February 6, 2023 at 9:02 a.m.
Hodag hoops' road woes continue at Mosinee
Hodag hoops' road woes continue at Mosinee
The Hodags fell behind early and never recovered, falling 74-45 at Mosinee in a GNC matchup. Though it was the Hodags' third consecutive game against one of the top three teams in the GNC, it followed the same script as Monday night's lopsided loss at Medford, and a blowout loss to Northland Pines on the road back on Dec. 9.
"It really felt like early December. I don't know what to say," Hodag coach Derek Lemmens said. "We just didn't play hard. We just didn't have energy. We're looking for anything. If you are not as big, not as athletic and not as talented as a team, and you don't show up with great emotion and effort, this is the result."
Rhinelander (5-12, 3-5 Great Northern) has now lost six straight - including its last five on the road.
Mosinee's top two players, Davin Stoffel and Keagan Jirschele, combined for 40 points in the contest - much more than the 17 they combined for when the Hodags were within six with 2:53 remaining before falling by 14 at home on Dec. 16.
Stoffel had 22 points and 12 rebounds on the night while Jirschele added 18 points. They combined for 26 alone in the first half as the Indians raced out to a 36-20 lead at the break. Mosinee (15-4, 7-2 Great Northern) scored the first eight points, part of a 12-2 opening run. The lead hovered around 10 points much of the half before Stoffel finished with the last six points to push the lead to 16.
Rhinelander did make any inroads in the second, with the lead shrinking to only 14 at its closest. The Hodags were down 48-30 with 11 minutes to play before Mosinee went on a decisive 14-0 run.
Will Gretzinger scored 21 for Rhinelander but was again the only Hodag in double figures as the Hodags played without sixth man Truman Lamers (knee) for a third straight game. James Heck chipped in eight, but no one else had more than five points as the Hodags finished the night just under 35% (19 of 55) from the field.
Mosinee shot an efficient 58% (29 of 50) in the victory. Landon Thomer added nine points while Garrett Shupe had eight.
Mosinee appeared to relish the victory over Rhinelander on its senior night, leaving its starters in the contest with a 30-point lead until roughly five minutes remaining and allowing its reserves to hoist 3s late in the contest. Noah Stencil and Rusty Johnson hit 3s in the final minute to help account for the final margin.
"The Mosinee seniors got to have a great senior night, so they're happy," Lemmens said.
That prompted a follow-up question regarding what he felt about Mosinee keeping the foot on the throttle late in the game, to which Lemmens responded, "If you're not going to take care of business, they shouldn't have to stop playing for us. Whatever, it's their senior night. It's their last moment (at) home. They can do what they want. It's our job to not make it so easy."
Anecdotally, Rhinelander played much tougher at home against both Northland Pines and Mosinee - losing by 14 to both - than on the road where they lost by 32 and 29, respectively. Rhinelander's home and away splits also indicate that the team has been much better at home where they are 3-5 with an average point differential of minus-3.0 than on the road where they are 2-7 with a minus-12.7 differential.
"The road is a challenging place to play, but it's not a total flip. We shouldn't be two totally separate teams like this. It's disappointing," Lemmens said.
Rhinelander will have a rematch with GNC-leading Medford at home tonight. The Hodags lost at Raider Hall 73-40 this past Monday.
Though Rhinelander has played better at home, Lemmens said it is going to take much more than the friendly confines of the Jim Miazga Community Gymnasium for the Hodags to be competitive this evening.
"We've got some things we have to work out," he said. "I think, right now, from the neck up is our biggest concern and that's what we have to fix, otherwise Tuesday's going to be a very difficult game."
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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