in the first half and ….

in the first half and turned the ball over 14 times as the Raiders built a 29-19 halftime lead. Medford scored the game’s first seven points, Rhinelander closed the gap to 15-13 and then the Raiders went on a 14-4 run, highlighted by 3s from Logan Baumgartner and Sam Blair and offensive putbacks from Tanner Hraby and Brigham Kelley.

Small breakdowns, however, led to key buckets for Rhinelander in the second half.

“We missed some opportunities and those little things added up,” Brown said.

After the Hodags grabbed the lead, Hraby’s 3-pointer with 2:18 left got Medford within 46-45, but Gretzinger drilled a huge triple with 1:18 left following a Raider turnover. Baumgartner’s 3-point try rattled in and out and Smith hit one of two bonus throws to put the Hodags up 50-45 with 44.2 seconds left. Joe Sullivan made it a one-possession game twice at 50-47 and 52-49 with free throws, but the Raiders got no closer in the final seconds.

“In the last three or four games, we’ve made at least 10 3-pointers,” Brown said. “We’ve shot it very well. (Tuesday) we maybe pressed a little bit.”

Working around some foul trouble, Sullivan led Medford with 16 points, Hraby added 11 and Baumgartner had a tough night with just two made field goals and 10 points. Kelley added four points and Blair had three. Kelley had a teamhigh six rebounds, while Baumgartner had five and a team-high four assists. He also had four steals.

Smith led Rhinelander with 19 points, while Zettler did some damage inside with 13.

Unfortunately, Friday’s home show- down with Northland Pines has been postponed, leaving the Raiders with a week to stew over the loss while preparing for a trip to Mosinee on Tuesday. The Indians now hold the early lead in the GNC at 2-0, 7-1. After that, Medford heads to La Crosse Central for a Jan. 15 matchup with Division 2’s third-ranked team.