Rice Lake outmuscles Hodag Hoops in regional semifinals

RICE LAKE — In a game that turned into as much of a physical test as it was a test of skill, the Rhinelander High School boys’ basketball team did not have the muscle to keep up with Rice Lake.

JT Schradle scored 23 points and the Warriors pulled away in the second half, defeating Rhinelander 57-45 in a Division 2 regional semifinal game on Friday night.

The Hodags trailed by one at the half, but the Warriors’ superior athleticism and physicality took over as the game wore on. Rice Lake forced 21 Rhinelander turnovers, corralled 12 offensive rebounds and held the Hodags to just 36% shooting on the night. 

“They’re the state champs in football and I felt like this was more of a football game than a basketball game,” Hodag coach Derek Lemmens said. “I was really disappointed in that. It was very physical and we struggled with that physicality. I question the legality of a lot of it but that was the way it played out. I thought the guys adapted well and did a better job in the second half, but it was just a little too much.

“How do you know you’re going to enter a game that looks like this and how do you prepare for something like that? That’s something we’ll have to continue to try to work on and get better at. That emphasized the importance of the weight room in the offseason.”

The Hodags led early but once Rice Lake found its groove on both ends of the floor, Rhinelander was left playing catch-up. Rice Lake used an 14-3 run midway through the first half to take a lead it would never relinquish, and just slowly pulled away from Rhinelander in the second half. 

    Rhinelander’s Will Gretzinger is guarded by Rice Lake’s Zach Orr during the first half of a WIAA Division 2 regional semifinal playoff game in Rice Lake Friday, March 1. Gretzinger scored 16 points in the Hodags 57-45 loss. (Rachel Sieker/Submitted)
  

Will Gretzinger scored 16 points in his final game in a Hodag jersey. The senior was held to 6 of 16 shooting on the night, including just 3 of 12 from distance. His tears were the most visible when the seniors were called to the bench one final time with the outcome decided in the final minute.

“There’s a kid I’ve seen in the gym so much and it’s just so special to see someone who’s dedicated as much as he’s dedicated to be a first-team all-conference player, win a conference championship, score 1,000 points and see all those dreams and all those things he worked do hard for come true,” Lemmens said. “I’m proud of all five of those (seniors). They were amazing kids. I can’t tell you enough how incredible this year was when it came to attitude, and just guys being amazing people.”

Devon Feck scored 13 points for Rhinelander, including a personal 8-2 run to close out the first half that ended with a corner 3 which got the Hodags within 25-24 at the break. 

Schradle made his first four shots of the second half as the Hodags struggled to match up defensively against the 6-3 senior. His last bucket put Rice Lake up 42-34 and Evan Strand hit a 3 on the Warriors’ next possession to give Rice Lake its first double-digit lead with 7:35 remaining.

The Hodags got back within 7 on a Feck 3 with 4:12 to play, but Rice Lake’s Zach Orr drained a 3 on the Warriors next possession and the Hodags never got any closer than 8 the rest of the way. 

Orr came in as the focus of Rhinelander’s defensive game plan. The Warriors’ leading scorer was held four points below his season average, scoring 15 points on 6 of 18 shooting, as senior Will Quinn drew the defensive assignment much of the night. 

“He took their best player and he had to earn everything. When you have a guy that can change the dynamic without the basketball, that’s a special kind of player,” Lemmens said.

Durand added nine points for the Warriors, who finished the night 42% (22 of 52) from the field. Truman Lamers scored seven points in the game for Rhinelander. 

    Rhinelander seniors Will Quinn, James Heck and Will Gretzinger head to the bench late in the second half of a WIAA Division 2 regional semifinal playoff game at Rice Lake Friday, March 1. (Rachel Sieker/submitted)
  

The loss brought to an end an otherwise successful season for the Hodags, who went 16-10 overall and claimed their first Great Northern Conference title since 2018. 

“I’m so proud of these seniors getting us back to the top of the conference and really just they way they were playing basketball at the end of this season, that’s a complement to their skills, their leadership and this senior class really got us back on track,” Lemmens said.

Though Rhinelander graduates five seniors, the team will return a pair of all-conference players in Lamers and Feck, and five players who saw significant minutes in the rotation.

“We’re really excited about it,” Lemmens said of the team’s future. “Right now really hurts, but we are. That was kind of the message in the locker room. These seniors have gotten us back to where we want to be as a program. They’ve gotten us back to the top of the conference. They’ve gotten people to start looking at Rhinelander as a basketball program again. Now it’s on to those younger guys to say, ‘Hey, what can we do beyond this? How can we keep this going? How can we take it to another level?’”

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].