February 21, 2022 at 8:10 a.m.
Lady Hodags down Antigo 68-36 in regular season finale
Lady Hodags down Antigo 68-36 in regular season finale
Audrey Schiek and Ava Lamers combined to score 35 points and the Hodags cruised past Antigo 68-36 at the Jim Miazga Community Gymnasium.
It was Rhinelander's 15th win of the season, a rebound from last year's 11-14 performance. It sets the stage for the WIAA playoffs, which will get underway this coming Friday at home against Ashland.
"I thought they had a nice (regular season), 15-9, I would have taken that at the beginning of the year," Hodag coach Ryan Clark said. "I thought they did a nice job. I thought the 1-3-1 was a big help for us and the girls did fantastic for the first time ever running it."
The Hodags used that 1-3-1 trap, and a combination of other pressure defenses to force 45 Antigo turnovers on Friday night. The Robins attempted only 33 shots in the contest. Rhinelander led 33-11 at halftime and withstood an early second-half push from Antigo in the victory.
"We forced a lot of turnovers, which was the difference. We got some easy baskets," Clark said. "That would be the difference, we got a lot more shot opportunities and scoring opportunities than they did."
The Hodags trailed 6-5 early in the first half, but Ava Lamers converted a three-point play with 13:26 left in at the half, part of a 17-point night for the Hodag junior. It sparked a 12-0 run for the Hodags. Antigo got back within 17-10, but Rhinelander closed out the half on a 16-1 run over the final 5:39 to lead by 22 at the break.
"I thought they used their height and their size to their advantage," Clark said. "They got out to the perimeter pretty good and they really covered inside on the skip passes. We struggled for a little bit to score in the first half but then, I looked up and we're up 27-10."
Antigo fed the ball inside effectively to posts Sophie Schlieve and Tristin Arlen early in the second half. They combined for 15 points in a 17-8 run that cut the lead to 13 with 10:47 to play, but Lamers answered with a pair of buckets as part of a quick seven-point spurt that pushed the lead back to 20 and the Robins never threatened the rest of the way.
Schiek led the way with 18 for the Hodags while Megan Brown was in double figures again, scoring 11 points.
"We mixed it around pretty well and it's nice to see Megan consistently still scoring," Clark noted.
Schlieve had 16 points and 13 rebounds for the Robins while Arlen added 11 points.
The Hodags finished 8-4 in Great Northern Conference play, behind Mosinee (12-0) and Lakeland (10-2). Rhinelander could have a playoff rematch this coming Saturday night at Lakeland, should both teams get past their regional semifinal opponents on Friday. The Hodags lost in overtime at Lakeland, 50-47, earlier this month.
"It's a new season and anything can happen, but I think they're confident and they're excited," Clark said.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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