Friday, December 31, 2010

Fourth Round Team Rankings

It has been two weeks since I had done my rankings paired with the fact that there have been some very tough matchups in the Holiday tournaments over the Winter break. The season is far enough along that we can really start to see who the real contenders are now. Once again teams that are undefeated will remain at least in my HM despite who they have played.



Divison One

Milwaukee King and Appleton East remained undefeated and remain at #1 and #2. Germantown lost their first game of the year to Depere which drops them to #6 and Depere to #5. Madison Memorial and Marshfield both move up with Germantown falling. Milwaukee Washington dropped two tough games to Chicago De La Salle and Wisconsin Lutheran, which allowed Superior to remain #7 despite losing to Marshfield. Marquette lost to De La Salle as well dropping them out of the top 10 to HM and Sun Praire lost their third game of the year and fall out of the rankings all together. Arrowhead lost to Germantown in a close one and fall to #10. Riverside and Wisconsin Rapaids both remain undefeated and jump into the top 10. Bradford has lost only one game while Pulaski remained undefeated. Milwaukee Hamiliton had a very impressive win against Bowman Academy out of Indiana which keeps them in HM. Case drops just because everyone else was impressive and Waukesha West hung on to HM despite losing their third game of the year.



1. Milwaukee King

2. Appleton East

3. Madison Memorial

4. Marshfield

5. Depere

6. Germantown

7. Superior

8. Milwaukee Riverside

9. Wisconsin Rapids

10. Arrowhead

HM

Milwaukee Marquette

Kenosha Bradford

Pulaski

Milwaukee Hamilton

Racine Case

Milwaukee Washington

Waukesha West



Divison Two

Seymour lost their first game of the year to Appleton East and Rice Lake lost to New Richmond which dropped them to #5 and #6 allowing the four undefeated teams to jump them. Pewaukee and Wisconsin Lutheran continued to look strong moving up over both New Berlin teams who are both now at three losses, West hung on to HM due to the fact that they lost to some very good teams. Two Rivers remains undefeated while Lacrosse Logan looked very impressive defeated Lacrosse Aquinas but, lost to an out of state team. Edgewood lost their fourth game of the year dropping from the rankings and Tosa East remains in HM.

1. Waunakee

2. Onalaska

3. Monroe

4. New Richmond

5. Seymour

6. Rice Lake

7. Pewaukee

8. Wisconsin Lutheran

9. Two Rivers

10. Lacrosse Logan

HM

Wauwatosa East

New Berlin West

Divison Three

Top four teams remain strong in the same order. GET moves to #5 with both East Troy and Dominican losing, combined with some great wins over the break. Prairie du Chien had two tough losses to GET and Aquinas and remain HM along with Dominican who has now lost three games. Omro joins the top 10 when I simply just neglected the undefeated team in my last rankings. Valders lost a pair of games and fall from the rankings and River Valley continues there roller coaster year but, beat both Cuba City and Brodhead over the break. Viroqua continues to look good and move into the top 10. Northwestern, Mauston, and Lodi all remain the same and in HM. Winneconne, Spooner, and Ellsworth all lost but stay in HM, while Milwaukee Northwest and the Hope School both appear.

1. Racine St. Catherines

2. St. Johns Military

3. Brillion

4. Manitowoc Roncalli

5. GET

6. Lacrosse Aquinas

7. Platteville

8. Omro

9. River Valley

10. Viroqua

HM

Whitefish Bay Dominican

Northwestern

Mauston

Lodi

Prairie du Chien

Winneconne

Spooner

Ellsworth

Milwaukee Northwest

Hope School



Division Four

Top two remain the same and undefeated. Amherst lost their first game and fell to #7 allowing everyone behind them to move up one. Cuba City lost to River Valley and falls to #10 allowing Grantsburg and Colby to move up. Aburndale, Rosholt, and Bonduel all lost a game but, remain in HM while Spring Valley lost two games and are out of the rankings.

1. Blair Taylor

2. Oosburg

3. Racine Lutheran

4. Darlington

5. Eau Claire Regis

6. Marathon

7. Amherst

8. Grantsburg

9. Colby

10. Cuba City

HM

Laconia

Cameron

Aburndale

Rosholt

Bonduel



Division Five

Some major news here as Randolph lost there second game of the year and Sheboygan Lutheran lost their first game which allows Benton to move to #1, Lutheran remains #2 since they beat New Lutheran and Randolph falls to #5. 6-9 remain the same. Hillsboro lost their second game allowing Gilmanton to move into the top 10. Hilbert, Lake County Lutheran, and Green Lake all lost games and fell out of the rankings.

