throws in the last 3:10 and scored six second-half points, all from the free throw line while battling foul trouble the entire game. His last free throw came at the 1:27 mark after West had pulled within 42-39. Baker made a huge play with 26 seconds left, tipping the rebound on a missed free throw by Kuhn to Hupf for a layup that made it 47-39 and sealed the deal.
Kuhn led Medford with 25 points, including six 3-pointers. He had 16 of Medford’s 25 first-half points, helping the Raiders take a 25-17 halftime lead. The Raiders led by as much as 10 in the half at 23-13. It was 29-21 early in the second half when West went on a quick 8-0 run to tie it. Max Helke had seven of those points with two free throws, a steal and the tying 3-pointer. Kuhn answered with a long 3-pointer from the left side with 11:28 to go, but Buggs would tie it with three free throws over the next five minutes.
Hupf scored nine points and pulled down 11 rebounds for Medford, Sullivan scored four points and Owen Wipf and Nate Retterath had two apiece. Baker had five rebounds, Sullivan had four and Kuhn, Sullivan and Retterath each had two steals.
Buggs led Wausau West (8-7) with 14 points and eight rebounds, while Helke added 11 points.
Medford 63, Altoona 51
On Saturday night, the Raiders never trailed but they could never truly shake the Altoona Railroaders until the final moments of a 63-51 non-conference road victory.
Both teams had to overcome some foul trouble as they played on second nights of back-to-backs. The Raiders beat Tomahawk Friday, while Altoona lost a 59-55 heartbreaker at Neillsville.
Medford’s 3-point shooting form didn’t suffer as the Raiders hit 11 of 23 attempts from long range with six of those makes coming in the second half. Four helped open up a 19-point lead. Two slammed the door on a potential Altoona comeback in the latter stages.
The Raiders took an 8-0 lead right away, but Altoona fought back and drew even at 15-15 with an 8-0 run of its own that included 3-pointers from Blend Sabani and Evan Peterson. Baker ended the run with his own 3-pointer and Hupf, who had a big first half, scored inside. Kuhn, the focus of Altoona’s box-and-one defense for much of the night, got a bucket, Hupf put one in off an offensive rebound and Retterath scored five straight points off a long outlet pass from Hupf and a 3-pointer off Hupf’s offensive rebound.
Sullivan added a 3-pointer and Kuhn put in a free throw to open up a 33-19 lead. It was 35-20 at the half.
Altoona scored the first six points of the second half when Medford went on a pivotal shooting spree. Kuhn hit one from the long range, then freshman Tanner Hraby, who had scored 11 varsity points all year, went off, hitting three triples in a row to push the lead to 47-28 with just over 12 minutes left.
But Hupf, Baker and Kuhn all found themselves with bench time thanks to fouls and Altoona made a run, getting within 49-38. But Sullivan quieted that surge with two treys from the right corner that extended Medford’s lead to 55-40 with five minutes left. Altoona got as close as 58-49 on two Brayden Turk free throws with 1:38 left, but three free throws by Baker and two from Sullivan sealed it.
While the Rails held Kuhn to six points, 14 points apiece from Hupf and Baker and 13 from Sullivan more than picked up the slack and Hraby’s nine points were key. Retterath added seven.
Hupf grabbed 10 rebounds to complete a double-double with five of those boards coming on the offensive end. He scored 12 of his points in the first half and Baker scored 10 in the opening half. Baker had four assists, while Sullivan and Caleb Guden had three each.
Turk had 16 points and seven rebounds, while Peterson had 14 points for Altoona, who fell to 11-6 overall.
The game featured a unique coaching matchup. Medford head coach Ryan Brown is an Altoona alum, while Altoona’s head coach is 2002 Medford graduate Paul Henrichs, whose 1,307 career points were surpassed by Kuhn last week.
