January 18, 2021 at 8:19 a.m.
Milestone delayed as Crandon edges Hodag girls 47-39
Milestone delayed as Crandon edges Hodag girls 47-39
A pesky Crandon defense held Lawrence below her average with 17 points and snuffed out a late Rhinelander comeback bid as the Cardinals defeated the Hodags 47-39.
Lawrence, who came in averaging 23.6 points per game, needed to score 21 to eclipse the 1,000-point milestone, but was held in check much of the night, going 4 of 16 from the floor and only 9 of 16 from the foul line. She now needs four points tonight at home against Ashland to reach the mark.
"She missed a lot of close ones and I think she played a little bit tight. Missing seven free throws would probably be another example of that," Rhinelander coach Ryan Clark said. "But what a great accomplishment she's going to have here at the next game. She battled and I know she wants to win rather than score that 1,000th point. She'd take the win over that."
Mara Stamper scored a game-high 21 points for the Cardinals while Holly Palubicki added 12 points and 10 rebounds, including a 3 following an offensive rebound off a missed free throw with two minutes to play that gave Crandon a 42-36 edge.
"Six points in this game, it feels like a 15-point deficit. I thought we had all the momentum," Clark said, calling the sequence a backbreaker for his team. "We get that rebound, we're coming back down three. I think we would have had a better chance."
Lawrence's struggles were symptomatic of Rhinelander struggles overall on the night against Crandon's 2-3 zone. The Hodags were only 24% (9 of 38) from the floor and 18 of 34 from the foul line.
"We struggled against their zone defense until we got the ball moving quick with short passes," Clark said. "Then we got it spaced out and we could hit some nice cuts and actions, but a little too early too late.
"You can't miss 16 free throws. You can't argue if you get to the line 34 times, but if you only make 18 of them, that's a problem. We practice it, but that's just got to be girls making shots."
Crandon led much of the way, taking the lead for good on a Holly Palubicki 3 just 1:40 into the contest. The Cardinals led 20-14 at the half and then began the second half on a 7-2 run to establish their largest lead of the night.
Rhinelander slowly chipped away at the deficit, pulling to within 37-33 off a pair of free throws by Ella Schiek with 3:44 remaining. However, after getting a stop on the defensive end of the floor, a turnover allowed Mara Stamper to score on a fast break with 3:18 left and push the lead back to six.
Mara Stamper struggled at the foul line down the stretching, missing seven of her last eight attempts. A free throw by Lawrence followed by a layup for Rhinelander within 39-36 with 2:16 to play.
"I can't fault their effort and their energy. They battled really hard. They put themselves with a chance," Clark said. "It's frustrating when you lose a close one like this. We've got to find a way to win this game. But, we've got six games left and just have got to keep fighting."
Maddie Stamper chipped in eight points for Crandon, which shot 45% on the night (16 of 36), but was only 10 of 22 from the foul line.
Ava Lamers hit Rhinelander first two field goals of the game, a pair of first-half 3s, and finished with six points. Ella Schiek and Annika Johnson each added five points for Rhinelander.
The Hodags (9-9, 5-3 Great Northern) return to non-conference play tonight against Ashland.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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