Fresh off its first regional title since 2010, the Shawano Community High School boys basketball team has little time to celebrate.
Shawano will open the WIAA Division 2 sectional tournament against Great Northern Conference champion Rhinelander (19-5, 12-0 Great Northern) at 7 p.m. Thursday in Stevens Point.
The winner will face either Rice Lake (20-2, 11-0 Big Rivers Conference) or La Crosse Central (21-3, 11-1 Mississippi Valley) in the sectional championship Saturday in Marshfield, with a state tournament berth on the line. Shawano is seeking its first sectional title in boys basketball since 1982.
Shawano, which finished third in the Bay Conference, is the only team in the sectional that did not win its conference championship. All four teams were the top seeds in their regionals, and Rice Lake and Central are ranked among the top teams in the state.
“We’re had (an underdog) mentality all year,” first-year Shawano coach Chris Kellett said. “Not many people expected much from us all year and we’ve kind of used that as motivation. … We’re going to have our work cut out for us, but we’re up to the challenge.”
The Hawks (16-8, 12-4 Bay) have already faced one team from the Great Northern Conference in the tourney. Shawano defeated Antigo, which placed third in its conference, 45-36 in overtime in the regional semifinal Thursday. Antigo hit five 3s in the game, but the Red Robins also gave Shawano problems inside, where 6-foot-5 center Jack Lund hurt the Hawks with 14 points.
Rhinelander, which is making its third straight sectional appearance under fourth-year coach Derek Lemmens, defeated Antigo (15-7, 7-5 Great Northern) 48-44 at home and 37-27 on the road in the regular season.
Shawano and Rhinelander also both lost home games to Merrill (9-14, 3-9 Wisconsin Valley) this season. Rhinelander fell 37-25 in December, and Shawano dropped a 46-45 decision in January.
Hodags play tough schedule
Rhinelander opened the season with three straight losses (to Stevens Point — ranked No. 5 in Division 1, Wisconsin Rapids, Merrill) but then ran off 11 straight wins before dropping a nonconference tilt to Kaukauna (15-9, 10-8 Fox Valley Association) on Feb. 1. The Hodags’ other loss came at the hands of Marshfield (18-6, 9-3 Wisconsin Valley) two weeks later.
The difficult nonconference schedule, starting with Stevens Point and including showcase games in Milwaukee and Wisconsin Dells, helped prepare the Hodags for the tournament, Lemmens said.
“Our schedule is designed to make us a better team,” he explained. “We try to play top teams so that our weaknesses can be exposed early on and we can become a stronger team. This has helped prepare us for our conference and the playoffs.”
Over their 24 games, the Hodags have usually started and closed well, outscoring opponents 127-114 in the opening period and 434-334 in the final quarter. Rhinelander has been outscored in the second and third periods.
Lemmens said he plans to stress defense and protecting the basketball going into the game with Shawano.
“We have had lapses defensively and we can’t afford to have those against this team,” he said. “All five guys have to be working together.”
Kellett expects to see a mix of defenses.
“They’ve done some different things defensively,” Kellett said. “They’ve gone man most of the time, but lately they’ve been playing some 1-3-1 and some 2-3. I expect to see a lot of the zone stuff we’ve seen on film recently.”
Lemmens described Shawano as a balanced team that executes very well.
“I love watching teams that play together and do things as a team,” he said. “The concern you have is their balance and the fact that you have to account for all five guys on the floor. They have a good balance of speed and size and will force everyone to be alert at all times defensively.”
Mitch Reinthaler, a 6-5 senior, leads the Hodags inside, and 6-4 senior Colton Volkmann is the top outside threat. Volkmann scored 37 points, including 11 3-pointers, in the Hodags’ two regional games, and Reinthaler has tallied 30.
“Volkmann is an absolute shooter,” Kellett said. “We’re going to have to chase him all over the place. Reinthaler is a tremendous athlete. We’ve got to keep him off the boards and force him to take tough shots.”
Rhinelander, seeking its first state tourney berth since 2001, opened the tourney with a 57-40 win over Mosinee (13-10, 6-5 Great Northern), then beat Wausau East (12-11, 4-8 Wisconsin Valley) 54-50 Saturday.
Rice Lake, Central both ranked
Rice Lake defeated Big Rivers runner-up Menomonie (17-7, 8-4) 59-53 Saturday, and La Crosse Central edged Mississippi Valley Conference runner-up Holmen (19-5, 10-2) 63-62 in double overtime.
Rice Lake ranked third in Division 2 in the most recent Associated Press poll, and Central was No. 7. They play Thursday in Osseo.
Rice Lake is led by 6-9 junior Henry Ellenson, who is averaging 26.9 points and 13 rebounds per game. Ellenson has several NCAA Division 1 scholarship offers.
The sectional championship will be played at 2 p.m. Saturday in Marshfield.
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