March 6, 2020 at 2:45 p.m.
Too much to Bear
Hortonville routs Lady Hodags 87-27 in sectional semifinals
Too much to Bear
Hortonville overwhelmed Rhinelander, using a 37-4 run at one point in the first half as it routed the Lady Hodags 87-27 at Sheldon Fieldhouse in Antigo.
Hortonville (24-1), the No. 1 team in the Division 2 in both the Associated Press and WisSports.net polls, advanced to this afternoon's sectional final round against Onalaska as it looks to punch its fourth straight trip to the WIAA state tournament. Rhinelander's magical season ended with a 19-6 record.
"They got us on our heels and we just really struggled and we just could not stop them once they got rolling," Rhinelander coach Ryan Clark said.
While the attention going into the game centered on Hortonville 6-2 post player Macy McGlone, who ranked as the fourth-best senior in the state according to WisSports.net, it was Hortonville's guard play that overwhelmed Rhinelander.
Morgan Draheim and Aliyah Schmidt each hit four 3 pointers, scoring 22 and 19 points respectively, and Hortonville forced 22 turnovers which led to a number of transition baskets.
Tied 4-4 two minutes into the game, Draheim scored eight straight points to give the Polar Bears a lead they would never relinquish. She hit a 3, then made two free throws after the Hodags were assessed a technical foul for an illegal substitution and hit another 3 on the ensuing possession to put Hortonville up 12-4. The Hodags went 7 minutes, 39 seconds between field goals by Rebecca Lawrence and Beavers. Hortonville's lead ballooned to 43-11 in that span. The Polar Bears led 59-15 at halftime.
Hortonville finished the night 58.9% from the field (33 of 56), including 52.2% (12 of 23) from 3-point range. McGlone had with 12 points and eight rebounds while Lexi Day added 11 points.
"The two things that worried us were them hitting the 3 and them forcing live-ball turnovers leading quickly to points," Clark said. "You strategize that. You come up with some plans. You use the boys JV basketball team to kind of give you a simulated look, but much easier said than done to execute. That's an excellent, excellent basketball team."
Meanwhile the Rhinelander offense spun its wheels. Kenedy Van Zile scored Rhinelander's first four points but scored only two more after that. Her ability to drive to the basket was hindered as she was called for three offensive fouls in the first half.
Hortonville used a combination of full-court pressure and a trapping defense in the half court to keep Rhinelander off balance.
"They know that Kenedy's a really good player and can beat them off the dribble, but they didn't respect the rest of us very much," Clark said. "They just wanted to pressure us and get us to dribble laterally a little bit. They just suffocated us. We had a hard time just finding open spots."
Beavers had 11 points to lead Rhinelander while Lawrence added eight points. For the second straight year, the Hodags' season ended with its lowest scoring output of the season. Thursday night's game marked the first time Rhinelander had been held under 30 points in a game since last year's regional final loss at New London.
Rhinelander subbed out three of its four seniors - Van Zile, Beavers and Sophia McGinnis - with less than four minutes to play to a standing ovation from the large Rhinelander fan contingent that traveled to Antigo for Thursday night's game. The fourth senior, Lexi Morrison stayed in the game before coming out in the final seconds.
Clark said the reality that the season was over had not set in immediately after the game, but he told the team to remember all of the accomplishments it had along the way. Those highlights included back-to-back undefeated Great Northern Conference titles, a regional championship and Van Zile setting the school's all-time scoring record.
"Those seniors, I told them, 'When you look back, you're going to have such a positive memory.' What a great few years we've had," Clark said. "We've won a lot of basketball games the last few years. We've accomplished two conference championships because of these young ladies, a regional championship, got to the sectionals. I've been so blessed to have Kenedy Van Zile as a four-year player for me, Lexi Morrison, Sophia (McGinnis). Then for Cynthia to come into our program. I just said, 'You represent our community so well.' I just had such a joyful time working with these young ladies. I didn't think it's hit me yet either. They're so coachable. They work so hard, you just want them to have the best experience possible."
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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