January 4, 2021 at 8:41 a.m.
Lady Hodags split pair of tight contests
Lady Hodags split pair of tight contests
The Hodags nearly let an 11-point halftime advantage slip away last Tuesday before holding off Wisconsin Rapids Assumption 49-46 in Rhinelander. A day later, the Hodags could not hold on to a 10-point lead at the break in a 62-55 loss at Merrill.
It's become a trend for the Lady Hodags (6-7, 2-2 Great Northern). Three of the team's seven losses have come despite holding leads of nine points or greater in the second half.
"The team brought it up after the game. They said they noticed that one of our issues is we've had a nice lead at halftime or a good lead going into the second half and we haven't played very well," coach Ryan Clark said following Wednesday night's loss at Merrill. "We've found a way to lose those games. I'll have to look at what I'm doing as far as coaching and adjustments. We shouldn't be getting beat when we're up 10 at half."
On Wednesday the Hodags used a triangle-and-2 defense to slow down Merrill's leading scorer, Courtney Krueger, who came in averaging 22 points per game. She was held off the board until 4:52 remaining when she knocked down a corner 3 to put the Bluejays ahead 50-48. Rhinelander tied the game on a couple of occasions after that but fell behind for good on a Claire Drew layup off a press break with 3:18 remaining.
Rebecca Lawrence hit a runner with 37.3 seconds left to get Rhinelander within 58-55, but Crystal Dearth made two free throws on the other end and Drew, who scored a game-high 22 points, sealed it with two more makes from the foul line after a Rhinelander turnover.
Merrill held a 36-25 edge on the glass, which included a whopping 21 offensive rebounds. The Hodags' inability to finish defensive possessions loomed large as Merrill worked its way back into the game. After a missed Nicole Zoellner free throw, Merrill gathered the offensive rebound and kicked it out to Dearth for a 3 that cut the lead to 37-34 with 12:33 remaining. Drew hit a 3 after a missed shot to tie the game at 37 with 11:25 left and scored on a put back with 10:05 remaining to give Merrill a 39-37 edge.
"We gave up some offensive rebounds," Clark said. "In the triangle-and-2 one of the concerns is the lack of rebounding it offers but, in the second half it was just 3-on-3 man-on-man. I don't know what the heck we were doing, but we didn't rebound. They outboarded us for sure and we had some breakdowns on some ball screen actions defensively."
The Hodags lost despite shooting 15 of 16 on the night from the foul line and having one of their most balanced scoring nights of the season. Lawrence led three Hodags in double digits with 17 points while Brynn Brzycki had 12 and Annika Johnson chipped in 10 off the bench. Megan Brown and Ava Lamers each added eight points.
"We had contributions tonight. That's something, for this game even though its a loss, I'll make sure I really let these kids know how much they did step up," Clark said. "Multiple kids scored today and they didn't hesitate today. Megan started off the game and had a few nice baskets. Annika hit some shots, and Ava. Brynn was making some plays. Hopefully that gives them some confidence."
Erin Murray added 13 points and Dearth had 12 for the Bluejays.
Rhinelander 49, Assumption 46
Wednesday's loss came just over 24 hours after the Hodags nearly let an 11-point halftime lead slip away against Assumption.
Up 28-17 at the break, the Hodags gave up an 18-5 run to start the second and fall behind 35-33. Rhinelander was able to stem the tide, however, thanks to a key 9-2 stretch that included a go-ahead 3 by Lamers.
"That was a really timely shot and I think she has the ability, her and Rebecca, to be our two outside shooters. I feel that Ava, offensively, is looking to score. I think she's got the ability to be our second scorer," Clark said.
Rhinelander struggled at the foul line late, missing four in a row from the line down the stretch. That gave Assumption the ball, down 47-46 with 6.5 seconds left. The Hodags, with a foul to give, were looking to use that foul and slow down the Royals' advance up the court, but Assumption was called with a travel instead. Lawrence was fouled on the ensuing possession and hit two free throws to ice it.
"Another grind. It wasn't easy, but we found a way to win. We've got to get better," Clark said.
Lawrence had 23 to lead the Hodags last Tuesday, while Brzycki had nine and Lamers had eight. Jessie Grundhoffer paced Assumption with 18 points while Ainara Martin chipped in 12.
Rhinelander returns to Great Northern Conference play at Lakeland this evening. The Hodags lost the first meeting, 54-46 back on Dec. 3 after leading by nine early in the second half.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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