With the season having ended it's time to look towards next season and who might be next years state champs and are the favorites to make it to state. Taking into account which teams return the most and which teams also seem to be tough year in and year out.
Division One
Milwaukee Hamiliton- Have to be every ones favorite heading into next year as they bring back everyone from there state team and have six players that are ranked in the top 50 junior for the state.
Madison Memorial- The talent just keeps coming and coming. Junior Junior Lomomba should have a huge year and junior Jamar Morris will be greatly improved. Juniors Tre Burnette, Miles Chamberlain, and freshmen Brendan Ortiz are the other regulars that return along with the addition of freshmen Jester Weah from JV.
Appleton East- Only lose two players from this years state team and return their top five scorers. Sophomre Sam Mader appears to be on the rise talent wise and the juniors of this year will all be going into their third year on varsity.
Milwaukee Marquette- Return their top two players in juniors Quinten Calloway and John Kopriva. Calloway is the point and Kopriva the big man on the inside.
Milwaukee King- Arroyo Edwards leads a very very talented sophomore class. Not to mention Gosz is one of the best coaches around.
Milwaukee Vincent- Another very talented city team that has 6'9 sophomore Phillip Nolan coming back as well as a talented group of underclassmen.
Sun Prairie- Boos is the only player gone from this years team and junior Chris Hawkins and Jordan Noskowiak should be poised for break out years.
Germantown- Have a very good back court in sophomores Zak Showalter and Josh Mongan along with 6'6 Daniel Studer.
As you can see by my predictions next year should be a comeback year for the City Conference after having a bit of down year this past year. Hamiliton is the favorite as I said and Vincent and King should have very strong teams. I also wouldn't be surprised to see South or Riverside make a strong run at state. The Big Eight will be strong once again but, will be down a bit from this year as Madison East, Verona, and Madison Lafollette will fall off a bit next year.
Division Two
Seymour- Have a very strong junior class and were only a game away from state this year. Have a very good coach as well obviously which can be seen by there great success in the past 10 years.
Rice Lake- Play in a tough conference and have a strong junior class led by Wally Elleson.
Onalaska- Were every ones favorite to make state this year and return their top player in 6'8 sophomore Nick Arenz along with a strong junior class and some very promising freshmen.
Monroe- Have one of the best back courts in the state with the return of juniors Bryan Tordoff and Michael Barrett. Also have a great coach and some nice sophomores and freshmen coming up.
River Valley- Bring back their top two players in juniors Noah Baryenbruch and Alex Richard.
In D2 in looks like it's back to the old standbys. D2 had been the most consistent in the same years making it back year after year but, the last couple years that has changed with some surprises. I'm betting that the old standbys will be back next year.
Division Three
Racine St. Catherines- Lose only one player from this years team in Steve McWhorter who was a huge asset to the team obviously being a D1 recruit but, they bring everyone back and I think Chris Souter should be able to step into the point guard position next year.
Whitefish Bay Dominican- Always strong tradition at Dominican and always seem to have great talent. Freshmen Duane Wilson and sophomore Jamall Taylor will form one of the top back courts in D3.
Manitowoc Roncalli- Bring back nearly everyone from this years team and shoot the ball extremely well. Ben Stelzer there star is back for his fourth year of varsity.
Lacrosse Aquinas- They are a year older and Bronson Koenig will be a sophomore and Evan Pederson a senior.
Brillion- Lose only two seniors that actually played this year and bring back three of their top five scorers.
As you can see like always D3 is going to be the private school championship, which will upset all the small public school backers as always.
Division Four
Green Bay NEW Lutheran- State runner ups lose only one senior that played from this years team and bring back their top two scorers. Should be front runners to win state.
Benton- Sophomore David Neis and junior Matt Savatski who were both starters when Benton won state two years ago.
Randolph- Can you ever count Randolph out? They are a contender every year no matter what they've lost from the year before. Juniors Brian Kampstra and TJ Huizenga should have big years next year and rumors are there is some nice height in the eighth grade class.
Next year should be a year where the top teams will be fairly obvious all year long and will more then likely meet at state. At least next year GBNL will be coming out of a different sectional unlike this year when all the top teams were in the same sectional.
With the season coming to an end my posts will be few and far between. I will have a few more conclusion posts in the next month or so.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
State Recap
I know it has been a few days but, I've been recovering from a very long weekend of basketball and have just now back to my normal self. For the most part state went according to plan with a few exceptions. Milwaukee Hamiliton losing in the quarter finals and then the biggest shock with Madison Memorial falling apart in the championship game.
Division One
In the first quarterfinal game Antigo was very disappointing along with Jordan Mach who I was excited to see play. Mach seemed to take a ton of shots and no one else really wanted to shoot. Appleton East wasn't that solid in itself but, the three point shooting was out and about and the hot shooting of Caleb Zeegers saved them in this one. In game two it felt like Madison Memorial just coasted against Neenah. I don't remember much about this game but, the starters for Memorial didn't play a ton of minutes and seemed to wrap this game up early with their pressure defense. Milwaukee Marquette over Milwaukee Hamiliton was a big shocker and just didn't seem right as Hamiliton controlled this game throughout. I found myself guessing how Hamiliton would match up with Memorial, thinking their length would give Memorial some problems, and trying to guess who would guard who. Before I knew it Marquette had tied the game up and took the lead and Hamiliton couldn't hit the big shot at the end of any threes the entire game. Marvins Pain came up huge for Marquette going 3-4 from downtown. In the final game of the first day Arrowhead completely dominated Verona and I left midway through the fourth quarter. Verona had no one to guard the 7'1 Ben Mills or ultra quick point guard Andy Fox.
Semifinal
Madison Memorial put on an absolute clinic on running a trapping 1-3-1 zone defense against Appleton East. East just seemed overwhelmed by the speed and quickness of Memorial. Arrowhead vs Marquette was probably the best game of D1 and ended with a banked in three with only seconds remaining. There were some nice match ups between Ben Mills and John Kopriva despite Kopriva giving up some height and then the two lead guards in Andy Fox and Quentin Calloway but, the difference was the hot shooting of Charlie Fischer who hit five three point shots in this game.
Championship
Memorial seemed to have this game in hand and was one run away from completely taking this game over as they led by eight points at half time. Memorial was trapping and getting out and running. In the second half Memorial completely lost it and Arrowhead capitalized. Memorial had a tough time guarding Mills all night long due to the fact that the tallest player they play is listed at a generous 6'5. Vander Blue was completely taken out of his game by the Arrowhead crowd who taunted him all night long and Blue responded by playing out of control and really forcing things that weren't there. Arrowhead had numerous cheers against Blue "Mrs. Basketball" "Vander Who?" "Bray is better" and then finally "Thank you Vander". I truly believe Memorial was the better team but, just lost their composure in this one.
Divion two semifinal
I thought Waukesha Catholic Memorial would blow Sauk Prairie out but, Sauk really played hard and were a missed three away from winning this game. In the first half TJ Bray really dominated for Catholic Memorial but, then in the second half he began forcing shots and things weren't falling and Memorials offense cooled off. In the second game Northwestern played a very solid game against Kiel and got only a five point lead due to some hot shooting from Kiel that in the game. Northwestern was very impressive in this game, they have lots of height and really look to use their height and pound the ball inside. Donnie Hissa may be the most improved player I've seen this year and has a very soft touch around the rim, really fights for position, and can step out and hit the three. Kiels star Brandon Gries was battling an ankle injury the second half and was a non factor in the second half despite that fact the hot shooting from Joey Burris nearly won them the game. Anyone watching Northwestern's Steve Tecker play could of never guess that this was only his fourth game of the year. Tecker looked nearly as impressive as last year and plays nearly the entire game.
Championship
This was the best game of the weekend. TJ Bray and Steve Tecker went head to head for a great battle. Edge to Bray who was able to hit the outside shot and get to the rim while Tecker struggled to get to the rim and has never had a great outside shot. Hissa had another great game all around but, the difference was the play of Derek Schill who was able to catch fire from the outside and was the difference in the game.
Division Three
Racine St Catherines controlled game one nearly the entire way. Blair Taylor couldn't buy a basket early on and they weren't getting the offensive rebounds that I had seen them get the last time I saw them play. St Cats is just a very smooth team and very disciplined team. Whether missed or made shot the push the ball quicker then any other team and find their point guard Steve Mcwhorter right away. Mcwhorter is the best on the ball defender that I've seen all year. In game two height was the big difference. Brillion didn't have height and Eau Claire Regis did. Regis big man Steve Hofacker had 10 points 14 rebounds and 5 blocks. Brillion seems to be a team that relies on the outside shot and the outside shot wasn't falling and they weren't getting the second chances. Regis point guard Connor Miller is a star in the making and runs the show very well and can score on his own. Would like to see him go to the post more though.
Championship
This was a great match up between two great point guards in Miller and McWhorter. McWhorter did a great job on Miller and McWhorter received some help from Jordan Fouse who had a double double with 18 points and 11 rebounds. With Miller shut down Adam Ganske took over for Regis, so then McWhorter switched over to Ganske and shut him down. Meanwhile Miller went off scoring eight straight points which cause St. Cats to switch to a 1-3-1 zone defense and then get the title win.
Division four semifinal
Game one Randolph completely dominated Royal from start to finish. Royal couldn't hit the outside shots and didn't have the size to battle with Randolph. Kyle Kelm didn't have a good game but, TJ Huizenga came up big scoring 21 points in the game. In the second game Green Bay NEW Lutheran came out early gunning using their speed and hot outside shooting to jump out early but, the strong play from Blayton big man Taylor Dayton willed his team back into this game and ended with a one point lose.
Championship
In the final game Randolph against showed their dominance behind the great play of 6'10 Kyle Kelm. Kelm rebounded, scored, and passed. GBNL did their best to keep the game close with strong outside shooting but, in the end Kelm and company were just too much.
