I'm still waiting for Madison Memorial to have that break out game where they just dominate their opponent and it just isn't happening. Memorial probably has more talent and more "good" players then any other team in the state yet they continue to let teams hang around with them that they should be defeating by double digits. I'm not saying Verona is a bad team, they are actually a pretty good team that may have a shot at state but, Memorial is just that talented that they should be able to beat Verona by at least 10. Even against the bottom dwellers of the conference like Madison West are keeping the games some what close against Memorial. I can't really put my finger on the reason for this. I had blamed it on lack of inside presence but, as of recent 6'3 sophomore Jamar Morris has been huge and the return of fellow sophomore 6'4 Junior Lomomba has really secured the inside and 6'3 senior Vander Blue really controls the rebounds when he wants to.
Now Verona is finally looking like the team that I expected. In recent years Verona hasn't had the greatest athletes or the best talent but, they always come to play and are going to make every game close. This is a credit to the Verona coaching staff who always seem to get the most out of what they have. They always play as a team, play very tough man to man defense, and rebound the ball very well. Come tournament time Verona is in one of the weaker sectionals so, they should have a great chance to make a run at Madison.
Verona came out extremely pumped to start the game and were led by 5'11 senior Kaden Nauman who hit two big threes right away to give Verona the short lived lead early on. On the other side Memorial looked to the inside to Junior Lomomba who had nine points in the first quarter mostly coming on the block. From the jump Verona was playing extremely tough defense which cause Memorial some real problems. Memorial played their typical zone defense which force Verona into some long passes which Memorial was able to steal and led to some easy baskets for their senior duo 6'2 Tre Creamer and Vander Blue. Memorial was able to get the 34-25 halftime lead and appeared to break this game open but, then in the second half things fell apart for Memorial. In the second half Verona senior 6'4 Sam Karls finally stepped up against the Memorial zone and looked to penetrate into the middle of the zone and score. It seemed throughout much of the second half Verona just passed the ball around the perimeter until Karls decided to take the ball to the hoop. After three quarters Memorial had a slim 46-41 lead and Memorial went into the stall ball in the fourth quarter which didn't work and allowed Verona to get back into the game and tie the game at 50 at the end of regulation. Vander Blue showed some true flashes of brilliance late in the game as he took the it upon himself to will his team into over time. Blue felt he could score every time he had the ball and he showed that by knock down a pair of jump shots in the fourth and overtime and then connecting on free throws after he was fouled. In overtime Jamar Morris finally made his presence known as he had a three point play that fouled out Karls and had the game sealing rebound and free throw that put the game away. Verona only made one basket in OT and Memorial got the 58-52 win.
Top Players
Vander Blue 6'3 senior Madison Memorial- Really took it upon himself to get Memorial the win. He showed he's an elite player by scoring at will late in the game and knocked down some big jumpers off the dribble.
Junior Lomomba 6'4 sophomore Madison Memorial- Was a beast when he got the ball in the post and basically scored at will.
Jordan Fredrick 6'2 junior Madison Memorial- The unsung starter for Memorial. Moved very well without the ball and came up with some huge baskets when Memorial was struggling to score in the half court.
Sam Karls 6'4 senior Verona- One of the few Verona players that handled Memorial's pressure defense very well and one of the few that was able to get into the middle of the zone and score.
Kaden Naumann 5'11 senior Verona- Hit three big threes including the first two Verona baskets of the game.
Box Score starters in Italics
Madison Memorial- Blue 20 Lomomba 13 Creamer 10 Fredrick 8 Morris 5 Miles Chamberlain 2 Tre Burnette 0 Ed Kluender 0
Verona- Karls 20 Naumann 11 Matt Ropel 7 Adam Wadzinski 6 Taylor Peterson 4 Klayton Brandt 2 Scott Christensen 2 Danny Burns 0 Nate Ray 0
Well it appears that the Big Eight is nearly settled as I don't see Memorial losing more then one game and I'd be shocked if East lost to anyone but, Memorial so East will win conference and Memorial will be #2.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Monday, January 25, 2010
Badger Challenge
The Badger Challenge is a great match up between two evenly matched up conferences. The match up of two conferences is a great idea and more conferences should do it. The Badger conferences are split up great for this as there is a North and South conference and they are close enough that the two conferences can meet together in one location. Most conferences don't have a conference that have schools that are close to the same size. I only caught the final three games of the challenge and I believe that the North won the match up six games to one.
