Waunakee outlasts Monroe

In a Badger Challenge match up between the top teams from the North and the South in Waunakee and Monroe. Waunakee controlled most of this game but, Monroe's great three point shooting brought them back into the game before Waunakee squeaked out the win. Final score was 63-60 Waunakee.

Waunakee started the game out looking to use their depth advantage and trying to tire out Monroe by putting on a full court press. The press worked very good early on as Waunakee forced Monroe into numerous turnovers whether it was Monroe just throwing the ball away or Waunakee just simply stealing the ball. Waunakee was able to completely control the boards both on the offensive and defensive side which led to a 28-22 half time lead. Offensively Waunakee was led by their senior point guard 6'0 Mitch Roelke who hit a couple floaters on the base line and knocked down a pair of three point shots. Roelke really stepped up big as he has all year long when their big man 6'8 Zach Ripley is struggling. Ripley ended up finishing the game with only one point. On the defensive side Waunakee was able to hold Monroe's star 6'0 senior Mitch Tordoff to only two first half points. Brother 6'0 sophomore Bryan Tordoff did his best to keep Monroe in striking distance by knocking down a pair of three point shots.

In the second half the older Tordoff finally got things going and finished with 21 points for the game. The three point shots allowed Monroe to close the gap to 41-38 after three. Late in the game Monroe was fouling and shooting threes and they were able to come back due to the fact that Waunakee was missing their free throws. With time running down Monroe was able to force Waunakee into a turnover and then get an easy lay up which gave them a 60-59 lead. For whatever reason a Monroe player was not paying attention to the score and appeared to intentionally foul Roelke with five seconds remaining in the game and calming knocked down both free throws to give Waunakee the one point lead and then stole the ball from Mitch Tordoff and get a lay up to seal the game at 63-60.

Top Players
Mitch Roelke 6'0 senior Waunakee- All year long this kids been stepping up big and this game was no difference. Roelke was knocking down the threes, scoring in the lane, and had numerous steals, not to mention he was running the offense.
Jeff Tagarelli 6'0 senior Waunakee- Came off the bench looking to score and no one on Monroe could stay in front of him.
Bryan Tordoff 6'0 sophomore Monroe- Kept Monroe in the game early with his outside shooting then in the second half did a great job of moving without the ball and scoring in the post.
Mitch Tordoff 6'0 senior Monroe- Had a slow first half but, came out gunning in the second half knocking down threes and was the games leading scorer with 21 points.

Box Score
Waunakee 63- Roelke 19 Ryan Gilles 9 Eric Helt 9 Jason Paulson 7 Austin Goetsch 7 Jeff Tagarelli 7 Beau Murray 4 Ripley 1 Matt Gorman 0 Jared Stege 0 Cole Cefalu 0
Monroe 60- M. Tordoff 21 B. Tordoff 17 Mitch McArdle 8 Michael Barret 6 Kevin Frint 4 Cullen Sampson 2 Zach Rast 2 John Buol 0

Waunakee reminds me a lot of Beloit in that they are always looking to push the tempo and can go very deep on their bench without losing a thing. The other thing that I like and reminds me of Beloit is that they are very balanced in scoring and any player in their top five or six can go off and get 15 plus. I'm still struggling on who to take in a match up of Waunakee and Madison East in the playoffs but, would for sure take Madison Memorial over Waunakee even if they did get past East. Monroe will be a dangerous team come playoff time because of their three point shooting but, they rely too much on the Tordoff brothers to carry them and when the threes aren't falling Monroe isn't a very good team.

Beloit Outruns Sun Prairie

Originally I had planned on attending the Madison East verse Madison Memorial but, unfortunately we were unable to get in to the game. Normally you would think getting to a game by 6pm would be plenty early enough for a 7:30 game but, in this case it wasn't and found out later that you basically had to be to the game by 4:30. Three hours early for a high school game! That is just crazy but, that's how big of a game it was and how talent loaded both teams are. Once we found out that we weren't getting into the big game we had to settle for the Sun Prairie game who had a pretty good Beloit team coming to town.

Coming into the game I expected Beloit to run away with the game but, I got to the game and saw that one of Beloit's top players 6'7 senior Terrell Parks wasn't suited up so I thought Sun Prairie might have a chance as Beloit was without their biggest height advantage. Height was not a factor in this game as Beloit was able to outrun and out shoot Sun Prairie all night long in route to a 70-50 victory. This was the third time I've seen Beloit and this was by far their best game.

