Basketball Game Preview: Rhinelander Hodags vs. Lakeland Thunderbirds

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Previous Games

01/10/25 - Home	70-30 W
02/09/24 - Home	65-55 W
01/05/24 - Away	79-54 W
02/10/23 - Away	57-53 W
01/06/23 - Home	68-57 W
+ 5 more games

Rhinelander is 9-1 against Lakeland since January of 2021 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Friday. The Rhinelander Hodags are taking a road trip to take on the Lakeland Thunderbirds at 7:30 p.m. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Last Tuesday, Rhinelander didn't have too much trouble with Shawano Community as they won 49-34. Given the Hodags' advantage in MaxPreps' Wisconsin basketball rankings (they are ranked 140th, while the Hawks are ranked 315th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Meanwhile, Lakeland posted their biggest win since December 19, 2023 on Tuesday. They took their game with ease, bagging a 70-26 victory over Tomahawk. The win continues a trend for the Thunderbirds in their matchups with the Hatchets: they've now won six in a row.

The victory made it two in a row for Rhinelander and bumps their season record up to 14-5. The wins came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 23.5 points over those games. As for Lakeland, their record now sits at 8-12-1.

Everything came up roses for Rhinelander against Lakeland in their previous meeting back in January, as the team secured a 70-30 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Rhinelander since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.