Baraboo 50 Oregon 39
First half of this game was fairly rough to watch but, then in the second half Baraboo was able to take control of the game behind the inside presence of their big man 6'6 junior Mark Kowalke. Kowalke struggled on the offensive end and missed a lot of bunnies but, he was able to control the inside by controlling the rebounds on both ends of the court. One big boast for Baraboo in this game was the play of 6'2 senior Jake Banks who added a nice scoring punch from the outside that Baraboo was missing sorely when I saw them earlier in the year. Banks was able to hit some outside shots that really spread the Oregon defense. There wasn't a lot of bright spots for Oregon but, the one I noticed was the play of 6'4 junior Adam Gorman who did a nice job of battling on the inside and getting some inside buckets particularily in the first half. In warmups I saw Gorman as a guy that really didn't look like much of an athlete and probably only played because he was tall but, he actually brought a lot to the game and was Oregon's leader.
Top Scorers
Baraboo- Kowalke 12 Banks 11 Sean McGann 10
Oregon- Gorman 12 Brad Maerz 6 two with 5
Monona Grove 53 Reedsburg 35
This game was basically a two on two battle. Both teams have two very good players and not much for supporting players in the scoring department. Monona Grove was able to get the big lead when one of Reedsburgs stars didn't have a great game and the other one just couldn't get things going in the second half. In the first half Reedsburg star 6'3 junior Chad Mazur couldn't miss whether the shot was contested or not but, then in the second half Mazur just couldn't get an open look at the hoop and Reedsburgs offense fell apart. Reedsburg's other star 6'2 senior Jordan VanCleave seemed very hesistant to take the ball to the rim and the outside shoot wasn't falling for him, which really hurt Burg offensively because in the past VanCleave would take the ball to the rim hard and score or get fouled. On the other hand Monona Grove's stars 5'11 senior Jackson Retzlaff and 6'0 junior Zach Zweifel were basically unstoppable. Retzlaff was money from the outside, while Zweifel was scoring from the inside at will. Each player finished with 19 and MG cruised to the victory forcing Reedsburg into numerous turnovers.
Top Scorers
Reedsburg- Mazur 15 VanCleave 8 Jared Park 4
Monona Grove- Zweifel 19 Retzlaff 19 two with 4
Waunakee 66 Monroe 53
In the best game of the day Waunakee took down Monroe by 13 in a game that was very intense throughout. The thing that won the game for Waunakee was the overall team size, every guy on their team is 6'2 to 6'4 on the other side most of Monroes guys are right around an even 6'0. a pair of juniors in 6'2 Jared Staege and 6'3 Beau Murray are a tremendous back court and really carried the team in the scoring department. Staege might be the most improved player I've seen this year and Murray is a star. Monroe tried to keep the game close behind the strong outside shooting of their star 6'0 junior Bryan Tordoff but, Tordoff just couldn't get enough help from the rest of the team and ran outta gas.
Top Scorers
Waunakee- Murray 25 Staege 15 Austin Prusha 6
Monroe- Tordoff 20 Michael Barrett 11 Kevin Flint 11
Overall was a great day of basketball with a few very good teams playing. I could see Monona Grove knocking off a team or two in the playoffs and Waunakee will be like the past two years they have a very good team that can make it too sectionals but, just don't have the ability to knock off both Madison Memorial and Madison East. Just like every other year Monroe has a great chance to make it to Madison and state in division two. They shoot the three very well and if your hitting the three you can beat anyone and coming out of the southwest they should have a chance.
Baraboo 50 Oregon 39
First half of this game was fairly rough to watch but, then in the second half Baraboo was able to take control of the game behind the inside presence of their big man 6'6 junior Mark Kowalke. Kowalke struggled on the offensive end and missed a lot of bunnies but, he was able to control the inside by controlling the rebounds on both ends of the court. One big boast for Baraboo in this game was the play of 6'2 senior Jake Banks who added a nice scoring punch from the outside that Baraboo was missing sorely when I saw them earlier in the year. Banks was able to hit some outside shots that really spread the Oregon defense. There wasn't a lot of bright spots for Oregon but, the one I noticed was the play of 6'4 junior Adam Gorman who did a nice job of battling on the inside and getting some inside buckets particularily in the first half. In warmups I saw Gorman as a guy that really didn't look like much of an athlete and probably only played because he was tall but, he actually brought a lot to the game and was Oregon's leader.