Beloit came out looking to run early and often and this allowed them to find some wide open shooters and transition and they were knocking down the outside shots. Beloit just looked faster and quicker in every aspect of the game. Beloit was moving the ball exceptionally well, were penetrating and dishing to wide open teammates, and were grabbing all the loose balls. Sun Prairie on the other hand looked lost on offense and unsure of what they wanted to do. Beloit started settling into their offense and looking to their big man 6'5 senior Marshall Davis who was able to score with ease on the inside so Sun Prairie went to a zone defense to defend him but, that just opened up more three balls for Beloit as the extended their lead. Sun Prairie began to get their offense going as they looked to their big guy 6'4 senior Sam Marshall and went Davis for Beloit was benched for foul trouble Marshall really got things going. It appeared that Sun Prairie was going to make a game of it late in the second quarter when Beloit was able to bank in two three point shots and extend their halftime lead to 40-24.

The second half continued the same way, with both teams looking to their big men to lead them. For Beloit Marshall Davis was once again went to the bench with foul trouble and then the threes weren't dropping and that's when their vocal leader 6'2 junior K.J. Evans took it upon himself to maintain the lead and looked to drive to the inside where he used his strength to score. Sam Marshall did all he could for Sun Prairie but, in the end Beloit's speed and early hot shooting were too much as Beloit cruised to the 20 point victory.

Top Players
Marshall Davis 6'5 senior Beloit- Has a really nice touch around the rim and is very difficult to stop. Had a nice put back dunk.
K.J. Evans 6'2 junior Beloit- Did a great job of using his strength to drive to the inside and score. Had nice floater going tonight.
Robert Douglas 6'3 junior Beloit- Came off the bench and provided a lot of energy specifically in the transition game and gave them double digit points off the bench.
Jordan Young 5'9 senior Beloit- Didn't score a ton but, did a real nice job of penetrating and finding wide open teammates. Very good passer and unselfish player.
Sam Marshall 6'4 senior Sun Prairie- I've seen SP three times and Marshall has always looked good. Very solid from 15 foot and in.

Box Score
Beloit 70- Davis 14 Evans 12 Jahlil Smith 11 Douglas 11 Sharod Stone 7 Joey Fields 6 Eric Sims 3 Young 2 Keenan Anderson Collins 2 Marcus Tyler 2 Hal Kerr 0 Marty Hyler 0
Sun Prairie 50- Marshall 17 Jordan Noskowiak 8 Terrence Porter 8 Jason Davis 4 Tyler Cobb 4 Korey Enstad 4 Michael Boos 2 Chet Pohlman 2 Trevor Opps 1 William Thiel 0 Michael Handel 0 Anthony Burchette 0 Andrew Peters 0 Jacob Baker 0 Eric Wilberding 0

I had been thinking that Verona would come out of the Janesville sectional but, after seeing Beloit tonight I'm second thinking that pick as Beloit looked very very good tonight and arguably their best player was out. Sun Prairie looked the exact opposite and I would not be surprised if they were to lose to conference rival Middleton in the first round.

River Valley over Wisconsin Dells

This game provided a little preview into regional play as River Valley is the one seed in the regional while Wisconsin Dells is the two seed in the same regional, their is a very good chance that these two teams could meet again. River Valley came into the game with only one lose while the Chiefs had only three losses and had won 13 games in a row.

This was senior night for the Chiefs so they started their five seniors, two of which don't see much court time. This may of hindered the Chiefs a bit as they came out of the box very slow as they were down 7-0 before the Dells coach brought in their normal starters. The River Valley lead grew to 17-4 after the first quarter as Dells still continued to struggle and they weren't able to get things going until they were down 22-4. Throughout the River Valley big run they were led by their sophomore point guard 6'0 Noah Baryenbruch who was knocking down the floaters the entire first half and back court teammate 5'9 senior Craig Johnson seemed too quick for the Dells defenders and were able to get in the lane with ease. In the second quarter Wisconsin Dells finally got themselves going by looking to their big man 6'9 junior Nate Gibson. Gibson probably had one of his best games of the year as River Valley decided to play behind him which allowed Gibson to catch the ball in a great position and just turn and shoot over the smaller defenders. Gibson teamed with the Dells usual star 6'0 senior Jade Royston to score the balk of the Dells first half points.

In the third quarter Wisconsin Dells turned up the defensive pressure led by Royston by getting numerous steals and limiting River Valley's shot attempts. In the second half River Valley was looking to senior 6'4 Justin Bindl to score on the inside, where he used his quickness to score. The game plan of going to Bindl was working well until he picked up his fourth fouled which landed him on the bench and River Valley's offense sputtered. Wisconsin Dells was able to take the lead late in the game and River Valley came back to tie it at 46 a piece setting up a great ending. With 18 seconds left Wisconsin Dells had the ball and they went to their main man Royston and he got fouled shooting with 4.6 seconds left. Royston knocked down the first but, missed the second and River Valley sophomore 6'4 Alex Richard got the rebound and drove the length of the court. Richard pulled up for a runner about a foot inside the three point line where he was fouled by a Dells defender. Richard calmly went to the line and knocked down both free throws with no time left to give River Valley the lead.

