November 23, 2020 at 8:48 a.m.
Team preview: RHS girls' basketball
New-look Lady Hodags try to stay competitive in the GNC
Team preview: RHS girls' basketball
Those two players have graduated, taking with them 61% of the team's scoring from a year ago. Rhinelander does return a pair of starters and nine players who saw varsity minutes from a squad that went 19-6 and reached the WIAA sectional semifinals last year, but it's going to take a collective effort to come close to the success the team has had over the past two seasons.
"Everyone has to take a big step up and they have to contribute," coach Ryan Clark said. "We don't have great depth. It's all hands on deck. They're all involved. We need everybody to make that step."
That story will begin to unfold tonight as the Hodags open the season with a non-conference contest at Wausau West.
Van Zile and Beavers, last year's GNC co-players of the year, averaged 37.8 points per game between them, and were also near the top of the conference in rebounding, assists and steals. The biggest question mark going into the season is which players will replace that production.
The most immediate answer appears to be senior Rebecca Lawrence, who rounded out Rhinelander's big three last year. She earned second-team all-GNC honors while averaging 13.6 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. Whereas last year she could play off Van Zile and Beavers, this year she will likely be the focal point of the Hodags' offense.
"She's going to have to be the all everything for us as far as a leader on the court - taking care of the ball, bringing it up the court at times, looking to score with the ball in her hands as opposed to just cutting off the ball," Clark said.
Clark also expects more from the team's other returning starter - Megan Brown - who received honorable mention in the GNC last year mainly for her defensive prowess. She averaged roughly 3 points and 3 rebounds a game a season ago. Senior Ella Schiek also played a strong role on the defensive end of the floor despite missing a number of games due to a hand injury.
Clark said he's also expecting more from his juniors, including Brown, Audrey Schiek, Annika Johnson, and Brynn Brzycki. Clark noted he's hoping to get the 5-11 Brzycki more involved in the post this year and that 5-7 sophomore Ava Lamers, who split time between varsity and JV last year, could be the team's "dark horse" off the bench.
"She's my diamond in the rough. If Ava has a good year for us and I think we take a notch up as a team," Clark said. "She's the one that has the ability to score. (She's) long and athletic and I think the more she plays, I think she's the dark horse for us."
Seniors Kat Metropulos and McKenzie Gilman round out the returning varsity roster for Rhinelander, which Clark said will be roughly nine players deep at the start of the season. He praised his team's unselfish nature, and ability to move off the ball, but said, collectively, the squad needs to work on finishing - whether that is making contested layup through contact, pulling the trigger when 3-point attempts present themselves or creating more offense with the ball.
"We're going to have to execute collectively together on the offensive and defensive end. I could see our scoring being very balanced game-to-game," Clark said.
Rhinelander faces a difficult task as it looks to defend its crown, as the teams that chased the Hodags last year did not lose a ton from a season ago. Lakeland has the preseason favorite for conference player of the year in sophomore Julianna Ouimette, who lost out to Van Zile last year by one point for the GNC scoring title. Mosinee returns a quartet of juniors who started a season ago and Clark said Medford figures to be strong, led by GNC first-teamer Marissa Fronk.
"We've had a great few years here where we've been the top dog," Clark said. "I would say we're not the favorite. I wouldn't sleep on us. I think we can come up and bite and get some of these wins, but our margin of error is much smaller than in the past."
Rhinelander will not ease into the schedule either. After tonight's opener, the Hodags travel to Wausau East on Friday night in a game that replaces the annual Tom Kislow Memorial tournament, which was scrapped this year due to COVID-19. After that, the Hodags will open the GNC season at home against Lakeland.
Should the underdog Hodags knock off Lakeland in that contest, they would match Lakeland's record of 29 consecutive GNC victories. The Hodags also have Mosinee and Medford among their first four conference games of the season.
Assuming the season can be played without any major interruptions between now and the start of the WIAA playoffs in early February, Clark said there are a number of technical aspects of the game he would like the team to improve on as the season progresses, but the No. 1 thing he wants to see develop is the competitive edge last year's squad brought to the floor.
"Playing hard is one thing, competing is another whole element and we haven't figured that out yet," he said. "I want to see us be able to go toe-to-toe with the best players in the conference and the best teams."
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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