All Tournament team
6'4 senior Vander Blue Madison Memorial
6'4 junior Tre Burnette Madison Memorial
6'3 senior Marvins Paine Milwaukee Marquette
7'1 senior Ben Mills Arrowhead
6'0 senior Andy Fox Arrowhead
6'3 junior Charlie Fischer Arrowhead
6'4 senior TJ Bray Waukesha Catholic Memorial
6'1 senior Derek Schill Waukesha Catholic Memorial
6'8 senior Donnie Hissa Northwestern
6'5 senior Steve Tecker Northwestern
6'2 senior Steve McWhorter Racine St. Cats
6'3 senior Adam Ganske Eau Claire Regis
6'2 junior Connor Miller Eau Claire Regis
6'0 junior Kaylor Zimmerman Green Bay NEW Lutheran
6'10 senior Kyle Kelm Randolph
6'3 junior TJ Huizenga Randolph
If you are a person that likes the small quick point guards then this was a state tournament for you. Every game had at least one very good point guard who could score or pass. Andy Fox, Charles Lee, Quentin Calloway, Steve McWhorter, Connor Miller, and Klayton Zimmerman. Along with that you had your stars that are big scorers, D1 recruits, and highly ranked players.
Division One
In the first quarterfinal game Antigo was very disappointing along with Jordan Mach who I was excited to see play. Mach seemed to take a ton of shots and no one else really wanted to shoot. Appleton East wasn't that solid in itself but, the three point shooting was out and about and the hot shooting of Caleb Zeegers saved them in this one. In game two it felt like Madison Memorial just coasted against Neenah. I don't remember much about this game but, the starters for Memorial didn't play a ton of minutes and seemed to wrap this game up early with their pressure defense. Milwaukee Marquette over Milwaukee Hamiliton was a big shocker and just didn't seem right as Hamiliton controlled this game throughout. I found myself guessing how Hamiliton would match up with Memorial, thinking their length would give Memorial some problems, and trying to guess who would guard who. Before I knew it Marquette had tied the game up and took the lead and Hamiliton couldn't hit the big shot at the end of any threes the entire game. Marvins Pain came up huge for Marquette going 3-4 from downtown. In the final game of the first day Arrowhead completely dominated Verona and I left midway through the fourth quarter. Verona had no one to guard the 7'1 Ben Mills or ultra quick point guard Andy Fox.
Semifinal
Madison Memorial put on an absolute clinic on running a trapping 1-3-1 zone defense against Appleton East. East just seemed overwhelmed by the speed and quickness of Memorial. Arrowhead vs Marquette was probably the best game of D1 and ended with a banked in three with only seconds remaining. There were some nice match ups between Ben Mills and John Kopriva despite Kopriva giving up some height and then the two lead guards in Andy Fox and Quentin Calloway but, the difference was the hot shooting of Charlie Fischer who hit five three point shots in this game.
Championship
Memorial seemed to have this game in hand and was one run away from completely taking this game over as they led by eight points at half time. Memorial was trapping and getting out and running. In the second half Memorial completely lost it and Arrowhead capitalized. Memorial had a tough time guarding Mills all night long due to the fact that the tallest player they play is listed at a generous 6'5. Vander Blue was completely taken out of his game by the Arrowhead crowd who taunted him all night long and Blue responded by playing out of control and really forcing things that weren't there. Arrowhead had numerous cheers against Blue "Mrs. Basketball" "Vander Who?" "Bray is better" and then finally "Thank you Vander". I truly believe Memorial was the better team but, just lost their composure in this one.
Divion two semifinal
I thought Waukesha Catholic Memorial would blow Sauk Prairie out but, Sauk really played hard and were a missed three away from winning this game. In the first half TJ Bray really dominated for Catholic Memorial but, then in the second half he began forcing shots and things weren't falling and Memorials offense cooled off. In the second game Northwestern played a very solid game against Kiel and got only a five point lead due to some hot shooting from Kiel that in the game. Northwestern was very impressive in this game, they have lots of height and really look to use their height and pound the ball inside. Donnie Hissa may be the most improved player I've seen this year and has a very soft touch around the rim, really fights for position, and can step out and hit the three. Kiels star Brandon Gries was battling an ankle injury the second half and was a non factor in the second half despite that fact the hot shooting from Joey Burris nearly won them the game. Anyone watching Northwestern's Steve Tecker play could of never guess that this was only his fourth game of the year. Tecker looked nearly as impressive as last year and plays nearly the entire game.
Championship
This was the best game of the weekend. TJ Bray and Steve Tecker went head to head for a great battle. Edge to Bray who was able to hit the outside shot and get to the rim while Tecker struggled to get to the rim and has never had a great outside shot. Hissa had another great game all around but, the difference was the play of Derek Schill who was able to catch fire from the outside and was the difference in the game.
Division Three
Racine St Catherines controlled game one nearly the entire way. Blair Taylor couldn't buy a basket early on and they weren't getting the offensive rebounds that I had seen them get the last time I saw them play. St Cats is just a very smooth team and very disciplined team. Whether missed or made shot the push the ball quicker then any other team and find their point guard Steve Mcwhorter right away. Mcwhorter is the best on the ball defender that I've seen all year. In game two height was the big difference. Brillion didn't have height and Eau Claire Regis did. Regis big man Steve Hofacker had 10 points 14 rebounds and 5 blocks. Brillion seems to be a team that relies on the outside shot and the outside shot wasn't falling and they weren't getting the second chances. Regis point guard Connor Miller is a star in the making and runs the show very well and can score on his own. Would like to see him go to the post more though.
Championship
This was a great match up between two great point guards in Miller and McWhorter. McWhorter did a great job on Miller and McWhorter received some help from Jordan Fouse who had a double double with 18 points and 11 rebounds. With Miller shut down Adam Ganske took over for Regis, so then McWhorter switched over to Ganske and shut him down. Meanwhile Miller went off scoring eight straight points which cause St. Cats to switch to a 1-3-1 zone defense and then get the title win.
Division four semifinal
Game one Randolph completely dominated Royal from start to finish. Royal couldn't hit the outside shots and didn't have the size to battle with Randolph. Kyle Kelm didn't have a good game but, TJ Huizenga came up big scoring 21 points in the game. In the second game Green Bay NEW Lutheran came out early gunning using their speed and hot outside shooting to jump out early but, the strong play from Blayton big man Taylor Dayton willed his team back into this game and ended with a one point lose.
Championship
In the final game Randolph against showed their dominance behind the great play of 6'10 Kyle Kelm. Kelm rebounded, scored, and passed. GBNL did their best to keep the game close with strong outside shooting but, in the end Kelm and company were just too much.
All Tournament team
6'4 senior Vander Blue Madison Memorial
6'4 junior Tre Burnette Madison Memorial
6'3 senior Marvins Paine Milwaukee Marquette
7'1 senior Ben Mills Arrowhead
6'0 senior Andy Fox Arrowhead
6'3 junior Charlie Fischer Arrowhead
6'4 senior TJ Bray Waukesha Catholic Memorial
6'1 senior Derek Schill Waukesha Catholic Memorial
6'8 senior Donnie Hissa Northwestern
6'5 senior Steve Tecker Northwestern
6'2 senior Steve McWhorter Racine St. Cats
6'3 senior Adam Ganske Eau Claire Regis
6'2 junior Connor Miller Eau Claire Regis
6'0 junior Kaylor Zimmerman Green Bay NEW Lutheran
6'10 senior Kyle Kelm Randolph
6'3 junior TJ Huizenga Randolph
If you are a person that likes the small quick point guards then this was a state tournament for you. Every game had at least one very good point guard who could score or pass. Andy Fox, Charles Lee, Quentin Calloway, Steve McWhorter, Connor Miller, and Klayton Zimmerman. Along with that you had your stars that are big scorers, D1 recruits, and highly ranked players.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Division Four state predictions
As always the story in division four is Randolph. They have the height advantage with 6'10 Kyle Kelm and have an undefeated team. Randolph is the clear cut favorite and are expected to win state by at least double digit point margin. The two teams that may challenge Randolph are Clayton who has only lost one game and Green Bay New Lutheran who has benefited from playing against larger schools during the regular season and hasn't had many problems defeated D4 teams. The long shot and thats a huge long shot is Royal who is making their first ever appearance at state and didn't have a great season but, are peaking at the right time.
Clayton vs Green Bay New Lutheran I don't know anything about either team and this game is really a coin flip. Clayton has only lost one game while GBNL has lost 10 games but, has been playing against D3 and D2 teams all year long. I'm taking GBNL for the simple fact that Clayton doesn't play the toughest competition and comes out of weaker sectional and Clayton doesn't have much for height.
Randolph vs Royal Randolph has 6'10 Kelm whose a D1 recruit and lots of depth specially for a D4 team. Royal is a team with a handful of good players but, don't have that great player and don't have the height. Just way way too much Randolph in this one.
Randolph over Green Bay New Lutheran Randolph is just too good. They have played D1 schools all year long and should have no problem with these D4 schools. Have probably played their toughest games already in their sectional.
Clayton vs Green Bay New Lutheran I don't know anything about either team and this game is really a coin flip. Clayton has only lost one game while GBNL has lost 10 games but, has been playing against D3 and D2 teams all year long. I'm taking GBNL for the simple fact that Clayton doesn't play the toughest competition and comes out of weaker sectional and Clayton doesn't have much for height.
Randolph vs Royal Randolph has 6'10 Kelm whose a D1 recruit and lots of depth specially for a D4 team. Royal is a team with a handful of good players but, don't have that great player and don't have the height. Just way way too much Randolph in this one.
Randolph over Green Bay New Lutheran Randolph is just too good. They have played D1 schools all year long and should have no problem with these D4 schools. Have probably played their toughest games already in their sectional.
Division Three state predictions
Ever since the private schools have joined the WIAA private schools have dominated division three. This year everyone thought that could be changed as Fall Creek and Cuba City appeared to be two of the favorites but, both those teams were upset and now it appears a private school will win D3 again. The favorite, like every year it seems, in Racine St Catherines who has a D1 recruit in Steve McWhorter and have come out of one of the toughest sectionals and conferences. The other big favorite, in my eyes anyway is another private school, Eau Claire Regis who has replaced Fall Creek in the northwest sectional. Regis has three stars in their starting lineup in Adam Ganske, Jack Eaton, and Connor Miller along with a 6'7 center Steve Hofacker. Brillon is probably team number three after taking down perennial power Manitowoc Roncalli and the long shot in the field is Blair Taylor.
Brillon vs Eau Clair Regis Brillon has proven themselves taking down Roncalli and have only lost four games all year, losing twice to Roncalli and twice to Valders, who was a top 10 D2 team. On the other side Regis lost only five games losing twice to Fall Creek, getting upset by Thorp, who ultimately ended FC's season, and losing two two very good teams from Minnesota. Regis has the experience and talent edge and should get the win.