Top Players
Jade Royston 6'0 senior Wisconsin Dells- As always Royston was the leader scoring 19 points. This was one of the first games where I've seen Royston playing some great defense and had a handful of big steals.
Nate Gibson 6'9 junior Wisconsin Dells- Best game I've seen him play was able to score at will on the inside.
Noah Baryenbruch 6'0 sophomore River Valley- Did a nice job of running the team and had a very nice floater going tonight.
Justin Bindl 6'4 senior River Valley- Did a great job of battling with Gibson on the inside, had a very good game on the offensive side.
Alex Richard 6'4 sophomore River Valley- Had the game winning free throws and added 10 points what more can you say.

Box Score
Wisconsin Dells 47- Royston 19 Gibson 15 Jimmy Alvin 5 Michael Morse 3 Bobby Blaschke 2 Jake Hall 0 Zach Batchelor 0 Kyle Stowers 0
River Valley 48- Bindl 13 Baryenbruch 11 Richard 10 Johnson 10 Lucas Bauer 4 Joel Benson 0 Nick Radlinger 0

This was a great game and I believe if these two teams match up again it will be a great game but, these two playing again isn't a guarantee as this regional is very evenly matched and six of the seven teams are pretty solid teams. River Valley, Wisconsin Dells, Portage, Reedsburg, Prairie Du Chien, and Mauston all have legitimate chances to win the regional. Tomorrow night I have Madison East verse Madison Memorial and then not sure what game I'll be at Friday and then after that it's state tournament time.

Madison East over Madison Lafollette

I never wrote about the Waunakee verse Baraboo game I went to because the game was a blowout and I never really got into the game because I got to the game late, missed the first quarter, had to stand for the second quarter, and I didn't keep score for players. Due to those things and that the game was never closed I didn't feel that there was much to write about the game. Waunakee won by 38 points and looked great while Baraboo on the other hand looked terrible.

The East verse Lafollette games are always high intensity game with high fan involvement, due to the fact that the schools are so close together. This game was no different even though Lafollette has had a sub par year. Lafollette came out extremely intense and was able to grab the lead early and had that lead for almost the first three quarters before East star 6'4 junior Marquis Mason was able to take control of the game and East was able to eventually come out on top.

As I mentioned earlier Lafollette came out very strong led by their star 5'11 junior DJ Fuller. Fuller knocking everything down and couldn't miss in the first half and Lafollette's defense was locking down, specifically on Mason. East was very persistent in looking for Mason in the post but, Lafollette did a great job of doubling down on Mason and not letting him get things going. The biggest key to the defense was the play of Lafollette back up center 6'7 junior Jaren Singh who didn't score much but, did a great job of keeping Mason away from the basket. The other key to Lafollette's first half lead was their offensive rebound as all five guys seemed to be going for the rebounds and were able to get some easy second chance baskets. The only problem Lafollette had in the first half is that they didn't put East away and let them hang around, as the half time score was Lafollette 28, East 21.

Just like the last few games I've seen East play, they decided to go to their bench to make their second half run. Their bench led by 5'10 junior DeAndre Galligan were keys to the East come back. What hurt Lafollette the most was that the lead man Fuller went completely cold which can be attributed to the strong defense of East senior 6'0 Yamil Bacallao who was in Fullers face all night and was probably the key reason the East won this game. In the end East just had more weapons then Lafollette and when the one man team of Fuller wasn't working Lafollette had no one to turn to. East got the hard fought 62-51 win.

Top Players
DJ Fuller 5'11 junior Madison Lafollette- He was the team in the first half and he couldn't miss. Has a great mid range jumper and can get his shot at any time off the dribble. May shoot a little too much.
Chris Redman 6'3 senior Madison Lafollette- Not a big time scoring night but, Redman really made is impact on the glass as he seemed to be getting every rebound for Lafollette. When Redman fouled out with about three minutes left the game was pretty much over.
Marquis Mason 6'4 junior Madison East- Had a tough night in the paint but, still finished with 18 points and had three big blocks.
DeAndre Galligan 5'10 junior Madison East- Becoming old hat with Galligan coming off the bench and getting double digit points.
Yamil Bacallao 6'0 senior Madison East- I mentioned his great defense and how he may of been the biggest reason for East's win but, he also got 12 of his own points.

Box Score
Madison Lafollette 51- Fuller 17 Marcus Henly 9 Redman 8 Lucas DuBois 6 Singh 6 Brett Klinkner 5 Jon Dybevik 0 Ryan Waeffler 0 Chris Padgett 0
Madison East 62- Mason 18 Bacallao 12 Galligan 12 Nimrod Hilliard 7 Marcel Terry 6 Jeff Hull 5 Drew McAdams 2 Stafford Park 0 James Bartelt 0

Right now there has to be some concern for Madison East as the last few games they've come out very slow and with Madison Memorial coming up this week is not a good thing. Memorial is such a good team and play at such a high tempo that they will jump all over you early if you don't come to play and may have such a big lead that East wouldn't be able to overcome it and may get run out of the gym.

