Everyone loves a Cinderella story and this season's may be the Medford Raiders boy's basketball team.

"They love playing basketball," said Medford Head Coach Ryan Brown. "They're willing to build into our entire culture of being relentless and continuing to work hard and just trying to get a little better every practice."

After struggling last season and finishing 10-14, the Raider have completely turned it around this year.

With just five games left in the regular season, the raiders are 14-3. More impressively though, they are a perfect 8-0 in conference play, which puts them atop the Great Northern Conference standings.

"I think we all just finally bought in," said senior Douglas Way. "(We) just do what we need to do to win and get better."

"We know that we've got a target on our back," stated Way's teammate and fellow senior, Justin Sullivan. "Everybody is coming for us and, (we know) how hard we have to work if we want to stay there and want to finish strong like we know we can do."

The last time Medford emerged as the conference champion was in the 2016-2017 season. Which holds a special connection to this year's team.

That's because when those seniors were hoisting the trophy, these seniors were just starting their career as freshman.

For some, it was even more than that. They had brothers on that team.

Which is why they look to the past to inspire the future and motivate in the present.

"We have a bunch of siblings from that group," said Brown. "A lot of these kids saw that group and looked up to them. Now they're always aspiring to be better than them, that's kinda their goal."

And if they could surpass them..

"It's something i've always dreamed of," said Sullivan, whose brother was on that championship team. "I know that everyone else on this team, that's our goal, so if we could do it, that'd just be big it'd be nice to tell our brothers that (we won)."

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Medford's magical season motivated by the past - WAOW