Top Scorers
Baraboo- Kowalke 12 Banks 11 Sean McGann 10
Oregon- Gorman 12 Brad Maerz 6 two with 5
Monona Grove 53 Reedsburg 35
This game was basically a two on two battle. Both teams have two very good players and not much for supporting players in the scoring department. Monona Grove was able to get the big lead when one of Reedsburgs stars didn't have a great game and the other one just couldn't get things going in the second half. In the first half Reedsburg star 6'3 junior Chad Mazur couldn't miss whether the shot was contested or not but, then in the second half Mazur just couldn't get an open look at the hoop and Reedsburgs offense fell apart. Reedsburg's other star 6'2 senior Jordan VanCleave seemed very hesistant to take the ball to the rim and the outside shoot wasn't falling for him, which really hurt Burg offensively because in the past VanCleave would take the ball to the rim hard and score or get fouled. On the other hand Monona Grove's stars 5'11 senior Jackson Retzlaff and 6'0 junior Zach Zweifel were basically unstoppable. Retzlaff was money from the outside, while Zweifel was scoring from the inside at will. Each player finished with 19 and MG cruised to the victory forcing Reedsburg into numerous turnovers.
Top Scorers
Reedsburg- Mazur 15 VanCleave 8 Jared Park 4
Monona Grove- Zweifel 19 Retzlaff 19 two with 4
Waunakee 66 Monroe 53
In the best game of the day Waunakee took down Monroe by 13 in a game that was very intense throughout. The thing that won the game for Waunakee was the overall team size, every guy on their team is 6'2 to 6'4 on the other side most of Monroes guys are right around an even 6'0. a pair of juniors in 6'2 Jared Staege and 6'3 Beau Murray are a tremendous back court and really carried the team in the scoring department. Staege might be the most improved player I've seen this year and Murray is a star. Monroe tried to keep the game close behind the strong outside shooting of their star 6'0 junior Bryan Tordoff but, Tordoff just couldn't get enough help from the rest of the team and ran outta gas.
Top Scorers
Waunakee- Murray 25 Staege 15 Austin Prusha 6
Monroe- Tordoff 20 Michael Barrett 11 Kevin Flint 11
Overall was a great day of basketball with a few very good teams playing. I could see Monona Grove knocking off a team or two in the playoffs and Waunakee will be like the past two years they have a very good team that can make it too sectionals but, just don't have the ability to knock off both Madison Memorial and Madison East. Just like every other year Monroe has a great chance to make it to Madison and state in division two. They shoot the three very well and if your hitting the three you can beat anyone and coming out of the southwest they should have a chance.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Wisconsin Dells jumps out early and coasts to victory
In a game that was a battle of two first place teams, in the south central conference, Wisconsin Dells was able to control this one from beginning to end and a appear to be back in control of the conference. From the beginning it was evident that Mauston was going to have trouble with the size and length of the Dells defenders. Mauston is an undersized team but, they play very hard and are a very scrappy team. Mauston never seems to have much for size or talent but, they always play extremely hard which can be an attribute to their coach. Wisconsin Dells didn't play the greatest game either but, nine three point shots allowed them to get the win without playing great.
In the first quarter both teams seemed a little shaky making lots of unforced turnovers and just simply throwing the ball away. Every time a team would make a stop they would come down and give the ball right back to the other team. Dells was playing a 2-3 zone defense which caused Mauston some trouble but, they were able to penetrate the zone and get some easy layups. On the other end Dells had one thing clicking for them and that was the three point shooting of 6'4 senior Justin Ward who hit three straight threes at one point and had five three pointers for the first half which led to 17 first half points for Ward. Wisconsin Dells took the 34-21 half time lead.
In the second half Ward cooled off and only scored three points in the second half but, the rest of the team picked up the slack. 6'2 freshmen Shane Wimann had a big game running the court well and finishing around the rim and hit a three. Mauston was nearly shut out in the third quarter as they were only able to score three points the entire third quarter before they finally got things going in the fourth. In the first three quarters Mauston was only able to score 24 points and then in the final quarter they were able to net 25 points doubling their total in one period. Leading the charge was 5'10 senior Jeff Erickson who scored 15 points in the game 11 from the free throw line and the majority coming in the fourth quarter. Mauston was able to score so much do to some poor fouling and passing by the Dells. Dells was able to seal the game though with some hot shooting from another freshmen in 5'8 MJ Delmore with scored all 10 of his points in the fourth quarter with two three pointers and was 4-4 from the line in the fourth. Dells was able to cap off a 62-49 win and knock Mauston out of the three way tie for first in the conference and there is now a two way tie between Wisconsin Dells and Wautoma.
Top Players
Justin Ward 6'4 senior Wisconsin Dells- Absolute gunner from the outside uses his size and length to shoot over small defenders.