As far as Madison Lafollette they look like a pretty good team every time I see them and I'm just amazed that their record is so poor. They strike me as a team to keep an eye on and may upset some people come playoff time and make a solid run in the playoffs.

Wisconsin Dells beats Adams Friendship

Friday night Wiscosin Dells was able to take down Adams Friendship in a slow paced defensive battle. The Dells win teamed with the Mauston lose has more then likely sealed the South Central Conference title for the Chiefs. These two teams really don't resemble the recent Dells vs Adams match ups. Neither team is as talented as the past and the Dells is a one man team which they've never been and Adams looks to score much more then in years past and don't even play their 1-3-1 defense. This game though looked like one of their low scoring match ups of the past as the Chiefs defeated the Green Devils 40-31 behind solid defense and a balanced scoring attack.

Dells jumped out early knocking down the three point shot. When the long range shots weren't dropping big man 6'9 junior Nate Gibson was creating problems on the inside getting rebounds or create space which allowed his teammates to get the rebound. In the second quarter Dells really went back in time with the stall tactic holding the ball at half court and forcing Adams to come out and guard the Chiefs far from the baskets. Solid defense and a little bit of stalling caused the half time score to be in the Dells favor 23-15.

In the second half the game pretty much remained the same low scoring and some pretty solid defense. Adams couldn't expose their size advantage on the inside and Dells was content to let the clock run down on the offensive side. Adams star 6'1 senior Lance Fritz did finally get things going in the second half scoring the majority of his 13 points in the second half. There really wasn't much to report on this game as their wasn't a lot of scoring and despite the game being so close it just wasn't the exciting of a game.

Top Players
Jimmy Alvin 5'11 senior Wisconsin Dells- Came out early gunning knocking down the three point shot and hitting the shots when they were there.
Nate Gibson 6'9 junior Wisconsin Dells- Did a great job of creating space and creating rebounds for himself or teammates.
Lance Fritz 6'1 senior Adams Friendship- Got his mid range shot going as long as the ability to get to the free throw line where he was able to connect.

Box Score
Wisconsin Dells 40- Jade Royston 9 Michael Morse 8 Alvin 8 Gibson 6 Bobby Blaschke 5 Justin Ward 4 Kyle Stowers 0
Adams Friendship 31- Fritz 13 Cameron Niera 7 Bryce Wormet 6 Kincaid Hodkiewicz 3 Floyd Linsey 2 Cody Paepke 0 Tony Kuchta 0 #12 0

This game showed that both of these teams don't have a lot of depth. As both teams rotation only consisted of seven man rotations. I was hoping to see a more aggressive 6'5 junior Bryce Wormet for Adams but, he appeared to be very similar to last years Wormet and wasn't aggressive enough specially on the inside. For the Dells it was nice to see them get a win where their star 6'0 Jade Royston didn't have to score 20 points and it they appear to look stronger and stronger every time I see them. I'm very interested to see the Dells when a very strong River Valley team comes to town.

Madison Memorial takes down Middleton

Thursday night Middleton came out strong but, as always Madison Memorial was too much and cruised to a 66-48 victory. Throughout the entire first half the game remained fairly close but, like the majority of Memorial games they were able up the pressure and rolled to a near 20 point victory. This was the best game that I've seen Memorial star 6'7 senior Jeronne Maymon play. He was all over the court knocking down shots from all over from 15 foot and in and controlled the boards. This looked like the Maymon that I saw at state last year, maybe he's just getting himself geared up for the tournament run.

As usual the Memorial opponent game out in a zone. Tonight Middleton was running a 2-3 zone defense which did a pretty good job of keeping Memorial out of the lane and not allowing inside pass to Maymon. I don't know if it was the zone that caused this or just a poor effort by Middleton but, Memorial was able to get numerous second and third chances at the basket. With the Spartans its fairly common for them to control the boards but, they dominated the boards this game and got two or three chances every time down the court. On the other side Middleton was getting the ball to the hoop but, they were unable to connect on the bunnies. At the end of the first Memorial was only up by one. The second quarter was basically the same as the first Memorial missing a lot of shots and getting the rebound while Middleton struggled to convert. The x factor in the second quarter was Memorial 6'0 senior Russell Henderson who came in and knocked down three, three point shots in a matter of five minutes which helped lead Memorial to a three point half time lead.

