SUCCESSFUL FIRST TOURNAMENT STEPS
Harder than it had to be, but it’s a win
MEDFORD 59, RHINELANDER 55 (OT)
With the two regular season games between Rhinelander and Medford being decided by three and two points, it only made sense that Tuesday’s third meeting in a WIAA Division 2 regional opener was even tighter, going into overtime.
How the teams got there didn’t always make sense, but it made for a thrilling ending in Medford’s 59-55 win.
The victory sends the fourth-seeded Raiders (11-8) to top-seeded Mosinee (16-6) for a regional semifinal Friday. The Indians won the Great Northern Conference championship with a 9-1 league record, but that one loss came to Medford on Mosinee’s home floor back on Jan. 8.
Rhinelander’s season ended at 11-14 after the Hodags overcame a 14-point second-half deficit to extend the game. But for the second time in four days against Medford, they could never get past a tie while trying to dig out of a second-half deficit.
“We found a way to win,” Greg Klapatauskas said after earning his first post-season win as Medford’s head coach. “I was impressed with how a few of the juniors stepped up into a leadership role once Marissa (Fronk) was in foul trouble. They became the leaders that we needed them to be and I was really proud of that.
“I really loved our half-court offense. We got a lot of layups tonight and I loved the way we attacked the basket. From free throw line to free throw line was just where we really struggled.”
An early 9-0 run turned an 11-6 deficit into a 15-11 Medford lead and, just like Friday’s 43-41 win over the Hodags in the regular-season finale, the Raiders never trailed after the first-half run. But Rhinelander made sure no one wearing red and white got too comfortable.
Medford led 27-23 at halftime and stretched the lead to 33-25 when Fronk, Medford’s All-GNC senior guard, picked up her fourth foul with 14:52 left. Rhinelander’s star, Rebecca Lawrence got her third 26 seconds later. With Fronk on the bench for the next eight minutes, Medford, for the most part, actually excelled.
Katie Brehm hit a pair of mid-range shots to give Medford a 37-25 lead, Laurissa Klapatauskas countered two free throws by Hodag Brynn Brzycki with two of her own and, after a putback by Hodag Ella Schiek, Martha Miller scored off a Brehm assist and then hit a jumper from the right elbow for a 43Raiders survive in OT
29 lead with just under nine minutes to play. During the stretch, Medford’s halfcourt defense and rebounding were rock solid.
“We knew that Marissa was down,” junior Rynn Ruesch said. “She’s a main part of our team so we knew we had to all step up a little bit.”
A Lawrence steal led to a free throw with 8:16 left and it signaled the start of the big momentum shift. Rhinelander’s pressure got to the Raiders and the Hodags used turnovers to creep within 45-36. But Lawrence, who had scored 22 points, fouled out with 4:11, which should have been to Medford’s advantage.
Instead, five missed free throws in a span of 1:50 and five points from Ava Lamers had the Hodags within two. Ruesch’s free throws with 1:16 left made it 47-43, but Megan Brown scored off a backcourt steal with 58 seconds left, again cutting Medford’s lead to two.
“We had that stretch where we just kept throwing at nobody,” Fronk said. “Turnover after turnover.”
“I think we got into our heads a little bit, got flustered,”Ruesch said. “I think we needed to just take a breath.”
Lamers missed a 3-point attempt with 12 seconds left, Brehm grabbed the rebound and got the ball to Bryn Fronk, who was fouled with 8.5 seconds left. The game took another twist when she missed both free throws, but got the rebound and had an open layup to seal it. Somehow the ball rolled off the rim and Fronk was called for her fifth foul on the rebound, ending her night and sending Brzycki to the free throw line with 4.9 seconds left. She hit both to tie the game at 47-47. Marissa Fronk missed a tough driving shot from the left side at the buzzer, sending the game to the four-minute overtime.
“I prefer just winning right away,” Fronk said. “But It’s nice when you have overtime because you have that extra minute. It helps you say, ‘OK, it’s not like a it’s a last-second shot that we have to have. We can start running our offense again. We have more time to work the ball now.’” Medford got the ball first and Autumn Krause hit a huge 3-pointer from the right wing to put the Raiders right back in the lead.
“That was huge,” Ruesch said. “That really got us going right away.”
The Raiders held leads of 52-47 and 54-49, but an Audrey Schiek 3-pointer with 1:20 made it a one-possession game again. But Brehm, Ruesch and Marissa Fronk hit free throws that widened the lead to 59-52 and, with three starters fouled out, the Hodags became the team that turned the ball over constantly in the last minute. Lamers hit a 30-foot 3-pointer at the buzzer to create the final margin.
Offensively, Medford had strong balance, led by Marissa Fronk’s 13 points. Brehm stepped up in the second half and overtime with 10. Bryn Fronk and Ruesch scored eight points apiece and Miller had seven points, including a first-half 3-pointer and her back-to-back second-half scores.
Laurissa Klapatauskas was six of eight from the free throw line and Krause had seven points, including that clutch 3. Pernsteiner and Sophie Brost gave Medford some key minutes as well. Klapatauskas had 12 rebounds, and Bryn Fronk had six. Ruesch had a team-high five assists, while Brehm had three.
After Lawrence, Lamers was the only Hodag in double digits with 10 points.
“I think our defense makes our offense work,” Marissa Fronk said. “If you’re lazy on defense, then your offense is going to be lazy and you’re going to have more turnovers. It’s just about getting after it and getting aggressive.”
Aggression is what Medford will see from Mosinee Friday.
“That’s going to be a whole another battle,” Greg Klapatauskas said. “They’re going to overplay, I’m sure they’re going to try to trap us like that. We didn’t have as many problems with their press as we did with Rhinelander’s for some reason. But we’ll have to deal with their physicality and them being up in our face.”
Rhinelander’s Megan Brown can only watch as Marissa Fronk gets an easy layup to give Medford a 54-49 lead with 1:35 left in overtime during Tuesday’s WIAA Division 2 regional opener, won by the Raiders 59-55.MATT FREY/THE STAR NEWS
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