Shane Wimann 6'2 freshmen Wisconsin Dells- Does not look like a freshmen at all on the court and can knock down the three, is very smooth from the free throw line, and runs the court very well and is always looking to score.
MJ Delmore 5'8 freshmen Wisconsin Dells- Very good shooter that can knock down the three as well as the free throw shot.
Jeff Erickson 5'10 senior Mauston- Always moving without the ball, always seems to find the opening in the defense.
Box Score (starters in italics)
Wisconsin Dells- Ward 20 Wimann 16 Delmore 10 Bobby Blaschke 6 Nate Gibson 6 Kyle Stowers 4 Michael Dickman 0 Josh Elftman 0
Mauston- Erickson 15 Brady Nelson 9 Joel Heesch 9 Trevor Reichhoff 6 Dustin Manthe 6 Josh Wrezinski 2 Chris Wilkinson 2 David Linsmeyer 0
After watching this game it appears that Wisconsin Dells is nearly a given to win the South Central Conference and with their impressive freshmen class Dells will be very very good in two or three years. Also Mauston has a very good freshmen in 6'1 Joel Heesch who has a ton of talent and athleticism but, right now is only a freshmen and shoots a little too much.
In the first quarter both teams seemed a little shaky making lots of unforced turnovers and just simply throwing the ball away. Every time a team would make a stop they would come down and give the ball right back to the other team. Dells was playing a 2-3 zone defense which caused Mauston some trouble but, they were able to penetrate the zone and get some easy layups. On the other end Dells had one thing clicking for them and that was the three point shooting of 6'4 senior Justin Ward who hit three straight threes at one point and had five three pointers for the first half which led to 17 first half points for Ward. Wisconsin Dells took the 34-21 half time lead.
In the second half Ward cooled off and only scored three points in the second half but, the rest of the team picked up the slack. 6'2 freshmen Shane Wimann had a big game running the court well and finishing around the rim and hit a three. Mauston was nearly shut out in the third quarter as they were only able to score three points the entire third quarter before they finally got things going in the fourth. In the first three quarters Mauston was only able to score 24 points and then in the final quarter they were able to net 25 points doubling their total in one period. Leading the charge was 5'10 senior Jeff Erickson who scored 15 points in the game 11 from the free throw line and the majority coming in the fourth quarter. Mauston was able to score so much do to some poor fouling and passing by the Dells. Dells was able to seal the game though with some hot shooting from another freshmen in 5'8 MJ Delmore with scored all 10 of his points in the fourth quarter with two three pointers and was 4-4 from the line in the fourth. Dells was able to cap off a 62-49 win and knock Mauston out of the three way tie for first in the conference and there is now a two way tie between Wisconsin Dells and Wautoma.
Top Players
Justin Ward 6'4 senior Wisconsin Dells- Absolute gunner from the outside uses his size and length to shoot over small defenders.
Shane Wimann 6'2 freshmen Wisconsin Dells- Does not look like a freshmen at all on the court and can knock down the three, is very smooth from the free throw line, and runs the court very well and is always looking to score.
MJ Delmore 5'8 freshmen Wisconsin Dells- Very good shooter that can knock down the three as well as the free throw shot.
Jeff Erickson 5'10 senior Mauston- Always moving without the ball, always seems to find the opening in the defense.
Box Score (starters in italics)
Wisconsin Dells- Ward 20 Wimann 16 Delmore 10 Bobby Blaschke 6 Nate Gibson 6 Kyle Stowers 4 Michael Dickman 0 Josh Elftman 0
Mauston- Erickson 15 Brady Nelson 9 Joel Heesch 9 Trevor Reichhoff 6 Dustin Manthe 6 Josh Wrezinski 2 Chris Wilkinson 2 David Linsmeyer 0
After watching this game it appears that Wisconsin Dells is nearly a given to win the South Central Conference and with their impressive freshmen class Dells will be very very good in two or three years. Also Mauston has a very good freshmen in 6'1 Joel Heesch who has a ton of talent and athleticism but, right now is only a freshmen and shoots a little too much.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Madison East takes down Madison Memorial in a game for the ages
In one of the best games that I have ever seen, Madison East was able to take down Madison Memorial at Memorial high school. Memorial has been involved in numerous epic battles throughout the past 10 years or so. This game may of been one of the best of all the games. Had the star power with a hand full of possible D1 recruits in the game, a packed gym, and a game that went to overtime and was won on a last second shot. Despite the outcome I would still argue that Memorial has the better athletes, more potential, and will probably have more players play at the college level but, the difference in this game is that one team is full of seniors while the other has a pair of seniors and a bunch of young inexperienced talent.
