Raiders take 2nd at North; first games against GNC leaders are next

MEDFORD BOYS BASKETBALL

A dominant effort against Brookfield Academy gave the Medford Raiders a shot at the host team in the championship game of last week’s Sheboygan North holiday tournament, but an early lead quickly got away in the title game and the Golden Raiders pulled away for a 67-48 win.

Medford attended the tournament for the second straight year and, like last year’s matchup with Oshkosh North, got a great test against a Division 1 school. The Golden Raiders improved to 7-1 in winning the tournament and turned Thursday’s championship game around with a 22-4 run to end the first half and then broke the game open with a run of four 3-point shots midway through the second half that opened up a 20-point lead.

The loss dropped Medford to 7-3 overall, falling to a well-balanced team that shot the ball well at 51.8% overall, rebounded it well and took care of it, turning it over just 10 times. Medford shot just 36.5% from the field, cooling off after a hot start.

Down 6-4 early, the Raiders got a bucket down low from Tanner Hraby and Baumgartner got loose for an easy one to put Medford ahead. Charlie Kleist made one of two free throws with Charlie Gierl grabbing the miss and putting it in for an 11-6 lead with 12:19 left in the half.

Later, back-to-back 3s by Hraby and Gierl opened up a 19-10 lead, and scores by Hraby and Ty Metz, who grabbed his own miss, made it 23-10 with 8:45 left in the half.

“I thought we started well,” Medford head coach Ryan Brown said. “We were early on defense, got out on shooters and contested shots.”

But just when it looked like Medford’s Raiders were rolling, Sheboygan North’s Raiders flipped the script. Brown said several factors played into that. While the Raiders like to play fast, he felt the Golden Raiders were eventually able to set their even faster pace and their depth became a factor. Brown felt the Raiders started to seem a step slow in the second half and Sheboygan North, offensively, did a good job of scheming and getting the Raiders in some bad positions on the weak side, leading to open shots. He also said the teams are very similar defensively with North being able to get some deflections and turnovers off bad passes.

“I think we had 13 turnovers, but seven or eight of them led to points,” Brown said. “When you’re playing a really good team that comes from a school three times your size, you have to be better and things have to be done really well.”

North’s run started with a Tyler Schoessow basket, then Owen Stangel scored off a steal. Blake Buhr’s 3-pointer sliced Medford’s lead to six at 23-17. After Metz scored off another offensive rebound, Sheboygan North scored six more points to close within 25-23 before Kleist got a shot to roll in. But a 9-0 run to close the half put the home team ahead for good.

The Golden Raiders scored the first two baskets of the second half. Kleist’s rebound basket made it 36-29. Sheboygan North scored six straight, Medford countered with a bucket by Metz and a 3-pointer and score off a steal by Logan Baumgartner to make it 42-36, but Max Olsen went on a personal 7-0 run for Sheboygan North and, after Zach Rudolph got a steal and passed to Gierl for a hoop, Mason Debbink hit three 3s and Olsen added one to more than offset a trey from Kleist and make it 61-41 and put Medford in a hole it couldn’t dig out of.

Kleist led Medford with 13 points and had six rebounds and three assists. Gierl gave Medford some big minutes off the bench, scoring 10 points to go with three rebounds and two assists. Baumgartner was limited to nine points and had three rebounds, two steals and an assist. Hraby finished with seven points, Metz had six points, 11 rebounds and two assists and Rudolph had three points and two steals.

Max Tutas led three Golden Raiders in double figures with 19 points on nineof- 13 shooting. He also had 12 rebounds and five assists. Debbink was three for three from long range and six of seven overall while scoring 15. Olsen added 12. Sheboygan North made 21 of 33 twopoint shots (63.6%) and hit eight of 23 3-point tries. Medford was 13 of 34 on twopoint shots and six of 18 on 3s. Sheboygan North scored 21 points off Medford’s turnovers.

“It was a good trip,” Brown said. “We got challenged.”

Big win in round one

The Raiders got the ball inside, got rebounds, got fouled and frustrated Brookfield Academy with their defense in an 81-50 win in round one of the tournament Dec. 28.

Baumgartner scored 24 points, Kleist had a 20-point, 10-rebound double-double despite a sore ankle and Hraby hit four of eight 3s and scored 19 points in the lopsided win, which was followed by Sheboygan North’s lopsided 8042 over Fuller Collegiate Academy to set up the championship matchup.

