Raiders drop two tough ones to New London and Lakeland

MEDFORD GIRLS BASKETBALL

One of the Medford Raiders’ main focuses at the start of the new basketball season was to finish at the rim. Four games in, accomplishing that mission has remained a challenge.

The Raiders dropped their third straight game Tuesday afternoon, falling 46-39 at New London in a non-conference game they controlled early. Unfortunately, a seven-point lead slipped away in a first-half stretch where turnovers against the Bulldogs’ pressure hurt them and the lid seemingly covered the basket.

“We started well in the first half,” Medford head coach Greg Klapatauskas said. “We had a lead then all of a sudden we turned it over a couple of times, forced some shots and missed the good shots we did get.”

Medford fell to 1-3 overall, while the Bulldogs improved to 3-3. The loss could be a damaging one down the road as these two teams could be battling for seeding position in the post-season.

Rynn Ruesch scored 10 of her 12 points in the second half to lead the Raiders offensively, while Bryn Fronk added 10, including the team’s lone 3-pointer.

“It just comes down to getting that mindset that we have to go make a shot,” Klapatauskas said. “Get our eyes on the rim and make a shot. We have to learn to go hard through the contact. Let’s get the ‘and one.’ Even if you’re getting fouled, make the basket and let’s get three instead of just two.”

The Raiders got plenty of defensive stops early and, in their best offensive stretch, got some shots in the paint to fall. Brooke Rudolph got an offensive putback, Ruesch sank two free throws and Laurissa Klapatauskas grabbed the ball after Rudolph’s shot was blocked and put it in for a 6-5 lead. Fronk scored off an offensive rebound, Lydia Pernsteiner banked in a shot from the right side and Ruesch spun to her left out of the high post and scored for a 12-5 lead.

But after a timeout, New London became the aggressors, getting four free throws and then a score from Jensen Mix that was forced by pressure to make it 1211. Fronk scored on an aggressive move to the hoop, but a 3-pointer and baseline jumper by Lizzie Steingraber put the Bulldogs ahead and Ryann Baker extended the lead to 19-14 with a 3-pointer from the corner. Free throws by Fronk and Rudolph cut the lead to 19-18 at the break and Ruesch’s drive gave the Raiders a 20-19 edge to start the second half, but that would be Medford’s last lead as Steingraber, who led all scorers with 15 points, hit a stepback 15-foot jumper, got a steal and score and sank a triple in a 9-4 spurt that was capped by Jenna Herzfeldt’s 3-pointer, giving the Bulldogs a 29-24 lead.

Ruesch’s putback off a missed free throw by Rudolph got Medford within 29-27, but New London then went on a clinching 10-0 run that included threepoint plays from Shelby Glodowski and Steingraber.

The Raiders could only pull within six in the final minute.

Laurissa Klapatauskas finished with six points, Rudolph added five, Pernsteiner had four and Autumn Krause added a second-half hoop.

“We did some good things,” Klapatauskas said. “Our free throws were better. We did some things in practice to help with that. Our leadership on the court is improving. We have some girls starting to take that step. Offensively we gave ourselves some really good looks. We just have to make them. We got some good looks off the pick and roll. We have to go and finish.”

The Raiders will look to build some momentum in the next week as they face two teams off to tough starts in the GNC. Antigo visits Raider Hall for a 7:15 p.m. contest on Friday night, then it’s off to Tomahawk on Dec. 17.

Lakeland 63, Medford 51

In Friday’s GNC opener, the Raiders made a couple of big runs but an early 14-point deficit in the first half and an early 15-point hole in the second half were just too much to overcome in a 63-51 loss to visiting Lakeland.

The T-Birds were led by their standout sisters, junior Julianna Ouimette and freshman Kristina Ouimette, who scored 26 and 20 points to combine for 46 of Lakeland’s 63 points. Kristina Ouimette hit some of the biggest shots in the game, twice knocking down back-toback 3-pointers after Medford had nearly wiped out Lakeland’s leads.

“I told the girls we’re this close,” Greg Klapatauskas said. “I thought we looked a ton better. We played with way more confidence. We rebounded the heck out of them. They were tired for awhile. I think we had them on the ropes. We either dug ourselves too big of a hole to begin or they hit some big shots.”

Ultimately the Raiders, for the second straight game, had too much trouble putting the ball in the basket. With 26 offensive rebounds, the Raiders got 71 shots from the field, but made only 18 of them (25.4%) and they were a costly 10 for 24 from the free throw line.

Limiting turnovers is always a key against Lakeland’s defense. The Raiders had 20, which led to 18 T-Bird points, but Lakeland turned it over 28 times, giving Medford 20 points.

“We had it down to four or five,” Klapatauskas said. “If we get a couple more shots to fall and a couple free throws and we somehow get a lead, I think we’ve got them.”

Medford never led, tying the game only once at 3-3. A Fronk 3 got the Raiders within 7-6, but Julianna Ouimette’s 3-pointer and score off a steal started a 14-1 Lakeland run that made it 21-7.

The Raiders tightened up their defense and ball handling and countered with a 15-5 run. Ruesch and Katie Brehm scored inside. After Julianna Ouimette hit another 3, Laurissa Klapatauskas drove to the rack and scored, Fronk hit a free throw and Lindsey Wildberg sank a 3 ending a series where Medford grabbed several offensive rebounds. Pernsteiner hit a 3 and a short jumper to pull the Raiders within 26-22, but Kristina Ouimette ended the half with the first of her key back-to-back longballs to make it 3222.

“We needed to rotate our zone better,” Greg Klapatauskas said. “We didn’t ro- tate to them well enough in the first half and weren’t aware of where they were. In the second half when we did, it was harder for them to make shots.”

Lakeland opened the second half with a 6-1 spurt that opened up a 38-23 lead when Medford made another charge.

Brooke Rudolph started it with an offensive putback, Fronk got a steal and score and then spun in a 3-point try to make it 38-30 and force a Lakeland timeout with 12:41 left. Fronk assisted on a Rudolph score to cut it to six, but Saylor Zimmerman scored inside for Lakeland and Kristina Ouimette’s trey, plus Julianna Ouimette’s drive to the basket and her steal and score pushed the lead back to 14 at 48-34.

The Raiders responded with one more push. Fronk scored twice, Autumn Krause swished a 3-pointer and Ruesch put back her own miss in a 9-0 run that made it 48-43 with 7:23 left.

That’s when the younger Ouimette was clutch with her second run of backto- back 3s, pushing the lead back to 11 and slamming the door on Medford’s comeback. Ouimette scored 18 of her 20 points on six 3s.

Fronk had an outstanding showing for Medford with 13 points, nine rebounds, five steals and two assists. Ruesch had 11 points and six rebounds. Brehm had six points, seven rebounds and three steals.

Klapatauskas, Pernsteiner and Rudolph scored five points each. Rudolph had six rebounds and Klapatauskas had four. Krause and Wildberg finished with three points each. Wildberg had three offensive rebounds and a steal.

Medford outrebounded Lakeland 4838.

“I can’t fault the effort,” Greg Klapatauskas said. “We just have to get better.”