Medina girls edge past Barker

Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Medina’s Maddie Winters battles for a rebound with the Barker duo of Kylie Miller (32) and Rebecca Stoloski (13) during the Mustangs win over the host Lady Raiders this evening.

Jumping out to a big first quarter lead, Medina had to turn back comeback bids by host Barker in each of the last three periods to earn a narrow 52-47 victory this evening in a Niagara-Orleans League girls basketball game.

Je’ne Brown poured in a game high 28 points and also grabbed off 13 rebounds and Molley Gross had 16 points and 9 rebounds to lead the way for Medina which improves to 4-5 in N-O action. Emily Kams added 5, Allison Bensley 2 and Maddie Winters 1.

Lindsey Williams scored 16, Lydia Dewart 9, Haley Brown 7 and Caitlyn Mason and Kylie Miller 6 each for Barker which slips to 3-6.

Medina roared out to a 14 point, 19-5, first period advantage as Brown tallied 10 on four layups and a pair of free throws and Gross 7 on a three, a layup and a rebound bucket.

Medna’s Je’ne Brown grabs a rebound as Medina’s Molley Gross and Barker’s Courtney Bodine are also in on the play.

However, Barker answered back with a 14-4 second period scoring edge to rally back to within four, 23-19, at the half. Dewart had a pair of buckets, Williams a three and Miller and Courtney Bodine baskets for the Lady Raiders during that stretch.

Medina did pull back out to a 10 point, 32-22, advantage early in the third period after a three by Kams and a rebound basket by Gross.

Barker though again came battling back to close to within five, 39-34, at the three-quarter mark. A pair of layups off steals by Mason keyed that rally which also included a pair of inside baskets by Dewart.

Barker’s Caitlyn Mason looks to shoot over Medina’s Maddie Winters.

The teams then traded tallies for most of the final period as Brown came up big inside for Medina with three rebound buckets and a layup to help keep the Mustangs up by at least five. The layup, in fact, gave Medina a seven point, 49-42 lead with just 55 seconds to go.

Mason, Miller and Williams all had baskets for Barker down the stretch but the closest the Lady Raiders could get was four, 49-45, with only 26 seconds to go.

Barker’s Haley Brown looks to pass as Kayla Cuadra defends for Medina.