January 7, 2019 at 1:11 p.m.
Hodags pull away to beat Tomahawk 69-43
Hodags pull away to beat Tomahawk 69-43
The Hodags took command with a strong second half start, had four players score in double digits and took care of Tomahawk 69-43 at Hatchet Fieldhouse.
The win moved Rhinelander back over .500 (5-4, 2-1 Great Northern) and was a needed bounce back after blowing an 11-point second half lead a week earlier at Waupaca before eventually losing to the Comets in overtime, 69-64.
Up 11 at the break, the Hodags poured it on early in the second. Back-to-back 3s by Junior Howard and Brock Lieder kick started a 19-6 run that gave the Hodags a commanding 50-26 lead with 9:15 to play.
"The first half we didn't shoot very well," RHS boys' basketball coach Derek Lemmens said. "I think we were only 2 of 10 from 3. Once we knocked a few of those down, that changes things. It forced them to come out a little more and opens up the court for us."
Rhinelander also clamped down, defensively, in one of its best efforts of the season. The Hodags held the Hatchets to 31 percent (15 of 49 shooting) and never let Tomahawk (1-8, 0-4 Great Northern) go on a run of more than five points. Tomahawk did get behind the Hodags a couple of times for fast break baskets in the second half, but Lemmens said that was more of an offensive problem than a defensive problem.
"The defense was much better and the transition baskets that they got we were just not rotating well offensively," he said. "Those weren't defensive mistakes as much as rotational offensively."
Rhinelander slowly inched away in a back-and-forth first half, never going on a run of more than five consecutive points. A three-point play by Bryce Schickert, another free throw by Schickert and a free throw by Drake Martin finally gave Rhinelander a double-digit lead at 29-19 with 1:22 before the half. Brock Lieder answered a Matt Bartz free throw with a basket in the lane to put Rhinelander ahead 31-20 at the break.
After Rhinelander's big run to start the second half, Tomahawk made a mini push to get back to within 15 points with 5:04 remaining, but Rhinelander closed out the contest on a 14-3 run.
Offensively, Friday's game was about sharing the wealth for the Hodags as four players scored in double digits led by Howard with 13 points. In all 11 different Hodags scored in the contest.
"That's what this team has to embrace, that we're not one- or two-dimensional," Lemmens said. "We need to all share the basketball and we need to all bring it each night. If one guy is not hitting, other guys have to step up. We just have to work as a team, offensively."
Schickert added a double-double for the Hodags with 12 points and 13 rebounds. Lemmens glowed over the 6-5 senior's performance after the game.
"He just does everything we ask. He's a joy to coach. He communicates. He hits the glass. He gives his absolute best effort. That's exactly what you want from your players," Lemmens said. "We continue to say if we all play that way, we've got to be a very good team. We've just got to get other guys to see how he plays, the difference he makes out there and buy into that."
Lieder had 12 and Martin added 11 for Rhinelander, which shot 46 percent (23 of 50) from the field. Jared Leverance had 11 points to lead Tomahawk while Kameron Olson and Nick Kahle chipped in nine points each.
Even late in the game, with the result well in hand, several of Rhinelander's reserves got into the act. The final 40 seconds featured a big blocked shot from 6-7 senior Patrick Stone and a corner 3 from senior Jaxon Klitzka.
"They work hard. They're at every practice, giving it their all. They're preparing the varsity and for them to have those moments is important," Lemmens said. "You want to see them rewarded for that hard work. Whenever we can get that opportunity, it's nice."
Next up, the Hodags venture outside the GNC to take on Merrill - the team that ended Rhinelander's 15-game winning streak last February.
"We really have to take a step forward. We have to defend better. We have to take care of the ball better and we're really going to have to play well at Merrill," Lemmens said. "That's going to be a good litmus test right now to see where we are. They're a good team and if we want to be the type of team we want to be we have to be able to beat them."
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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