1. Benton

2. Sheboygan Lutheran

3. Green Bay New Lutheran

4. Seneca

5. Randolph

6. Luck

7. Clayton

8. Suring

9. Prentice
10. Gilmanton
HM
Bayfield
Eau Claire Immanuel
Hillsboro
Barneveld
Royal
Wisconsin School of the Deaf

The rankings may not be perfect but, its very hard to rank the entire state particularly when you haven't seen alot of the teams play. If a team losses you have to look into who they lost to and then that team that beat them might be worthy of making it into the rankings.


























Thursday, December 30, 2010

Germantown edges Middleton

I know there was a long delay in my last post and now there has been an even bigger delay in this post from the time I saw the game. I went to the Middleton game a week ago but, haven't had a chance to write about the game until now. Holidays and family have taken up the bulk of my time. This post is going to be alittle different then my other posts due to the fact that I'm just trying to remember the best I could.

Coming into the game I really expected Germantown to dominate this game, jumping out early and never looking back but, this wasn't the case. Middleton looked 10 times better then their game against Sun Prairie and really played a good game. Middleton had the lead for much of the game and battle Germantown blow for blow right until the end when they fell just short.

First thing I noticed at the game was how younger Germantown's team was. They have only two seniors on the team but, I knew they had a strong junior class. I was more interested to see some of their younger players 6'8 sophomore Luke Fischer and noticed they had two 6'5 freshmen on the roster in Evan Wesenburg and Jon Averkamp, I'm assuming younger brother of former Germantown star Ben Averkamp. Averkamp disappointed me some though as he picked up two early fouls and never really got into the game. Wesenburg had a solid game battling in the post while Fischer had a pretty impressive game particularly in his shot blocking ability. Another disappointment was 6'2 senior Malcolm Bowers, who was another guy that got in early foul trouble and didn't see consistent minutes and just seemed out of sorts. The real star that I came to watch was 6'2 junior Zak Showalter that has had a lot of hype surrounding him. Showalter showed he is one of the most athletic players in the state. Showalter did a very nice job of getting himself free in the 15 foot range where he was able to knock down the jumper or get fouled where he was able to hit the free throws. Junior 6'2 Zack Kumbier was huge off the bench hitting four free throws that helped carry Germantown to victory. Through in a solid point guard in 5'10 junior Josh Mongan and you have a pretty good team, which is what Germantown is.

As I state early Middleton look much better in this game then the first time I saw them. They looked to their big man 6'6 senior Ian Joyce early to get them going offensively. Joyce once again showed the soft touch around the rim and showed some quickness and power when he went for a dunk in the third quarter where he got the charge and bricked the dunk, then in the fourth powered a dunk down and got the foul. 6'2 senior Seth Coyne wasn't as impressive as the previous game but, still had an adequate game and did a nice job taking his turn guarding Showalter. 5'10 senior Sonny Bavery doesn't look like much and doesn't bring alot to the game but, he can really shoot the three which is a difference maker in a close game like this. Couple guys off the bench to note where 6'0 senior Connor Wipfli and 6'4 junior Antoine Buchanon. Wipfli started the last time I saw him but, guessing they wanted more height in the starting lineup. Wipfli provided a nice spark off the bench hitting some big threes late and did a real good job battling Showalter particularly in the post. Buchanon shows a ton of athleticism but, seems a bit lost on offense and sometimes in alittle out of control but, I recently learned that he just moved to the Middleton area and joined the team late which can explain some of that. As the year goes on I believe Buchanon will really improve.

Middleton jumped out early in this one going to Joyce and the outside shooting of Bavery but, Germantown countered with Showalter and the three point shooting of Kumbier. At the end of one Germantown was up 20-18. Both teams cooled off in the second quarter as Germantown held a 27-24 half time lead. Showalter really wanted to get things going in the low post but, solid defense by Middleton forced him out to the high post where he eventually did most of his damage. Middleton finally grabbed the lead in the third quarter where they ended it up 41-38. Wipfi hit a pair of big threes in the fourth but, his final shot of the game came up just short as Germantown got the 57-56 win.

