Basketball Game Preview: Lakeland Thunderbirds vs. Rhinelander Hodags

Lakeland is 1-9 against Rhinelander since January of 2021 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Lakeland Thunderbirds will host the Rhinelander Hodags at 7:30 p.m. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Lakeland took a loss when they played away from home on Friday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Tuesday. They blew past Tomahawk, posting a 70-26 victory. The Thunderbirds haven't had any issues with the Hatchets recently, as the game was their sixth consecutive win against them.

Meanwhile, Rhinelander strolled past Shawano Community with points to spare on Tuesday, taking the game 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.

Lakeland's victory bumped their record up to 8-12-1. As for Rhinelander, they have been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five games, which provided a nice bump to their 14-5 record this season.

Lakeland took a serious blow against Rhinelander when the teams last played back in January, falling 70-30. Will Lakeland have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.