Blair Taylor vs Racine St Catherines Blair Taylor lost only three games this year splitting with conference rival Whitehall, a good team from Minnesota, and then losing to a non conference game to Arcadia. Blair Taylor rebounds very very well and have the experience factor after losing only one senior from last years D4 state team. St. Cats has proven itself time and again all season long and have one of the best coaches in the state. St Cats plays in one of the toughest D3 conferences in the state and stamped their tournament run with an exclamation point dominating Dominican who was my pick to win D3. St Cats too much talent and speed in this one.
Racine St Catherines over Eau Claire Regis- St. Cats just has too much speed for Regis but, there could be a great point guard match up between Mcwhorter and Miller.
Brillon vs Eau Clair Regis Brillon has proven themselves taking down Roncalli and have only lost four games all year, losing twice to Roncalli and twice to Valders, who was a top 10 D2 team. On the other side Regis lost only five games losing twice to Fall Creek, getting upset by Thorp, who ultimately ended FC's season, and losing two two very good teams from Minnesota. Regis has the experience and talent edge and should get the win.
Blair Taylor vs Racine St Catherines Blair Taylor lost only three games this year splitting with conference rival Whitehall, a good team from Minnesota, and then losing to a non conference game to Arcadia. Blair Taylor rebounds very very well and have the experience factor after losing only one senior from last years D4 state team. St. Cats has proven itself time and again all season long and have one of the best coaches in the state. St Cats plays in one of the toughest D3 conferences in the state and stamped their tournament run with an exclamation point dominating Dominican who was my pick to win D3. St Cats too much talent and speed in this one.
Racine St Catherines over Eau Claire Regis- St. Cats just has too much speed for Regis but, there could be a great point guard match up between Mcwhorter and Miller.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Division Two state predictions
All year long everyone has said that the division two state champion was going to come out of the southeastern sectional and I'm going to stay with the preseason pick and stay with Waukesha Catholic Memorial. The other early preseason pick was Northwestern but, that was before their star Steve Tecker was lost for the season due to hip surgery but, Tecker has returned for sectionals and is back for state. Tecker isn't anywhere near 100% but, has been an emotional spark for Northwestern and has become the top six man in the state. Kiel has proven themselves throughout the playoffs defeating three top ten teams in Valders, Waupun, and Seymour on their way to state and appear to be as hot as anyone in the state right now. Sauk Prairie probably had the easiest road to state but, did come out of a tough regional where the defeated top teams in River Valley and Prairie du Chien.
Sauk Prairie vs Waukesha Catholic Memorial Sauk plays in one of the toughest conferences in the state and should be battle tested and has already taken down a pair of state favorites in River Valley and Prairie du Chien. Catholic Memorial comes out of an even tougher conference and has the best player in D2 left in TJ Bray who is a D1 recruit. Catholic Memorial gets the big edge in this one.
Kiel vs Northwestern This game could go either way. Before the season I would of taken Northwestern easily but, with Tecker not at 100% I'm not sure. Kiel appears to be the hottest of the four teams at state and I seriously considered picking them in this game but, Northwestern has the 6'8 Donnie Hissa who has a huge height advantage over anything Kiel has on their roster so I'm going with Northwestern.
Waukesha Catholic Memorial over Northwestern Catholic Memorial has more talent with Derek Schill and TJ Bray who are big time college recruits. Northwestern has Tecker who isn't at 100% and Catholic Memorial has the bigs to match up with Hissa.
Sauk Prairie vs Waukesha Catholic Memorial Sauk plays in one of the toughest conferences in the state and should be battle tested and has already taken down a pair of state favorites in River Valley and Prairie du Chien. Catholic Memorial comes out of an even tougher conference and has the best player in D2 left in TJ Bray who is a D1 recruit. Catholic Memorial gets the big edge in this one.
Kiel vs Northwestern This game could go either way. Before the season I would of taken Northwestern easily but, with Tecker not at 100% I'm not sure. Kiel appears to be the hottest of the four teams at state and I seriously considered picking them in this game but, Northwestern has the 6'8 Donnie Hissa who has a huge height advantage over anything Kiel has on their roster so I'm going with Northwestern.
Waukesha Catholic Memorial over Northwestern Catholic Memorial has more talent with Derek Schill and TJ Bray who are big time college recruits. Northwestern has Tecker who isn't at 100% and Catholic Memorial has the bigs to match up with Hissa.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Division One state predictions
With state being only three days away its time for a little state talk. Start off by focusing on division one. The two huge favorites are Milwaukee Hamiliton and Madison Memorial, they have the most talent and are the most athletic teams left. The darkhorses are Antigo and Arrowhead. Antigo has the highest scoring player left in the tournament and Arrowhead has 7'0 foot Ben Mills. The other four teams remaining are all considered long shots.
Antigo vs Appleton East Antigo has the high scoring Jordan Mach and a very high scoring team as a whole. They are undefeated at 25-0. East is a team that relies on a strong defense and their offense is centered around the three point shot. They come out of the traditionally strong Fox Valley conference. East takes lots of threes and teams typically struggle from the outside at the Kohl Center so I'm taking Antigo in this one.
Madison Memorial vs Neenah Memorial was a preseason favorite but, haven't been very consistant all year. Memorial seems to be peaking at the right time. Memorial has ton of top 30 talent in the state and Vander Blue the top player in the state. Don't know much about Neenah but, they seemed to be peaking just like Memorial. They are another team coming out of the tough Fox Valley Coneference and will look to slow the pace while Memorial looks to push the tempo. Madison Memorial's talent will be too much for Neenah.
Milwaukee Hamiliton vs Milwaukee Marquette Hamiliton is another team that was a preseason favorite and have lived up to the hype all year long not losing to one Wisconsin team all year long. They have a no less then seven players in the top 50 juniors and at least three D1 recruits. Marquette seems to have peaked at the right time and has benefited from a weak sectional eight this year and have taken down four city schools already in the playoffs. Seem to have the height to battle anyone in the state. Hamiliton just has too much talent and size and should get the win.
Arrowhead vs Verona Arrowhead was the preseason #1 team. They are without their top guard who is out due to grades but, still have 7'1 senior Ben Mills who is a huge difference maker. Verona comes out of the toughest conference in the state in the Big Eight and also comes to play hard and will make this game very close. Mills will just be too much for Verona on the inside and gives Arrowhead the win.
State SemiFinal
Madison Memorial over Antigo- Memorial can score with anyone in the state and should be able to keep Antigo lower scoring with their intense defense.
Milwaukee Hamiliton over Arrowhead- Hamiliton and has the bigs that are athletic to battle with Mills on the inside who will get pushed around in this one.
Championship
Milwaukee Hamiliton over Madison Memorial- Should be a game for the ages. Both teams have D1 college talent, a ton of ranked players, and have matched up against some of the nations best teams. The height advantage and the more consistent play should give Milwaukee Hamiliton the state title.
Antigo vs Appleton East Antigo has the high scoring Jordan Mach and a very high scoring team as a whole. They are undefeated at 25-0. East is a team that relies on a strong defense and their offense is centered around the three point shot. They come out of the traditionally strong Fox Valley conference. East takes lots of threes and teams typically struggle from the outside at the Kohl Center so I'm taking Antigo in this one.
Madison Memorial vs Neenah Memorial was a preseason favorite but, haven't been very consistant all year. Memorial seems to be peaking at the right time. Memorial has ton of top 30 talent in the state and Vander Blue the top player in the state. Don't know much about Neenah but, they seemed to be peaking just like Memorial. They are another team coming out of the tough Fox Valley Coneference and will look to slow the pace while Memorial looks to push the tempo. Madison Memorial's talent will be too much for Neenah.
Milwaukee Hamiliton vs Milwaukee Marquette Hamiliton is another team that was a preseason favorite and have lived up to the hype all year long not losing to one Wisconsin team all year long. They have a no less then seven players in the top 50 juniors and at least three D1 recruits. Marquette seems to have peaked at the right time and has benefited from a weak sectional eight this year and have taken down four city schools already in the playoffs. Seem to have the height to battle anyone in the state. Hamiliton just has too much talent and size and should get the win.
Arrowhead vs Verona Arrowhead was the preseason #1 team. They are without their top guard who is out due to grades but, still have 7'1 senior Ben Mills who is a huge difference maker. Verona comes out of the toughest conference in the state in the Big Eight and also comes to play hard and will make this game very close. Mills will just be too much for Verona on the inside and gives Arrowhead the win.
State SemiFinal
Madison Memorial over Antigo- Memorial can score with anyone in the state and should be able to keep Antigo lower scoring with their intense defense.
Milwaukee Hamiliton over Arrowhead- Hamiliton and has the bigs that are athletic to battle with Mills on the inside who will get pushed around in this one.
Championship
Milwaukee Hamiliton over Madison Memorial- Should be a game for the ages. Both teams have D1 college talent, a ton of ranked players, and have matched up against some of the nations best teams. The height advantage and the more consistent play should give Milwaukee Hamiliton the state title.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Blair Taylor defeats Poynette to get to state
In a division three sectional final Blair Taylor was able to take down Poynette in overtime to get their shot at state. Blair Taylor was there a year ago in D4 and now will get their shot in D3. Last year they had to face the favorite in Benton in the semi final and now this year they get the favorite Racine St. Catherines. Coming into this game I was taking Blair Taylor by a 6-8 scoring margin but, then watching warm ups I got a little nervous because Poynette looked like the better team. Poynette looked more athletic and was making more shots in the warm ups.
Blair Taylor may of been the favorite but, Poynette game out gunning jumping out to a 6-0 lead right away behind the hotting shooting of 6'2 senior Cody Odegaard and 6'2 junior Adam Ray. Odegaard was the first option and when they weren't able to get to him they went to Ray who was just as hot. Blair Taylor was playing a box and one on Odegaard but, it didn't seem to work. They switch to a zone defense some 2-3 and 1-3-1 and it just seemed like they just lost track of Odegaard and he was money they entire first half. Poynette had the first quarter lead 19-14. On the other end Blair Taylor was ice cold and couldn't knock anything down. The only thing keeping Blair Taylor in the game was their offensive rebounding as they absolutely dominated the offensive glass which typically led to second chance buckets or fouls. 6'2 junior Lucas Howe did a great job giving his team second and third chances at the hoop. Other then Howe the player that really kept BT in the game was 6'0 senior Cody Cartrette who was the only BT player to hit a three in the first half and did a great job of driving to the hoop and drawing the contact and getting fouled. Both Cartrette and Howe were nearly automatics at the free throw lines. Poynette was up 36-24 at halftime.