Top Players
Zak Showalter 6'2 junior Germantown- Did it all on the offensive end for Germantown. Really liked getting the ball with his back to the hoop where he could create some things. Moves very well without the ball, hit a couple threes, and had a nice dunk.
Zack Kumbier 6'2 junior Germantown- Sharpshooter off the bench that hit four three pointers in this game.
Ian Joyce 6'6 senior Middleton- Pretty much already said it all. Nice touch, has the quickness, and some power as well.
Connor Wipfli 6'0 senior Middleton- Did a great job battling Showalter and seemed to thrive going up against the star. Hit some big threes and can score on some ackward looking shots.

Box Score
Germantown 57- Showalter 27 Kumbier 12 Fischer 8 Mongan 5 Alex Lloyd 3 Wesenberg 2 Bowers 0 Averkamp 0 Cole Reindl 0
Middleton 56- Joyce 14 Wipfli 11 Bavery 9 Coyne 9 Will O'Brien 7 Buchanon 4 Robby Williams 2 Jake Raffel 0 Bryan Machmeier 0 Eric Hagstrom 0 Nick Schmidt 0

Middleton appears to have turned the corner and appear to be a much stronger team then earlier in the season and should continue to get stronger and stronger as the year goes on. With Germantown's youth they should be right towards the top of the rankings next year and will no doubt be a contender for the state title.

Saturday, December 25, 2010

Monroe over Madison Edgewood

I apologize for not posting in a few days and it has been four days since I've seen this game but, I have been busy with other things and the holiday. I will due my best to recall the game but, like I said it has been a few days since I saw this game.

This was a match up of two of the top teams in division two as well as two of the top teams in the Badger South Conference. They biggest thing to take note of is that this was a match up of two of the top coaches in the state in Coach Zwettler of Edgewood and Coach Murphy of Monroe. I have long admired Coach Zwettler's teams. Every year I count them out and think that they will have a down year but, every year I am proved wrong. Year in and year out Edgewood makes a deep run in the playoffs and always seem to be towards the top of their conference, there is no doubt in my mind that Zwettler gets the more out of his players then any other coach in the state. All the comments I just made you can basically switch the name Zwettler with Murphy and be just as accurate. Monroe is nearly always an automatic team at state and are always undersized yet they are able to take down much bigger teams. In recent years Murphy has always had a Tordoff leading his team so it will be interesting to see what will happen in the coming years. When you have someone that can light it up from the outside every game they can really carry the team at times.

The game started off a little slow with both teams feeling each other out. There was a lot of shots missed but, their were lots of offensive rebounds which cause long offensive possessions. At the end of the first quarter Edgewood was up 10-8. In the second quarter 6'0 senior Bryan Tordoff got things going from the outside and scored eight straight points to lead Monroe to a 24-19 halftime lead. In the second half Edgewood really started to get things going and were able to cut the lead to 39-37 after three. Like always it was a team effort for Edgewood but, 6'2 junior Spencer Brink stood out as he was able to move with out the ball and find an opening in the Monroe defense. On the other side Monroe struggled shooting the ball as a whole but, they consistently were able to get second and third opportunities. The one Monroe player that was scoring was 6'2 senior Michael Barrett who was able to get open from about 10 feet from the hoop and knock down the jumpers. Barrett score 12 points in the second half to lead Monroe.

The fourth quarter was when things really got interesting. Edgewood continued their hot shooting, while Monroe continued their strong rebounding. Three point shooting was big for Edgewood as 6'2 senior Brock Pavlik hit a pair of threes and 6'5 junior Austin Arians hit a huge three from the corner to tie the game up. Neither team could get a shot to fall and the game went to overtime. In overtime both teams played good defense and both teams seemed content to take their time running their offense. Edgewood struck first as 6'3 junior Chris Wells hit a deep outside shot which I believed to be a three but, his foot was on the line and ruled a two. Monroe got the ball back and missed their shot but, like most of the game they got an offensive rebound, this time by 6'7 senior Andrew Armstrong who got the put back to tie the game. Edgewood would not score on their next possession and Monroe came down with the ball in Tordoff's hands who was able to draw the blocking foul. Tordoff went to the line on a one and one ended up missing the first shot giving Edgewood less then two seconds to hit the winning shot, which they missed, sending the game into a second overtime. In overtime their were only three possessions. Edgewood one the tip and then turned the ball over. Monroe got the ball back and decided to go for one shot with three minutes left in the game. I know this is boring basketball but, a good coach moving in that as long as you don't turn the ball over early you know your at least going to another OT or possibly getting the win. I believe it was Barrett who ended up with the final shot, I could be wrong, either way the shot was missing and tipped around and Barrett ended up with the ball and put it back for the winning basket. Arians and Edgewood heaved up a half court shot they came up just short. Monroe got the 54-52 win.

