Adams Friendship vs Wisconsin Dells Preview

Very big game this Friday night as Adams Friendship takes on my Alma Mater Wisconsin Dells. The two games played each year between these two teams are always decided for conference in recent years and these two teams are always in the top 10 for division two. Currently both teams are 4-0 in conference and Adams is ranked 13th while the Dells is ranked 9th. Both teams are coming off some tough loses to some very good teams in Janesville Craig and Eau Claire Regis. In the past five years Dells has won conference four times and Adams has one conference once and never finished worse then third in conference. In that time span Dells leads the series 7-4 with six of those games being within five points or less and only two games decided by 15 or more points. Last year Adams was able to defeat Wisconsin Dells twice during the regular season on their way to a conference title and then in the playoffs the Dells was able to knock off Adams on their way to state. This all adds up to a very good game in a very heated rivalry. The Adams vs Dells rivalry is easily the best in the area and is one of the best in the state.

Wisconsin Dells is lead by two very good guards in Ryan Wenkman and Jade Royston. Both guys are averaging 15-20 points a game and have the ability to carry the team if need be. The third option on this team is up for grabs. The guy that looks to be that third option is 6'9 sophomore Nate Gibson whose had some big games but, is still very raw and doesn't have the ability to carry the team yet. Nathan Miller is the x-factor in the game if he's healthy which has been a rarity in his three years on varsity. Miller is a 6'3 forward that has the ability to get inside and score and can also spot up for the outside shot if he gets a chance to set his feet. Miller looked very good in the game against Regis and he will be needed to be big once again against Adams if the Dells wants to win this one. Anyone that has followed my blog has heard a lot about these Dells players so no need to go into too much detail.

I have not seen Adams Friendship this year so I am going mostly on last year and what I've heard, on what to expect. AF is led by one of the top juniors in the state and the best player in the conference in 6'4 junior Tommie Gaston. Gaston can jump out of the gym and gets a large portion of his points forcing turnovers on the top of Adams 1-3-1 defense. Gaston is not just a dunker though, he handles the ball very well for a kid his size and can knock down the three point shot, and penetrate and finish in traffic. I've gone this far and this is the first time I've mention Adams 1-3-1 defense. Their zone defense is one of the best and around and has been perfected by the Green Devils and coach Klass, which typical leads to low scoring games as teams continue to struggle against the zone. Another player to keep an eye on is Adams point guard Ben Pease who is in his fourth year on varsity and while he isn't a big time scorer does a very good job of running the offense and setting teammates up with open shots. A couple new comers to varsity have also been key to Adams this year in 6'1 junior Lance Fritz and 6'4 sophomore Bryce Wormet. Fritz is a shooter that has already had a game where he score 30 points and Wormet is a sophomore starting on varsity, no need to say more.

Now that I've given all the facts and a little history, who do I take in the game? Unfortunately for my Alma mater I'm taking Adams Friendship. Wisconsin Dells really struggled against the 2-3 zone defense played by Eau Claire Regis and Adams 1-3-1 should be a tougher defense then Regis's. Dells really lacked the ability to get the ball inside and settled for the three point shot which wasn't dropping. Guessing the game will be in the upper 30s or low 40s. Taking a score of Adams 40- Dells 36.