It took Blair Taylor tell about midway through the third quarter to finally getting things going their way. I don't know if it was the fact that he was getting tired or what but, Odegaard went alittle cold in the second half and BT really didn't change their defensive strategy. For BT Cartrette continued his aggressive play and 6'2 junior Hank Kujak stepped up hitting three huge threes in the second half and was able to get into the lane and score and if he was fouled knocked down the free throws. Blair Taylor trimmed Poynette's lead to 58-55 after three quarters. In the fourth quarter Odegaard continued to struggle missing numerous difficult lay ups going to his left. Ray tried to take over for Poynette which led to him getting numerous trips to the line where he really struggled. H. Kujak and Cartrette continued to dominate for BT and carried the team. In the end Poynette couldn't hit the free throws and BT tied the game up at 69-69. In overtime Poynette couldn't do anything and only scored three points falling to BT 81-72 who continued their strong play.
There were a couple things that won this game for Blair Taylor. The biggest factor was foul trouble as Poynette ended up having four players foul out, while BT didn't have anyone. The reason for this wasn't because the refs favored BT, as some fans would lead you to believe, but it was because the refs were calling a fairly tight game and Poynette was settling for the outside shots while BT was taking the ball to the hoop and drawing the contact. When Poynette finally did go to the hoop they weren't hitting their free throws. The second thing was the lack of scoring for the rest of Poynette outside of the big two players. Poynette only got eight points from anyone not names Cody Odegaard or Adam Ray. The final thing that was probably alittle unnoticed was 6'6 sophomore Reggie Kujak for Blair Taylor. R. Kujak didn't score in the game or grab a ton of rebounds but, his size cause Poynette to stay on the outside and not drive the ball to the hoop.
Top Players
Cody Odegaard 6'2 senior Poynette- Had one of the best games I've seen all year. It didn't matter if there was a player in his face or not he was gonna knock down the shot, just ran out of gas late in the game.
Adam Ray 6'2 junior Poynette- When given the open outside shot Ray knocked it down and also took the ball to the hoop strong in 2 on 1 breakaways.
Hank Kujak 6'2 junior Blair Taylor- Was very very cold in the first half but, didn't stop shooting and hit three big threes in the second half and was able to carry his team late in the game.
Cody Cartrette 6'0 senior Blair Taylor- Did a nice job of taking the ball to the hoop all game long and drawing the contact. Also was able to hit the three when he was spotted up.
Lucas Howe 6'2 junior Blair Taylor- Just a beast on the offensive glass. Was able to get second chance buckets and knock down the free throws.
Box Score
Poynette- C. Odegaard 34 Ray 30 Shawn Lenius 4 Travis Maciosek 2 Asa Odegaard 2 Taylor Blumstein 0 Adam Rodger 0 Brett Severson 0 Jordan Branton 0 Dylan Tomlinson 0 Dakota Wiltrout
Blair Taylor- H. Kujak 31 Cartrette 30 Howe 12 Isaiah Paulson 6 Shay Benedict 2 AJ Loken 0 R. Kujak 0
Blair Taylor didn't play a very good game but, they got the win in the end. At state they will have to play their A game all game long and are a big underdog. I'm guessing they will probably lose by 15-20 points.
Blair Taylor may of been the favorite but, Poynette game out gunning jumping out to a 6-0 lead right away behind the hotting shooting of 6'2 senior Cody Odegaard and 6'2 junior Adam Ray. Odegaard was the first option and when they weren't able to get to him they went to Ray who was just as hot. Blair Taylor was playing a box and one on Odegaard but, it didn't seem to work. They switch to a zone defense some 2-3 and 1-3-1 and it just seemed like they just lost track of Odegaard and he was money they entire first half. Poynette had the first quarter lead 19-14. On the other end Blair Taylor was ice cold and couldn't knock anything down. The only thing keeping Blair Taylor in the game was their offensive rebounding as they absolutely dominated the offensive glass which typically led to second chance buckets or fouls. 6'2 junior Lucas Howe did a great job giving his team second and third chances at the hoop. Other then Howe the player that really kept BT in the game was 6'0 senior Cody Cartrette who was the only BT player to hit a three in the first half and did a great job of driving to the hoop and drawing the contact and getting fouled. Both Cartrette and Howe were nearly automatics at the free throw lines. Poynette was up 36-24 at halftime.
It took Blair Taylor tell about midway through the third quarter to finally getting things going their way. I don't know if it was the fact that he was getting tired or what but, Odegaard went alittle cold in the second half and BT really didn't change their defensive strategy. For BT Cartrette continued his aggressive play and 6'2 junior Hank Kujak stepped up hitting three huge threes in the second half and was able to get into the lane and score and if he was fouled knocked down the free throws. Blair Taylor trimmed Poynette's lead to 58-55 after three quarters. In the fourth quarter Odegaard continued to struggle missing numerous difficult lay ups going to his left. Ray tried to take over for Poynette which led to him getting numerous trips to the line where he really struggled. H. Kujak and Cartrette continued to dominate for BT and carried the team. In the end Poynette couldn't hit the free throws and BT tied the game up at 69-69. In overtime Poynette couldn't do anything and only scored three points falling to BT 81-72 who continued their strong play.
There were a couple things that won this game for Blair Taylor. The biggest factor was foul trouble as Poynette ended up having four players foul out, while BT didn't have anyone. The reason for this wasn't because the refs favored BT, as some fans would lead you to believe, but it was because the refs were calling a fairly tight game and Poynette was settling for the outside shots while BT was taking the ball to the hoop and drawing the contact. When Poynette finally did go to the hoop they weren't hitting their free throws. The second thing was the lack of scoring for the rest of Poynette outside of the big two players. Poynette only got eight points from anyone not names Cody Odegaard or Adam Ray. The final thing that was probably alittle unnoticed was 6'6 sophomore Reggie Kujak for Blair Taylor. R. Kujak didn't score in the game or grab a ton of rebounds but, his size cause Poynette to stay on the outside and not drive the ball to the hoop.
Top Players
Cody Odegaard 6'2 senior Poynette- Had one of the best games I've seen all year. It didn't matter if there was a player in his face or not he was gonna knock down the shot, just ran out of gas late in the game.
Adam Ray 6'2 junior Poynette- When given the open outside shot Ray knocked it down and also took the ball to the hoop strong in 2 on 1 breakaways.
Hank Kujak 6'2 junior Blair Taylor- Was very very cold in the first half but, didn't stop shooting and hit three big threes in the second half and was able to carry his team late in the game.
Cody Cartrette 6'0 senior Blair Taylor- Did a nice job of taking the ball to the hoop all game long and drawing the contact. Also was able to hit the three when he was spotted up.
Lucas Howe 6'2 junior Blair Taylor- Just a beast on the offensive glass. Was able to get second chance buckets and knock down the free throws.
Box Score
Poynette- C. Odegaard 34 Ray 30 Shawn Lenius 4 Travis Maciosek 2 Asa Odegaard 2 Taylor Blumstein 0 Adam Rodger 0 Brett Severson 0 Jordan Branton 0 Dylan Tomlinson 0 Dakota Wiltrout
Blair Taylor- H. Kujak 31 Cartrette 30 Howe 12 Isaiah Paulson 6 Shay Benedict 2 AJ Loken 0 R. Kujak 0
Blair Taylor didn't play a very good game but, they got the win in the end. At state they will have to play their A game all game long and are a big underdog. I'm guessing they will probably lose by 15-20 points.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
D3 and D4 sectional predictions
In division three most of the top seeds have held strong. The only big upset was Fall Creek losing to Thorp. Many people thought Fall Creek had a chance to win state and would at least make it to state. Thorp pulled the big upset and it now appears Eau Claire Regis is gonna be at state now. The only other top team to go down has been Roncalli but, they were defeated by a very good Brillon team. In D4 there really isn't much to talk about other then defending state champion Benton has gone home but, the rest of South East sectional has remained intact with the probable D4 champion coming out of this sectional.
Division Three
Eau Claire North Sectional
Eau Claire Regis over Webster- Regis has the big talent edge and is practically playing at home. They have a hand full of players that have played at state and are looking to get back to state.
Thorp over Ladysmith- Thorp beat Fall Creek so Ladysmith should be no problem. Thorp is obviously playing their best ball right now.
Eau Claire Regis over Thorp- Regis once again has the big edge talent wise and have a big three in Connor Miller, Jack Eaton, and Adam Ganske.
Ashwaubenon Sectional
Marathon over Three Lakes- Marathon is probably undefeated and should keep that up in this game.
Brillon over Weayawega Freemont- Brillon comes out of a tough conference with D2 schools and coming off a big win over Roncalli.
Brillon over Marathon- Brillon has played a tougher schedule all year long and should be well tested for this game.
Baraboo Sectional
Blair Taylor over Aquinas- BT returns most of their guys from a state team a year ago and Aquinas is a year away from making a real run at a state title.
Cuba City over Poynette- Poynette has benefited from a weak regional and Cuba should take them down easily.
Cuba City over Blair Taylor- Evan Richard best player in D3 should take down Blair Taylor.
West Allis Central
Brookfield Academy over Winnebago Lutheran- BA played in a much tougher conference and should be battle tested and have Troy Huff.
Dominican over St Cats- Dominican has more stars then St Cats and should have the edge.
Dominican over Brookfield Academy- Dominican has a ton of talent and should be able to out run BA up and down the court.
Division Four
Spooner Sectional
Clayton over Drummond- Clayton has only lost one game this year and has the winning tradition.
Marshfield Columbus over Prentice- Columbus comes out of a very tough conference and have been a top 5 team all year long.
Columbus over Clayton- Columbus has been the favorite all year long and this year should be no different.
Appleton North Sectional
Green Lake over Wausau Newman- Green Lake has the height and talented big men.
GB New Lutheran over Laona- Honestly just a hunch on this one. Always go with the private school.
Green Lake over GB New Lutheran- Green Lake seems poised for a rematch with Randolph in the title game.
Onalaska Sectional
Mcdonell Central over New Lisbon- Very surprised to see NL here Central should dominate.
Potosi over Royal- I don't have much respect for the Scenic Bluffs to going with Potois.
Mcdonell Central over Potosi- Central has played in the toughest D3 conference in the state and should be prepared for this game.
Fort Atkinson
Barneveld over Monticello- Logan Johnson is the best player in this game so I'll go with them.