Top Players
Bryan Tordoff 6'0 senior Monroe- At only listed at 6 foot he is listed as a guard but, early on you understand why. He is probably Monroe's best rebound and probably averages five plus rebounds a game. When he gets hot he is really fun to watch and he got hot in the second quarter and was nearly impossible to stop.
Michael Barrett 6'3 senior Monroe- Had a very slow first half but, really got things going in the second. Can get his shot at anytime, handles the ball well, and never gives up on a play tell its over.
Brock Pavlik 6'2 senior Edgewood- Just a sharpshooter that hits the big shots. If he is left open from the outside the shot is going to go in. Also the ultimate competitor.

Box Score
Monroe 54- Tordoff 16 Barrett 16 Damian Penniston 7 Armstrong 6 Michael Turek 5 Alex Barenklau 2 Austin Burandt 2 Evan Brady 0 Tyler Barta 0
Edgewood 52- Pavlik 15 Arians 12 Brink 8 Jack Zwettler 6 Bruin Armwald 6 Chris Wells 5 Hans Meixelsperger 0 Matt Schemmel 0

This was a game that really showed the strong coaching coming through. Both teams used a team effort and played extremely hard. Monroe is still undefeated and will probably have a bump or two along the way but, in the end they will be there towards the top of D2. Edgewood took their third lose of the young season but, despite that fact they will no doubt challenge Monroe for the conference title just like years past and don't be surprised to see Edgewood making a deep run come playoff time.

Monday, December 20, 2010

Round One Player Rankings

Like my personal team rankings my player rankings are based solely on players that I have seen play and solely on the game that I saw the player play in. If a player just has an off night that will affect my ranking of them and I may truly believe that a player should be above another but, due to the fact I'm basing only on what I actually saw in person. I will rank players overall and then ranking players based on their class. Obviously I haven't seen a ton of teams play yet so certain teams may have a high number of representatives.

