February 25, 2019 at 12:13 p.m.
Hodag hoops looks to hit reset button for WIAA tournament
Hodag hoops looks to hit reset button for WIAA tournament
Following the Hodags' worst regular season since the start of the decade, the Hodags are hoping to turn the tables with an unlikely tournament run.
That journey begins tonight as the sixth-seeded Hodags (9-12, 6-6 Great Northern) host the 11th-seeded Shawano Hawks (4-17, 1-13 Bay) at the Jim Miazga Community Gymnasium. The winner moves on to Friday night's regional semis at third-seeded Wausau East.
Both teams are coming off regular seasons they would like to forget. Rhinelander dropped seven of its last nine games to finish below .500 for the first time since 2010-11 -that included the Hodags' first lost to Northland Pines as a member of the GNC. Shawano, meanwhile, rides a 14-game skid into tonight's contest, having not won a game since Dec. 28.
Rhinelander won back-to-back games a couple of weeks ago, and a home conference win over Antigo Feb. 15 helped secure a home playoff game for the Hodags. However, Rhinelander dropped both of its contests last week, with suspect defense the primary culprit in both games. The 83 points Rhinelander allowed in the regular season finale at Mosinee last Thursday were the most the team has allowed in coach Derek Lemmens' nine years at the helm.
The team's response to the defeat? Shake it off and move forward. On the bus ride back from Mosinee, instead of breaking down what when wrong against the conference-champion Indians, the coaching staff looked at film of Shawano.
"We were beat by a better team on their court and now we move on," Lemmens said after Thursday night's game. "That's what it comes down to. We learn from it. Basketball's about having a short memory. We just have to say, 'Hey, moving forward, what kind of damage can we do in the postseason?'"
Lemmens insists the kind of damage Rhinelander will be able to do in the postseason will hinge on if it can shore things up on the defensive end of the floor. The Hodags were 6-0 this year when holding teams to less than 60 points, and only 3-12 when opponents broke the 60-point mark.
"The magic number is 60," Lemmens said. "I think we're going to win as long as teams don't score 60. The second a team scores 60, our season is over. That's my prediction."
Ironically, Shawano is one of the few teams Rhinelander beat, despite allowing 60 points or more. The Hodags downed the Hawks 68-60 in the regular season opener Nov. 20 at the Miazga Gym.
The primary concern for Rhinelander tonight will be 6-8 junior Carter Weisnicht, who is averaging a double-double on the season with 19.6 points and 10.4 rebounds per game. He scored a game-high 25 points in the Nov. 20 game against the Hodags.
"They've got a very talented big and he's going to be a handful," Lemmens said of Weisnicht. "One thing we don't have is a lot of size. We're going to definitely have to win the position battle. Bryce (Schickert) did a good job of getting around and knocking the ball away (in the first matchup), but he still got his points. On top of that, we can't let role players get going from the perimeter. We have to challenge everything. That's the thing, when they have a big player like that, it opens up things for other guys. We have to find a way to contain every part."
Junior guard Nick Sherman is the only other Hawk averaging in double digits this season as 12.2 points per game. He scored 12 points in the opener against Rhinelander.
Rhinelander had four players score in double digits against the Hawks, led by a season-high 22 points from junior Drake Martin. Schickert had 13 in that game. Both Junior Howard and Peyton Erikson had 10 points, and it was an Erikson 3 with 5:16 remaining that gave Rhinelander the lead for good as the Hodags closed the contest on a 19-5 run.
Tuesday's game marks the eighth straight year the Hodags have begun the playoffs at home, however Rhinelander has lost three of its last four home playoff openers, including a 63-61 overtime loss to Medford last year as the No. 1 seed in the sectional bracket.
Even though this is the first time since 2010-11 that the Hodags have started the playoffs on a Tuesday, Lemmens said there's no place he'd rather be to start the tournament.
"It's motivating, especially now that we don't have that bye. We're both starting the playoffs and we've got our home fans to back us up," he said. "One thing about Shawano is they've lost big on the road. They've battled teams at home, but they've lost on the road. I'm hoping that will continue moving forward."
Shawano is 2-9 on the road this year and has not won in its last eight road tries, losing each game by 12 points or more.
Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at the Miazga Gym.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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