January 29, 2018 at 2:34 p.m.
Hodags escape Lakeland 53-51, keep winning streak intact
Hodags escape Lakeland 53-51, keep winning streak intact
Owen White scored 27 points, had 10 rebounds and keyed a big second-half run as the Hodags defeated Lakeland 53-51 at the LUHS Fieldhouse.
The win was Rhinelander's 13th consecutive on the season, 14th straight against Lakeland and 12th in a row against former RHS head coach Rich Fortier - and it was easily the most difficult win in all of those streaks.
Rhinelander somehow found a way to win despite shooting 6 of 27 from 3-point range, 3 of 12 from the foul line and getting outrebounded by Lakeland 39-25.
"It's another night where our offense just didn't have good flow and they just still found a way to win on the road, hostile environment," Hodag coach Derek Lemmens said. "I'm just proud of the fact that these guys just keep staying focused and playing hard."
The Hodags failed to close out the game from the foul line in the final seconds. White missed the front end of a 1-and-1 with 6.5 seconds left. Brock Lieder got the offensive rebound, was fouled and then missed his free throw, giving Lakeland one last chance down two with the basketball with 4.4 seconds left.
Reese Flores hounded Lakeland's Gunnar Weitz and forced a desperation three-quarter court heave that fell short at the buzzer. It was the second straight win for the Hodags where they had to survive a last-second 3 for the tie or the win.
Rhinelander trailed by eight with 14 minutes to play when White came to life. The 6-6 senior hit back-to-back 3s, and scored 11 points overall in a key 19-4 run that gave the Hodags a 41-34 lead with 7:55 remaining.
"He really made the decision to say, 'Hey, I'm going to take over,' and it happened," Lemmens said. "Guys did a great job when the hand was hot to keep feeding it. That kind of got some other guys confidence and they hit some big shots. It was nice to see Owen's effort and the snowball effect it had for us."
It was just enough to overcome another rough shooting night for the Hodags, who missed their first 10 3-point attempts in the first half before Junior Howard knocked down a triple that gave Rhinelander an 18-16 lead with 4:18 remaining before the break. Lakeland answered back by scoring the next five points and led 21-20 at the half.
Rhinelander shot 39 percent overall on the night (22 of 57).
"Offensively, we just didn't have great rhythm," Lemmens said. "We've been playing a little tight. I think we just have to get out of that and we're going to. These guys are mentally tough and we're going to find a way out of this."
On top of missing shots, Rhinelander was being dominated on the glass. Lakeland's Santana Barnard pulled down 10 boards in the first 10 minutes of the game and finished the night with 18 points and 18 rebounds for the T-Birds.
"We're not boxing out on the perimeter," Lemmens said. "It's something we continue to emphasize and something we have to keep pushing for. We're just not getting it done and we're also not keeping guys in front. So we're getting out of position and that makes rebounding difficult as well. Those are two major concerns right now that we have to shore up."
Howard and Brad Comer each scored 10 for Rhinelander. Weitz scored 14 for Lakeland and Jonathan Jurries added 12 points. Lakeland shot just over 50 percent from the field (19 of 37), but committed 19 turnovers in the contest.
The Hodags return to action tonight against Wausau East at the Jim Miazga Community Gymnasium. Though its a non-conference contest, East is a sectional opponent so tonight's game has important seeding implications.
"East's record right now is not showing how they're actually playing," Lemmens said. "They've lost close ones to Merrill and Rapids. They're starting to find their groove so we're going to have to bring it. But, we'll have our fans at our house, so that will help."
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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