In the third quarter Maymon and company really turned up the pressure and took control of this game for good. Maymon was knocking down everything from 15 foot and in. Hitting fade aways, pounding the glass, and grabbing all the loose balls. The only thing he may of done wrong was that he missed a break away dunk where he was going to rip the rim off. Middleton continued to struggle to put the ball in the hoop and Memorial was running on every missed basket which led to transition baskets the majority of which were for 6'4 junior Vander Blue who is always at his best in the transition. Memorial pushed the lead to about 20 points early in the fourth quarter and the score remained there for the majority of the fourth quarter and the starters were pulled with about three minutes left.

Top Players
Jeronne Maymon 6'7 senior Madison Memorial- Really showed the effort that I haven't seen from him since Memorial was at state last year. He couldn't miss from 15 foot and in and every loose ball was his.
Vander Blue 6'4 junior Madison Memorial- Extremely impressive in transition and pounded the offensive glass and may of been the leading rebounder in the game.
Russell Henderson 6'0 senior Madison Memorial- Once again came in off the bench to knock down the three point shots and will be very important come playoff time.
Brooks Braga 6'1 senior Middleton- Only Middleton player to have double digit points.

Box Score
Madison Memorial 66- Maymon 28 Blue 21 Henderson 9 Tre Creamer 4 Junior Lomomba 2 Mathew Laubmeier 2 Xavier Jones 0 Ace Davis 0 Erick Blue 0 Karl Klatt 0 Alvin Olson 0 Eric Fruhling 0 Ed Kluender 0
Middleton 48- Braga 13 Michael Owen 8 Matt Everson 6 Jay Nunnery 5 Skyler Yaktus 5 Shane Adler 4 Derek Schultz 3 Aaron Katsuma 2 Ian Joyce 2 Bradley Slayton 0 Shane McCauley 0 Charlie Opitz 0

Madison Memorial appears to be peaking at the right time and they are looking as strong as ever and should make their usual push towards state. Middleton on the other hand will probably be a one and done team come playoff time but, the future is bright as the only have three seniors that are in their rotation and one of them was injured for the game. Tomorrow I'm be posting on the Wisconsin Dells verse Adams Friendship game I was at last night.

Baraboo over Sauk Prairie

Friday night Baraboo was able to wear down conference rival Sauk Prairie and get a 84-70 win. Sauk played extremely hard the entire game and were able to control the boards for the majority of the game but, in the end Baraboo's depth were just too much.

Early on Baraboo star 6'2 senior Chris Siebert looked for his shot which led to him going to the foul line to earn most of his points. Siebert was the second option though to teammate sharpshooter 5'9 senior Jon Schlender who was raining in the deep threes in the first half. On the other side Sauk Prairie out hustled Baraboo to get offensive rebounds which led to second chance points which kept them in the game. The game stayed relatively close throughout the first half as Baraboo was up after one quarter 20-19 and halftime score was tied at 33.

In the third quarter Baraboo's defense really stepped it up and held Sauk Prairie to only five third quarter points as they extended their lead to 53-38 after three. In the final period Sauk decided to try and turn up the pressure which ended up leading to easy baskets for Baraboo on the offensive end as they scored 31 points in the fourth quarter. The high scoring was aided by lots of free throws for the T-Birds when Sauk was fouling. For Sauk 6'2 senior Garrett Schwarz did his best in the fourth to bring the Eagles back knocking down three, three point shots and scoring the balk of his 24 points in the fourth quarter.

Top Players
Jon Schlender 5'9 senior Baraboo- Sharpshooter from long range knocked down seven three point shots on his way to 30 points on the night.
Chris Siebert 6'2 senior Baraboo- Was able to go to the hoop strong, get fouled, and convert on the free throws. Knocked down nine free throws.
Garrett Schwarz 6'2 senior Sauk Prairie- Big time scorer that knocked down four three point shots in the game and finished with 24 points.
Matt Rudig 6'2 sophomore Sauk Prairie- Rudig came off the bench and really battled on the offensive glass. Also added 14 points.

Box Score
Baraboo 84- Schlender 30 Siebert 16 Ethan Dosier 13 Jake Overlien 9 Mark Kowalke 8 Jake Banks 4 Taylor Jahn 2 #10 2 Micah Kuchta 0 Tony Brandt 0 Jake Meiller 0 Pat O'Conner 0
Sauk Prairie 70- Schwarz 24 Rudig 14 Chad Pings 11 Sam Koenig 7 Zach Fiene 5 Karlen McCoy 5 Travis Breunig 2 Zach Lenerz 2 Drew Carden 0 Tyler Fuchs 0 Nathan Einhorn 0

Sauk Prairie plays extremely hard but, don't seem to have the players to match up with a high quality team but, they are going to give anyone they play a very difficult time. Baraboo mean while just seems to keep on trucking through the season and could very well end the season undefeated with only four regular season games remaining. Baraboo probably doesn't have the talent to make state but, will probably make a pretty solid run in the playoffs.

