One Feck of a finish

Devon Feck had already missed one go-ahead attempt in the final minute of Friday’s WIAA Division 2 regional semifinal game between Rhinelander and Rice Lake. With the clock winding down, and the Hodags’ season on the line, he wasn’t about to miss a second. 

“I just knew we had to get a good look and there was only one option, that was making it,” he said.

    Rhinelander’s Devon Feck attempts the go-ahead shot for the Hodags in the final seconds of a WIAA Division 2 regional semifinal contest against Rice Lake at the Jim Miazga Community Gymnasium Friday, March 7. (Bob Mainhardt for the River News)
  

Feck drained a shot from the top of the key with less than 3 seconds remaining as the Hodags defeated Rice Lake 43-42 at the Jim Miazga Community Gymnasium.

Feck finished with 18 points thanks to his last-second make. Rice Lake’s Zach Orr had a game-high 22 points, including a go-ahead 3 with 50 seconds remaining. Feck missed a 3 on the right wing with about 20 seconds to go and the Hodags were forced to foul to put Rice Lake to the line. 

Rice Lake’s Will Johnson missed the front end of a 1-and-1 with 12.4 seconds to go and the Hodags scrambled into the front court after Evan Shoeder grabbed the rebound. Truman Lamers drove into the lane and then kicked it back to Feck at the top of the key. Feck feigned a shot to get two Rice Lake defenders to leave their feet, and then calmly took a step to the right and knocked down the game winner.

“I was just making sure (to get a clean look),” Feck said. “They were coming out pretty fast. I was just making sure they didn’t get me. I knew they were both going to jump and I’ve got confidence in myself, so I pulled it.

“It’s very surreal feeling, but it’s a very good feeling. That’s what these moments are made for, right? I don’t know, I’m in shock right now. It was awesome.” 

Feck’s shot officially counted as a two. The referees deemed his right foot was on the 3-point arc when he shot the ball. No matter, it was a big time moment to put an exclamation point at the end of a classic playoff fight. 

“Their senior made a big play and then our junior stepped up and made one as well,” Hodag coach Derek Lemmens said.

Lemmens had two timeouts in his pocket for the late game scenario but, instead decided to let his team create on the fly.

“When you have them sprinting transition, I feel like that’s our advantage and you just got to let players play,” he said. “We trust these guys they have good basketball instincts, so in that situation, I’m not going to let Rice Lake set up. They’re going to have to scramble it and Devon made them pay.”

Friday’s game was a hard-fought defensive struggle where shots and makes came at a premium. The lead changed hands six times over the final 5 1/2 minutes, with the Hodags getting the last laugh and some revenge. The Warriors ended Rhinelander’s 2023-24 season with a 57-45 decision in last year’s regional semifinals.

“That was just a gritty battle, both teams,” Lemmens said. “It was just beautiful basketball. I mean, offensively, it wasn’t beautiful at times, but a credit to both defenses, just being physical and being just in their places. It was good basketball.”

    Rhinelander’s Truman Lamers, Rowan Wiczek (3) and Jatyn Barkus (1) defend a jump shot attempt by Rice Lake’s Zach Orr during the second of a WIAA Division 2 regional semifinal contest against Rice Lake at the Jim Miazga Community Gymnasium Friday, March 7. (Bob Mainhardt for the River News)
  

Orr, who made 10 3-pointers and scored 30 points in Rice Lake’s 78-56 win over Lakeland last Tuesday to open the WIAA playoffs, attempted to put the Warriors on his back late in the contest. Trailing 39-36, Orr got a steal and then drove down the left side of the lane and was fouled as he made an awkward layup attempt. He hit the subsequent free throw to tie the game at 39 with 1:29 remaining. Rhinelander senior Truman Lamers put the Hodags back in front on a drive to the hoop with 1:09 left, but Orr created separation and knocked down a shot from the top of the key to give Rice Lake the lead in the final minute. 

Orr finished the night 9 of 13 from the field, but was held to 2 of 5 from the distance while being hounded most of the night by Rhinelander’s Jatyn Barkus and Seth Nofftz in tight man-to-man coverage. 

“He’s an excellent player and the job that Jay and Seth did on him tonight, he had to earn every point,” Lemmens said. “And honestly, that (go-ahead 3) was the first time Jay kind of snoozed on him and big players make big plays.”

The Hodag students stormed the court twice in the dramatic win. The first time came after Feck drained the go-ahead shot and the clock expired. However, Rice Lake had called timeout immediately after the make and the officials put 2.0 seconds back on the clock. Will Svendsen got off a desperation 3 from the left wing that clanged off the backboard as time expired, sending the throng of white-clad students back onto the floor.

Feck came out of the gates strong, scoring the first seven points in an opening 8-2 run for the Hodags. Rhinelander led 12-7 with 6:13 to play in the half but went cold from there as Rice Lake went on a 10-0 run to take a 17-12 lead to the break.

Rhinelander clawed back and took the lead at 25-23 on an Evan Shoeder 3 with 11:59 to play. It was part of a 14-3 run that put the Hodags up 31-25 with 8:13 remaining. 

Orr responded with a pair of buckets as part of a 6-0 run to tie it with 6:35 to go. Following a Rowan Wiczek make in transition, the teams traded the lead on four straight possessions. Sam Jevne put Rice Lake up 34-33 on a 3 with 5:30 left. Abe Gretzinger answered with a layup with 5:13 left. Jevne got open for a backdoor find from Orr with 4:45 to play and Feck answered with a driving layup high off the window to put Rhinelander ahead 37-36 with 4:34 remaining.  

Friday’s game turned into a very physical affair, similar to last year’s playoff loss for the Hodags in Rice Lake. Lamers had to leave the game briefly after getting run through on a drive early in the second half in which neither team was called for a foul. Twice the Hodags made layups in transition in the second half in loose ball scrambles that saw bodies hit the floor and would have likely led to a whistle in normal circumstances. 

A year older and a year wiser, Lemmens said his team was better equipped to go blow-for-blow with the Warriors this time.

“I think guys just matched it and I thought it was, for the most part, a lot of legal physicality ... guys in off-ball positions, absorbing contact,” he said. “It was just a little roughness on screens, but, I just saw it overall, it was just well played. Our guys are tougher this year than I think we were last year. These guys that are juniors were sophomores, and so they have that in-game experience. We’ve played some physical teams and they did a great job responding to it.”

Shoeder had eight points and Lamers, battling illness, had seven as the Hodags finished the night 42% (18 of 43) from the field. Will Svendsen had nine points for the Warriors, who shot 52%, but were limited to only 33 shot attempts in the game and finished 4 of 16 from beyond the arc.

The winner of Monday night's Rhinelander-New Richmond game was set to play Wausau East in a sectional semifinal contest Thursday night in Ashland.

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].