The game started out like most games with both teams struggling to get things going before things started rolling and both teams began trading baskets. Throughout the first half East's two stars, 6'4 senior Marquis Mason and 6'0 junior Nimrod Hillard just couldn't get things going but, their unheralded starters got things going behind seniors 6'2 Drew McAdams and 6'4 Jeff Hull. On the other side all of Memorial's starters were struggling to score outside of 6'2 senior Tre Creamer who may of had the best game of his life. Creamer scored 16 of the teams 23 first half points, getting the majority of those from behind the three point line. The hot shooting of Creamer led to a 23-22 halftime lead for Memorial.
In the second half Creamer finally got alittle help when their top player 6'3 senior Vander Blue finally arrived on the offensive end. In the second half Blue had three thunderous dunks which seemed to give Memorial some boost in the game and Memorial had a 39-34 lead after the third quarter. Through the third quarter Creamer continued to remain hot hitting the outside shot. East tried all game long to get the ball inside to Marquis Mason but, I give big props to Memorial sophomore 6'3 Jamar Morris who did a great job on Mason and didn't leave his feet when Mason looked to score. Morris didn't go for the block and didn't let Mason get close to the hoop which led to Mason throwing up numerous wild hook shots. In the end of regulation it was once again East's unknown stars. Memorial went into a run the clock offense which led to them not scoring and East took advantage. A pair of threes by a pair of seniors in 6'2 Marcel Terry and 5'10 DeAndre Galligan brought the game close and a layup by Terry tied the game at 47 and sent the game to OT. I honestly don't remember much about OT but, With about 18 seconds left East was down by three and Hillard hit a three to tied the game and then got a huge steal from Creamer and got the layup and the foul. Hillard hit the free throw to seal the game and East got away with their biggest win of the year.
Top Players
Tre Creamer 6'2 senior Madison Memorial- Was unconscious from the outside as he hit six three pointers and had a game high 25 points. Has really stepped up big this year when his team has needed him the most.
Vander Blue 6'3 senior Madison Memorial- Had a rough first half but, stepped it up in the second half and started hitting some shots including the three big dunks.
Jamar Morris 6'3 sophomore Madison Memorial- Only scored two points in the game but, as I mentioned above played great defense on Mason and really battled tough against Mason on the boards.
Nimrod Hillard 6'0 junior Madison East- Was the star of the night scoring six straight points in the final 18 seconds of the game. Always seems to come up big in these big games.
Marquis Mason 6'4 senior Madison East- As always dominated on the glass and did have some tough and one baskets on the inside.
Marcel Terry 6'2 senior Madison East- Without him this game wouldn't of gone to overtime. Scored five huge points right at the end.
Box Score (starters in italics)
Madison Memorial- Creamer 25 Blue 21 Miles Chamberlain 4 Junior Lomomba 2 Jamar Morris 2 Jordan Fredrick 0 Tre Burnette 0 Eric Fruhling 0 Ed Kluender 0
Madison East- Hillard 16 Mason 13 Terry 10 Hull 9 McAdams 6 Galligan 3 Rudy Bentley 0
One thing to really take note of for Madison Memorial is their lack of scoring outside of the big two in Creamer and Blue. For Memorial to continue their domination of the conference and a return trip to state they will need to have others step up. Help may be in the form of sophomore Junior Lomomba who is only in his first week back and is still looking to work some of the rust off. I will say one thing the rematch between these two teams will be very interesting.
The game started out like most games with both teams struggling to get things going before things started rolling and both teams began trading baskets. Throughout the first half East's two stars, 6'4 senior Marquis Mason and 6'0 junior Nimrod Hillard just couldn't get things going but, their unheralded starters got things going behind seniors 6'2 Drew McAdams and 6'4 Jeff Hull. On the other side all of Memorial's starters were struggling to score outside of 6'2 senior Tre Creamer who may of had the best game of his life. Creamer scored 16 of the teams 23 first half points, getting the majority of those from behind the three point line. The hot shooting of Creamer led to a 23-22 halftime lead for Memorial.