Overall Rankings
1. Junior Lomomba 6'5 junior Madison Memorial- Easily the top player that I have seen this year. Isn't the quickest guy in the world but, has the ability to drive past defenders and finish strong at the rim. Solid defender and very strong rebounder. Can hit the jumpers out to the three point line as well.
2. Nick Fuller 6'5 sophomore Sun Prairie- Has the size of an inside player but, can play like a guard. One of the better ball handlers for a guy his size and if you leave him open from three he's going to hit the shot. Does alittle bit of everything, rebounds well, and loves to finish with the dunk.
3. Zach Zweifel 6'0 senior Monona Grove- Just a flat out scorer. Does most of his damage off the dribble, can finish with either hand, or pull up for the jumper. Does a nice job of jumping the passing lanes on defense.
4. Chris Hawkins 6'5 senior Sun Prairie- Just a beast on the inside that rebounds extremely well, blocks shots, and needs just one step to throw down monster dunks. High intensity player and can step out and hit the three.
5. Brendan Ortiz 6'1 sophomore Madison Memorial- Sophomore that plays like a senior. He and Lomomba are without a doubt the vocal leaders on this team. Can get his shot off at any time and shoots very well off the dribble, spot up, or coming off the screen. Using his great ball handling skills to get around defenders and can finish with the floater in the lane.
6. Michael Barrett 6'2 senior Monroe- Ultimate glue player that does alittle bit of everything. Best shot is the fade away 15 footer but, can shoot out to the three point line. Moves very well without the ball, can run the point, rebounds, and plays pretty good defense.
7. Duane Wilson 6'1 sophomore Whitefish Bay Dominican- One of the quickest players with the ball in his hand. Nearly impossible to stop going to his right. Can stop on a dime and pull up for the shot.
8. Taron Edwards 5'11 junior Racine Park- Great three point shooter that can shoot the three off the spot up or off the dribble. This guy is unstoppable going to his left. Money from the free throw line.
9. Bryan Tordoff 6'0 senior Monroe- Ultimate competitor. One of the best rebounding guards I have seen. Sharpshooter from the outside but, loves to take defenders in the post where he is very strong.
10. Cale Zuiker 6'9 senior Marshfield- Moves very well for a kid his size. Seems like a very smart basketball player. Has a high release that allows him to shoot over most defenders. Moves very well without the ball and has unlimited range.
11. Mark Kowalke 6'7 senior Baraboo- Very good spot up shooter but, also very solid in the post. Post game is probably better on defensive end where he loves to come in late and block shots. Rebounds well and doesn't miss from free throw line.
12. Sean McGann 6'4 junior Baraboo- Another glue player. Handles the ball very well and the best part of his game is slashing to the hoop. Can shoot the three if left open.
13. Jamall Taylor 6'1 junior Whitefish Bay Dominican- Uses the head fake better then anyone I've seen. Seems to want the contact when he drives to the rim so he can get the three point play.
14. Ryan Koel 6'3 junior Lacrosse Logan- Just a very smooth player. Has a very nice shot from the outside and can take his defender in the post as well.
15. Jaron Schaffner 6'0 senior Sun Prairie- Very streaky player but, always plays great defense. Has good handle and is a good outside shooter from 15 foot and out.
16. Elliot Ashbeck 6'3 junior Marshfield- Just a solid point guard and is very strong with the ball in his hand. Doesn't force things and always seems to have things under control. Rebounds well and can shoot the open three.
17. Seth Coyne 6'3 senior Middleton- High energy player that is tough to stop going to the hoop and draws contact and he always makes his free throws.
18. Vincent Kube 6'2 junior Lacrosse Logan- Another guy that does alittle of everything. Runs the point, rebounds, and slashes to the hoop very well.
19. Trevor Jorgenson 6'7 senior Lacrosse Logan- Very big man in the middle with a very soft touch around the rim and isn't afraid to step out and shoot the deep jumper. Nice shot blocker and a strong rebounder.
20. Jordan Payne 6'2 junior Racine Park- Very tough posting up smaller defenders and can also drive to the hoop. Another strong rebounder.
HM
Dominic Fumbanks 6'3 junior Racine Park
Mike Weston 6'3 senior Beloit


Seniors
1. Zach Zweifel 6'0 Monona Grove
2. Chris Hawkins 6'5 Sun Prairie
3. Michael Barrett 6'2 Monroe
4. Bryan Tordoff 6'0 Monroe
5. Cale Zuiker 6'9 Marshfield
6. Mark Kowalke 6'7 Baraboo
7. Jaron Schaffner 6'0 Sun Prairie
8. Seth Coyne 6'3 Middleton
9. Trevor Jorgenson 6'7 Lacrosse Logan
10. Mike Weston 6'3 Beloit- Hustle player that gets alot of his points in transition and second chance buckets.
HM
Ian Joyce 6'6 Middleton

Juniors
1. Junior Lomomba 6'5 Madison Memorial
2. Taron Edwards 5'11 Racine Park
3. Sean McGann 6'4 Baraboo
4. Jamal Taylor 6'1 Whitefish Bay Dominican
5. Ryan Koel 6'3 Lacrosse Logan
6. Elliot Ashbeck 6'3 Marshfield
7. Vince Kube 6'2 Lacrosse Logan
8. Jordan Payne 6'2 Racine Park
9. Dominic Fumbanks 6'3 Racine Park- Another strong guard in the post and rebounds really well.
10. Dennis Crosby 5'11 Beloit- Strong outside shooter and has a very nice runner driving to the hoop.

Sophomores
1. Nick Fuller 6'5 Sun Prairie
2. Brendan Ortiz 6'1 Madison Memorial
3. Duane Wilson 6'1 Whitefish Bay Dominican
4. Jester Weah 6'4 Madison Memorial- A beast on the inside. One step and he dunks with ease, is a very good rebounder, and battles with much bigger players.
5. Alex Barenklau 6'0 Monroe- Sharpshooter from the outside and plays great defense.
6. Brad Ambrosius 6'4 West De Pere- Battles on the inside where he's very strong and rebounds exceptionally well.
7. Julian Walters 5'10 Madison Memorial- Very solid ball handler that makes good decisions.
8. Jonah Waite 6'0 Lacrosse Logan- Solid rebounder for a kid his size and also a solid defender.
9. Matt Ripple 6'2 Madison Edgewood- Very strong with the ball in his hand. Also plays good defense.
10. Ben Crawford 6'1 Monona Grove- Great rebounder that battles against much bigger defenders.
HM
Jon Rank 5'11 Lacrosse Logan

Freshmen
1. Tyler Lindquist 6'4 Madison Memorial- Only freshmen that actually played real minutes but, has a very nice mid range shots.