Madison East over Verona

Verona controlled nearly the entire game but, in the end they couldn't hold off the one two punch of 5'11 sophomore Nimrod Hilliard and 6'4 junior Marquis Mason, who lead East to a 69-64 win. Verona star 6'4 senior Jason Ziemer did all he could scoring 33 points but, in the end he just didn't get any help from his teammates.

Early on Madison East struggled against Verona's tough man to man defense and their double teaming of their star Mason on the inside. Verona had 6'4 defensive stopper junior Sam Karls fronting Mason while they had another 6'4 player on the weak side in either Ziemer or junior Adam Wadzinski. While Verona's defense was focused on Mason , East point guard Hilliard was able to take over and carry the team. On the other side East was in a 1-2-2 zone defense and Verona was able to take advantage of this with offensive rebounds. The zone by East was a good decision because Verona was unable to knock down the three point shot but, the zone allowed Verona to get numerous offensive rebounds in particular Ziemer, which led to the majority of Ziemer's points. Late in the first half Mason was finally able to get things going using his strength and jumping ability score against the Verona double team. At the half Mason had 10 and Hilliard 12, not sure on Ziemer but, guessing around 15 or so.

In the second half both teams came out with the same game plan for the most part but, just like the Madison Memorial game East decided to go with their bench which helped East climb back into the game late in the third and midway through the fourth take the lead. Verona senior 6'0 Travis Schaaf hit his second three pointer in the third but, Hilliard answered back with a three of his own to keep the game close. East turned the pressure up in the fourth quarter forcing Verona into turnovers which East was able to convert on. Mason put an exclamation point on the game by throwing down a windmill dunk just after the buzzer sounded.

Top Players
Jason Ziemer 6'4 senior Verona- Tireless rebounder that takes the ball to the hoop hard every time.
Marquis Mason 6'4 junior Madison East- Just out jumps opponents to score and is typically stronger then his defenders.
Nimrod Hilliard 5'11 sophomore Madison East- Nearly impossible to stay in front of and probably pushed double digits in steals.
DeAndre Galligan 5'10 junior Madison East- Once again came off the bench huge scoring 10 points.

Box Score
Verona 64- Ziemer 33 Karls 7 Schaaf 7 Wadzinski 6 Taylor Peterson 6 Matt Ropel 5 Scott Plato 0 Kaden Nauman 0 Sam Riebau 0
Madison East 69- Hilliard 21 Mason 20 Yamil Bacallao 10 Galligan 10 Jeff Hull 6 Stafford Park 2 James Bartelt 0 Drew McAdams 0

Verona is an extremely tough team to play but, right now they need someone to help Ziemer in the scoring column. Whether they get that scoring help or not Verona will be a very tough out come playoff time. Right now Madison East is playing great basketball and it appears that there will be conference title on the line when they match up with Memorial in round two. With the way their bench is playing right now they might be the one team that has the overall team depth to play with Madison Memorial the entire game.

Third Round Player Rankings

I said that I would be bringing you may new player rankings and I'm going to hold true to that statement with my new rankings. Not a lot of changes but, there are a few minor ones. Most of my statements about each player will remain the same unless I feel the need to add something or I changed their ranking and will give the reason.