The Raiders built a 37-25 halftime lead by making 13 of 20 free throws and getting a couple of Blue Knights starters into serious foul trouble. Offensive efficiency was at its peak in the second half when the Raiders shot 63.8% from the field by making 17 of 29 shots, including 14 of 22 two-point shots and just enough 3s – three of seven – to break it wide open.

Medford actually started to run away with it in the early going, building a 28-9 lead. Hraby hit a couple of early 3s, but Kleist did the major damage inside, scoring 10 points. Brookfield Academy chipped away with an 11-4 spurt that closed the gap to 32-20 on a Jon Sabani score and the Blue Knights later got as close as 11 at 35-24 before Hraby cut to the hoop and scored off a Baumgartner assist.

Nolan Demski, who was whistled for four fouls in the first half, got the first bucket of the second half to pull Brookfield Academy within 10. It was 39-29 when Medford went on a 13-0 run and wasn’t threatened again. Kleist scored inside to start the run, Baumgartner hit a free throw and scored a basket. Kleist scored off a Rudolph assist and Hraby buried the Knights with back-to-back 3s, making it 52-29. The Raiders continued to pound the ball inside, despite the presence of Brookfield Academy’s 6-5 junior Anthony Pryzybilla, son of former Milwaukee Buck and Brookfield Academy assistant coach Joel Przybilla, and built a lead that got as high as 33 at 77-44.

Brown said the Raiders knew the Blue Knights are driven offensively by attacking the paint inside and using those attacks to also kick the ball out to open shooters. He credited recent Raider alums like the Ekwueme and Sullivan brothers with coming into practice earlier in the week and helping the team prepare, and it paid off in the game.

Medford finished at 48.2% in overall shooting (27 of 56) compared to 32.7% for Brookfield Academy (16 of 49). The Raiders made 20 of 36 free throws compared to 14 of 25 for the Blue Knights. Medford forced 24 turnovers and committed just 10. Medford also held a slim 35-32 margin in rebounding.

Metz just missed a double-double with nine points and nine boards. Rudolph, despite battling an illness during the trip, had five points, three assists and three rebounds. Carson Carbaugh sank two late free throws. Gierl and Nick Steliga had a point apiece.

Przybilla did score 13 points and had seven rebounds. Davis Arvold had 12 points for Brookfield Academy, who blasted Fuller Collegiate Academy 83-27 in Thursday’s consolation game to go 4-2 for the year.

Big week ahead

The Raiders were scheduled to get back into Great Northern Conference play Tuesday, but their home game with Rhinelander was postponed to Jan. 31 due to the icy weather.

Now Medford heads into a crucial twogame GNC stretch with a Friday game at Northland Pines, ranked ninth in Division 3 in this week’s WisSports.net coaches state poll, and then a Tuesday home game with Mosinee, who is ranked sixth in Division 2.

Northland Pines, however, made a statement Tuesday by going into Mosinee and handing the Indians their first loss of the year, 70-61. The Eagles and Raiders both sit at 3-0 league play atop the standings, while Mosinee is 3-1.

Both big GNC games will tip at 7:15 p.m.

“Both games are going to be battles,” Brown said.

The Raiders split with both teams a year ago and both bring several players back.

Pines, in particular, is a senior-dominated group that is peaking as the second half of the season approaches. The Eagles are led by the senior quartet of Nolan Lurvey, Gabe Smith, Ryan Muench and Griffin Stiemke, all of whom average double figures in scoring. A fifth senior, Miles McCanles, is also emerging as a valuable player for them as well, Brown said.

Mosinee is led by the familiar names of senior Davin Stoffel inside and junior Keagan Jirschele on the perimeter. They combine for about 36 points per game and senior Blake Nichols is emerging as a third solid contributor.

“Pines does so much so well,” Brown said. “Defensively, they’re never out of position. We’re going to have to take care of the ball, screen bodies, be patient on offense and make sure we stick to those 10-12 foot passes.

“Mosinee might not be as refined as Pines, but they have so much athleticism, quickness and length,” he added. “Just when you think you have them beat, they’re not because they’re so athletic.”

Gilman guard Sam Syryczuk probes the lane during the first half of last week’s loss to Lake Holcombe.MATT FREY/THE STAR NEWS