Well those are my first round of player rankings. If the weather cooperates I'll have two more games after this week but, will have to see.



Sunday, December 19, 2010

Third Round Team Rankings

Well with Christmas right around the corner here are my third round of team rankings. I've decided at this point any team that is undefeated should at least be honorable mention.

Division One
The top ten remained basically the same as it appears the top teams are starting to establish themselves and should remain towards the top of the division. Milwaukee Marquette got pounded by Wauwatosa East and dropped from #3 to #9 and Sun Prairie lost their second game of the season to an good but, not great Madison East team and dropped from #6 to #10. Milwaukee Washington got a big win over Waukesha West in dominating fashion which pushed Waukesha West lower in the HM rankings. New teams to HM with undefeated records are Pulaski, Wisconsin Rapids, and Milwaukee South. Milwaukee Hamilton remains in the top 10 do to their tremendous talent and the tough schedule they have played, also their last lose was to a team from outside the state.

1. Milwaukee King
2. Appleton East
3. Germantown
4. Madison Memorial
5. Marshfield
6. Milwaukee Washington
7. Superior
8. Arrowhead
9. Milwaukee Marquette
10. Sun Prairie
HM
Depere
Sheboygan North
Racine Case
Milwaukee Riverside
Waukesha West
Pulaski
Wisconsin Rapids
Milwaukee South
Milwaukee Hamilton

Divison Two
One through five remained the same with all the teams still undefeated. New Berlin Eisenhower lost a tough game to Milwaukee Riverside and dropped one spot, while Baraboo lost two games and fell out of the rankings, which allowed undefeated New Richmond to jump up two spots. New Berlin West got some notice defeated Pewaukee who remains at #9. Nicolet got their second lose of the season which allowed Wisconsin Lutheran to jump back in the top 10. Madison Edgewood took down Dominican last week and appear to be hitting their stride, Logan has lost one game and got a huge win over Lacrosse Aquinas, and Two Rivers is the new undefeated team. Wauwatosa East thrashed D1 top 10 Milwaukee Marquette and had one one point lose to Wisconsin Lutheran.

1. Seymour
2. Waunakee
3. Onalaska
4. Monroe
5. Rice Lake
6. New Richmond
7. New Berlin Eisenhower
8. New Berlin West
9. Pewaukee
10. Wisconsin Lutheran
HM
Madison Edgewood
Lacrosse Logan
Two Rivers
Wauwatosa East

Division Three
The top four teams remained the same. River Valley and Aquinas lost last week. Valley drops to HM while Aquinas drops to #9. East Troy jumps Dominican, who I'm still holding their terrible loss to Edgewood against them. GET and Prairie du Chien remain undefeated and each move up two spots. Platteville appears at #10 after impressive defeats of River Valley and Benton. Mauston, Winneconne, Lodi, Spooner, and Ellsworth are the undefeated teams that appear for the first time in HM.

1. Racine St. Catherines
2. St. John's Military
3. Brillion
4. Manitowoc Roncalli
5. East Troy
6. Whitefish Bay Dominican
7. GET
8. Prairie du Chien
9. Lacrosse Aquinas
10. Platteville
HM
Valders
River Valley
Viroqua
Northwestern
Mauston
Winneconne
Lodi
Spooner
Ellsworth

Division Four
Blair Taylor remains #1 and also undefeated. Racine Lutheran lost a very tough overtime game to #1 in D3 Racine Lutheran and drop two spots to #4, as does Darlington who lost to a top five D2 team in Monroe. Oostburg and Amherst remained undefeated and moved up to #2 and #3. Colfax lost two games and drops out of the rankings while Laconia dropped a game and falls to HM. Eau Claire Regis, Marathon, and Cuba City all moved up with Laconia and Colfax falling. Grantsburg is undefeated and has defeated some top 10 teams in D4 and D5, while Colby remains undefeated as well and appears in the top 10. Aburndale, Cameron, Spring Valley, Rosholt, and Bonduel all make the HM due to the fact that their undefeated.