Overall
1. Antone Byrd 6'3 senior guard Milwaukee Washington- Can get the hoop at will, knock down the three, and plays pretty good defense. Total package.
2. Latavious Williams 6'7 senior forward Christian Life Texas- College size forward that can move well and jump out of the gym.
3. Jeronne Maymon 6'7 senior forward Madison Memorial- I really thought about moving Maymon down but, then I thought about it a bit and he just does so much for this team even without scoring big.
4. Jamil Wilson 6'7 senior forward Racine Horlick- Extremely athletic forward that can do a little bit of everything.
5. T.J. Bray 6'4 junior guard Catholic Memorial- College size guard that can knock down the three at will and get to the rim.
7. Marquis Mason 6'4 junior forward Madison East- May not be the highest college prospect but, he really dominates at the high school level with his superior athleticism and jumping ability. Not quite a Maymon or Wilson outside of the paint but, on the inside might be the best.
8. Vander Blue 6'4 junior guard Madison Memorial- I was singing his praises a week ago but, as of recent his outside shot isn't falling and his game has become limited to the fast break and transition.
9. Nicholas Ford 5'9 senior guard Fond du Lac- Best pass first point guard I've seen but, knows how to get his points too.
10. Junior Cadougan 6'1 senior guard Christian Life Texas- Another great pass first point guard with best cross over I've seen.
11. Jerrel Harris 5'10 senior guard Whitefish Bay Dominican- Supreme ball handler and it doesn't seem anyone can stay in front of him. Plays extremely hard.
12. Flavian Davis 6'4 junior forward Wisconsin Lutheran- Has very nice size and a very nice pull up jumper.
13. Jason Ziemer 6'4 senior forward Verona- Great overall game. Tireless worker in all areas of the game and has a pretty solid outside shot.
14. Tyler Brown 6'7 senior forward Eau Claire North- Very soft hands and has a solid body that he uses very well.
15. Antwon Oliver 6'5 senior forward Racine Horlick- Can jump out of the gym and can also knock down the three.
16. Eric Williams 6'3 senior forward Wauwatosa East- Does a little bit of everything from shooting the three to posting up.
17. Tank Johnson 6'4 senior forward Oshkosh North- Beast on the inside and has very soft hands.
18. Nathan Zastrow 6'0 senior guard Manitowoc Lincoln- Great three point shooter that can pull up at anytime.
19. Mitch Tordoff 6'0 senior guard Monroe- Big time scorer that can shoot the three or go inside and score.
20. Tyler Tillema 6'3 senior guard Randolph- Very solid running the point in the transition. Big time player that can shoot the three very well.
21. Antoine Howard 6'4 senior forward Milwaukee Bay View- Another big time scorer that can get his shot at anytime.
22. DJ Fuller 5'11 junior guard Madison Lafollette- Ultra quick guard that defenders have a tough time staying in front of.
23. Kyle Kelm 6'10 junior forward Randolph- Moves extremely well for a big man. Shoots the three as good as anyone in the state and you can't teach that size.
24. Luke Russell 6'8 senior center Menomonee Falls- Very smooth big man that can run the court well.
25. JoJo Pregont 6'6 senior forward Janesville Craig- Great defender with great timing, and runs the court very well.
HM
Jade Royston 6'0 guard senior Wisconsin Dells
Nimrod Hilliard 5'11 guard sophomore Madison East
Larentaz Daniels 6'4 junior guard Milwaukee Custer
Terry Taylor 5'9 junior guard Milwaukee Washington
Derek Braucht 6'6 senior forward Madison Edgewood

Seniors
1. Antone Bird 6'3 guard Milwaukee Washington
2. Jeronne Maymone 6'7 forward Madison Memorial
3. Jamil Wilson 6'7 forward Racine Horlick
4. Nicholas Ford 5'9 guard Fond du Lac
5. Jerrel Harris 5'10 guard Whitefish Bay Dominican
6. Jason Ziemer 6'4 forward Verona
7. Tyler Brown 6'7 forward Eau Claire North
8. Antwon Oliver 6'5 forward Racine Horlick
9. Eric Williams 6'3 forward Wauwatosa East
10. Tank Johnson 6'4 forward Oshkosh North
HM
Nathan Zastrow 6'0 guard Manitowoc Lincoln
Mitch Tordoff 6'0 guard Monroe
Tyler Tillema 6'3 guard Randolph
Antoine Howard 6'4 forward Milwaukee Bay View

Juniors
1. T.J. Bray 6'4 guard Catholic Memorial
2. Marquis Mason 6'4 forward Madison East
4. Vander Blue 6'4 guard Madison Memorial
5. Flavian Davis 6'4 forward Wisconsin Lutheran
6. D.J. Fuller 5'11 guard Madison Lafollette
7. Kyle Kelm 6'10 forward Randolph
8. Terry Taylor 5'9 junior guard Milwaukee Washingotn- Ultra quick guard that plays intense defense, nice floater in the lane, and can shoot the three.
9. Larentaz Daniels 6'4 guard Milwaukee Custer- Bigtime scorer with unlimited range from three point land and can score in a variety of ways.
10. Brett Meinecke 6'1 guard Hamiliton Sussex- Tough guard that can score in the paint or knock down the three where he is very consistent.
HM
Adams Ganske 6'3 forward Eau Claire Regis
Taylor Cameron 6'4 guard Oshkosh North
Kameron Cerroni 6'1 guard Hamiliton Sussex
Jon Cathey-Macklin 6'7 forward Milwaukee Washington

Sophomores
1. Nimrod Hilliard 5'11 guard Madison East- Great lead guard with a killer cross over, nice outside shot, and isn't affraid to go inside and score.
2. Queyvn Winters 6'4 forward Milwaukee Washington- Very solid in the post and can run the court.
3. Matt Savastki 6'2 guard Benton- Guy that can play inside or outside and can shoot the three well.
4. Brian Kampstra 6'3 forward Randolph- Solid defender and can knock down the three.
5. Bryan Tordoff 6'0 guard Monroe- Great shooter and moves very well without the ball.
6. Michael Barrett 6'1 guard Monroe- Solid guard that can create his own shot and plays good defense.
7. Mark Kowalke 6'5 forward Baraboo- Very solid in the post and can shoot the three.
8. Connor Miller 6'0 guard Eau Claire Regis- Great ball handler and can shoot the three.
9. Jordan Noskowiak 6'3 forward Sun Prairie- Moves very well without the ball. Handles the ball well and can get to the hoop.
10. Iman Johnson 6'2 forward Whitefish Bay Dominican- Great rebounder that can jump out of the gym.
HM
Anthony Smit 5'10 guard Fond du Lac
Mark Scholz 6'2 guard Milwaukee Pius
Larry Bradley 6'5 guard Wauwatosa East
Bruin Armwald 6'2 forward Madison Edgewood