Randolph over Sheboygan County Christian- Kelm has had a great season and should really be the deference in this game.
Randolph over Barneveld- Kelm is a great player and Randolph appears to be a more balanced team then last year.
Not much to say here. As you can see I really don't know much about the two lower divisions so don't have any added comments.
Division Three
Eau Claire North Sectional
Eau Claire Regis over Webster- Regis has the big talent edge and is practically playing at home. They have a hand full of players that have played at state and are looking to get back to state.
Thorp over Ladysmith- Thorp beat Fall Creek so Ladysmith should be no problem. Thorp is obviously playing their best ball right now.
Eau Claire Regis over Thorp- Regis once again has the big edge talent wise and have a big three in Connor Miller, Jack Eaton, and Adam Ganske.
Ashwaubenon Sectional
Marathon over Three Lakes- Marathon is probably undefeated and should keep that up in this game.
Brillon over Weayawega Freemont- Brillon comes out of a tough conference with D2 schools and coming off a big win over Roncalli.
Brillon over Marathon- Brillon has played a tougher schedule all year long and should be well tested for this game.
Baraboo Sectional
Blair Taylor over Aquinas- BT returns most of their guys from a state team a year ago and Aquinas is a year away from making a real run at a state title.
Cuba City over Poynette- Poynette has benefited from a weak regional and Cuba should take them down easily.
Cuba City over Blair Taylor- Evan Richard best player in D3 should take down Blair Taylor.
West Allis Central
Brookfield Academy over Winnebago Lutheran- BA played in a much tougher conference and should be battle tested and have Troy Huff.
Dominican over St Cats- Dominican has more stars then St Cats and should have the edge.
Dominican over Brookfield Academy- Dominican has a ton of talent and should be able to out run BA up and down the court.
Division Four
Spooner Sectional
Clayton over Drummond- Clayton has only lost one game this year and has the winning tradition.
Marshfield Columbus over Prentice- Columbus comes out of a very tough conference and have been a top 5 team all year long.
Columbus over Clayton- Columbus has been the favorite all year long and this year should be no different.
Appleton North Sectional
Green Lake over Wausau Newman- Green Lake has the height and talented big men.
GB New Lutheran over Laona- Honestly just a hunch on this one. Always go with the private school.
Green Lake over GB New Lutheran- Green Lake seems poised for a rematch with Randolph in the title game.
Onalaska Sectional
Mcdonell Central over New Lisbon- Very surprised to see NL here Central should dominate.
Potosi over Royal- I don't have much respect for the Scenic Bluffs to going with Potois.
Mcdonell Central over Potosi- Central has played in the toughest D3 conference in the state and should be prepared for this game.
Fort Atkinson
Barneveld over Monticello- Logan Johnson is the best player in this game so I'll go with them.
Randolph over Sheboygan County Christian- Kelm has had a great season and should really be the deference in this game.
Randolph over Barneveld- Kelm is a great player and Randolph appears to be a more balanced team then last year.
Not much to say here. As you can see I really don't know much about the two lower divisions so don't have any added comments.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
D1 sectionals and D2 sectional predictions
Well sectionals only a week away I figured I'd do my new predictions now that we know whose actually getting to state. For the most part D1 has played out as expected but, this is mostly due to the fact that there has only been two rounds played and typically the upsets won't occur until sectionals because you seeding 1-16 in regionals so there is a wide gap between teams. The Big Eight has really shown their muscle as they account for six of the 32 teams left in D1. D2 has been somewhat different as far as the underdogs go. One of the favorites Port Washington went down to Whitefish Bay for the second time this year and in the Waunakee sectional only one, one seed made it to sectionals and a team that took last place in their conference is still alive. One big development is the return of Northwestern's star Steve Tecker who lead Northwestern to a final four finish a year ago and has been out all year after have surgery on his hips right around the start of the season but, has returned for the last two weeks and apparently scored 15 points in the regional final. Should be a great weekend of basketball if I can actually manage to get some tickets for some sectional game. There is no way that I will be able to get tickets for the Middleton Sectional that I would like to go to so may have to settle for a lower tear game. I'm thinking of heading to Deforest to catch Sauk Prairie and Mt Horeb play since its the closes game and I work until 6pm. Hopefully Saturday I will get to catch the huge Cuba City vs Blair Taylor or Aquinas that should be a great game with the winner going to state.
Division One
Marshfield Sectional
Superior over Merrill- I'm alittle nervous about this pick because every year I pick Superior to make it to state and they never do. Merrill could be poised for another upset after defeated preseason favorite Wausau West.
Antigo over Eau Claire North- Another game that makes me alittle nervous because Antigo is undefeated but, who have they really played. North has Evan Anderson and I can't imagine Antigo has gone up against many 7 footers.
Antigo over Superior- In my official wishoops bracket I have Superior here but, they've just let me down year after year and have decided to go the other way. I would really like to see Jordan Mach at state.
Green Bay West Sectional
Depere over Appleton West- Haven't seen either team or know much about them but, Depere has one of the best records in the state and has been many peoples favorite throughout the entire year.
Kaukauna over Appleton East- Tough pick here as these two are conference opponents but, East lives and dies by the three and I think they die here. Kaukauna was the better team during the regular season.
Depere over Kaukauna- Honestly this game could be a coin flip. Depere has been a let down the past few years when it appeared they were headed to state and Kaukauna comes out of the tougher conference.
Middleton Sectional
Madison East over Middleton- East is flat out the better team but, Middleton will keep this close since they will be at home but, won't be able to score on the inside or get offensive rebounds with Marquis Mason controlling the middle.
Madison Memorial over Sun Prairie- Should be a great game as Sun Prairie plays to their opponents ability and have defeated Memorial once this year already but, Memorial is playing their best ball right now and should win as long as isn't lighting it up from the outside.
Madison Memorial over Madison East- Yes they split during the regular season but, I honestly think Memorial out played East in both games and like I said Memorial is peaking at the right time.
Oshkosh Sectional
Oshkosh North over Sheboygan South- North was at state a year ago and have the best player in the sectional in Taylor Cameron.
Neenah over Beaver Dam- Neenah comes out of the tougher conference and should be battle tested for this game.
Neenah over Oshkosh North- Neenah seems to be very hot as of late and another team that appears to be peaking at the right time.
Germantown Sectional 1
Arrowhead over Waukesha West- I don't believe West has the ability to keep up with the high scoring Arrowhead team. West's best player 6'6 Ryan Solberg should beat contained by 7'1 Ben Mills for Arrowhead.
Menomonee Falls over Germantown- Falls has the height and experience over Germantown in this one. Not to mention they have JP Tokoto.
Menomonee Falls over Arrowhead- Falls gets revenge after their early defeat to Arrowhead. Falls pushes the tempo which keeps Mills out of his comfort zone.
Beloit Sectional
Beloit over Kenosha Bradford- Beloit comes out of the toughest conference in that state and should easily defeat Bradford in this one.
Verona over Burlington- Verona is battle tested and should easily win this one as well.
Beloit over Verona- Beloit has defeated Verona twice this year already and has home field advantage.
Greenfield Sectional
Milwaukee Hamiliton over Brookfield Central- Even without Cook in the game Hamiliton is far superior athletically.
Racine Park over Waterford- Park has superior talent and should force tempo causing Waterford to turn the ball over.
Milwaukee Hamiliton over Racine Park- Both teams are extremely talented but, Hamiliton's bigs are more talented.
Germantown Sectional 2
Milwaukee King over Nicolet- Both teams have survived some very close games but, King has more depth and talent and are battle tested.
Milwaukee Washington over Milwaukee Marquette- If Washington had Winters I would take them in a heartbeat but, now not so sure. Washington gets the edge because I just can't imagine Marquette upsetting another City team.
Milwaukee King over Milwaukee Washington- King is at full strength Washington isn't so they win.
Division Two
Durand Sectional
Northwestern vs Baldwin Woodville- Northwestern was at state a year ago and should benefit from having their star Steve Tecker back even though he's not at full strength.
Onalaska over Adams Friendship- Adams has benefited from a weak regional and that should be evident in this game as Onalaska wins easily.
Onalaska over Northwestern- If Northwestern was at full strength they would win this easily but, with Tecker not at full strength Onalaska gets the win.
Green Bay West Sectional
Seymour over Shawano- Seymour looks to be back to its old self behind a very strong junior class.
Waupun over Kiel- Waupun has already defeated Kiel twice this year and should be able take them down for a third time.
Waupun over Seymour- Waupun has had a slightly tougher schedule and don't think Seymour can keep up with a high scoring Waupun team.
Waunakee Sectional
Sauk Prairie over Mt Horeb- Sauk took second in the Badger North while Mt Horeb took seventh. Easy pick here.
Madison Edgewood over Delavan Darien- Edgewood seems to be peaking at the right time and comes from the better conference.
Sauk Prairie over Madison Edgewood- Sauk is just more athletic then Edgewood and has more size.
Germantown Sectional
Whitefish Bay over Ripon- Whitefish Bay has defeated a very good Port Washington team twice and play in a very tough North Shore Conference.
Wisconsin Lutheran over Catholic Memorial- Best sectional semi final game. Two great players in TJ Bray and Flavian Davis. Wisco won the last time so I go with them again.
Wisconsin Lutheran over Whitefish Bay- Wisco are the defending champs and Bay doesn't have anyone that can stop Davis.
Well should be a very very exciting weekend of basketball and heres to hoping I can get in to a couple good games.
Division One
Marshfield Sectional
Superior over Merrill- I'm alittle nervous about this pick because every year I pick Superior to make it to state and they never do. Merrill could be poised for another upset after defeated preseason favorite Wausau West.
Antigo over Eau Claire North- Another game that makes me alittle nervous because Antigo is undefeated but, who have they really played. North has Evan Anderson and I can't imagine Antigo has gone up against many 7 footers.
Antigo over Superior- In my official wishoops bracket I have Superior here but, they've just let me down year after year and have decided to go the other way. I would really like to see Jordan Mach at state.
Green Bay West Sectional
Depere over Appleton West- Haven't seen either team or know much about them but, Depere has one of the best records in the state and has been many peoples favorite throughout the entire year.
Kaukauna over Appleton East- Tough pick here as these two are conference opponents but, East lives and dies by the three and I think they die here. Kaukauna was the better team during the regular season.
Depere over Kaukauna- Honestly this game could be a coin flip. Depere has been a let down the past few years when it appeared they were headed to state and Kaukauna comes out of the tougher conference.
