March 30, 2018 at 4:49 p.m.
A hollow ending
20-win season ends in playoff disappointment for Hodag hoops
A hollow ending
The Hodags went 20-3 overall, the school's highest win total since 2013-14. Rhinelander also went undefeated in the Great Northern Conference for the first time in four years and were ranked in the Associated Press and WisSports.net polls for the first time in five years.
However, those accomplishments were tempered by the way the season ended in a playoff upset at the hands of Medford at the Jim Miazga Community Gymnasium
"Our season ended sooner than we wanted to," RHS boys' basketball coach Derek Lemmens said earlier this month during the team's banquet. "... That's just what happens sometimes in this sport, unfortunately. But, at the end of the day, when we look back at this, it was an incredibly successful season and these guys have a lot to be proud of."
Here's a look back at the five key storylines from the season.
Owen and then some
The conversation regarding this year's team certainly begins with the play of center Owen White.
The senior led Rhinelander in virtually every statistical category this season, averaging 20.7 points, 10.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 3.0 blocks and 3.8 steals per game.
The postseason accolades rolled in as a result. White received honorable mention All-State from the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association and the Associated Press, was the Great Northern Conference's player of the year and a unanimous first-team all-GNC pick.
But the Hodags had several other key contributors. Senior Brad Comer and junior Junior Howard both averaged more than 10 points per game for the Hodags, and were threats to hit from the outside. Both received all-conference honors along with senior guard Reese Flores. In all, the Hodags typically went eight deep in their rotation and had six players average more than four points per game.
"Sometimes when you're on a team with a player like Owen, other players get overshadowed," Lemmens said. "Players don't get the stat lines that pop sometimes, but this team is an entire team."
The streak
The Hodags showed a glimpse of the type of team they could be in the season opener, pushing three-time defending WIAA Division 1 state champ Stevens Point to the brink before eventually losing in overtime. That was late November. The next time the Hodags lost was in early February, a string of 15 straight wins.
Not all of those wins came easy, however. The Hodags got a last-minute hoop from Flores to defeat Wisconsin Rapids, held off a late run to beat Green Bay East and survived tough GNC road tests at Mosinee and Lakeland. In both cases, the opponent had a look at long 3 at the buzzer for the tie or the win.
"We had a lot of close games that could have gone either way," Lemmens said. "They always seemed to find a way to make something happen. That was what was really neat about watching this team. It's like, 'Man, we don't have it tonight but, somehow, we're right there.' Somehow they still found a way. That's part of what makes them special."
Rhinelander's streak finally ended Feb. 6 with a 63-58 loss to Merrill.
GNC perfection
Two road scares in the middle of the season proved to be Rhinelander's closest shaves in Great Northern Conference play as they won the title four the fifth time in six years. It was the first time Rhinelander went unbeaten in league play since the 2013-14 season.
"I think that's an incredibly impressive feat just because you're playing against teams that know who you are," Lemmens said. "They know everything that you are. They've been watching you. They've been scouting you. They've seen you. They've played you. These are teams that are so familiar with you, to beat them over and over again, night in and night out is really a difficult thing to do."
One and done
The Hodags found out the hard way how difficult it is to beat a conference opponent three times in one season.
As the No. 1 seed, the Hodags dreams of a deep tournament run were dashed by a sharp-shooting Medford team in a 63-61 overtime defeat.
Medford played the role of Cinderella all night, leading by 12 points on two different occasions during the contest before the Hodags rallied back to force overtime. Medford took the lead for good with roughly a minute to play. Two missed shots and a turnover down the stretch doomed the Hodags, who lost at home in the playoffs to a GNC opponent for the third time in four years.
"(Medford) had guys that stepped up and made things happen," Lemmens said. "It was their night. They made shots they haven't all year. They made plays and they played the right game at the right time."
What's next
While next year's Hodags will have to clear a high bar to match the success of this season, the cupboard will not be completely bare.
Howard is one of three players slated to be back from this year's rotation, along with starter Brock Lieder (6.2 points, 3.8 rebounds) a game and reserve forward Bryce Schicker (4.9 ppg, 2.8 rpg).
The good news is the Hodags have a pipeline of talent ready to step up. The JV squad went 16-6 this season and the JV2 team posted a 20-2 mark.
"There are a lot of opportunities that are coming ahead of you right now," JV coach Chad Bolkema told his players during the banquet. "It's going to become who wants to do it. Who's going to put in the work and the time to do it. There's a lot of good stuff that's in front of us."
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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