Hodags fend off Merrill, keep pace in GNC

Rhinelander High School boys’ basketball coach Derek Lemmens knew his Hodags wouldn’t have it as easy against the Merrill Bluejays as they did when they blew out the Bluejays 72-28 in Merrill Jan. 8. 

His premonition was correct, but the Hodags still found a way to pick up a key Great Northern Conference win Friday night at the Jim Miazga Community Gymnasium. Devon Feck led the Hodags with 20 points, Abe Gretzinger and Evan Shoeder had 16 each and Rhinelander held off Merrill 62-53.

The Bluejays (9-13, 6-6 Great Northern) hung around most of the contest, and took a brief two-point lead midway through the second half. Evan Shoeder knocked down a key 3 to give the Hodags (18-2, 11-1 Great Northern) the lead for good with 8:27 to play, and Feck made all six of his free throw attempts down the stretch after the Bluejays got back within five points with 1:13 remaining.

That Merrill kept the game close is no surprise, considering that it took conference-leading Mosinee to overtime twice this season, and split a pair of one-point games against Medford. 

“This is the scary Merrill team. So this is another one where it’s a big win. It’s an important win, and this is a team that has really given some good teams a difficult time. Hats off to Merrill. They came, and they battled, and I’m glad our guys found a way,” Lemmens said. “We got the gut check. It seems like we always need that gut check to wake back up. I think we relax, we lose focus a little bit, we go off script, and we find ourselves giving teams momentum. That’s something that we just have to continue to work on.”

The Hodags led by as many as 13 in the first half, but the Bluejays pulled to within 30-25 at the break. Tyson Ott led the Bluejays with 23 points, including a 3 that tied the game at 37 with 13:48 remaining. 

Eli Burtman had 12 for the Merrill, including a finish in the paint that gave the Bluejays their first lead, up 41-39 with 9:40 to play. Feck made a pair of free throws on the other end, answered by an Ott layup for Merrill before Shoeder knocked down a left-wing 3 top put Rhinelander back in front. That sparked a 10-0 run for the Hodags that included a 3 by Rowan Wiczek and inside finishes by Gretzinger and Jatyn Barkus that put Rhinelander up 51-43 with 5:18 remaining.

“We had good looks tonight. We didn’t always knock them down, but we got ourselves some good looks, and guys similar to the Pines games, different guys are stepping up and making big shots at times where we need them,” Lemmens said, referencing Rhinelander’s 47-40 win at Northland Pines Feb. 6. “That’s a good feeling to know we have that many guys that are able to step up and make those plays.”

    Rhinelander’s Devon Feck attempts a free throw during the second half of a GNC boys’ basketball game against Merrill at the Jim Miazga Community Gymnasium Friday, Feb. 13. Feck went 9 of 10 from the foul line, and led the Hodags with 20 points in a 62-53 win. (Bob Mainhardt for the River News)
  

Rhinelander led by 10 with 2:25 remaining, but Ott knocked down a 3 and later got a steal and transition layup to make it 56-51 with 1:13 left. Feck took over from the line in the final minute to secure the win.

It was a solid night for Rhinelander’s forwards as Shoeder and Gretzinger combined for 32 points and 14 rebounds. Rhinelander finished with a 31-27 edge on the glass in the contest, though Merrill collected 12 offensive rebounds, which led to a 12-10 edge for the Bluejays in second-chance points. 

“I thought a big momentum shifter was the offensive rebounds. We’re not boxing out well on the weak side,” Lemmens said. “We gave them some extra opportunities that they cashed in on. Rebounding is going to be a huge piece for us moving forward.”

Rhinelander remained a game behind Mosinee in the GNC standings with the win with two games remaining in the conference season. The Indians (17-3, 12-0) will almost certainly clinch a share of the conference title when they host last-place Tomahawk Feb. 20. Rhinelander takes on Lakeland that night and will likely need a win to have a chance to split the conference title with the Indians when the teams meet in Mosinee Feb. 26.

Rhinelander will jump outside the GNC on tonight to face Northern Lakes Conference leading Laona/Wabeno (16-3).

“They’ve got some really nice juniors. I haven’t watched a whole lot of them yet, but I know that they’re winning games. I know that they have some playmakers. They’ve got some guys that can shoot. So it’s going to be another really important seeding win. It’s one of those over-.500 teams that we have to make sure we add to our résumé,” Lemmens said.

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].