Lady Hodags ride defense to win over Medford GNC opener

MEDFORD — A Rhinelander High School girls’ basketball team that has relied on the 3-point shot early in the season found a different way to win on Tuesday night. 

Lily Treder had 18 points and the Hodags held Medford to under 24% from the field as they ground out a 44-29 victory at Raider Hall in the Great Northern Conference opener. 

    Rhinelander’s Leah Jamison attempts a 3 during the second half of a GNC girls’ basketball game in Medford Tuesday, Nov. 28. The Hodags won 44-29 despite shooting a season-worst 2 of 22 from 3-point range. (Bob Mainhardt for the River News)
  

The Hodags (3-2, 1-0 Great Northern) won despite shooting a season-worst 2 of 22 from the 3-point line. Defense and rebounding played a large role in that fact. Medford (2-2, 0-1 Great Northern) was held to just two field goals in a span of nearly 18 minutes between midway through the first half and midway through the second. Meanwhile Rhinelander, which was getting beat on the glass by 16 rebounds a contest through the first four games, had a 35-32 edge against a taller Medford team. 

“That was our big thing coming in, we haven’t played very good defense the first four games of the season and I thought, up until the last five minutes, I thought they played fantastic defense,” Hodag coach Ryan Clark said. “They executed the switch on the top action Medford likes to run, and I’m really proud of them. Holding a team like that to 14 points for most of the game, communicating, boxing out and our team defense is what we stressed. Excellent job.”

Medford led only once in the contest. A 3 by Aliyah Pilgrim gave the Raiders a 10-9 edge with 7:31 left in the first, but it was all Rhinelander from there. Leah Jamison made a runner to put the Hodags up 11-10 and Treder added 10 points down the stretch in the first half as Rhinelander took a 27-12 lead to the break. 

Medford’s shooting woes continued in the second. The Raiders had only one field goal over the first 13 1/2 minutes of the second and Rhinelander pushed the lead to 42-14 at one point. The Raiders finished the game on a 15-2 run, but it was far too late at that point as the Hodags won a battle of teams that figure to be in the top half of the GNC this season. 

“I really like winning here,” coach Clark said. “It’s a fun gym to play in. The crowd’s right next to you on the court. The benches are the old, wooden bleachers. I thought we came in dialed in. The team took some ownership for their own development and own performance. Defensively, I’m really proud of them because that was a really good defensive effort for most of the game.”

Freshman Aubryn Clark was held to a season-low 10 points as the Raiders made a concerted effort to limit her shot attempts. Clark was only 5 of 10 from the field, but found her teammates. In addition to Treder’s 18, Jamison had seven. Both players, 3-point shooters by nature, appeared more willing to put the ball on the floor and attack the rim Tuesday.

“We thought they would come out and faceguard Aubryn, so that would give other kids opportunities, and they didn’t defer. They were aggressive, and I was really proud of it,” coach Clark said. “Lily came out of the gates and was attacking the basket. Lily’s a tough matchup because we’re not very big, so usually, she has one of the post players guarding her. She can really shoot it, so they know they have to get out on her, which gives her an opportunity to drive to the basket. She was catching and attacking and reading that really well.”

Freshman Taylor Klingbeil scored six of her team-high nine points for Medford during the closing run after the game was, for all intents and purposes, decided. Rylee Hraby added eight as Medford shot just 10 of 42 from the field, was 4 of 18 from beyond the arc and committed 19 turnovers. 

It marked the first time this season that someone from an opposing team did not score at least 20 points against the Hodag defense. That’s exactly what Rhinelander needed on a night when the shots weren’t falling.

“One thing I told them at the beginning of the year is can we win a game when we don’t shoot well,” coach Clark said. “I think that’s a testament to your defensive abilities. It kind of all came to fruition. We got a lot of open looks, didn’t hit them. But we dug down.”

Medford made it clear from the onset it intended to slow down Aubryn Clark, faceguarding her with Pilgrim in tight man-to-man coverage. That intensity ended up leading to a delay of roughly five minutes early in the first half as Clark took a gash to her right forearm that caused a stoppage once officials noticed blood on the floor at Raider Hall. Clark had the wound bandaged, switched jerseys during the delay and the Hodags seemed unfazed by the incident. 

“They just kind of went out there on their own and talked and huddled themselves up,” coach Clark noted. “They’re a nice, tight team. They have good chemistry, and I think that just kind of calmed it down. They laughed about it, but they were really focused and dialed in.”

Rhinelander returns home this evening to take on Antigo in the front end of a girls-boys doubleheader at the Jim Miazga Community Gymnasium. Tip off is set for 6 p.m.

“I love the doubleheaders. I’m so thankful that we do them. A lot of schools don’t,” coach Clark said. “You’re going to pack the gym. At halftime, we’ll have the Little Hodags and Little Dribblers (youth programs) performing. It’s going to be a big crowd, and I think it will be a good battle for both teams. It’s just fun. Friday night, doubleheader in the Rhinelander gym, it’s hard to beat.”

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].