Warriors, T-Birds extend tough stretch for Raider girls

MEDFORD GIRLS BASKETBALL

Medford’s defense, for the most part, made Rice Lake work for the points it got Tuesday, but the Raiders’ recent offensive struggles continued in a 45-24 nonconference loss on the Warriors’ home floor.

The Raiders found some shooting rhythm at the free throw line, making 11 of 16, but they hit a season-low six shots from the field in 39 attempts, which wasn’t enough to hang with the Warriors, who improved to 7-8.

Medford dropped its fifth straight game to fall to 4-9 overall. The Raiders got a solid outing out of senior guard Bryn Fronk, who scored 14 points on fiveof- nine shooting from the field. She had five rebounds and a steal. Unfortunately, the Raiders got just one more shot from the field to fall. That came on their first points of the game when Brooke Rudolph scored at the end of a successful press break to make it a 4-2 game.

Still, the Raiders hung around in the first half after falling behind 12-2. Fronk hit Medford’s lone 3 of the night and Breanna Kraemer sank two free throws to make it 12-7 with 11:55 left. After Isabelle Schmidt scored in the post for Rice Lake, Fronk answered with a 17-foot jumper to make it 14-9. An 8-1 spurt put the Warriors up by 12. Fronk scored off a Madison Clarkson assist and she later picked up a loose ball and took it the other way for two with 40 seconds left to leave Rice Lake with a 25-14 halftime lead.

Toryn Rau swished two free throws to cap a possession where Medford got five offensive rebounds and got the deficit into single digits at 25-16. The Raiders had a couple of chances to get even closer but couldn’t convert. The Raiders lost Rau to a hard fall when she took a charge on Rice Lake star Eliana Sheplee with 15:00 to go and the wind was slowly taken out of Medford’s sails from there as the Warrior steadily extended their lead.

Adaline Sheplee led Rice Lake with 12 points and seven rebounds, while Eliana Sheplee had 10, along with Schmidt, who was tough to move when she got established in the post area.

Rudolph finished with three points, Kraemer and Rau scored two and Rachel Wesle, Rylee Hraby and Ella Daniels all added a free throw.

Both teams struggled from behind the 3-point arc. Medford was one for 16 and Rice Lake was one for 12. The Warriors just did a better job of getting good looks inside and scored 36 points in the paint. Turnovers were nearly even. Medford had 19 and Rice Lake had 16. Rice Lake did have a decided edge in total rebounding at 43-29.

Medford has a game-heavy final threeplus weeks to the regular season. That stretch continues with home games tonight, Thursday, against Hayward and Friday against Antigo. The Raiders head to Rhinelander Monday to make up a Jan. 3 postponement and go to Tomahawk Feb. 3 before returning to Raider Hall the next day to host La Crosse Central.

Lakeland 71, Medford 26

On Friday, it took the Lakeland Thunderbirds a little while to get going, but once they did midway through the first half there was no looking back in their 71-26 win over Medford at Raider Hall.

Lakeland turned 25 Medford turnovers into 35 points, hit nine 3-point shots and shot 50% overall from the field (27 of 54) to easily stay undefeated in Great Northern Conference play at 7-0. The T-Birds held Medford to nine made field goals, five of which were 3s.

In the first six to seven minutes, Medford, for the most part, broke Lakeland’s full-court pressure and gave itself some good looks at the basket in its half-court offense, that unfortunately didn’t fall.

Medford beat the press and got a Fronk basket off a Rau assist for its first points after Lakeland scored the game’s first seven. Fronk scored off a steal to make it 12-4.

But that’s when Lakeland took over the game, going on an 18-0 run. Sophomore Kristina Ouimette hit two triples in the run and Lakeland started getting steals, leading to three baskets for senior Julianna Ouimette and another for Kristina as the lead ballooned to 30-4 before Rudolph finally drilled a 3-pointer for Medford to stop the run. Unfortunately, Kristina Ouimette immediately answered with a 3. Rudolph wound up making two more 3s in the half and led the Raiders with nine points for the game. Lakeland led 42-15 at the break and then outscored Medford 29-11 in the second half. Rudolph also had six points and two rebounds.

Fronk and Aliyah Pilgrim scored four points apiece with Pilgrim hitting a second-half 3-pointer. Rylee Hraby hit a second-half 3, while Clarkson, Kraemer and Rau added two points apiece. Kraemer led Medford with seven rebounds, while Rau had five. Fronk, Rudolph and Rau had two assists each. Fronk and Rudolph had two steals each.

Kristina Ouimette led all scorers with 22 points and added five rebounds and five assists. Lily Fortier had a big night for Lakeland with 18 points, five rebounds, three steals and two assists, while Julianna Ouimette, a 2,000-point scorer in her career, was quiet in that department with 13 points, but she had 10 assists, five rebounds, three steals and two blocked shots for the T-Birds.