December 6, 2017 at 1:39 p.m.
Comer's double-double carries Hodags past Ashland 71-40
Comer's double-double carries Hodags past Ashland 71-40
The Hodags saw three rise to the occasion. Brad Comer earned his first career double-double while Bryce Schickert and Brad Quade combined to score 28 points off the bench as the Hodags cruised to a 71-40 win over the Oredockers at the Sundberg Gymnasium.
White, who had recorded a double-double in each of Rhinelander's first three contests of the season, was limited to six points and seven rebounds as he spent the final 16:31 of the opening half on the bench in foul trouble. He picked up his third foul with 13:25 remaining.
Rhinelander didn't skip a beat in the first half, jumping out to a quick 10-2 lead. That lead ballooned to 34-13 with 3:14 to play in the opening half and 39-16 at halftime.
With White in foul trouble and starter Reese Flores' minutes limited due to illness, the Hodags went deeper into their rotation on Thursday. Schickert, Quade, Markus Johnson, Jared Haug and Drake Martin all saw significant minutes off the bench.
"Guys stepped up and guys played some really good minutes," RHS boys' basketball coach Derek Lemmens said. "We need them because those things happen. We need guys to be comfortable to step into those roles and know that when their number is called, they're ready."
Comer scored 14 of his game-high 16 points in the opening half. He got his final two points, and his 10th rebound, on a putback with 6:39 remaining. He added six assists in the contest.
"I thought Brad Comer did a great job being a leader out there," Lemmens said. "That might have been the best defense he's played. I thought he had a great overall game and we were kind of concerned about that yesterday. I thought his energy in practice was lacking so I'm glad, as a captain, he stepped up and made things happen in the game."
Schickert, a 6-3 junior, got a couple of early baskets with White on the bench and scored 11 points in the second half to finish with 15.
"I thought Bryce Schickert, off the bench, came in and just asserted himself inside," Lemmens said. "We needed that from him. He needs to start playing with a little more confidence."
Quade added 13 including a 3 with 4:24 remaining that put the Hodags up 66-35.
After three nailbiters to start the season, the Hodags were finally had a less stressful second half and cruised to the win.
"I'm not going to say non-stressful coming out of the locker room," Lemmens said. "They had established a big lead and you worry that they're going to think, 'Oh, it's over.' There's two halves. You always worry about that focus but, once we got that second rally there in the second half, I was confident they were going to finish the job."
The Hodags finished the night an even 50 percent from the field (27 of 54) while holding Ashland to 36 percent on 16 of 45 from the field. The Oredockers also committed 23 turnovers.
"I thought guys did a real nice job of applying pressure without fouling and without giving up easy baskets," Lemmens said. "It was a lot of smart pressure and I think guys are getting more and more comfortable playing different defenses. That was exciting to see as well."
Jordan Brennan scored all 14 of his points for Ashland in the second half while Zach Coffland added 11.
The Hodags return home to open the Great Northern Conference season against Lakeland Friday night at the Jim Miazga Community Gymnasium. The T-Birds come in 1-1 off a last-second loss to Wausau West last Friday.
"They took two big blows with some very good players (Connor Evenhouse and Michael Ouimette injured), but when I watch them right now, they're still playing good basketball," said Lemmens, who is 10-0 lifetime against Lakeland coach and former Rhinelander head man Rich Fortier. "They're going to mix it up defensively. We need to be ready to read the different defenses and adjust what we do. And we're really going to have to defend. We don't want them to win on our court."
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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