April 2, 2020 at 5:05 p.m.
Team Review: RHS boys' basketball: Despite improvement, Hodag hoops finishes below .500
Team Review: RHS boys' basketball: Despite improvement, Hodag hoops finishes below .500
The Hodags went 9-15 overall on the year and finished tied for third in the Great Northern Conference with an even 6-6 league mark. That record could have been a lot better than it was, with nine of the Hodags' 15 losses coming by single digits.
Though the Hodags went 4-8 over their final 12 games, including a stretch of three straight losses by four points or less, RHS boys' basketball coach Derek Lemmens said the Hodags improved throughout the season, especially on the offensive end of the floor.
That was evident in the Hodags' playoff opener when Rhinelander held off Ashland in an offensive extravaganza, 95-91.
"I thought, at the end of the season, we were playing our best basketball and this team really grew as the season went on. I'm really proud of these guys," Lemmens said.
Here are five storylines from the recently completed season.
Close only counts
Rhinelander started the season with a one-point loss at Shawano in a game that saw the Hodags watch a 15-point halftime lead evaporate.
Unfortunately, losses like that one became a trend for the Hodags throughout the season. Rhinelander held the lead, or was tied, in the second half of 11 of their 12 Great Northern Conference games this season, only to finish at .500 in league play. Several times this season, the Hodags faltered at key moments down the stretch. In the team's nine losses of 10 points or fewer, the team was outscored, on average, by 4.6 points per game in the second half, compared to a minus-0.8 point differential in the first half.
Perhaps the most pointed example of the team's second half struggles came late in the season against eventual Wisconsin Valley Conference champion D.C. Everest. Rhinelander led the majority of that game, and was up 10 with nine minutes to play, only to lose 86-70.
"It's a learning experience. It's something that we can take with us," Lemmens said following that game. "This is the conference champs of the Wisconsin Valley and for three-fourths of that game we were in command. They have something they can be proud of, but I feel like this is kind of the broken record. Now we can have something to learn from moving forward. I'm hoping we're done learning now and we're schooled enough where we can start closing some games out."
Offensive improvement
Though the Hodags went only 4-8 in their final 12 games, their offensive numbers improved dramatically compared to the first half of the season. The Hodags averaged 6.6 more points per game over the second half of the season and virtually every other offensive metric improved.
The Hodags shot 48.1% from the field in the second half of the season, compared to 39.8% in the first half. The team was also roughly 10 percentage points better from the foul line and from beyond the 3-point arc. The team's points per possession ration improved from 0.88 over the first 12 games to 1.09 over the last 12 and the team's assist-to-turnover ratio improved from 0.85 to 1.35.
"That second half of the season, every time we stepped on the court, we were ready," Lemmens said. "That's what you want to see, the way that we grew.
Sharing the wealth
Part of the reason Rhinelander's offense improved dramatically over the second half of the season was a commitment to valuing the basketball and possessions.
The team made a concerted effort to curtail the number of possessions with quick shots following only a pass or two, passing up good looks in an effort to find a better look.
As a result, plenty of players got involved in the scoring. Though Quinn Lamers (12.7 PPG), Drake Martin (11.8) and Ross Skeen (10.6) were the only three players to average at least 10 points per game, seven of the eight players in Rhinelander's core rotation led the team in scoring in at least one game and had at least three games where they scored 10 or more points.
"Everyone wants their opportunity and we understand that. That's human nature but when we have this many guys, if we all just play together, we become a very difficult team to guard," Lemmens said.
Free-flowing 3s
For the second year in a row, the Hodags struggled at times due to an unusually porous defense. The Hodags allowed 62.7 points per game this season, only fractionally better than the 63.0 points per game the team gave up a season ago.
Lemmens has preached defense in his tenure at RHS, stating previously that holding teams under 60 points per game is the benchmark the team strives for. The Hodags did that six times this season and, coincidentally, were 6-0 in those contests.
On the flip side, the Hodags gave up 80 or more points on four occasions, going 1-3 in those games. Much of Rhinelander's struggles came in defending the 3-point line. Overall, opponents shot 38.1% from beyond the arc and averaged 7.1 made 3s a game against Rhinelander. However, in the 10 games the Hodags allowed 65 or more points, those numbers rocketed to 46.0% shooting and just under 10 made 3s a game.
"Here's our issue. It starts with rhythm 3s that we give up early on, on breakdowns - basic things that get teams feeling really good about themselves and getting comfortable," Lemmens said after the Hodags allowed 17 3s in the playoff win over Ashland. "Then, later in the game, they make the tougher 3s. But it all starts with breakdowns early in the game that allow these guys to create looks early and it's stuff we just can't let happen."
What's next?
The Hodags will graduate four seniors, including a pair of starters (Martin and Peyton Erikson) and another member of the rotation (Payton Johnson).
In Lamers and Skeen the team will return two of its leading scorers. The team will also bring back 6-4 forward Travis Towne, 5-10 guard Jackson Labs and 6-1 point guard Jacksen Smith - all of whom saw plenty of minutes these season either as the fifth starter or coming off the bench.
With no dominant post players in the offing, a la Jake Smith, Mitch Reinthaler or Owen White, Lemmens said its key for his undersized team to not only work on skills this summer, but become quicker and stronger athletes.
"It needs to be a hungry summer. We need guys to know we're not strong enough, now that Drake and Peyton Erikson are gone, that's our muscle," he said. "We've got to get more guys in the weight room. Then JV guys, they've got to realize not a lot opened up. They need to work their tails off and, hopefully, them working their tails off encourages the other guys who are trying to hold their spots to continue to work. I really like the pieces we have coming back and it's exciting."
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