1. Blair Taylor
2. Oostburg
3. Amherst
4. Racine Lutheran
5. Darlington
6. Eau Claire Regis
7. Marathon
8. Cuba City
9. Grantsburg
10. Colby
HM
Aburndale
Laconia
Cameron
Spring Valley
Rosholt
Bonduel

Division Five
The top two teams remained the same. Benton lost last week but, moved up a place due to the fact that they lost to a top 10 team in D3. Green Bay New Lutheran, Seneca, Luck, and Clayton all moved up a spot after Suring suffered their first lose of the season. Green Lake and Hilbert both lost their second game of the season but, still remained HM, which allowed Prentice and Hillsboro to move up to the top 10. Bayfield, Barneveld, Eau Claire Immanuel make their first appearance as their undefeated, along with Wisconsin School for the Deaf, who haven't really beaten anyone but, they are undefeated and I said anyone undefeated would be at least HM. Oakfield lost two games and fall out of the rankings completely.

1. Randolph
2. Sheboygan Lutheran
3. Benton
4. Green Bay New Lutheran
5. Seneca
6. Luck
7. Clayton
8. Suring
9. Prentice
10. Hillsboro
HM
Gilmanton
Hilbert
Bayfield
Barneveld
Eau Claire Immanuel
Lake County Lutheran
Green Lake
Royal
Wisconsin School for the Deaf


These are my new top ten teams for the state and like I said earlier these teams will probably remain in the top 10 for most of the year at this point, which their exception of the two smaller divisions for the simple fact that I really don't know them that well.





Friday, December 17, 2010

Madison Memorial

On Thursday was down at Madison Memorial to take on Beloit. Both teams were undefeated in conference, Beloit undefeated over all, while Memorial was coming off their first defeat of the season getting crushed by Milwaukee King. When teams came out for warmups first thing I immediately noticed was that Memorial only had nine players suited up for the game and had seven players in street cloths. Looking at their numbers makes Memorial's start to the season all the more impressive, in that they are missing two starters and are playing very short handed.

Every single Memorial game they opponent comes out firing and pumped up to beat Memorial and give them their best shot. Beloit was no different as they came out with a high energy level playing head to head with Memorial. Memorial came out of the gate not shooting well but, as always they were able to turn Beloit over which led to easy transition baskets for Memorial. Beloit was able to keep the game close with tremendous three point shooting as it seemed that everyone on the team hit at least one three point shot in the first half. At the end of one Memorial was up 21-17. Memorial really struggle from the outside in this game and I believe that they ended up hitting only three three point shots. With the outside shot not falling the really looked to drive the ball to the hoop. 6'5 junior star Junior Lomomba was able to drive baseline and score, 6'5 senior Tre Burnette was also able to get to the hoop, along with 6'1 sophomore Brendan Ortiz who was able to drive and hit floaters in the lane. Being carried by their big three Memorial clung to a 34-29 lead as Beloit was able to continue knocking down the threes.

In the third quarter really got things going as everyone outside of Lomomba continued to struggle but, they were able to dominate the offensive glass and get second and third chances. Lomomba ended up with 20 points at the end of three quarters including a free nice base line drive and dunk on a 6'7 kid from Beloit, then in the fourth quarter didn't even look to shoot as the game was in hand. The player that really benefited from the third quarter scoring was 6'4 junior Ngijol Songolo who just made layups all quarter long as the big three were able to penetrate and find Songolo open in the paint. At the end of the third quarter Memorial was up 57-39. Fourth quarter there really wasn't much to talk about as Memorial outscored Beloit eight to five, with both coaches clearing the bench and giving everyone time in the game. I apologize to Beloit for not mentioning them much but, there really wasn't much for stand outs and no one really stood out to me in the game. Madison Memorial got the big 65-44 win.

