MEDFORD GIRLS BASKETBALL - Lakeland continues to roll in the GNC at Medford girls’ expense

MEDFORD GIRLS BASKETBALL

Defensively, the Medford Raiders weren’t bad for much of Friday’s matchup with Great Northern Conference-leading Lakeland, but turnovers and an ice cold start with shooting gave them no chance of hanging with the host Thunderbirds in a 65-32 defeat.

Lakeland earned the program’s 37th straight GNC win behind 29 points from its senior star Kristina Ouimette and 10 from senior post Saylor Timmerman. The T-Birds improved to 8-0 in the conference and hold a commanding 2.5-game lead over second-place Mosinee. Lakeland is 14-4 overall after routing Appleton Xavier 73-32 on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Medford’s five-game winning streak was snapped as the Raiders fell to 4-4 in league play and 7-9 overall. The Raiders were led by Taylor Klingbeil, who scored 12 of her 15 points in the second half.

In the first half, Medford held Lakeland to just 11 of 39 shooting from the field and, for the most part, took away the backdoor cuts the Thunderbirds tried to spring free. Nineteen Medford turnovers and 13 offensive rebounds gave Lakeland ample scoring chances, but the T-Birds only put 27 points on the board in those first 18 minutes.

The turnovers, however, limited Medford’s scoring chances and when the Raiders did get shots, they made just three of 17 from the field and trailed 27-9 at the break. The Raiders were still within 14-7 when Rylee Hraby made a 3-point shot with 4:35 left in the half.

But Lakeland then started to get its offense cranked up with a 13-0 run that included two Bobbi Lee free throws, a score from Ouimette, a putback from Timmerman, a three-point play by Cale Quade off an offensive rebound, a Ouimette putback following a steal by Ava Evenhouse and Ouimette’s score off a back cut. Hraby finally ended the run with 15 seconds left, scoring in transition off a long pass from Kayla Baumgartner.

Taylor Klingbeil scored twice and Baumgartner hit a jumper off a baseline inbound play to keep Medford within 3515, but a 13-0 Lakeland run, with three of the baskets coming right off steals, put the game away.

Medford finished with 30 turnovers and was outrebounded 40-31. Lakeland turned the ball over 14 times.

Medford’s shooting did improve late and the Raiders got up to 31.8% overall (14 of 44). Lakeland was 28 of 69 (40.6%), including 25 of 52 on two-point shots. Lakeland got 46 of its points in the paint.

Rylee and Laney Hraby both scored five points for Medford. Baumgartner was held to two but she did have 11 rebounds. Aliyah Pilgrim and Laura Wegerer had late baskets and Toryn Rau added an early free throw. Pilgrim had two assists.

Medford has another tough GNC game this Friday when it hosts Mosinee at 7:15 p.m. The Raiders are busy next week with non-conference play. It starts with a Monday game at McDonell Central, which was rescheduled after a Dec. 19 snowout. Medford hosts Wausau East at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday before hosting Wisconsin Rapids Feb. 7 at 7:15 p.m.