December 22, 2017 at 12:56 p.m.
Lady Hodags can't slow down West in 91-61 loss
Lady Hodags can't slow down West in 91-61 loss
West's big three combined for 73 points and the Warriors raced past the Hodags 91-61 Thursday night at the Jim Miazga Community Gymnasium.
Schires, a junior, led the way with 26 points for West (7-3, 2-2 Wis. Valley) as she reached 1,000 career points. Deaton added 24 and Hauer chipped in 23.
"They're a fantastic group," RHS girls' basketball coach Ryan Clark said. "You've got to tip your cap off to those kids because to be that good you've got to put a lot of time into the gym. As a basketball purist, they're fun to watch. They're skilled, they're athletic and they play good basketball. They don't do anything fancy. They just make the right play and I was very impressed with them."
Seefeldt had 21 points to lead Rhinelander (5-3, 2-1 Great Northern). Van Zile and Mork scored 15 each for a Hodag offense that shot 43 percent (23 of 54) and was better than its season average in regard to turnovers.
"We had 14 turnovers and we have 19-20 against other competition," Clark said. "I thought we did a nice job (on offense). I thought Kenedy Van Zile really played well. For her to be able to break the press like she did, she's just relentless. She makes us so much better."
West took control with a 14-1 run midway through the first half that gave them a 33-17 cushion. The lead inched up to 25 at halftime and hovered in the upper 20s to low 30s throughout the second.
The Warriors simply proved hard to guard as they shot 52 percent (37 of 71) on the night.
Both Schires and Deaton are currently among the top 11 juniors in the state, according to WisSports.net. Deaton did much of her damage between points in transition and attacking the rim, Schires hit a game-high six 3-pointers - including five in the second half - and Hauer was a monster in the post with 12 rebounds to boot.
Overall, West used superior height to dominate the glass, holding a 45-23 rebounding edge in the contest, including 17 offensive rebounds.
"They're just that good. We got back, but we couldn't keep Deaton (from scoring in transition). (Rhinelander guard) Alayna (Franson)'s like, 'She's just so quick, coach.' She changes direction so quickly and then she's at the rim. If you help off on the big, she finds her bigs for easy baskets. Then Schires can really shoot the basketball. We can't compete with them. They're just that good.
"I think (Hauer) for them is a nice player. They have more size than us and they're physical, too. They got some offensive rebounds, some easy putbacks, but their speed and skill, we can't match up with that."
West also got 13 points from Shelby Samz in the contest. Rhinelander's big three accounted for all but 10 of the team's points on the night. Payton Van Zile and Maddie Meyer chipped in five points each.
"We played OK," Clark said. "We took some steps. My goal was I wanted our girls to not be intimidated, to try to attack and compete. For the most part, I thought they battled as hard as they could."
The Hodags return to action this coming Thursday and Friday at the Wisconsin Rapids Holiday Tournament. Rhinelander plays La Follette on Thursday before taking on the hosting Raiders Friday.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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