In the second half Creamer finally got alittle help when their top player 6'3 senior Vander Blue finally arrived on the offensive end. In the second half Blue had three thunderous dunks which seemed to give Memorial some boost in the game and Memorial had a 39-34 lead after the third quarter. Through the third quarter Creamer continued to remain hot hitting the outside shot. East tried all game long to get the ball inside to Marquis Mason but, I give big props to Memorial sophomore 6'3 Jamar Morris who did a great job on Mason and didn't leave his feet when Mason looked to score. Morris didn't go for the block and didn't let Mason get close to the hoop which led to Mason throwing up numerous wild hook shots. In the end of regulation it was once again East's unknown stars. Memorial went into a run the clock offense which led to them not scoring and East took advantage. A pair of threes by a pair of seniors in 6'2 Marcel Terry and 5'10 DeAndre Galligan brought the game close and a layup by Terry tied the game at 47 and sent the game to OT. I honestly don't remember much about OT but, With about 18 seconds left East was down by three and Hillard hit a three to tied the game and then got a huge steal from Creamer and got the layup and the foul. Hillard hit the free throw to seal the game and East got away with their biggest win of the year.
Top Players
Tre Creamer 6'2 senior Madison Memorial- Was unconscious from the outside as he hit six three pointers and had a game high 25 points. Has really stepped up big this year when his team has needed him the most.
Vander Blue 6'3 senior Madison Memorial- Had a rough first half but, stepped it up in the second half and started hitting some shots including the three big dunks.
Jamar Morris 6'3 sophomore Madison Memorial- Only scored two points in the game but, as I mentioned above played great defense on Mason and really battled tough against Mason on the boards.
Nimrod Hillard 6'0 junior Madison East- Was the star of the night scoring six straight points in the final 18 seconds of the game. Always seems to come up big in these big games.
Marquis Mason 6'4 senior Madison East- As always dominated on the glass and did have some tough and one baskets on the inside.
Marcel Terry 6'2 senior Madison East- Without him this game wouldn't of gone to overtime. Scored five huge points right at the end.
Box Score (starters in italics)
Madison Memorial- Creamer 25 Blue 21 Miles Chamberlain 4 Junior Lomomba 2 Jamar Morris 2 Jordan Fredrick 0 Tre Burnette 0 Eric Fruhling 0 Ed Kluender 0
Madison East- Hillard 16 Mason 13 Terry 10 Hull 9 McAdams 6 Galligan 3 Rudy Bentley 0
One thing to really take note of for Madison Memorial is their lack of scoring outside of the big two in Creamer and Blue. For Memorial to continue their domination of the conference and a return trip to state they will need to have others step up. Help may be in the form of sophomore Junior Lomomba who is only in his first week back and is still looking to work some of the rust off. I will say one thing the rematch between these two teams will be very interesting.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Cold shooting by Sun Prairie gives East the win
In an extremely intense basketball game on the East side of Madison, Madison East was able to take down Sun Prairie 52-45. This game was very hyped up after Sun Prairie was able to knock off top dog Madison Memorial but, came back life with a lose against Middleton. This game was a major measuring stick game for Sun Prairie to see if they are ready to consistently battle with the top teams in the Big Eight. In this game Sun Prairie should they are ready to battle with anyone in the conference but, may be a year away from truly being a conference title contender as they only have two seniors on the team this year and obviously bring back a lot. As every game this year 6'0 junior Nimrod Hilliard showed how great he truly is and 6'4 senior Marquis Mason was a game changer.
Throughout the first half Sun Prairie matched Madison East shot for shot. I had always heard a lot of good things about Sun Prairie senior 6'2 Michael Boos and had never really been that impressed but, in this game he really impressed me. Boos was coming off screens firing and knocking down the shots while big man 6'4 junior Chris Hawkins was doing his thing on the inside. At half time Sun Prairie was up 31-27. Then in the second half Madison East went to a zone and Sun Prairie completely folded. The threes were not falling for SP and Mason and fellow senior 6'4 Jeff Hull were controlling the defensive glass. When East grabbed the rebound they immediately looked to throw the long out lit pass to Nimrod Hillard who got numerous easy buckets which led to the SP student section chanting cherry picker but, honestly in Sun Prairie wanted to stop it the guy on the top of the key has to get back and run with Hillard and not letting him get out in the open. Pairie only scored three points in the third quarter and East jumped out to the 41-34 third quarter lead. In the fourth quarter East basically milked the clock and Prairie couldn't get the ball out of Hillard's hands.
Top Players
Nimrod Hillard 6'0 junior Madison East- Possibly the best ball handler I have seen this year and changes direction so well. Ultimate competitor. What he lacks in size makes up in heart.
Marquis Mason 6'4 senior Madison East- I've said it before and I'll say it again just ultimate game changer without scoring. Controlled the inside and the zone allowed him to stay on the inside and monitor the paint.
Chris Hawkins 6'4 junior Sun Prairie- Had some very nice blocks and was able to score on the inside. Nice big athletic body on the inside.
