Lady Hodags respond in 73-45 win over Merrill

Making boatloads of 3-pointers and playing sound defense is usually a good recipe for winning basketball games. The Rhinelander girls had both of those factors in their favor on Thursday night.

Rhinelander shot 54% from the field and hit 14 3-pointers, while limiting Merrill to under 32% shooting, as it cruised to a 73-45 victory in a non-conference contest at the Jim Miazga Community Gymnasium.

Aubryn Clark and Lily Treder each scored 19 for Rhinelander, and missed only two shots between them. Meanwhile the Hodags put the clamps on Merrill’s top scoring duo of Mia Ott and Sophie Wendorf, holding them to 12 points below their combined season average.

It was a strong bounce back win for the Hodags (7-3, 4-0 Great Northern), who saw a halftime lead slip away against undefeated Wisconsin Rapids Assumption on Monday night.

“That was our best game of the year. It was a complete game, first half and second half,” coach Ryan Clark said. “Monday was a disappointing game, more from coaching than from play, and we had some good conversations as a team yesterday and Tuesday. I told this group, they are a hard-working group, super teammates, super kids and we’re at our best when we play pretty loose and we play for each other.”

Merrill (5-4, 1-2 Wis. Valley) made the first bucket of the night, but that proved to be the Bluejays’ only lead of the night. Rhinelander went on a 15-2 run from there to take a lead it would never relinquish. 

The Bluejays scored eight straight to get to within 15-13 with 9:50 left in the half, but Rhinelander answered with an 11-0 spurt that included 3s by Treder, Clark and Dawsyn Barkus and eventually took a 39-22 lead into the half.

Merrill utilized pressure to chip away at that lead, pulling within 43-31 early in the second, but the Hodags proved too strong. Five straight points from Treder sparked a 19-4 run that put the game out of reach with 6 1/2 minutes to play.

    Rhinelander’s Leah Jamison attempts a 3 during the second half of a non-conference girls’ basketball game against Merrill at the Jim Miazga Community Gymnasium Thursday, Dec. 21. Jamison hit four 3s on the night and the Hodags were 14 of 25 from beyond the arc overall. (Bob Mainhardt for the River News)
  

The Bluejays tried to slow down Aubryn Clark, who came in averaging 23 points per game, by employing a box-and-one defense against her on multiple occasions. Clark was efficient, hitting on all seven of her shot attempts on the night. She also found open teammates once all Merrill’s defensive attention focused on her. Leah Jamison added 12 for Rhinelander, Morgan Van Zile chipped in eight and the Hodags had eight different players score in the contest. 

“I thought Aubryn played a good game. She found her teammates,” coach Clark said. “Offensively, we shot the ball well again. When Leah and Lily get going on the 3-pointers, it looks pretty smooth. What did we have, 14 3s? This team can really shoot the basketball. But I thought they shared the ball. It was just a quick 3. I thought tonight we were a little more patient.”

On the other end, Merrill struggled to get much going. Ott, who came in averaging 20.4 points per game, was held to 15 on 5 of 12 shooting while Wendorf (13.7 ppg) was held to seven on 2 of 8 shooting. Coach Clark credited strong man-to-man defense by Morgan Van Zile and Vivian Lamers for slowing down the Bluejays’ top offensive weapons.

“That’s our two defensive players, Morgan and Vivian. One had (Wendorf) and one had (Ott). We kind of rotated back and forth with them,” he said. “You look at Morgan and Vivian, they’re not very big kids but they are scrappy and very instinctive and they will just fight. 

“Defensively, I thought the girls were really dialed in, Morgan and Vivian especially. I thought our communication on the weak side and the back end help was really good, we started rebounding and we just played disciplined.”

Kaela Clerveaux added 12 points for Merrill, which finished the nigh 12 of 38 from the field. Rhinelander finished the night 28 of 51 from the field and 14 of 25 from beyond the arc. 

The Hodags travel to Ashland this coming Tuesday, their final test before a challenging month of January.

“I would take that,” coach Clark said of his team’s 7-3 record. “That’s probably right where we should be but we knowing coming up we’ve got Lakeland twice, which is a state-caliber team. We’ve got Mosinee twice, a very, very good team. But I like where we’re at. I like our confidence and our teams is growing. It will be a fun January.” 

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].