February 14, 2022 at 7:20 a.m.
Hodag Hoops' skid hits six games
Hodag Hoops' skid hits six games
Brayden Wizcek led Lakeland with 15 points as the Thunderbirds held off a furious last-minute Rhinelander rally to defeat the Hodags 64-60 at the Jim Miazga Community Gymnasium.
Lakeland was without its leading scorer Will Fortier (ankle), but that hardly seemed to matter for a Thunderbird team that was patient offensively and shot 69% from the field. Open 3s, second-chance baskets and easy layups were the order of the night against a Rhinelander defense that was unable to get stops when it mattered.
It all left Rhinelander head coach Derek Lemmens frustrated and searching for answers as his team dropped its sixth straight game and slipped behind Lakeland to fifth in the conference standings.
"(Lakeland averages) 48 points a game with (Fortier), 64 without him," Lemmens said. "I don't know, we just lack heart. We just lack any fortitude to play. We wait until the game's on the line instead of just coming out with great energy. I don't know. We're in a bad spot right now and we need to find our way out."
Lakeland used a 16-3 run midway through the second half to build a 10-point lead and was still up nine when Rhinelander launched a last-ditch effort. Caleb Olcikas was fouled on an offensive rebound and made two free throws with 55.6 seconds left. Off a pair of missed Lakeland free throws, Jacksen Smith converted a three-point play with 33 seconds left and the Hodags cut the lead to 62-60 after Ryan Jamison stole the ensuing inbound and fed it to Will Gretzinger for a layup.
Lakeland made one of two free throws on the other end, but Smith was called for an offensive foul - and fouled out of the game - as he tried to kick the ball to Jamison in the corner for a game-tying 3-point attempt with 21.6 seconds left.
"It was a charge, as were about three others that were called blocks, but it was definitely a charge," Lemmens said. "I think we had a good look. I wish we would have kicked it. But, we dug a hole and despite our great effort toward the end when the game's on the line, if we had that effort and sense of urgency from the start, we put them away early."
Lakeland took control with an extended 21-5 run to lead by as many as 10 before taking a 28-22 lead to the break. The T-Birds pushed the lead to 11 early in the second half before the Hodags rallied back.
Rhinelander went on a 16-0 run to go up 38-35 with 11:23 remaining. The run ended with a Layton Larsen 3 on Lakeland's next possession and momentum swung back Lakeland's way.
Gary Timm, in the starting lineup with Fortier out, had 12 points for Lakeland while Quade added nine points off the bench for Lakeland.
In a Jan. 7 meeting at Lakeland, Rhinelander used a combination of backcourt pressure and a 1-3-1 trap to quicken the tempo of the game and force the T-Birds in to mistake. It didn't matter if the tempo was fast or slow on Friday, the Hodags could not stop Lakeland's offense.
"We got a little overaggressive at times and got out of position and there were other times where we had a good trap we weren't aggressive enough. We haven't found that healthy balance," Lemmens said. "This is really disappointing from an effort standpoint, to see a team that should be kind of reeling and struggling and we have them on our home court, to do this is very disappointing."
Jamison hit five 3s, breaking out of a recent scoring slump, as he led Rhinelander with 17 points. Smith had 16 and Jackson Zettler added 11 as the Hodags shot 41.7% (20 of 48) from the field.
"It was great seeing Jamo hit some shots. He's a good shooter, he just needs to get some confidence. He's been in a little bit of a slump but, hopefully this get him out of it," Lemmens said.
The road is not getting any easier for the Hodags, who hosted Northland Pines last night in a game that concluded after deadline. Rhinelander hits the road to take on Wisconsin Valley Conference-leading Marshfield tonight.
"There are still four regular season games left and playoffs. We can pout, we can feel bad or we can say enough's enough finally and move forward," Lemmens said. "This team can be a good team. There's no doubt in my mind we can be a good team, but we have to be willing to work harder and do the little things and execute the details, then I think this team can achieve some nice things."
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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