Middleton Sectional
Madison East over Middleton- East is flat out the better team but, Middleton will keep this close since they will be at home but, won't be able to score on the inside or get offensive rebounds with Marquis Mason controlling the middle.
Madison Memorial over Sun Prairie- Should be a great game as Sun Prairie plays to their opponents ability and have defeated Memorial once this year already but, Memorial is playing their best ball right now and should win as long as isn't lighting it up from the outside.
Madison Memorial over Madison East- Yes they split during the regular season but, I honestly think Memorial out played East in both games and like I said Memorial is peaking at the right time.
Oshkosh Sectional
Oshkosh North over Sheboygan South- North was at state a year ago and have the best player in the sectional in Taylor Cameron.
Neenah over Beaver Dam- Neenah comes out of the tougher conference and should be battle tested for this game.
Neenah over Oshkosh North- Neenah seems to be very hot as of late and another team that appears to be peaking at the right time.
Germantown Sectional 1
Arrowhead over Waukesha West- I don't believe West has the ability to keep up with the high scoring Arrowhead team. West's best player 6'6 Ryan Solberg should beat contained by 7'1 Ben Mills for Arrowhead.
Menomonee Falls over Germantown- Falls has the height and experience over Germantown in this one. Not to mention they have JP Tokoto.
Menomonee Falls over Arrowhead- Falls gets revenge after their early defeat to Arrowhead. Falls pushes the tempo which keeps Mills out of his comfort zone.
Beloit Sectional
Beloit over Kenosha Bradford- Beloit comes out of the toughest conference in that state and should easily defeat Bradford in this one.
Verona over Burlington- Verona is battle tested and should easily win this one as well.
Beloit over Verona- Beloit has defeated Verona twice this year already and has home field advantage.
Greenfield Sectional
Milwaukee Hamiliton over Brookfield Central- Even without Cook in the game Hamiliton is far superior athletically.
Racine Park over Waterford- Park has superior talent and should force tempo causing Waterford to turn the ball over.
Milwaukee Hamiliton over Racine Park- Both teams are extremely talented but, Hamiliton's bigs are more talented.
Germantown Sectional 2
Milwaukee King over Nicolet- Both teams have survived some very close games but, King has more depth and talent and are battle tested.
Milwaukee Washington over Milwaukee Marquette- If Washington had Winters I would take them in a heartbeat but, now not so sure. Washington gets the edge because I just can't imagine Marquette upsetting another City team.
Milwaukee King over Milwaukee Washington- King is at full strength Washington isn't so they win.
Division Two
Durand Sectional
Northwestern vs Baldwin Woodville- Northwestern was at state a year ago and should benefit from having their star Steve Tecker back even though he's not at full strength.
Onalaska over Adams Friendship- Adams has benefited from a weak regional and that should be evident in this game as Onalaska wins easily.
Onalaska over Northwestern- If Northwestern was at full strength they would win this easily but, with Tecker not at full strength Onalaska gets the win.
Green Bay West Sectional
Seymour over Shawano- Seymour looks to be back to its old self behind a very strong junior class.
Waupun over Kiel- Waupun has already defeated Kiel twice this year and should be able take them down for a third time.
Waupun over Seymour- Waupun has had a slightly tougher schedule and don't think Seymour can keep up with a high scoring Waupun team.
Waunakee Sectional
Sauk Prairie over Mt Horeb- Sauk took second in the Badger North while Mt Horeb took seventh. Easy pick here.
Madison Edgewood over Delavan Darien- Edgewood seems to be peaking at the right time and comes from the better conference.
Sauk Prairie over Madison Edgewood- Sauk is just more athletic then Edgewood and has more size.
Germantown Sectional
Whitefish Bay over Ripon- Whitefish Bay has defeated a very good Port Washington team twice and play in a very tough North Shore Conference.
Wisconsin Lutheran over Catholic Memorial- Best sectional semi final game. Two great players in TJ Bray and Flavian Davis. Wisco won the last time so I go with them again.
Wisconsin Lutheran over Whitefish Bay- Wisco are the defending champs and Bay doesn't have anyone that can stop Davis.
Well should be a very very exciting weekend of basketball and heres to hoping I can get in to a couple good games.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Sun Prairie defeats Waunakee
In another upset by seeding only, Sun Prairie defeated Waunakee 62-59. Yes Waunakee won the Badger North conference and Sun Prairie took sixth in the Big Eight conference but, have to remember that the Big Eight is the toughest conference in the state. This was really shown in the game as Sun Prairie was clearly the more athletic team and had more talent. Waunakee played extremely hard and really dominated the boards but, just couldn't match Sun Prairie's athleticism.
Sun Prairie flexed their athleticism and muscle early in the game as 6'4 junior big man Chris Hawkins threw down and alley oop dunk and then had a break away dunk, Hawkins completed the trifecta throwing down a third dunk on another alley oop. Waunakee countered Hawkins with strong hustle play from their senior big man 6'3 Cole Cefalu who had a pair of second chance buckets and hit a three point shot. Early on Waunakee absolutely dominated the offensive glass but, when they didn't get the offensive rebound Sun Prairie was able to capitalize on the run out which led to some open looks for Sun Prairie's sharpshooters 6'2 senior Michael Boos and 6'3 junior Jordan Noskowiak who were able to knocked down the outside shots. Waunakee continued to get most of their scoring off of offensive rebounds and then Sun Prairie went to their bench and 5'11 junior Jaron Schaffner who hit a pair of three pointers in the second quarter. At half the score was in Sun Prairie's favor 29-23.
In the second half Waunakee pretty much gave up on their offense and went to an NBA style game just letting their two junior guards 6'2 Jared Staege and 6'3 Beau Murray take the ball to the hoop. When they didn't make the basket or not fouled it seemed there was someone there to clean up the mess, typically Cefalu who had a huge game just collecting second chance buckets. Waunakee pressed Sun Prairie throughout the entire game which led to numerous easy buckets for Sun Prairie which allowed Hawkins scoring total to just keep increasing all night long. In the end Waunakee just could never tie the game up and lost 62-59 with Sun Prairie leading the entire game.
Top Players
Cole Cefalu 6'3 senior Waunakee- Had a huge game dominating the offensive glass and getting second and third baskets.
Beau Murray 6'3 junior Waunakee- Did a nice job of getting to the hoop and scoring or getting fouled.
Jared Staege 6'2 junior Waunakee- Broke the Sun Prairie pressure defense with ease but, just couldn't get his shot to fall. Did hit a big three that got Waunakee within three.
Chris Hawkins 6'4 junior Sun Prairie- Just a beast in the post. Couldn't be stopped on the offensive end and had three nice dunks and able to hit a pair of nice jumpers.
Michael Boos 6'2 senior Sun Prairie- Had a fairly good first half shooting the ball and in the end was the guy that sealed the game hitting the free throws.
Jaron Schaffner 5'11 junior Sun Prairie- Did a nice job of pressing Waunakee when they were bringing the ball up the court. Hitting three bit three point shots in the game.
Box Score
Waunakee- Cefalu 19 Murray 18 Staege 11 Austin Maly 6 Chris Braatz 6 Jacob Soper 2 Kyle Newhouse 0 Nick Soper 0 Austin Prusha 0
Sun Prairie- Chris Hawkins 21 Boos 14 Schaffner 10 Nick Fuller 9 Noskowiak 6 William Theil 0 Daniel Mifflin 0
Waunakee may of lost this game but, they had a great season and should be poised for another great season returning three starters next year and returning their two top players in Staege and Murray. Sun Prairie moves on to make it an all Big Eight sectional with Madison Memorial, Madison East, and Middleton. The Big Eight now has six teams left including Beloit and Verona who are in the other sectional. Should be a very interesting match up between Sun Prairie and Madison Memorial as they split the regular season but, I think Memorial is just playing too good right now and should take down Sun Prairie and then defeat East to get to state.
Sun Prairie flexed their athleticism and muscle early in the game as 6'4 junior big man Chris Hawkins threw down and alley oop dunk and then had a break away dunk, Hawkins completed the trifecta throwing down a third dunk on another alley oop. Waunakee countered Hawkins with strong hustle play from their senior big man 6'3 Cole Cefalu who had a pair of second chance buckets and hit a three point shot. Early on Waunakee absolutely dominated the offensive glass but, when they didn't get the offensive rebound Sun Prairie was able to capitalize on the run out which led to some open looks for Sun Prairie's sharpshooters 6'2 senior Michael Boos and 6'3 junior Jordan Noskowiak who were able to knocked down the outside shots. Waunakee continued to get most of their scoring off of offensive rebounds and then Sun Prairie went to their bench and 5'11 junior Jaron Schaffner who hit a pair of three pointers in the second quarter. At half the score was in Sun Prairie's favor 29-23.
In the second half Waunakee pretty much gave up on their offense and went to an NBA style game just letting their two junior guards 6'2 Jared Staege and 6'3 Beau Murray take the ball to the hoop. When they didn't make the basket or not fouled it seemed there was someone there to clean up the mess, typically Cefalu who had a huge game just collecting second chance buckets. Waunakee pressed Sun Prairie throughout the entire game which led to numerous easy buckets for Sun Prairie which allowed Hawkins scoring total to just keep increasing all night long. In the end Waunakee just could never tie the game up and lost 62-59 with Sun Prairie leading the entire game.
Top Players
Cole Cefalu 6'3 senior Waunakee- Had a huge game dominating the offensive glass and getting second and third baskets.
Beau Murray 6'3 junior Waunakee- Did a nice job of getting to the hoop and scoring or getting fouled.
Jared Staege 6'2 junior Waunakee- Broke the Sun Prairie pressure defense with ease but, just couldn't get his shot to fall. Did hit a big three that got Waunakee within three.
Chris Hawkins 6'4 junior Sun Prairie- Just a beast in the post. Couldn't be stopped on the offensive end and had three nice dunks and able to hit a pair of nice jumpers.
Michael Boos 6'2 senior Sun Prairie- Had a fairly good first half shooting the ball and in the end was the guy that sealed the game hitting the free throws.
Jaron Schaffner 5'11 junior Sun Prairie- Did a nice job of pressing Waunakee when they were bringing the ball up the court. Hitting three bit three point shots in the game.
