MEDFORD BOYS BASKETBALL - Raiders tied atop GNC after 71-63 win

MEDFORD BOYS BASKETBALL

The uncertainty in November of what might transpire this boys basketball season for the Medford Raiders has turned more toward the idea that anything is possible at the year’s midpoint.

On Friday, the Raiders took down the Great Northern Conference’s pre-season favorite, Rhinelander, on the Hodags’ home floor 71-63 to pull into a first-place tie with them at the turn of the conference season. Both teams ended the first half 5-1 in league play, one game ahead of 4-2 Mosinee, who is also still very much in the mix, and the Raiders got back over .500 overall at 7-6 after a tough stretch in the schedule following their 3-0 start.

Making the win even more impressive was that the team did it fighting through illness. That was particularly true of Charlie Gierl, who may have been the sickest of the bunch but turned in a performance to remember by scoring 32 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. He was eight of 10 from the field, including four of six from 3-point range and made 12 of 13 free throws, including nine of 10 in crunch time. Senior Jason Woller also played a big role with a career-high 12 points, including two big 3s and a couple of plays late that helped Medford get key baskets against Rhinelander’s pressure defense.

“There’s starting to be a belief that we can play and we can win these games,” Medford head coach Ryan Brown said. “I think that was one of the best parts to see from them. There was exhaustion and some of them were sick and things like that, but at the end it was bump a fist, give a high five, that was a good game, we needed that, but it wasn’t like it was unexpected. I’m hoping we can continue that momentum moving into the second half of the conference.”

While every conference game is big, Brown said the preparation for this one was crucial. He said it started during the high school finals schedule Wednesday when he and varsity assistant Garett Shipman were able to sit down during Brown’s lunch and prep period and particularly plan how Medford should attack Rhinelander’s 1-3-1 trapping defense. Then, in practice, bringing in alumni and community members to help run a scout 1-3-1 was the other part to the week’s prep.

“Between bringing people in and then really spending a lot of time really teaching our kids what the 1-3-1 does and how you can move it and how you can beat it was big,” Brown said. “They had a better understanding versus just going out there and throwing the ball around. I thought all of that came together really well with a super, just tough performance by the team.”

The Raiders trailed 12-7 early, but 3s from Gierl and Hayden Koester shot Medford in front by one. Another 3 from Woller off a Koester kickout and Woller’s score off a steal put the Raiders up 18-13. Woller’s offensive putback made it 24-15 and Nick Krause’s putback made it 26-17. The lead hit nine again when Peyton Ried found Gierl inside. The Raiders led 28-21 at the break.

Offensively, Medford avoided turnovers at halfcourt and skipped the ball well against the zone. Against Rhinelander’s man-to-man, Medford didn’t settle for 3s and was able to attack the basket frequently with its slip cuts when Rhinelander was switching against the Raiders’ screens. Post touches also led to good things against both Rhinelander defenses.

“If they’re switching the flare, which they were and we beat them a lot on it early in the game, that means the slip has to be open,” Brown said.

The Raiders continued to click after halftime, starting with a 10-3 spurt that gave them their largest lead at 38-24 with 14:30 left. Gierl’s 3 moments later matched that lead at 41-27.

But the Jim Miazga Community Gymnasium is a tough place to play and Rhinelander made its inevitable run to get its crowd back into it. Truman Lamers sparked it with a 3-pointer and a steal and slam dunk that got the Hodags within 4132. Krause buried a pair of 3-balls to keep Medford in front by double digits at 47-35, but then a triple and an inside score form Jatyn Barkus got the Hodags within seven. After a Barkus steal and score, hoops from Evan Schoeder and Lamers, not to mention Gierl’s fourth foul, it was a tie game at 48-48 with 5:15 left.

Gierl, though, did not leave the game and put Medford back on top for good.

First, he was fouled on a 3-point shot and made all three free throws. Gierl got a steal in the lane defensively, then he delivered with a big-time hit with a four-point play from the right off a Koester kickout, making it 55-48 with 3:54 left.

Lamers drained a 3, but he also missed the front end of a bonus opportunity a few seconds later. Medford took advantage as Will Daniels got free on a slip and Woller found him for the layup. Lamers scored for the Hodags, but this time it was Woller getting free at the rim for the layup off a Devin Dassow assist. The Raiders got a stop and Woller delivered the dagger with a 3-pointer from the left side with 1:45 left for a 62-53 lead. Rhinelander got within five twice in the last minute, but Gierl locked it down from the free throw line.

“Not enough can be said about what Charlie Gierl did with a 101-degree fever,” Brown said. “He was unconscious. I don’t know if it was the fever or what, but he made every big play we needed. It was a great night because we had to overcome some adversity. Some calls didn’t go our way. Kids weren’t feeling good. They made their run and the crowd’s against you. Between Charlie and obviously some of the big shots Jason Woller made, Jason had a huge night for us.”

Another crucial statistic was in rebounding. A weakness early in the season, the Raiders have improved in January. On Friday, they had a 32-25 edge.

“After the first couple minutes, when they got in the paint quite a bit, I thought we did a much better job of not allowing the middle, keeping them on the perimeter and not allowing a lot of penetration or passes into the post,” Brown said. “We contested well and our rebounding was maybe the best it’s been all year. We rebounded 76% of the misses and our offensive rebounds were 34%, so that was our best of the year at 110 total and that’s against a team that’s bigger and more athletic than us. Our rebounding is going in the right direction as a team. It’s just been being really competitive with it in practice.”

Dassow had six points and three assists. Koester had five points, six assists and five steals. Daniels had three points and three rebounds. Ried had a first-half basket and three boards. Woller also had three rebounds.

Lamers led Rhinelander (9-3) with 22 points and four steals. Schoeder had 10 points and seven rebounds while the Raiders limited one of the Hodags’ top threats, Devon Feck, to nine points though he did also dish out nine assists.

“I was really proud,” Brown said. “Even at the end when they were trying to trap us, we couldn’t have done that at the start of the year. They tried to trap us, chase us, scramble us and all of a sudden we’re making them pay with two points in the paint and really killing their momentum in trying to come back and extending our lead. It was a really good team win on the road in a really tough environment.”

Medford starts a busy and challenging week-and-a-half stretch tonight, Thursday, by hosting Stanley-Boyd at 7:15 p.m. in non-conference play. The Orioles come in at 9-4, have good size and will look to push the tempo. On Friday, Lakeland comes to town to start round two of GNC play. Medford won the first game 73-57 on Dec. 6.

Tuesday brings a road trip to Onalaska, who might be the best opponent Medford sees in the regular season. The Hilltoppers are 11-3 and were ranked among the state’s top 10 Division 2 teams until this week. Medford is at Mosinee on Jan. 31 and at Altoona on Feb. 4.

Medford’s Parker Lissner works to score more points after getting an early takedown against Lakeland’s Kade Elm during their 150-pound match Thursday at Raider Hall. Lissner eventually pinned Elm in 5:53. Medford won the dual meet 41-20. MATT FREY/THE STAR NEWS

Medford’s Hayden Koester (4) and Will Daniels try to stop Rhinelander’s Devon Feck during the first half of Friday’s 71-63 win over the Hodags. BOB MAINHARDT/NORTHWOODS RIVER NEWS