January 19, 2022 at 1:25 p.m.
Hodag hoops gets by Rapids 64-59
Hodag hoops gets by Rapids 64-59
Jacksen Smith and Jackson Zettler combined for 41 points and the Hodags got key 3s down the stretch from Ryan Jamison and Will Gretzinger to fend off Wisconsin Rapids 64-59 in non-conference play at the Jim Miazga Community Gymnasium.
The Hodags (8-5, 4-1 Great Northern) squandered a 12-point second half lead, but rallied thanks to some timely points off turnovers. Rhinelander then held on down the stretch to earn its first three-game winning streak of the season.
"We're going to take that and we're protecting our home court, which is important too," Hodag coach Derek Lemmens said. "(Rapids) is a good team. I know the record can be deceiving, but this is a team that plays a lot of teams really close. For us to get this win, it's important."
Jamison had three steals in the second half that led to important buckets. Down 49-46, Jamison recorded a steal in the backcourt and chucked it ahead to Smith for a layup. Jamison then stole the ensuing inbound pass and hit a transition 3 in the corner to put Rhinelander up 51-49 with 6:30 remaining.
The teams traded baskets, and the lead, the next four trips down the floor. Smith made a tough runner in the lane with 4:35 remaining to help the Hodags regain the lead. Jamison then got a steal at half court and handed off to Gretzinger for a deep 3 off the left wing to put Rhinelander up 58-54 with 4:12 remaining.
The Hodags were only 3 of 14 from beyond the arch on Tuesday, but made timely 3s in the contest.
"Jamison hit the one and Will hit the other and both of them really ended runs and took the wind out of their sail," Lemmens said. "They're big hits and it starts with defense. Guys stepped up, got the basketball and then, when you're playing good defense and making things happen on the other end, it just seems a lot easier."
Rapids got back to with in three on a couple of occasions down the stretch but the Hodags did enough at the foul line to hold on. Curiously, the Raiders opted not to foul down 4 following a miss with about 20 seconds remaining. The Hodags ran out most of the clock before Smith was finally fouled with 2.6 seconds left.
"I was a little surprised at the confusion," Lemmens said. "I don't know what happened there, but it was a lot closer game than you would have thought that they would just let the clock tick out. But we will take it."
Rapids used an 8-0 run to go up 16-8 just over six minutes into the first half, but Rhinelander controlled the rest of the half to take a 32-22 lead at the break. The Hodags got the first basket of the second half to push the lead to 12, but Rapids got hot from there. The Raiders hit five 3-pointers in a 25-11 run, capped off by a Cade Jungwirth triple with 7:30 remaining to go up 47-45.
"We had big droughts where we didn't get baskets and we compounded that with big droughts where we didn't get stops," Lemmens said. "I think the one time they scored six (possessions) in a row and those are things that just can't happen. The last two games we had done a nice job of not allowing runs, but tonight's we had runs on both ends, where we didn't score and we didn't stop them, and it allowed them to climb back in and, for a while, take the lead."
Smith led all scorers with 21 points while Zettler matched his season-high with 20 points, doing most of his damage in the lane. Overall, Rhinelander shot 49% (25 of 51) from the field, despite the cold night from the outside.
"Smith, he just made really good choices. He was taking care of the basketball, patient on offense," Lemmens said. "He missed some shots he would normally make but, at the end of the day, he was under control and he was a great leader for us and putting the ball in the hoop. JZ (Zettler) is just a physical body inside and I like how the guys were looking for him, getting him the basketball in good position and he was able to put it away."
Evan Mathews hit four 3s in the second half as he and Jungwirth both finished with 17 points for Rapids (1-11, 0-5 Wis. Valley). Jackson Schooley added 10 for the Raiders, who were 45% (21 of 47) from the field, including 9 of 22 from beyond the arch.
"They attacked us a little better but, I don't know. I felt for a little while there our defense was just happening, as opposed to the first half," Lemmens said. "Our 1-3-1 we came out and we were just lazy. We didn't have active hands. We didn't move on air. The same goes for our 3-2. We weren't sprinting on air time so, when the ball swung around, they got rhythm shots. Those are things that we've got to do a better job of."
Rhinelander welcomes Stevens Point (7-6, 4-1 Wis. Valley) to the Miazga Gym this evening.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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