Michael Boos 6'2 Senior Sun Prairie- Comes off the screens ready to shoot and has a nice quick release that is real smooth.
Box Scores (starters in italics)
Madison East- Hillard 19 Mason 16 Hull 4 Marcel Terry 4 Drew McAdams 4 Rudy Bentley 4 Arthur Adams 0
Sun Prairie- Hawkins 14 Boos 13 Jaron Schaffner 6 Nick Fuller 4 William Thiel 4 Jordan Noskowiak 2 Reggie Williams 2 Daniel Mifflin 0
Well don't have the time tonight to write about the great East verse Memorial game but, tomorrow I'll probably have the time. Hillard once again showed his greatness.
Throughout the first half Sun Prairie matched Madison East shot for shot. I had always heard a lot of good things about Sun Prairie senior 6'2 Michael Boos and had never really been that impressed but, in this game he really impressed me. Boos was coming off screens firing and knocking down the shots while big man 6'4 junior Chris Hawkins was doing his thing on the inside. At half time Sun Prairie was up 31-27. Then in the second half Madison East went to a zone and Sun Prairie completely folded. The threes were not falling for SP and Mason and fellow senior 6'4 Jeff Hull were controlling the defensive glass. When East grabbed the rebound they immediately looked to throw the long out lit pass to Nimrod Hillard who got numerous easy buckets which led to the SP student section chanting cherry picker but, honestly in Sun Prairie wanted to stop it the guy on the top of the key has to get back and run with Hillard and not letting him get out in the open. Pairie only scored three points in the third quarter and East jumped out to the 41-34 third quarter lead. In the fourth quarter East basically milked the clock and Prairie couldn't get the ball out of Hillard's hands.
Top Players
Nimrod Hillard 6'0 junior Madison East- Possibly the best ball handler I have seen this year and changes direction so well. Ultimate competitor. What he lacks in size makes up in heart.
Marquis Mason 6'4 senior Madison East- I've said it before and I'll say it again just ultimate game changer without scoring. Controlled the inside and the zone allowed him to stay on the inside and monitor the paint.
Chris Hawkins 6'4 junior Sun Prairie- Had some very nice blocks and was able to score on the inside. Nice big athletic body on the inside.
Michael Boos 6'2 Senior Sun Prairie- Comes off the screens ready to shoot and has a nice quick release that is real smooth.
Box Scores (starters in italics)
Madison East- Hillard 19 Mason 16 Hull 4 Marcel Terry 4 Drew McAdams 4 Rudy Bentley 4 Arthur Adams 0
Sun Prairie- Hawkins 14 Boos 13 Jaron Schaffner 6 Nick Fuller 4 William Thiel 4 Jordan Noskowiak 2 Reggie Williams 2 Daniel Mifflin 0
Well don't have the time tonight to write about the great East verse Memorial game but, tomorrow I'll probably have the time. Hillard once again showed his greatness.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Madison East Dominates Early and Clinges to Lead Late
In a game where Madison East completely dominated throughout the first three quarters, numerous turnovers and a crucial technical foul made this game very close in the end. Just like the last East game that I saw big 6'4 senior Marquis Mason was the difference without scoring a ton of points. Whenever Verona would take the ball to the hoop they appeared to be very tentative and missed a ton of bunny shots early on in the game and East control the boards which didn't allow Verona any second chance buckets.
Throughout the entire first quarter Verona was missing the easy shots and seemed to be scarred of something that was never really there as Mason picked up an early foul and seemed to be alittle tentative challenging shots. Despite not being able to make anything on the inside Verona was able to stay in the game by knocking down the three point shot. Midway through the second quarter though the three stopped falling and East took over. Mason was dominating the defensive glass and was able to find room on the inside of the offensive end and score. Meanwhile junior guard 6'0 Nimrod Hillard was able to do whatever he wanted on the outside whether that was penetrating to the rim or knocking down the outside shot.
Second half started much the same as the first half as Verona couldn't buy a basket and Mason was controlling the boards and out letting to teammates which led to some wide open lay ups for Hillard. The game finally started to get closer when Verona's 6'4 seniors Adam Wadzinski and Sam Karls finally got involved in the game. Karls scored all 15 of his points in the second half mostly from the foul line. Verona turned up the pressure in the fourth quarter which led to numerous turnovers for East and Verona was able to make the game respectable. With under four minutes in the game Hillard found Mason on a back door ally oop dunk that appeared to seal the game but, there was one finally momentum swing left in the game. On a play that seemed to officially seal the game Mason threw down a monster dunk over Wadzinski which led to some hanging on the rim by Mason and some chest pounding, which led to the East fans coming out of the stands and onto the court. (Link to the two dunks can be found here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YR0YpWh5m68) These things led to two technical fouls being call on East and four free throws for Verona. Karls connected on all four free throws and brought Verona within four but, they never could get the game any closer as East got the 52-45 win.
