January 21, 2019 at 1:58 p.m.
Missed momentum
Hodags squander last-minute lead, lose to Mosinee 70-69 on last-second FT
Missed momentum
Adam Moucha made a free throw with 0.4 seconds remaining as Mosinee clipped the Hodags 70-69 at the Jim Miazga Community Gymnasium after two turnovers in the final 45.6 seconds came back to bite Rhinelander.
The win moved Mosinee to 6-0 in the GNC, two games ahead of the Hodags at the halfway point of the conference season. The teams would have been tied if Rhinelander had held on to a two-point lead in the final minute.
"We had it and we gave it away," RHS boys' basketball coach Derek Lemmens said. "We had a great opportunity and we just didn't finish. It's unfortunate because this was a big opportunity for us."
Two turnovers by senior Brock Lieder in the final minute loomed large. Leading 69-67 after a pair of Drake Martin free throws, and looking to milk the clock following a defensive stop, the Hodags spent a timeout with Junior Howard trapped along the sideline. Lieder's inbound pass off the timeout went straight into the arms of Mosinee's Eric Makela. Casey Kowalski made an 8-footer on the other end to tie the game at 69.
Then, with an opportunity to hold the ball for the last shot, Lieder was called for traveling with 14.1 seconds left, handing the ball back over to Mosinee. That set up what proved to be Mosinee's winning play.
Lemmens deflected a question about the turnovers, instead pointing to several other facets of the game where the Hodags were deficient Friday night. Rhinelander was only 12 of 20 from the foul line, allowed Mosinee to shoot 60 percent from the field, and was dominated on the glass all night.
"Missed free throws and poor footwork all game. Those things plagued us all game. We had chances all game and just didn't finish," Lemmens said.
Mosinee point guard Luke Spink drew the attention of the Hodag defense in the final seconds and dished underneath to an open Moucha. Bryce Schickert arrived on the scene late and fouled Moucha - who hit one of two free throws to essentially ice the game.
"It's kind of what we were expecting. We didn't do a good job of defending Spink all night," Lemmens said of Spink, who finished with a game-high 19 points. "We kind of had a feeling that would happen. Junior did a nice job of stopping him short but, he's a nice player. It happened, they got a good look and we weren't able to finish."
Rhinelander had one last desperation gasp, but Schickert was not able to volleyball tap Lieder's three-quarter court pass in from the foul line as time expired.
The net result: Rhinelander no longer controls its own destiny as it seeks to win its sixth conference title in seven years. Mosinee's two games clear of Rhinelander atop the conference standings. Rhinelander will need to run the table in GNC play, and get some help, in order to claim at least a share of the conference crown.
"Now we just have to continue to fight and hope that someone else can trip Mosinee up and then we'll get our opportunity again," Lemmens said. "We just have to play perfect basketball from here on out."
The Hodags trailed 34-31 following a back-and-forth first half and fell behind as many as nine points early in the second half. Momentum swung in Rhinelander's direction during a 15-2 run that saw the Hodags take their largest lead of the game.
Peyton Erikson hit a 3 to tie the game at 55 with 6:34 left. Following a Spink make on the other end, Junior Howard hit a 3 to put Rhinelander ahead 58-57. Howard later sunk two free throws and found Martin underneath for a layup to extend the lead to five with 4:26 left.
"They stayed the course. They didn't try to make things happen," Lemmens said. "They just chipped away at it and I have a good feeling knowing that we're a team that can keep its composure in those types of games and continue to fight back. We've just got to do a better job of getting into that position now.
The lead was short-lived, however, as Mosinee scored on three straight possessions. A triple by Casey Kowalski tied the game with 3:48 left and Cyle Kowalski hit a baseline jumper to put Mosinee ahead 64-62 with 3:09 remaining.
The Hodags lost despite shooting 55 percent (24 of 44) from the field, and having five players finish with double-digit scoring. Schickert led the way with 15 for Rhinelander, Ross Skeen had 14 points off the bench on 5-of-5 shooting, Howard had 12 and Erikson and Martin each chipped in 10.
Casey Kowalski had 17 points. Moucha finished with a double-double, with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Cyle Kowalski chipped in 10.
Mosinee controlled the glass all night, out-rebounding Rhinelander 18-5 in the first half and 31-14 overall.
"We're giving up size, but we've got to continue to be more aggressive on the glass," Lemmens said. "I thought our guards did a better job this game, but we really need to understand that we don't have size, so all five guys have to commit to rebounding."
Rhinelander returns to action this Friday night at home against Lakeland.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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