December 9, 2020 at 1:21 p.m.
Marathon outdistances Hodags 66-52
Marathon outdistances Hodags 66-52
The Raiders scored the first 12 points of the game and never looked back. Jaden Koeller led three Marathon players in double digits with 23 points as the Raiders fended off the Hodags 66-52 at the Jim Miazga Community Gymnasium.
Jacksen Smith had a game-high 24 points for Rhinelander (1-1, 0-0 Great Northern), but the Hodags were never able to dig out from the early deficit.
"What we were tonight is we were sloppy talent. They were fundamentally sound talent. That's what it was," Rhinelander coach Derek Lemmens said. "That's why the score ended up being what it was. It looked like open gym basketball. We weren't really running an offense anymore. Our defense was always chasing, always playing behind. Again, it was sloppy talent versus disciplined talent. At the end of the day, that falls on me."
The Hodags trailed by as many as 16 points in the first half before making an 11-0 push over the final five minutes to cut the lead to 30-25 at the break.
Rhinelander got to within 3 on back-to-back Ross Skeen triples early in the second half, but Marathon (2-1, 0-1 Marawood South) answered with an 8-0 push, including 3s by Koeller and Jaden Strasser to push the lead back to 11. The Hodags got back to within 52-47 on a Smith basket with 5:22 to play, but Koeller made back-to-back hoops on Marathon's next two possessions - the latter being a three-point play - to restore a 10-point cushion with 4:20 remaining.
"They made the plays when they needed to and we always fell short of that one play," Lemmens said. "A lot of them were just bad turnovers or a loose ball and they get it and it leads to a nice shot, or a foul. We found a lot of different ways to beat ourselves tonight and that was kind of frustrating because we did dig that hole, we climbed out and then we just kept digging new ones. We had the ability to come back, but we've got to have the ability to stay back and finish."
Though Marathon did not have a player taller than 6-foot-3 on its roster, the Raiders controlled the paint against Rhinelander. Marathon was 16 of 32 inside the 3-point line and shot 51% overall (23 of 45). Conversely, only 14 of Rhinelander's 39 shots came from inside the 3-point line. Rhinelander's three forwards - Travis Towne, Jackson Zettler and Kirk Mathews - combined for only two points and seven rebounds on the night.
"Our bigs were really invisible tonight. There was no presence inside. They seemed almost, I don't know if (they were) intimidated by the physicality or what it was," Lemmens said. "Between our three rotational bigs, they brought two points and we can't have that. They have to be a presence and we have to have that option. That's an important piece of the game. It has to be established and I thought their physicality intimidated us a little bit."
Smith had 16 points at halftime for Rhinelander, including nine straight in the late push that got the Hodags' within five. He's been Rhinelander's leading scorer in each of the first two games. Skeen, who missed Rhinelander's season-opening win at Wausau East due to health concerns, made four straight 3s at a point in the second half to finish with 13 points. Quinn Lamers added nine for the Hodags, who shot 38.4% (15 of 39) on the night.
Matt Vande Boom added 14 points for Marathon, Brock Warren had 10, Strasser had nine and Mike Hahn chipped in five points and 10 rebounds.
The Hodags are back in action tonight, beginning Great Northern Conference play at home against Mosinee. The Indians have won 70-69 in each of their last two trips to Rhinelander. Both times, Mosinee made the go-ahead free throw in the final 10 seconds of regulation. Lemmens said if the Hodags' can learn from Tuesday night's loss and apply it to tonight's matchup, it will be a valuable experience.
"This exposes us. This is something we can take away. If we're going to lose a game, we're going to lose this game because this prepares us for what our bigger goal is, and that's a conference championship," he said.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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