November 29, 2017 at 12:56 p.m.
Flores at the finish
Senior's late put back gives Hodags 46-44 win over Wisconsin Rapids
Flores at the finish
The Hodag senior scored off an offensive rebound with 2.0 seconds remaining as Rhinelander defeated Wisconsin Rapids 46-44 at the Jim Miazga Community Gymnasium.
Rhinelander (1-1, 0-0 Great Northern) held the ball for a final shot after Dylan Lisitza's game-tying layup with 52 seconds to play. Owen White got off a contested shot against a double team from just inside the 3-point line at the top of the key that swirled out. Junior Howard tipped the missed shot to Flores, who was standing all alone on the left side of the lane less than six feet from the basket.
"I saw a wide open rebound. I got it and just took the shot," Flores said.
Wisconsin Rapids (2-1, 0-0 Wis. Valley) missed a desperation 3 from half court at the buzzer as the Hodags celebrated their first win of the season.
It wasn't easy, however. The Hodags took a 42-37 lead on a White three-point play with 2:12 remaining, but Rapids got an offensive rebound off a shot blocked by White and Keegan Hewitt scored on the put back. Rhinelander turned the ball over on the ensuing inbound and Hewitt converted a three-point play that tied the game with 1:48 remaining.
"I like when we have these learning opportunities with a win," said Hodag coach Derek Lemmens, who watched his team relinquish an eight-point lead over the final three minutes last Friday in a 79-69 overtime loss at Stevens Point.
White, who finished with a game-high 19 points to go along with 12 rebounds, gave Rhinelander the lead again on a runner in the lane with 1:17 remaining before Lisitza, Rapids' starting freshman point guard, tied it.
Unlike last Friday when points seemed to flow at will for the Hodags, scoring was at a premium Tuesday as both teams struggled to solve the other's 2-3 zone. Rapids shot 50 percent from the field. The Hodags were slightly less at 45 percent, but both teams got off only 38 shots in a game that bogged down at times in the half court.
"There was not a lot of rhythm offensively, and it was kind of a sloppy game," Lemmens said. "I really think that both teams made the other play their way a little bit defensively. They kind of made it a grinder and I think we made them play, at times, faster than they wanted to."
Rhinelander trailed much of the first half until an 11-4 run gave it a three-point edge with 1:07 left. Lisitza hit a runner in the final seconds to trim the Hodags' halftime advantage to 20-19.
Neither team scored more than five points consecutively in the second half. Brad Quade hit a runner and Howard hit a 3 off a White steal to put the Hodags up 33-28 with 12:02 remaining. The Hodags pushed the lead to six on a Brad Comer triple with 10 minutes left, but Wisconsin Rapids didn't go away thanks to post players Hewitt and Isaac Pelot, who scored 16 and 10 points respectively.
Rhinelander held senior Zach Langemeier, who scored 15.4 points per game in the Valley last season, to two points but Rapids' bigs kept them in the contest.
"I really like how we guarded Zach, but we gave those other role players way too easy of looks to get opportunities," Lemmens said, noting his defense lacked energy at times in the contest. "We can't allow that in the future."
The lack of energy translated to the offensive end at times, as the Hodags were only 7 of 21 from the field in the opening half and committed 12 turnovers in the contest.
"We didn't have flow because we weren't making simple plays," Lemmens said. "We were always trying to make something happen and those are things we have to learn from."
Quade chipped in seven points, Howard had six and Flores scored five for the Hodags, including the heroics at the end.
"Reese was there and he was alert," Lemmens said. "A lot of players kind of panic in that. He really was aware of the clock, composed himself and finished the play. That was just a great play by a senior."
The Hodags host Green Bay East in a non-conference contest Friday.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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