Hodag Hoops falls to Mosinee 70-58 in first-place battle

The Rhinelander High School boys’ basketball team slowed down the highest-scoring offense in the Great Northern Conference on Tuesday night, but not enough to earn a victory in the battle for first place.

Landen Thomer had 17 points and 12 rebounds, leading four Mosinee players who scored in double figures, as the Indians edged the Hodags 70-58 at the Jim Miazga Community Gymnasium.

Down as many as 15 in the second half, the Hodags (7-5, 4-1 Great Northern) cut the lead to six in two separate occasions over the final two minutes, but could not draw any closer as Mosinee (11-1, 5-0 Great Northern) became the final conference team without a loss in league play.

“Overall, I thought the guys played hard. We just need to continue to get better at our execution,” Hodag coach Derek Lemmens said. “We really felt like tonight was very mediocre basketball for us and we were giving ourselves on opportunity. We’re going to fine-tune some things, continue to get better and we’re going to move forward.”

The Hodags wanted to slow a Mosinee offense that came in averaging more than 85 points a game — and particularly the Indians’ leading scorer Keagen Jirschele (22.5 ppg). Jirschele was held to 13 and Mosinee finished 15 points before its season average, but still managed to shoot just over 48% (27 of 58) from the field. 

“We contained the guys we wanted to contain, but then some off-ball issues with back cuts and slips really hurt us,” Lemmens said. “Things that we need to shore up, but when we were playing in scramble time we made it a game and I like to know we can play with a team like that, while not playing what I think was really very good basketball for us.”

    Rhinelander’s Devon Feck attempts a 3 during the second half of a GNC boys’ basketball game against Mosinee at the Jim Miazga Community Gymnasium Tuesday, Jan. 9. Feck scored a game-high 21 points in a 70-58 loss for the Hodags. (Bob Mainhardt for the River News)
  

Rhinelander never led, but was never very far behind in the first half. Devon Feck had 21 points for the Hodags off the bench, including a deep 3 just before the buzzer that cut Mosinee’s advantage to 32-26 at the half. 

Mosinee’s height inside finally took over in the second half. After just two offensive rebounds in the first half, the Indians had eight in the second, including a couple of putbacks as part of an early 11-2 run that stretched the lead to 43-28 with 14:22 to play. 

“I didn’t think we were strong on the glass as we needed to be, and we’ll work on that,” Lemmens said after his team was out-rebounded 42-32. “Our rebounding, in general tonight, was a little disappointing because we didn’t always have five guys on the glass. We have to understand that that’s got to be a consistency.”

The lead hung in the 10-to-15-point range much of the second half, before Rhinelander made a late push. Trailing 55-40 with 7:46 left, the Hodags went on a 12-3 run to get within 60-54 on a Will Gretzinger floater with 1:54 left. 

Treve Stoffel, who had 16 points for Mosinee, answered with a hoop on the other end before Feck made a layup in transition to get Rhinelander back within 62-56 with 1:10 remaining. The Hodags passed on a chance to foul Stoffel, a 38% free throw shooter coming into the contest, and it led to a Thomer finish down low that made it an eight-point game with 57.5 seconds left. Mosinee was able to salt the game away from the foul line from there. 

“I thought, for the most part, the game plan was executed pretty well. We’ve got to score, too. We left so many really nice opportunities on the table,” Lemmens said. “We missed a lot of layups, especially early on. I don’t know if we were just a little tight. We had some costly turnovers in the second half.”

Feck’s 21 points were a season high, as were his five 3-pointers. As a team Rhinelander was 9 of 29 from deep.

“That’s what he can do. I feel like we have some really good shooters and we haven’t been really good shooters yet, but we’re definitely getting there,” Lemmens said. “Devon is capable. Seth is capable. Will (Gretzinger) is capable. We’ve got guys that can make shots. We need that kind of play from guys like that and it’s good to see him pulling the trigger consistently.”

Will Gretzinger added 15 points for Rhinelander. Truman Lamers had 10 but was saddled with foul trouble much of the way. Lamers dunked off a steal and was fouled by Jirschele to make it 6-5 early in the first half, but Lamers was given a technical after exchanging words with Jirschele following the make. It was already his second personal foul, and he picked up a third with 7:17 remaining in the first. 

“I think it affected him a little bit, mentally,” Lemmens said. “It was unfortunate. He made a really nice play and then he got himself in trouble with that technical. That’s an opportunity to learn. He kind of put himself on the bench with that. Instead of us having a really exciting play, he kind of opened the door to give them a little momentum. Those are things we have to learn through maturity.”

Rhinelander sits a game behind Mosinee at the halfway point of the conference slate. The two teams will meet again Feb. 16 in Mosinee. 

The Hodags travel to Raider Hall tonight to face a Medford team that is beginning to find its way, winning three straight following a 1-7 start. 

“I hope this game, we walk out with a little swagger knowing that we’re a high-level team and we’re capable of good things,” Lemmens said. “Then we take that confidence out into Medford and we make plays right from the start.”  

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].