Freshmen
1. Junior Lomomba 6'4 forward Madison Memorial- Very good at running the base line and finding the holes in the defense and good rebounder.
2. Tony Mayfield 5'9 guard Milwaukee Washington- Very good defender and can knock down the three.
3. J.P. Tokoto 6'4 forward Menomonee Falls- Versatile player that can do it all.
4. Dalton Sjong 6'3 forward Burlington Catholic Central- Very strong post player on both offense and defense.
5. Jamall Taylor 6'0 guard Whitefish Bay Dominican- Great three point shooter that can also handle the ball.
6. Larry Fitzgerald 6'2 forward Milwaukee Pius- Does a little bit of everything for his team.
7. Davis Neis 5'10 guard Benton- Great three point shooter that moves very well without the ball.
8. Steve Teschner 6'2 forward Milwaukee Pius- Goes to the hoop very hard and can score.
9. Lawrence Crement 6'1 guard Williams Bay- Very solid around the rim.
10. Spencer Brink 6'1 forward Madison Edgewood- Very good rebounder that seems to have a nose for the ball.

Well there are my new rankings. As I mentioned there aren't a lot of changes in the rankings but, there were a few big ones with Mason and Hilliard in the rankings now and with the drop of Vander Blue. Well have three games to see this week so I'm sure I'll have some more to add.

Madison Memorial cruises to victory over Sun Praire

Thursday night Madison Memorial easily took down Sun Praire 69-46. Not a lot of highlights in the game as Memorial took a big lead early on and Sun Praire never really threatened them. The loan highlights were four dunks by Memorial.

Throughout the entire first half Memorial was nearly doubling Sun Praire. Sun Praire looked very tentative which led to traveling calls and poor shots which were the results of second guessing themselves. Nice highlight early on was a dunk by 6'4 freshmen Junior Lomomba who drove base line and threw down the dunk. The other dunk of the first half was by 6'7 senior Jeronne Maymon who had a two handed dunk on a fast break where he may of been fouled. All year long I've complained about Memorial's outside shooting and it appears that 6'0 senior Russell Henderson may of stepped up and could become that solid outside shooter. Henderson hit a three in the first half and then hit another two three point shots in the second half. In the third quarter 6'4 junior Vander Blue took over scoring on the fast break highlighted by a one handed dunk. The final highlight of the night was a Maymon dunk off a missed lay up by 6'4 junior Tre Creamer.

This was another game where Madison Memorial used their athleticism against their opponent to get the win. The poor outside shooting is still problematic for them in their run towards the state championship but, like I stated earlier it seems Henderson is looking to step up and be that consistent outside shooter for Memorial. They will need Henderson to be that shooter when they get to state and every one is playing a zone against them.

One guy for Sun Praire did nearly all of their scoring. That player that did the scoring is 6'4 senior Sam Marshall. Marshall knocked down the 15 footer all night long and when Maymon was out of the game Marshall was able to use his strength to score against Memorial freshmen Lomomba. Outside of Marshall no one else stepped up to score in the game.

Top Players
Russell Henderson 6'0 senior Madison Memorial- Like I mentioned early was able to come in and knock down the three point shots.
Vander Blue 6'4 junior Madison Memorial- Took over the third quarter scoring a ton of points. Has the ability to really turn it on when he wants to and score at will.
Sam Marshall 6'4 senior Sun Praire- Pretty much stated everything about him in the above paragraph. He was money from 15 foot all night long and was able to take advantage of Maymon being out of the game.

Box Score
Memorial 69- V. Blue 13 Henderson 13 Erik Blue 12 Maymon 11 Lomomba 8 Xavier Jones 5 Eric Fruhling 4 Creamer 2 Alvin Olson 1 Ace Davis 0 Karl Klatt 0 Mathew Laubmeier 0 Ed Kluender 0
Sun Praire 46- Marshall 20 Terrence Porter 7 Jordan Noskowiak 6 Tyler Cobb 4 Michael Boos 3 Korey Enstad 2 Jason Davis 2 William Thiel 2 Michael Handel 0 Anthony Burchette 0 Chet Pohlman 0 Jacob Baker 0 Eric Wilberding 0 Tervor Opps 0

Hopefully within the next couple days I'll get my new player rankings out. Not gonna be hitting up another game until Thursday night this coming week. I know this post was a little weak but, this game was kind of weak and really didn't give anything interesting to talk about.