Medford Girls Basketball Finally Gets Some Respect

The Medford Tigers girls basketball team has finally cracked the Minnesota Basketball News Top 20 in Class 2A. The Tigers are 9-0 and many of the same athletes that played in the Class A state volleyball championship match in November are on the hardwood. The MBBN girls and boys high school rankings were updated Friday. Medford is rated #19.

I can see why Medford has had trouble cracking the top 20. The Class 2A Tigers have played primarily Class 1A schools. For example last Thursday they defeated Mabel-Canton 73-34. The Lady Cougars have 4 wins this season. I saw them against a struggling Bethlehem Academy team in Van Orsow Auditorium on December 14. They ran away with the game 61-17. The girls can't control their schedule.

The Tigers are averaging 64.6 points and allowing 38.9 points per game. Emma Kniefel leads the team in scoring with a 21 points per game average. Kiley Nihart is an excellent point guard. Nihart and the rest of her team exhibit the same fearlessness on the basketball court that they did for the Class A state runner-up volleyball team.

Medford is in Section 2AA, the South Subsection. The Tigers have big games this week with seed implications against Tri-City United Monday at home and at Maple River Tuesday.

Other area teams in the Class 2A rankings include #6 Rochester Lourdes, #7 Stewartville, #13 Lake City, #14 Jordan, #18 Norwood-Young America.

In Class 1A : #4 Grand Meadow, #8 Goodhue.

Class 3A: #5 Red Wing, #6 Waseca, #9 Mankato West, #14 Austin, #17 Northfield.

Class 4A: #4 Farmington, #5 Eastview, #12 Apple Valley, #13 Lakeville North, #17 Burnsville, #18 Shakopee, #19 Prior Lake, #20 Rosemount.

Complete rankings for girls basketball by Minnesota Basketball News are here:

Class 1A