December 19, 2018 at 12:59 p.m.
Rhinelander docks Ashland
Schickert's late and-1 propels Hodags to 64-59 win
Rhinelander docks Ashland
Bryce Schickert converted a go-ahead three-point play with 29.5 seconds remaining and the Hodags edged the Ashland Oredockers 64-59 in a non-conference contest at the Jim Miazga Community Gymnasium.
Schickert's three-point play came on an offensive rebound following a Peyton Erikson missed 3-pointer. The Hodags then turned up the defense down the stretch and Junior Howard hit three late free throws to seal the victory.
"This game felt like a step forward. It felt like we had a game plan and I felt like guys were focused on executing," said Hodag coach Derek Lemmens, whose team got back to .500 (3-3, 1-1 Great Northern) with the victory.
Tied at 28 at halftime, the second half was a back-and-forth affair that featured four ties and nine lead changes. Schickert's was the last of the lead changes in a frenetic final five minutes that saw the lead change hands seven times.
"Peyton Erikson had a great look from 3. It didn't go, but Bryce got the rebound, went back up, powered it up and one, and then sunk the free throw," Lemmens said. "That was really the turning point."
Rhinelander trailed by as many as six points in the second half. Down four with 5:44 to play, the Hodags answered with a Quinn Lamers 3, followed by a Drake Martin bucket to pull ahead 54-53. The teams traded the lead several more times over the next two minutes, before a pair of Howard free throws put Rhinelander ahead 58-57 with 2:41 left. Neither team scored until Ashland made a bucket with 47 seconds remaining.
Overall, Lemmens said he was pleased with the performance of his team against a much improved Ashland team (5-2).
"They're fast. They play good pressure defense and they move the ball really well. Those are things we've kind of struggled with - turnovers and our inability to defend consistently," he said. "They came in 5-1 with their only loss on the road at Mosinee. They've got a very good player in Jordan Brennan and we had a little adversity. We found ourselves down, guys didn't pout or feel sorry for themselves. We just continued to compete and I think that was the difference."
Brennan, who came in averaging more than 20 points per game, was held to 15 for the Oredockers. Zach Lindenberg scored 15 for Ashland as well while Jared Tollas added 11 points.
Howard finished with a game-high 16 points for the Hodags and was 9 of 10 from the foul line. Schickert added 14. Ross Skeen had nine for Rhinelander, including a 3 that tied the game at 45 with 7:47 remaining. Peyton Erikson had eight and Drake Martin chipped in seven points.
Following an 84-69 win over Northland Pines that featured 55 fouls and 66 turnovers, the Hodags wanted to clean up their defense. The Hodags committed only 13 fouls Thursday and limited Ashland to eight free throw attempts. Rhinelander, meanwhile, was 14 of 17 from the foul line.
"One of our big emphasis tonight was the free throw battle and winning that," Lemmens said. "They only shot eight free throws, one of them was a foul on a 3-pointer, and they really only had one set of bonus free throws. We did a great job of not putting them on the line and not hurting ourselves defensively. On the other side of the ball, we shot free throws really well."
Rhinelander also snapped a string of six straight games it had allowed 60 points or more, going back to last season. Lemmens said that feat was more impressive, considering both teams preferred to push the pace Tuesday night.
"There were quite a few possessions. They got a few transition looks we need to improve on but, defensively, I though this was our best effort by far," he said. "We gave them extra opportunities early on but, in the second half, guys said no more. We allowed only two offensive rebounds in the second half."
Next up Rhinelander travels to Wausau to take on Wausau West Friday night in a brotherly coaching matchup that pits Derek Lemmens' Hodags against Nate Lemmens' Warriors. Tip off is slated for 7:15 p.m.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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