February 24, 2017 at 2:38 p.m.
Fortier foiled again
White hits game-winner as RHS remains perfect against former coach
Fortier foiled again
Luckily for Rhinelander that was the case when it traveled to Lakeland Union High School on Thursday night for the regular season finale.
The Hodags only led for 3.1 seconds all game. The last 3.1 seconds of the game.
After trailing throughout the entire contest, by as many as 12 in the second half, Rhinelander made a 15-5 run in the last four minutes of the game, capped off by an Owen White baby hook shot with 3.1 seconds left to steal a 43-42 win over Lakeland and former Hodag head coach Rich Fortier.
The run started when Thunderbirds' guard Brandt Beukema fouled out with four minutes to go.
Rhinelander struggled from the field all night, shooting 3 for 21 from 3-point range for the game, but the Hodags thrived under pressure, while Lakeland wilted.
"That momentum is such a crucial element," Rhinelander head coach Derek Lemmens said. "Once we started feeling good and we started clawing back, they start to feel the pressure. We lost the pressure when we gained that momentum and they started feeling it and that put us in the spot where we were then the attackers. They were playing more to not make mistakes, it seemed like, instead of playing to win."
Rhinelander managed just 11 points in the first half, while Lakeland shot 8 for 15 from the field.
The T-Birds slowed the offense down almost to a stall toward the end of the second half, which allowed the Hodags to cut the lead to 26-23 midway through the second half.
At that point, Beukema did his damage, scoring three consecutive layups, and a 9-0 run was punctuated by a 3-pointer by Gunnar Weitz.
"Beukema's a great athlete. We wanted to make him go left," Lemmens said. "He doesn't have a strong left. We gave him a straight-line drive and that's something we're just gonna have to improve, keeping those types of players in front of us. I thought that when he got in foul trouble, that really changed things."
It didn't take long for that momentum to swing as Beukema fouled out with two bad fouls.
Lakeland led 37-28 when he fouled out, and Rhinelander immediately went on a 10-2 run, and Matthew Reinthaler made a layup to tie the game with a little more than a minute to play.
Weitz was fouled with 33.4 seconds left, but made just one of two free throws, giving the Hodags a chance to win.
Lemmens called a timeout with 7.8 seconds left on the clock and everyone in the gym knew where the inbounds pass was going.
Owen White was the difference in the game, scoring 27 points, while adding 10 rebounds, three assists and three blocks, but his biggest play of the game came with his team down a point.
"We ran our typical inbounds play, which is a screen for a '3' for Matthew," White said. "He had kind of been struggling all night, so he kicked it inside, where we'd been having success and I just got an open look."
The Thunderbirds threw the kitchen sink at White all game, often double or triple-teaming him all night.
On this play, however, the double couldn't reach him between the time he caught the ball and put up the shot.
It marked the 10th consecutive loss for Fortier against his former school and former pupil, Lemmens.
"I think with that play, we space it out a lot," White said. "I guess Richie had his plan - maybe he wanted to double, maybe he didn't - but with the spacing out there, it's a great play by coach. It was a good look and they don't have a lot of size, so even getting in there is easy for me to elevate over them."
For all but three seconds, it seemed like he was going to snap the streak, but White delivered the dagger, and this may have been the toughest one to take for Fortier, who has yet to beat the school he guided to three WIAA state tournament appearances and two Wisconsin Valley Conference titles.
"This may have been the toughest one, forget who we're playing," Fortier said. "It's a tough game to lose after you lead the whole way and you feel like you have things in your hip pocket. Whether it's against Rhinelander or anyone else, yes, it's tough. I guess if we're talking just Rhinelander, yes, this is a tough one."
Rhinelander has now won 12 games in a row against Lakeland overall.
The Hodags have more than a week to prepare for their first playoff game next Friday against Merrill.
The win means Rhinelander finishes in second place in the Great Northern Conference, one game ahead of Lakeland.
Nick Sabato may be reached at [email protected] or via Twitter @SabatoNick.
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