January 28, 2019 at 12:12 p.m.
On the brink of history
Lady Hodags down Lakeland 81-63, take two-game lead in quest for first conference title
On the brink of history
The RHS girls' basketball team has a banner in the Miazga Gym too, though its devoid of any numbers as the team is still seeking in its first conference title.
On Friday night, Rhinelander basketball fans might have witnessed history in the making.
Kenedy Van Zile scored 26 points and Cynthia Beavers added 22 points and 11 rebounds as the Hodags took firm control of this year's Great Northern Conference championship race with a 81-63 victory over the Lakeland Thunderbirds.
Rhinelander (12-5, 8-0 Great Northern) has not won the conference title yet, but the Hodags are on the verge. The team's magic number is down to two after vanquishing the two-time defending conference champion T-Birds (10-6, 6-2 Great Northern) for the second time this season.
"We were pretty speechless, like last time," Van Zile said, referencing the Hodags' 59-45 win over Lakeland in Minocqua back on Dec. 7. "We knew we could do it but, in the locker room we were filled with so much emotion. A lot of us started crying about what we have accomplished so far this season."
Rhinelander withstood Lakeland's best shot, and a 29-point night from senior Melissa Bruckner, to record one of the biggest wins in program history.
"I didn't have to say hardly anything. They were so excited," coach Ryan Clark said. "They knew what was at stake this game - now 8-0 in the conference, two games up. I give a lot of credit to all the girls. They played wonderful, great attitude."
The Lady Hodags used the same game plan that worked the first time around against the T-Birds. Rhinelander slowed the pace of the game a bit and forced Lakeland to try to score in a half-court set. On the other end of the floor the Hodags were buoyed by nine 3-pointers and a dominant night inside by Beavers.
After Lakeland made an early second-half push to cut the deficit to five points, Rhinelander responded with a championship-worthy effort. Van Zile found Beavers underneath for a basket to put Rhinelander up 44-37 with 14:40 remaining and kick off a run that would see the Hodags' lead ballon to 13 points with 10:28 to play. Beavers had a couple of baskets inside during the run, Van Zile hit a pair of 3s and senior Brooke Mork, who added 16 points for the Hodags, had a triple as well.
Lakeland never got to within single digits the rest of the way.
Every time the T-Birds tried to make a push, the Hodags had an answer. Kenedy Van Zile hit a 3 to put Rhinelander ahead 64-48 with 4:30 to play. After back-to-back Lakeland baskets, Payton Van Zile - Kenedy's older sister - answered with a 3 of her own. Beavers followed by scoring six straight points to put Rhinelander up 73-54 with 2 minutes to play.
Clark said he was critical of Beavers' play Tuesday night when she struggled for only two points in a win against Ashland. The junior transfer from Three Lakes responded in a huge way.
"Ashland was a rough game for me and I knew I had to step it up tonight," she said. "I'd been thinking about this game all week, since Ashland. I wanted to play my best game tonight and I just brought everything I could tonight."
"Cynthia, I think she's a first-team all-conference player and she needed a game like this," Clark said. "She's a good player. She's talented. She's our best rebounder, can score inside. She does a little bit of everything. I've been hard on her the last couple of days for her performance Tuesday against Ashland and she came up big today."
Even though Kenedy Van Zile finished near her season average, other players had to step up as Lakeland resorted to a box-and-one defense at times against in an effort to contain the Hodags' talented 5-6 point guard. Beavers and Mork delivered, as did Rebecca Lawrence, who added nine points and six rebounds.
"That was pretty frustrating, but I'm glad some of my teammates stepped up tonight," Kenedy Van Zile said, referencing the defensive attention Lakeland paid to her.
Lakeland took its lone lead of the game at 8-5 off back-to-back baskets by Abby Parris and Bruckner 3:12 into the contest. Mork answered with a 3 on the other end to tie it, sparking a 16-4 run for the Hodags. Mork had three 3s in the first half as the Hodags built a 36-29 lead at the break.
"Brooke hitting those 3s in the first half was huge when they were trying to face guard Kenedy. Then we just kind of got on a roll," Clark said. "It was a battle. That was a tough came the whole way through."
Bruckner kept Lakeland afloat in the first half with 20 of her game-high 29 points. Rhinelander put the clamps on Lakeland's leading scorer, Parris. Seven of her 16 points came in the final four minutes with the game already out of reach.
"Melissa Bruckner had a heck of a basketball game. She's a nice player and she's fun to coach against because she's tough," Clark said. "We've got to do a better job on her if we play them again, but I thought we did a pretty good job on Parris."
After the game, the RHS student section, sensing the moment, serenaded the Lady Hodags with Queen's "We are the Champions." Rhinelander has to win at least twice more in conference play for that to happen, but its next two conference games are against the bottom two teams in the GNC - at Northland Pines Thursday and home to Tomahawk the following Monday.
"It's our time to shine now. We just took that step," Kenedy Van Zile said.
Added Beavers, "We just have to keep pushing ourselves in practices and working our hardest. We have to be mentally prepared for what's ahead of us to take conference."
The Hodags have won seven in a row to set themselves up for what could be a monumental month of February.
"They can enjoy this, but we've got more things out there we want to get to," Clark said. "Right now, if we can run the table, we maybe get a 2-seed, maybe host the regional (final).
"When the kids play well, it's just fun. Now we're getting close to that conference championship. We'll keep working them, maybe implement some things to keep them focused. But what a good win, what a good win."
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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