Top Players
Nimrod Hillard 6'0 junior Madison East- Has been very impressive both games I have seen him. Handles the ball very well and can get to the rim at will or knock down the outside shot. Never saw the bench and didn't lose a step.
Marquis Mason 6'4 senior Madison East- As I've stated before is a game changer and doesn't have to score. Had a double double and added a hand full of blocks and a pair of monster dunks.
Adam Wadzinski 6'4 senior Verona- Kept his team in the game battling on the glass and hitting some very tough shots. May not always score but, is always a factor in the game.
Sam Karls 6'4 senior Verona- Battled with Mason all game long and really showed up at the end with 15 second half points. Very clutch from the free throw line.
Box Score (starters in italics)
Verona- Karls 15 Wadzinski 14 Kaden Nauman 6 Danny Burns 4 Matt Ropel 3 Taylor Peterson 3 Klayton Brandt 0 Nate Ray 0
Madison East- Hillard 19 Mason 17 Drew McAdams 5 Jeff Hull 4 Arthur Adams 4 DeAndre Galligan 2 Marcel Terry 1 Rudy Bentley 0
Saturday Madison East will be taking on Madison Memorial in what could possibly be the game of the year in Wisconsin as East is currently ranked #1 in the state while Memorial is #3. Tickets have gone on sale ahead of time so hopefully we can make it to this game.
Throughout the entire first quarter Verona was missing the easy shots and seemed to be scarred of something that was never really there as Mason picked up an early foul and seemed to be alittle tentative challenging shots. Despite not being able to make anything on the inside Verona was able to stay in the game by knocking down the three point shot. Midway through the second quarter though the three stopped falling and East took over. Mason was dominating the defensive glass and was able to find room on the inside of the offensive end and score. Meanwhile junior guard 6'0 Nimrod Hillard was able to do whatever he wanted on the outside whether that was penetrating to the rim or knocking down the outside shot.
Second half started much the same as the first half as Verona couldn't buy a basket and Mason was controlling the boards and out letting to teammates which led to some wide open lay ups for Hillard. The game finally started to get closer when Verona's 6'4 seniors Adam Wadzinski and Sam Karls finally got involved in the game. Karls scored all 15 of his points in the second half mostly from the foul line. Verona turned up the pressure in the fourth quarter which led to numerous turnovers for East and Verona was able to make the game respectable. With under four minutes in the game Hillard found Mason on a back door ally oop dunk that appeared to seal the game but, there was one finally momentum swing left in the game. On a play that seemed to officially seal the game Mason threw down a monster dunk over Wadzinski which led to some hanging on the rim by Mason and some chest pounding, which led to the East fans coming out of the stands and onto the court. (Link to the two dunks can be found here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YR0YpWh5m68) These things led to two technical fouls being call on East and four free throws for Verona. Karls connected on all four free throws and brought Verona within four but, they never could get the game any closer as East got the 52-45 win.
Top Players
Nimrod Hillard 6'0 junior Madison East- Has been very impressive both games I have seen him. Handles the ball very well and can get to the rim at will or knock down the outside shot. Never saw the bench and didn't lose a step.
Marquis Mason 6'4 senior Madison East- As I've stated before is a game changer and doesn't have to score. Had a double double and added a hand full of blocks and a pair of monster dunks.
Adam Wadzinski 6'4 senior Verona- Kept his team in the game battling on the glass and hitting some very tough shots. May not always score but, is always a factor in the game.
Sam Karls 6'4 senior Verona- Battled with Mason all game long and really showed up at the end with 15 second half points. Very clutch from the free throw line.
Box Score (starters in italics)
Verona- Karls 15 Wadzinski 14 Kaden Nauman 6 Danny Burns 4 Matt Ropel 3 Taylor Peterson 3 Klayton Brandt 0 Nate Ray 0
Madison East- Hillard 19 Mason 17 Drew McAdams 5 Jeff Hull 4 Arthur Adams 4 DeAndre Galligan 2 Marcel Terry 1 Rudy Bentley 0
Saturday Madison East will be taking on Madison Memorial in what could possibly be the game of the year in Wisconsin as East is currently ranked #1 in the state while Memorial is #3. Tickets have gone on sale ahead of time so hopefully we can make it to this game.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)