Box Score
Waunakee- Cefalu 19 Murray 18 Staege 11 Austin Maly 6 Chris Braatz 6 Jacob Soper 2 Kyle Newhouse 0 Nick Soper 0 Austin Prusha 0
Sun Prairie- Chris Hawkins 21 Boos 14 Schaffner 10 Nick Fuller 9 Noskowiak 6 William Theil 0 Daniel Mifflin 0
Waunakee may of lost this game but, they had a great season and should be poised for another great season returning three starters next year and returning their two top players in Staege and Murray. Sun Prairie moves on to make it an all Big Eight sectional with Madison Memorial, Madison East, and Middleton. The Big Eight now has six teams left including Beloit and Verona who are in the other sectional. Should be a very interesting match up between Sun Prairie and Madison Memorial as they split the regular season but, I think Memorial is just playing too good right now and should take down Sun Prairie and then defeat East to get to state.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Another upset Sauk Prairie over Prairie du Chien
I took in my third game of the playoffs and saw my third upset and third one point game. Throughout much of the came Sauk Prairie appeared to be the higher seeded team and if it wasn't for a second half rally by Prairie du Chien, could of ran away with this one. Sauk had already taken down conference winner River Valley so it really shouldn't of been a big surprised that Sauk was able to take down that same conferences number two team.
Sauk Prairie jumped out to the early lead behind the hot shooting of 6'5 senior Sam Koenig who hit three, three point shots in the first half and then had a steal and break away dunk that really got the crowd involved. PDC just couldn't get anything to fall in the first half and was down 16-6 after the first quarter. In the second quarter PDC was finally able to get things going looking inside to their big man 6'6 senior Cole Lewis who had a pair of very nice baskets and 6'3 junior Tanner Roach had a couple nice door back cuts that gave him some easy lay ins. PDC trimmed the half time lead to 24-19.
For whatever reason in the second half Sauk decided to settle for the outside shots and the shots weren't falling at all. PDC's top scorer finally made his appearance as 6'1 senior Chandler White came up with big shot after big shot in the second half. At the end of three score was 30-30. In the fourth quarter finally started making some jump shots behind 6'5 senior Travis Breunig who kept the game close. Late in the fourth Koenig hit a big three from out top to tie the game up by PDC game back down the court and found White in the corner for a three to give PDC the three point lead. Sauk came back with a 15 footer from Breunig to get them within one. Sauk was able to get the ball back and looked to Koenig again who penetrated to the hoop and drew the blocking foul. Koenig went to the line and knocked down both free throws to give Sauk the one point lead. White drove the length of the court and threw up a wild layup that hit the bottom of the rim and Sauk collected the rebound to get the win.
Top Players
Sam Koenig 6'5 senior Sauk Prairie- Couldn't miss from three point range, in particular from the corner. Koenig also had three or four big steals and the huge dunk.
Travis Breunig 6'5 senior Sauk Prairie- Struggled from the free throw line but, was money from the same distance during the live game action. Really carried Sauk late in the game when they couldn't buy a basket.
Chandler White 6'1 senior Prairie du Chien- Hit big shot after big shot all night and was the team leader.
Cole Lewis 6'6 senior Prairie du Chien- Had a very nice back to the basket game scoring on two straight possesions at one point and did a nice job of rebounding.
Box Score
Sauk Prairie- Koenig 16 Breunig 11 Matt Rudig 7 Drew Carden 5 Jordan Peters 3 Derek Sullivan 2 Tyler Fuchs 0 Brendan Coy 0
Prairie du Chien- White 12 Kyle McCoy 9 Roach 9 Lewis 6 Cody Key 3 Connor Morovits 3 Ryan Pedretti 0 Kevin Aspenson 0 Jeff Strandlie 0
Should be a very interesting sectional as Sauk Prairie will now move on to Play Mt. Horeb who was a two seed but, they took last in the Badger North while Sauk took second. This is the playoffs and anything can happen though. In the other half of the regional Madison Edgewood pulled another upset beating Lake Mills and move on to play Delavan Darien in the sectional semi final. Honestly I believe that it will be two four seeds battling to go to state between Sauk Prairie and Madison Edgewood.
Sauk Prairie jumped out to the early lead behind the hot shooting of 6'5 senior Sam Koenig who hit three, three point shots in the first half and then had a steal and break away dunk that really got the crowd involved. PDC just couldn't get anything to fall in the first half and was down 16-6 after the first quarter. In the second quarter PDC was finally able to get things going looking inside to their big man 6'6 senior Cole Lewis who had a pair of very nice baskets and 6'3 junior Tanner Roach had a couple nice door back cuts that gave him some easy lay ins. PDC trimmed the half time lead to 24-19.
For whatever reason in the second half Sauk decided to settle for the outside shots and the shots weren't falling at all. PDC's top scorer finally made his appearance as 6'1 senior Chandler White came up with big shot after big shot in the second half. At the end of three score was 30-30. In the fourth quarter finally started making some jump shots behind 6'5 senior Travis Breunig who kept the game close. Late in the fourth Koenig hit a big three from out top to tie the game up by PDC game back down the court and found White in the corner for a three to give PDC the three point lead. Sauk came back with a 15 footer from Breunig to get them within one. Sauk was able to get the ball back and looked to Koenig again who penetrated to the hoop and drew the blocking foul. Koenig went to the line and knocked down both free throws to give Sauk the one point lead. White drove the length of the court and threw up a wild layup that hit the bottom of the rim and Sauk collected the rebound to get the win.
Top Players
Sam Koenig 6'5 senior Sauk Prairie- Couldn't miss from three point range, in particular from the corner. Koenig also had three or four big steals and the huge dunk.
Travis Breunig 6'5 senior Sauk Prairie- Struggled from the free throw line but, was money from the same distance during the live game action. Really carried Sauk late in the game when they couldn't buy a basket.
Chandler White 6'1 senior Prairie du Chien- Hit big shot after big shot all night and was the team leader.
Cole Lewis 6'6 senior Prairie du Chien- Had a very nice back to the basket game scoring on two straight possesions at one point and did a nice job of rebounding.
Box Score
Sauk Prairie- Koenig 16 Breunig 11 Matt Rudig 7 Drew Carden 5 Jordan Peters 3 Derek Sullivan 2 Tyler Fuchs 0 Brendan Coy 0
Prairie du Chien- White 12 Kyle McCoy 9 Roach 9 Lewis 6 Cody Key 3 Connor Morovits 3 Ryan Pedretti 0 Kevin Aspenson 0 Jeff Strandlie 0
Should be a very interesting sectional as Sauk Prairie will now move on to Play Mt. Horeb who was a two seed but, they took last in the Badger North while Sauk took second. This is the playoffs and anything can happen though. In the other half of the regional Madison Edgewood pulled another upset beating Lake Mills and move on to play Delavan Darien in the sectional semi final. Honestly I believe that it will be two four seeds battling to go to state between Sauk Prairie and Madison Edgewood.
Friday, March 5, 2010
2nd round upset Edgewood takes down Portage
In my second game of the playoffs I witnessed my second upset as Madison Edgewood took down Portage 50-49. Originally I thought this to only be a minor upset but, the more I think about it, it seems to be a major upset. Portage had already defeated Edgewood by about 20 at the Badger Challenge and many people thought Portage was a given to get to sectionals and some even thought they were a state bound team. Not to mention watching warm ups I thought Portage would take this game easily. I should learn though no matter what an Edgewood team looks like and no matter what preconceived notions there are, never underestimate a team coached by Chris Zwettler. They may not be the best team or most athletic but, they will give it their all. I have always loved watching Edgewood teams play even though they aren't always the best team they will always give you a good hard fought game.
Early on it appeared my pregame thoughts were right and Portage was gonna win easily as they were able to score at will and Edgewood just seemed to be jacking threes whenever the shot was there. Portage jumped out to the early lead 13-8 behind the strong play of their senior point guard 6'0 Tyler Olson who was able to find some room in the Edgewood defense and knock down some midrange jump shots. In the second quarter it appeared Portage star 6'0 senior Kevin Hurd was getting things going and the Portage offense was running through him but, he was matched bucket for bucket by Edgewood sophomore 6'6 Austin Arians who really carried Edgewood early in this game and kept the Crusaders within striking distance. The difference in the first half was the strong play of Portage senior 6'7 Trevor Neale who came off the bench and blocked a couple shots and showed some nice post moves and throughout the game did a nice job of rebounding.
In the second half things really started going south for Portage. Edgewood started to press and Portage seemed to have a tough time getting the ball into Hurd or Olson's hands. Even when the two guards did get the ball the were just as apt to turn the ball over. Edgewood began hitting their shots and the comeback was on. Not sure what the score was at the end of three but, I know Portage was up by two. In the fourth quarter Portage continued to struggle against the pressure defense and Edgewood was hitting the threes. With about two minutes left Edgewood started the fouling and started really looking for the three point shot. Edgewood hit seven three pointers in the game with about five of them coming in the fourth quarter. Can't remember the exact events but, with Portage up by one Hurd went to the line and only converted on one of two free throws which left the door open for Edgewood. Edgewood missed their first shot Arians grabbed a long rebound and knocked down a jumper to tie the game with roughly 30 seconds left. Portage came down and looked for their main guy Hurd who was able to knock down the 15 footers with roughly 13 seconds left or so. Edgewood came back down the court and it appeared they were looking for Arians but, the ball ended up with 6'2 sophomore Spencer Brink who was able to hit the three point shot from the top of the key off the dribble to give Edgewood a one point lead with 1.7 seconds left. Hurds half court heave fell short giving Edgewood the 50-49 lead.
Top Players
Tyler Olson 6'0 senior Portage- Carried Portage throughout the first quarter but, kind of dissapeared late in the game.
Kevin Hurd 6'0 senior Portage- Just had a solid game overall knocking down mid range shots and free throws. About the only thing he did wrong was missed that free throw late. Really is a great floor leader on the court.
Trevor Neale 6'7 senior Portage- Gave a nice boost off the bench blocking shots, rebounding, and using a nice little post game to score.
Austin Arians 6'6 sophomore Edgewood- Really kept Edgewood in the game until the rest of his teammates starting hitting shots in the fourth quarter.
Spencer Brink 6'2 sophomore Edgewood- Had nice game overall running the point but, came up with the huge game winning three.
