February 22, 2021 at 8:08 a.m.
The end of the road
Hodag hoops beats Mosinee, then falls to Medford in regional final
The end of the road
Brady Hupf scored 21 points and the top-seeded Raiders again prevailed over the Hodags 64-54 in a WIAA Division 2 regional final Saturday night at Raider Hall.
The Hodags got to the regional final game with a late rally to defeat Mosinee 58-56 the night before, but ended their season with a record of 14-6. Half of those losses came courtesy of the Raiders (24-2, 12-0 Great Northern), who were No. 6 in the latest Associated Press Division 2 poll.
"This is an incredibly good Medford team, and I hope that we don't lose sight that every game that we've lost, we've lost to really good teams," Hodag coach Derek Lemmens said. "This team had a tough schedule and they came out on top much more than they (didn't)."
Great Northern Conference player of the year Peyton Kuhn managed 14 points despite a sore ankle that kept him out of the Raiders' regional semifinal win over Merrill a night earlier. Logan Baumgartner also had 14 in a game that Medford led virtually the entire way.
Kuhn and Baumgartner get the attention for Medford as dynamic scorers, but the Hodags did not have an answer for Hupf, a 6-2 forward. Hupf bullied Rhinelander's depleted group of forwards going 8-of-9 inside the arc, with virtually all of his scoring coming in the paint.
Hupf scored the game's first bucket, and added a couple of key finishes late in the first half as Medford ended on a 6-1 run to take a 29-18 lead at the break.
"I just didn't have a good plan for Hupf," Lemmens said. "There's so many things you have to worry about, so many players. They move so well. They do so many good things. I just didn't have a great answer. At the end of the day, that falls on me and that's disappointing. I kind of let these guys down with that."
Rhinelander twice closed to within four points in the second half, at 36-32 and 39-35, but got no closer. A three-point play by Hupf with 5:27 remaining kicked off a mini 5-0 run that put the Raiders up 11, 53-42.
The Hodags lost despite having four players in double figures. Jacksen Smith led the way with 16 points, Ross Skeen had 12, Quinn Lamers had 11 and Travis Towne had 10. Rhinelander stayed afloat much of the game thanks to a 9-of-22 night from beyond the arc. The team shot 46% overall, but was limited to only 9-of-17 from inside the 3-point line. Medford was 17-of-22 in two-point attempts.
Lemmens spent an extended period of time in the locker room afterward comforting the seven seniors who had just played their final game in a Hodag uniform.
"It just stinks. I'm not very good at the sentimental moments," he said. "Every year you watch these kids play their final game. You see the heartbreak and it's hard. It's the nature of the beast.
"These guys have a lot to be proud of. They spent an entire summer where they couldn't even get into a single facility, working on their game. We didn't know if this season was going to happen. Throughout this entire process, and the masks, and all this, these seniors, every single day came with just such an amazing attitude. They always gave their best effort. With all that they've had to overcome, I'm just so proud of them - not just for their basketball, but the incredible mindset and everything that they brought to the table all year long despite going against the odds and having to overcome all this adversity."
Rhinelander 58, Mosinee 56
The Hodags needed to rally at home Friday night just to make Saturday's regional final round.
Lamers hit a go-ahead 3 from the top of the key with 1:02 remaining and Rhinelander fended off Mosinee 58-56 at the Jim Miazga Community Gymnasium.
It was a matter of perseverance for Lamers, who was 0 of 8 from the field before knocking down a shot that gave Rhinelander a 55-54 lead. Over the final minute, Rhinelander twice denied Mosinee's leading scorer, Cyle Kowalski, on drive attempts to tie or take the lead.
Mosinee still had a chance to tie, down 57-54 with 8.8 seconds left and the ball at half court following a timeout, but an inbounds pass went through Jake Placek's hands. The loose ball was stolen by Rhinelander's Devyn Orth, who dished the ball to Jackson Labs. Labs made one of two free throws with 5.1 seconds left to seal it.
"I thought our body language was a little off, about the 8-minute mark and we were kind of looking defeated," Lemmens said. "I thought, after that point, they just gutted it up and took care of business. When you have that leadership, you have that home court, it's great to see when guys are able to finish that."
Despite the late gaffe, Placek had the hot hand for Mosinee, scoring 23 points. He scored 17 in the first half alone, including a 3 in the final seconds to give the Indians their first lead of the game, 30-29, heading to the locker room.
Mosinee inched the lead to seven with 10:08 remaining before Rhinelander fought back thanks to a 9-1 run. Smith, who scored a game-high 25 points, gave Rhinelander a 47-46 lead at the line with 6:15 remaining.
After Placek answered, Skeen hit a 3 to put Rhinelander back in front, but Kowalski converted a three-point play with 4:35 remaining to put Mosinee up 51-50. Drayton Lehman made it a three-point lead for Mosinee on a bucket with 3:40 left. It proved to be Mosinee's last made field goal of the night.
Kowalski had 15 for Mosinee, far below the 27 points he averaged in the two regular season meetings against the Hodags. Rhinelander limited him to 5-of-16 shooting with no 3-point baskets.
"I thought our help was there early," Lemmens said of the defense against Kowalski. "It creates a more difficult angle. That's what it's all about. They did a great job of being to their spot. He is so difficult to contain. He's so explosive, and has so many weapons. Those last couple of stops, it took the entire team, and then to finish the plays with some huge rebounds down the stretch despite giving up size, that was huge."
Skeen finished with a double-double for Rhinelander with 12 points and 11 rebounds as the Hodags shot 41% from the field (16 of 39). Mosinee was 42% on 21 of 50 shooting.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
Comments:
You must login to comment.