January 15, 2018 at 1:04 p.m.
Rout 66: Hodags take down Antigo, move into first in GNC
Rout 66: Hodags take down Antigo, move into first in GNC
Brad Comer had an assist followed by back-to-back baskets in a 20-second span for the Hodags, which capped off a 14-2 run that propelled Rhinelander to a 66-44 win over the rival Red Robins at the Jim Miazga Community Gymnasium.
Comer finished with 19 points and was one of three Hodag players in double-digits as Rhinelander won its 10th straight game and, thanks to an 85-75 Mosinee loss at Lakeland later Friday evening, moved into sole possession of first place in the Great Northern Conference.
After jumping out to an early 15-point lead, the Hodags saw much of that lead evaporate against Antigo's trapping zone. The Robins pulled within four early in the second half, before Rhinelander battled back.
"Guys really did a great job responding when adversity struck," Hodag coach Derek Lemmens said. "We had a nice, comfortable lead. We had some mental lapses, they made some plays and they were right back in it. Our guys just found a way, whenever they made a run, they found a way to answer."
Rhinelander was up five, 37-32, when it began its decisive run. A 3-pointer from 6-6 senior Owen White, who finished with 21 points and 12 rebounds, sparked the run. Comer got a layup off a Brock Lieder steal and then Lieder scored on an offensive rebound to push the lead to 44-32 with 10:09 left.
After a pair of Antigo free throws, Rhinelander landed the haymaker. Comer made a leaping grab of a pass at the free throw line and found Bryce Schickert underneath for a layup as the Hodags broke Antigo's 1-3-1 trap. Rhinelander got a quick steal after that and Comer cleaned up a missed layup by Reese Flores. Another quick steal led to a Comer 3 that put Rhinelander ahead 51-34 with 7:07 remaining.
"That was a huge stretch. Guys made some big plays in that stretch," Lemmens said.
Junior Howard added 13 points in the win for Rhinelander, while Lieder chipped in nine.
Lemmens said the Hodags wanted to start out quickly against Antigo, which had dropped back-to-back conference games after a 7-0 start that had them up to No. 9 in Division 2 in the AP poll and 10th in the WisSports.net coaches poll. The Hodags scored the first 13 points of the game and forced Antigo coach Jesse Shaw to burn two early timeouts.
The Robins found their footing midway through the first half. A 17-7 spurt cut the lead to five before Rhinelander eventually took a 31-22 halftime lead.
Though Antigo's second-ranked defense held the Hodags under their season average for points, Rhinelander's top-ranked defense put the clamps on Antigo's attack much of the night. Though the Robins shot 48 percent from the field, they took only 33 shots as Rhinelander forced 23 turnovers. An Antigo team that has a penchant for burying 3-pointers never got hot from beyond the arc, finessing 5-for-14.
"Overall, they defended well," Lemmens said. "Antigo had some nice movement and guys communicated well and worked through that. We had a few mental lapses where they made us pay but, again, we're not going to play a perfect game. Holding a team like Antigo to 44, guys did a good job."
Thanks to a couple of late layups, Tanner Resch had nine points to lead Antigo. Milo Wittmann scored all eight of his points for the Robins in the first half.
The Hodags were an efficient 56 percent from the floor (27 of 58), including 9 of 23 from distance. However, the length at the top of Antigo's trap did bother the Hodags at times as Rhinelander committed 14 turnovers.
"We looked tentative," Lemmens said. "We were trying to pass through guys. We just weren't confident. I think a lot of our offense, a lot of our swagger, comes from our defense. Our defense, we got into foul trouble. We didn't have a great defensive rhythm and I think that affected our offense a little bit. Definitely things that we can shore up and we will."
The Hodags will need to shore up some of those flaws as they embark on a tough road trip this week that begins with a date at defending GNC-champion Medford on Tuesday and continues Friday night at Mosinee.
"Going to Raider Hall is always a challenge," Lemmens said. "There's always great energy there on a Tuesday night. Then we go right back to Mosinee on Friday. We've got to bring our own energy, take care of the basketball and we have to stay out of foul trouble. Those things are going to be really important in these next two games."
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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