MEDFORD GIRLS BASKETBALL - Some good basketball in first half, but 6th-ranked Lakeland pulls away

MEDFORD GIRLS BASKETBALL

The Medford Raiders had some good stretches of basketball Friday, especially early, but there weren’t enough of them to hang with the Lakeland Thunderbirds, who pulled away for a 74-45 win at Raider Hall.

Coming in as the state’s sixth-ranked team in Division 2 in the first WisSports. net coaches poll of the winter, Lakeland got 45 points from its All-State standout and Green Bay recruit Kristina Ouimette and 10 more from Saylor Timmerman, an Arkansas softball recruit, while improving to 2-0 in the Great Northern Conference and 4-1 overall at the time.

Medford dropped its third straight game and fell to 0-2, 2-4.

Ouimette’s 45 points established a new single-game school record for Lakeland, the second straight game that has happened to the Raiders. Rhinelander’s Aubryn Clark scored 43 against them on Dec. 3.

Medford stayed close for about 14 minutes Friday before Lakeland extended its lead to double digits where it stayed the rest of the way. Early on, Medford was able to get some transition baskets and scores off turnovers. The Raiders got the T-Birds to turn the basketball over 10 times in the half.

Kayla Baumgartner, who led Medford with a 15-point, 12-rebound doubledouble, got the scoring started with a steal. She grabbed a defensive rebound and found Taylor Klingbeil with a long pass and Rylee Hraby’s steal led to a Klingbeil basket off a Toryn Rau assist for a quick 6-2 lead. Hraby’s steal and score gave Medford its last lead at 8-6.

By then, Ouimette was starting to establish herself, mainly by getting into the painted area. She scored 15 of Lakeland’s first 17 points and 18 of its first 22. Her 3-pointer off a Medford turnover made it 22-13. Rau answered for Medford just under the eight-minute mark of the half by drilling a 3-ball. Timmerman scored twice and an Ali Timmerman steal led to a Ouimette score to stretch Lakeland’s lead to 28-16. Hraby’s 3-pointer got Medford within 2919, but scores by Ava Evenhouse, Cale Quade and Ouimette, including her basket with two seconds left gave Lakeland a 3721 halftime lead.

Aliyah Pilgrim drilled two 3-pointers early in the second half as Medford kept pace briefly at 43-27. But Ouimette knocked down three 3s in succession to basically end all hope of an upset at 52-27 with 13 minutes to play.

Baumgartner added four blocked shots, three steals and three assists to her totals in the loss. Klingbeil had three assists as did Rau, who scored three points and had three rebounds. Pilgrim scored eight points and dished out two assists. Hraby scored five points and had six rebounds and three steals.

Twenty-six turnovers ultimately did Medford in, turning into 31 Lakeland points. Lakeland made 30 of 67 shots from the field (44.8%), including 25 of 53 twopoint shots. Medford was 17 of 48 from the field (35.4%). The Raiders were excellent on two-point shots, making 11 of 15, but things went downhill when they settled for more 3s as the game went on, making just six of 33.

Things won’t get easier for Medford this week. The Raiders are at GNC contender Mosinee Friday for a 7:15 p.m. tip time. The Indians are 3-1 and nearly won at Lakeland last week, falling 45-42. Medford travels to 5-0 Rice Lake on Tuesday, Dec. 17. The Warriors beat Lakeland 51-42 Tuesday and are viewed as a WIAA Division 2 sectional title contender led by 6-3 junior Adaline Sheplee, who is receiving plenty of NCAA D-I recruiting attention.

Medford then goes to McDonell Central on Dec. 19.