Hodag Hoops routs Lakeland, snaps skid

The Rhinelander High School boys’ basketball team got a little bit of its mojo back Friday night entering an important stretch of games within the Great Northern Conference.

Jatyn Barkus scored 14 points, leading three Hodags in double figures, as Rhinelander took care of Lakeland 70-30 at the Jim Miazga Community Gymnasium.

Seniors Seth Nofftz and Truman Lamers added 12 points each for the Hodags (8-2, 4-0 Great Northern) who snapped a two-game losing streak and maintained a one-game lead in the GNC standings over Mosinee and Medford — both teams Rhinelander will face this week. 

It wasn’t a perfect game for Rhinelander. The Hodags committed 15 turnovers and still struggled at times on offense, but Rhinelander locked down defensively, limiting Lakeland to 20% from the floor while forcing 28 turnovers.

“There’s things that, you know, we’re not playing to the standard that we expect from ourselves and what we want, but it’s always nice to get a conference foe and a rival on our court and take care of business,” Hodag coach Derek Lemmens said.

Rhinelander bookended the first half with a pair of runs — 9-2 at the start and 18-2 at the end — to build a 35-14 lead at the break. The Hodags then opened the second half on a 10-2 run as it raced to its first win in two weeks, dating back to a 76-48 win against Ripon in Wisconsin Dells Dec. 27.

    Rhinelander’s Jatyn Barkus drives in for a layup during the first half of a GNC boys’ basketball game against Lakeland at the Jim Miazga Community Gymnasium Friday, Jan. 10. Barkus scored a game-high 14 points in the Hodags’ 70-40 win. (Bob Mainhardt for the River News)
  

Barkus had the hot hand in the first half, making all four of his shots from the field. His 3-point play with 6:42 remaining kicked off Rhinelander’s big run to end the first half. He added a 3 that put Rhinelander ahead 24-12 and he finished the night with a career high in scoring. It marked the third straight game that Barkus has scored in double figures following back-to-back 11-point games against Wisconsin Dells and Wausau East. 

“He’s capable of that. We have we have six guys that could be our leading score this year,” Lemmens said. “And I really believe that when we share the ball and we just keep things simple, we’re going to be a very hard team to guard.”

Nofftz also finished with a season-high as he made a layup in transition and a 3 as part of Rhinelander’s run to end the half. Lamers had a dunk in the final minute and Abe Gretzinger, back in the lineup after missing the Jan. 3 game at Wausau East with a knee injury, scored on a putback in the final seconds to put Rhinelander up by 21 at the break. 

Gretzinger scored seven points in his return and Lemmens said having the team’s sixth man back in the lineup was a big boost. 

“Abe gives us so much energy up top, and he allows us to mix up the defense a little bit. When you lose a player, it just puts that much more stress on everyone else,” he said. “The roles change. You’re getting less rest and getting more tired, and the way we play, you know, guys are going to need breaks, so it was it’s valuable just to have that full group.”

Evan Shoeder also played for the Hodags, despite an injury scare late in the Wausau East contest. He finished with six points and seven rebounds but was a major factor defensively in the post, blocking or deflecting a number of shots. 

“He did a nice job owning the paint defensively,” Lemmens said. “Now we’re just waiting for that confidence in that swag to own the paint offensively, but I thought that he did he didn’t excellent job, protecting the rim. When we did have those breakdowns, he did he did an excellent job.”

Sophomore Jackson Burnett led Lakeland (5-6, 2-3 Great Northern) with 14 points. Rhinelander frustrated Lakeland much of the night defensively as the T-Birds shot 10 of 50 from the field and were only 2 of 16 from beyond the arc. 

“I thought defensively the guys did a nice job swarming and anticipating passing lanes,” Lemmens said. “I thought we were aggressive defensively again, which you know, we were kind of tentative and hesitant in stretches in the last few games, so it was good to see us be the attackers. We got to keep that mindset.”

Rhinelander begins a big week of basketball within the GNC on the road at Mosinee tonight in a battle of last year’s GNC co-champions. Mosinee sits at 3-1 in league play following a 78-32 win over Tomahawk on Friday. 

“They always have great length and athleticism so, you know, they’re always a force to be reckoned with. We’re going to have to just play really good basketball on the road,” Lemmens said. “They’re on their home floor, they’re going to be hungry. We’ve got to come ready and we we’ve got to come to play. They know now that this is a really important game. They’ve got to protect their turf, so we’re going to get their best game.”

After tonight’s game the Hodags come home to face Medford, also 3-1 in league play, this Friday at the Miazga Gym. 

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].