Box Score
Portage- Hurd 22 Olson 9 Neale 8 John Regalia 4 Kasi Schroeder 3 Ian Taylor 2 Josh Inglett 2 Ben Boeck 0
Edgewood- Arians 21 Brink 12 Connor Balczewski 8 Brock Pavlik 3 Christiaan Wabers 2 Tyler Krohn 2 Bruin Armwald 2 Scott Hird 0 Noah Kachelski 0
Madison Edgewood now moves on to play Lake Miller where some people actually have Edgewood as the favorite to win this game. Saturday I will be attending the Sauk Prairie vs Prairie du Chien during the day and then taking in Sun Prairie vs Waunakee at night. Thought about heading over to the Westosha Central vs Verona game but, just didn't spark enough interest for me to take in three games in one day. Should be another great day of high school basketball.
Early on it appeared my pregame thoughts were right and Portage was gonna win easily as they were able to score at will and Edgewood just seemed to be jacking threes whenever the shot was there. Portage jumped out to the early lead 13-8 behind the strong play of their senior point guard 6'0 Tyler Olson who was able to find some room in the Edgewood defense and knock down some midrange jump shots. In the second quarter it appeared Portage star 6'0 senior Kevin Hurd was getting things going and the Portage offense was running through him but, he was matched bucket for bucket by Edgewood sophomore 6'6 Austin Arians who really carried Edgewood early in this game and kept the Crusaders within striking distance. The difference in the first half was the strong play of Portage senior 6'7 Trevor Neale who came off the bench and blocked a couple shots and showed some nice post moves and throughout the game did a nice job of rebounding.
In the second half things really started going south for Portage. Edgewood started to press and Portage seemed to have a tough time getting the ball into Hurd or Olson's hands. Even when the two guards did get the ball the were just as apt to turn the ball over. Edgewood began hitting their shots and the comeback was on. Not sure what the score was at the end of three but, I know Portage was up by two. In the fourth quarter Portage continued to struggle against the pressure defense and Edgewood was hitting the threes. With about two minutes left Edgewood started the fouling and started really looking for the three point shot. Edgewood hit seven three pointers in the game with about five of them coming in the fourth quarter. Can't remember the exact events but, with Portage up by one Hurd went to the line and only converted on one of two free throws which left the door open for Edgewood. Edgewood missed their first shot Arians grabbed a long rebound and knocked down a jumper to tie the game with roughly 30 seconds left. Portage came down and looked for their main guy Hurd who was able to knock down the 15 footers with roughly 13 seconds left or so. Edgewood came back down the court and it appeared they were looking for Arians but, the ball ended up with 6'2 sophomore Spencer Brink who was able to hit the three point shot from the top of the key off the dribble to give Edgewood a one point lead with 1.7 seconds left. Hurds half court heave fell short giving Edgewood the 50-49 lead.
Top Players
Tyler Olson 6'0 senior Portage- Carried Portage throughout the first quarter but, kind of dissapeared late in the game.
Kevin Hurd 6'0 senior Portage- Just had a solid game overall knocking down mid range shots and free throws. About the only thing he did wrong was missed that free throw late. Really is a great floor leader on the court.
Trevor Neale 6'7 senior Portage- Gave a nice boost off the bench blocking shots, rebounding, and using a nice little post game to score.
Austin Arians 6'6 sophomore Edgewood- Really kept Edgewood in the game until the rest of his teammates starting hitting shots in the fourth quarter.
Spencer Brink 6'2 sophomore Edgewood- Had nice game overall running the point but, came up with the huge game winning three.
Box Score
Portage- Hurd 22 Olson 9 Neale 8 John Regalia 4 Kasi Schroeder 3 Ian Taylor 2 Josh Inglett 2 Ben Boeck 0
Edgewood- Arians 21 Brink 12 Connor Balczewski 8 Brock Pavlik 3 Christiaan Wabers 2 Tyler Krohn 2 Bruin Armwald 2 Scott Hird 0 Noah Kachelski 0
Madison Edgewood now moves on to play Lake Miller where some people actually have Edgewood as the favorite to win this game. Saturday I will be attending the Sauk Prairie vs Prairie du Chien during the day and then taking in Sun Prairie vs Waunakee at night. Thought about heading over to the Westosha Central vs Verona game but, just didn't spark enough interest for me to take in three games in one day. Should be another great day of high school basketball.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Reedsburg upsets Wisconsin Dells in Round One
This game was an upset on paper but, in reality this game wasn't much of an upset. Yes Wisconsin Dells was the three seed and Reedsburg the sixth but, in the regular season Reedsburg had beaten the Dells and everyone that follows high school basketball was picking Reedsburg. Another thing to factor in was that Reedsburg had really under achieved this year, at least in my eyes. They had two solid wing players in 6'3 junior Chad Mazur and 6'2 senior Jordan VanCleave and a pretty solid big man in 6'6 senior Jon Stolte but, they just couldn't get everyone going at the same time and get things rolling.
Reedsburg jumped out early and never trailed throughout the entire game. Dells came out very flat early on while Reedsburg was looking very sharp and much better then the previous time I had seen them. VanCleave looked very sharp in the first half as he was able to find his shooting range from about 15 feet and was able to knock down some mid range jumpers. Dells was hurt by some foul trouble early on as their defensive specialist 6'0 senior Bobby Blaschke picked up two early fouls in the first quarter and may of picked up a third before half, can't recall if that's correct though. 6'9 senior Nate Gibson also picked up two early fouls which caused him to sit a good portion of the first half. Meanwhile Dells star 6'5 senior Justin Ward really struggled to find his range. The fouls and cold shooting led to a Reedsburg halftime lead of 27-17. Reedsburg got a nice shot in the arm from their bench when 6'3 junior Ryan Pawlisch came in and knocked down a couple of three point shots. In the second half Wisconsin Dells was able to claw back in to the game by knocking down the three point shot. The hot shooting was led by 5'9 freshmen MJ Delmore who hit three, three points in the second half while four other players hit at least one shot from behind the arc. In the end though Reedsburg was able to hang on knocking down just enough free throws to get the one point win, 49-48. Ward hit a three with about 30 seconds or so left to make it a one point game and then Reedsburg missed the free throw. Dells called timeout and inbounded the ball with a little under 20 seconds left but, looked very disorganized and never got a good look at the hoop or into Ward's hand and had to settle for a double pump heave from Delmore at the buzzer.
Top Players
M.J. Delmore 5'9 freshmen Wisconsin Dells- Delmore looked much more sure of himself in this game and did a nice job of running the point. Played the entire game and hit those three big threes in the second half.
Shane Wimann 6'2 freshmen Wisconsin Dells- Would never guess he's a freshmen. Another kid that played the entire game and did a solid job guarding VanCleave and dominated the boards.
Jordan VanCleave 6'2 senior Reedsburg- Was MVP of the game as he was money from midrange really looked to score in this game.
Chad Mazur 6'3 junior Reedsburg- Didn't have a great game but, did have a nice little run in the second quarter and knocked down the free throws late in the game.
Box Score
WD- Ward 13 Delmore 11 Wimann 9 Gibson 9 Blaschke 3 Kyle Stowers 3 Josh Elftman 0
Reedsburg- VanCleave 16 Mazur 14 Stolte 10 Pawlisch 9 Kevin Sorenson 0 Mark Hollendyke 0 Jared Park 0 Durrell Naquin 0
Judging by who the top players were for Wisconsin Dells the future is very bright. Dells has a very strong freshmen class as they have two starting on varsity this year and one off the bench who didn't play this game, and then most of the JV team is freshmen as well. I'd say two years Dells will be a very good team and may be making a state push. As for Reedsburg, I've been a believer in them since before the season started and believe that they could beat Prairie du Chien in the next round and could make a push to sectionals. With the way the season has gone though they just as easily could be blown out in the next game.
Reedsburg jumped out early and never trailed throughout the entire game. Dells came out very flat early on while Reedsburg was looking very sharp and much better then the previous time I had seen them. VanCleave looked very sharp in the first half as he was able to find his shooting range from about 15 feet and was able to knock down some mid range jumpers. Dells was hurt by some foul trouble early on as their defensive specialist 6'0 senior Bobby Blaschke picked up two early fouls in the first quarter and may of picked up a third before half, can't recall if that's correct though. 6'9 senior Nate Gibson also picked up two early fouls which caused him to sit a good portion of the first half. Meanwhile Dells star 6'5 senior Justin Ward really struggled to find his range. The fouls and cold shooting led to a Reedsburg halftime lead of 27-17. Reedsburg got a nice shot in the arm from their bench when 6'3 junior Ryan Pawlisch came in and knocked down a couple of three point shots. In the second half Wisconsin Dells was able to claw back in to the game by knocking down the three point shot. The hot shooting was led by 5'9 freshmen MJ Delmore who hit three, three points in the second half while four other players hit at least one shot from behind the arc. In the end though Reedsburg was able to hang on knocking down just enough free throws to get the one point win, 49-48. Ward hit a three with about 30 seconds or so left to make it a one point game and then Reedsburg missed the free throw. Dells called timeout and inbounded the ball with a little under 20 seconds left but, looked very disorganized and never got a good look at the hoop or into Ward's hand and had to settle for a double pump heave from Delmore at the buzzer.
Top Players
M.J. Delmore 5'9 freshmen Wisconsin Dells- Delmore looked much more sure of himself in this game and did a nice job of running the point. Played the entire game and hit those three big threes in the second half.
Shane Wimann 6'2 freshmen Wisconsin Dells- Would never guess he's a freshmen. Another kid that played the entire game and did a solid job guarding VanCleave and dominated the boards.
Jordan VanCleave 6'2 senior Reedsburg- Was MVP of the game as he was money from midrange really looked to score in this game.
Chad Mazur 6'3 junior Reedsburg- Didn't have a great game but, did have a nice little run in the second quarter and knocked down the free throws late in the game.
Box Score
WD- Ward 13 Delmore 11 Wimann 9 Gibson 9 Blaschke 3 Kyle Stowers 3 Josh Elftman 0
Reedsburg- VanCleave 16 Mazur 14 Stolte 10 Pawlisch 9 Kevin Sorenson 0 Mark Hollendyke 0 Jared Park 0 Durrell Naquin 0
Judging by who the top players were for Wisconsin Dells the future is very bright. Dells has a very strong freshmen class as they have two starting on varsity this year and one off the bench who didn't play this game, and then most of the JV team is freshmen as well. I'd say two years Dells will be a very good team and may be making a state push. As for Reedsburg, I've been a believer in them since before the season started and believe that they could beat Prairie du Chien in the next round and could make a push to sectionals. With the way the season has gone though they just as easily could be blown out in the next game.
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