Feck’s career-high 25 leads Hodag Hoops past Warriors 61-38

Maybe all the Rhinelander High School boys’ basketball team needed to get out of its recent offensive funk was simply a little home cooking. 

A Hodag team that struggled to find its stroke in games the previous week looked like its old self again on Tuesday night. Devon Feck scored a career-high 25 points and the Hodags were 46% from the floor in a 61-38 victory over Wausau West in non-conference play at the Jim Miazga Community Gymnasium.

Feck was particularly hot from the field, connecting on seven of his eight 3-point attempts and going 8 of 10 from the field overall to help lift the Hodags to a nearly wire-to-wire win. Rhinelander (5-1, 2-0 Great Northern) led 33-18 at halftime and by the time Feck hit his final triple of the evening with 12:35 remaining, the Hodags were up 48-25.

“When Devon goes 7 for 8, that’s very helpful,” Hodag coach Derek Lemmens said. “I think across the board, guys shot the ball much better. We finished inside much better. So some good things happen and at the end of the day, you know, when you’re making shots, it makes everything else that much easier — defensively and everything. So it was nice to see the ball go through the hoop.”

Wausau West (3-3, 0-1 Wis. Valley) primarily played man-to-man, which likely helped the Hodags’ cause. Rhinelander faced a pair of 1-3-1 zones last week and went a combined 5 of 45 from 3-point range in a 49-33 loss at Wittenberg-Birnamwood Dec. 9 followed by a 62-42 win at Antigo Dec. 12. 

Feck went 0 for 7 from deep in the Antigo game, snapping a 19-game streak of making at least one 3-pointer for the Hodag sharpshooter. He responded by making a single-game career-high seven triples on Tuesday. His previous best was five on two occasions during the 2023-24 season. 

“He’s an outstanding shooter. So him missing against Antigo, every shooter has slumps, but I think sometimes shot selection played a role in that,” Lemmens said. “I thought tonight he took some really quality shots. And what he realizes is, once the ball goes through a few times, then you can take the more difficult shot, because you’re feeling it. He sometimes tries to start the game off with that difficult one, where if he just lets himself get his feet set, it’s gonna start that rhythm early.”

    Rhinelander’s Evan Shoeder goes up for a slam dunk during the first half of a of a non-conference boys’ basketball game against Wausau West at the Jim Miazga Community Gymnasium Tuesday, Dec. 16. (Bob Mainhardt for the River News)
  

West raced out to an 8-0 lead over the first 90 seconds of the game, but it was all Rhinelander after that. The Hodags responded with a 13-0 run capped off by back-to-back 3s from Feck to take a lead it would never relinquish. Rhinelander ended the fist half on a 16-3 run to lead by 17 at the break and created further separation by opening the second half with a 19-7 spurt. 

“I thought guys really responded well when we fell into that hole. You saw good body language, and that’s been an emphasis,” Lemmens said. “So I was really proud of them for that because I wasn’t planning on burning a timeout that early, so the fact that they were able to direct a ship, that was good to see.”

Wausau West dropped its third straight game and finished the night just 35% from the field (15 of 43). The Hodags put the clamps on West’s two top scorers — senior Kargie Cooper and junior Jackson Riley. Both came into the night averaging more than 14 points a game but were held to a combined nine points them on Tuesday.

“I thought they did an excellent job defensively. We had some lapses, early on especially, but I thought, really, they did a great job,” Lemmens said. “A lot of bigs did a great job helping out with that high post action, that scissors action, and overall, the team just played good basketball.”

Will Stengl scored 12 points off the bench to lead the Warriors, wile Matthew Heilmann chipped in eight points. 

The Hodags had balance among its starters behind Feck. Jatyn Barkus contributed 11 points and eight rebounds while Evan Shoeder had eight points and eight boards. Rowan Wiczek added seven points and Abe Gretzinger had six. 

While the Hodag bench scored only four points, they were more involved than they have been in the previous two games, partly dictated by the game situation. Lemmens primarily turned the game over to the bench late in the second half and the lead expanded to 30 before the Warriors closed the game on an 8-1 run. 

“To be able to get those guys on the floor, that’s important,” Lemmens said. “They’ve got to stay hungry because we need them every single day in practice. They’ve got to sharpen the sword. Like we told them, ‘This is your team next year. So you’re gonna take your licks, you’re gonna be frustrated a little this year, but next year, it’s yours. So, what are you doing from this point on to make sure you’re ready for that responsibility?’”

Tuesday marked Rhinelander’s first win over Wausau West, coached by Derek Lemmens’ younger brother and fellow RHS alum Nate Lemmens, since the 2021-22 season. Derek’s Hodags now hold an 8-4 lead in the sibling series. 

The Hodags are back in action tonight facing Northland Pines in a battle of GNC unbeatens. The Eagles’ lone loss on the season came against Wausau West back on Nov. 28. 

“Another conference game on this court. We play well here. Hopefully that continues,” Derek Lemmens said. “We’re going to have to contain Mylo (Albrecht) and not let him get any rhythm looks, and again, it’s going to come down to team defense.”

The game is the second half of a girls-boys doubleheader tonight against the Eagles at the Miazga Gym. Tip-off is set for approximately 7:45 p.m. The Rhinelander High School Key Club will be sponsoring a food drive during the game, with non-perishable food items collected during the contest going to the Rhinelander Area Food Pantry.

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].