Lady Hodags overcome cold shooting, squeak past Eagles

The Rhinelander High School girls’ basketball team got a road victory on Friday night, but the final margin was a bit too close for comfort. 

Aubryn Clark had 20 points and Morgan Van Zile added a career-high 19 as the Lady Hodags slipped past Northland Pines 52-45 in Eagle River.

“Morgan, as a senior, just kind of took the team under her wing. Every time we needed a big play, she came up with it,” Hodag coach Ryan Clark said.

Rhinelander (5-2, 3-0 Great Northern), which trailed by as many as nine in the first half, shot just 3 of 31 from beyond the arc and finished the night even with the Eagles in terms of made 3-pointers and field goals.

“I’d hate to see the shooting numbers but we made three 3s and I guarantee we missed at least 25-30. Very poor shooting. The defense was OK,” coach Clark said. “We made our free throws. That was probably the difference. We got to the line a little bit more and made our free throws.”

Van Zile came up big as Rhinelander ended the first half on a 15-4 run to take a 24-22 lead to the break, and again during the second half as the Hodags inched away. The senior scored seven of Rhinelander’s final nine points in the first half. 

After Pines took a brief 27-24 lead early in the second, Leah Jamison hit a 3 to tie it and Van Zile made a layup in transition off a steal to put Rhinelander ahead. Pines followed with two free throws to tie it before Van Zile put the Hodags ahead for good with a driving layup with 13:28 to play.

Van Zile answered one more time after Pines trimmed the lead to 37-36 with 9:10 to go. Another driving layup sparked a 10-2 run that finally gave the Hodags a little separation in the final minutes of the game. 

“Morgan had the game of her life,” coach Clark said. “She was our unsung hero for sure. She had a bunch of steals, made her free throws, rebounded, defended. Without Morgan, we lose. I’m proud of her. Last game she got in foul trouble, didn’t even score and this game she was our best player and literally carried us all the way through the game.”

Aubryn Clark scored Rhinelander’s first 13 points as the Hodags started cold. Rhinelander made just 3 of its first 17 shots from the floor and trailed 16-7 with 7:45 remaining in the opening half. Things picked up from there and the Hodags finally took their first lead at 21-20 on a pair of Clark free throws with 1:36 left in the half.

Pines, meanwhile, plodded away with a methodical attack, unfazed by Rhinelander’s pressure defense. 

“Pines, I give them credit, they’re definitely improved over the last few years, for sure,” coach Clark said. “Coach (Jim) Beyer has them playing very well. They’re organized. They’re smart. They’re playing to their strengths. They’re tough on defense, they rebound. It was a battle.”

Jamison added nine points for Rhinelander, which finished the night 30% (18 of 60) from the field. Vienna Klemett paced Northland Pines with 15 points. That included a personal 7-0 run between the first and second halves as the Eagles took their final lead of the game. Rhinelander won despite being out-rebounded 45-35 in the game and generating only 10 steals against a patient Eagle offense. 

“Our group, I think we’ve got to get a little more resolve and resiliency,” coach Clark said. “If the shots aren’t falling, it impacts our game too much. I thought we were patient. We didn’t take quick shots. We took some good open shots, but I think it affected our mentality a little bit, our defense, our rebounding, just some of those other battles of the game.”

Rhinelander is back home this evening to take on an improved Wausau East squad in non-conference play. The Lumberjacks are 4-4 overall on the season, and are coming off a 34-point home win over D.C. Everest on Friday.

“That’s not a typical East team. They’re much improved, kind of like what Pines is,” coach Clark said. “That will be a battle. I would say they probably have a little bit of an upper hand on us. It will be a good battle.”

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].