Top Players
Junior Lomomba 6'5 junior Madison Memorial- Had a great great game and just couldn't miss. Was able to get to the hoop at will and seemed much quicker then normal in this game and had the nice dunk. Really is the leader of this team.
Tre Burnette 6'5 senior Madison Memorial- Showed some nice ball handling skills in this game, battled on the glass, and finally hit a three looking more and more like the sharp shooter of a year ago.
Brendan Ortiz 6'1 sophomore Madison Memorial- Another leader for this team that can use his quickness and handling skills to get in the lane and cause problems. Really looking forward to the matchup with Nimrod Hillard.
Mike Weston 6'3 senior Beloit- Honestly don't remember much about him but, he was the teams leading scored with 13 points.
Dennis Crosby 5'11 senior Beloit- Was a guy that hit a couple nice outside shots and wasn't afraid to drive against the bigger Memorial defenders.

Box Score
Madison Memorial 65- Lomomba 20 Ortiz 11 Burnette 11 Songolo 11 Jester Weah 5 Thomas Parkman 5 Tyler Lindquist 2 Zach Mitchell 0 Joe Ferguson 0
Beloit 44- Weston 13 Cameron Roegner 8 Crosby 7 Trevea Ross 7 Jon Winston 3 Damont Green 3 Ahmad Shamsid-Dean 2 Dalton Davies 2 Curtis Payton 0 Matt Zibert 0 Tevin Gamble 0 Arman Cabrera 0 Isaih Brandy 0

With this win Madison Memorial jumps into sole possession of the conference lead, tied with Sun Prairie losing Madison Memorial gets a big lead as SP is their biggest competition in conference and they now have lost two games.

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

First Round My Team Rankings

In my personal team rankings, I base my rankings solely on games that I have seen while my state rankings on overall season play. Even if a team has beaten another team head to head I won't take that into consideration. I will only take into consideration the game that I have actually seen a team play. I feel it unfair to judge teams on what I have heard not on what I've actually seen. I understand that I may just catch a team on a bad night but, hopefully I will get to see most teams at least twice and be able to get a good judgement on them. I will put in ( ) how many times i have seen each team play. Obviously the more I have seen a team play the more accurate my ranking will be. Once I have seen a few more teams play I will break down the rankings into divisions.

1. Madison Memorial- Once they get all their players back from injury will probably have the most athletic top eight players in the state. Lots of athletic freaks between 6'4 to 6'6. Still a young team that may take alittle bit more time to completely gel.
2. Sun Prairie- Have four players that could score 20 plus points on any given night. As Nick Fuller gets stronger and better game to game this team will rise with him. Have the size to battle with Memorial.
3. Marshfield- Probably overall the tallest team in the state and their 1-3-1 defense is nearly impossible to score against. Run a very slow patient offense and really take good shots.
4. Monroe- Move very well without the ball and another team that is very patient on the offensive end and only take good shots. Bryan Tordoff and Michael Barrett are stars that have both been on varsity forever.
5. Madison Edgewood- Have one of the best coach's in the state and their team plays as hard as anyone in the state. Run their offense very well which always seems to give them an open shot. Go 12 deep and don't lose anything.
6. Baraboo- Have some very good seniors and a pair of legit stars in Mark Kowalke and Sean McGann. Overall size is a concern though.
7. Racine Park- Extremely quick and athletic team. Lack outside shooting though and ballhandlers.
8. Lacrosse Logan- Trevor Jorgenson is as tough as any big man in the state and have some good outside shooters. Finding Jorgenson and handling pressure defense could be a problem though.
9.Monona Grove- Need some more scorers but, Zach Zweifel can score 20 points a night. Could probably carry them a decent way in playoffs.
10. Whitefish Bay Dominican- Lots of athletes but, not much size and not much outside shooting.
11. Middleton- Have a very deep team that plays hard but, don't have enough scorers.
12. West Depere- Have nice size and rebound well but, another team without consistent guard play with the shooting and ball handling.

Well those are my first round of my personal rankings of teams that I have seen play. Will be having rankings for players that I have seen in the coming days. Not much else on the schedule for games though.

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Second Round State Rankings

Well here is the second round of my state rankings. Try to keep up with these rankings every week and probably will be ranking teams that I have actually since about every four or five games. Decided to give a little explanation for my change of rankings as well.

Division One
Last weeks #1 team Madison Memorial lost fairly big to #3 Milwaukee King who made the jump to #1 while Memorial fell to #5. Remaining undefeated Germantown move to #4, causing everyone behind to move down one spot. Arrowhead makes an appearance going ahead of a Waukesha West team they just beat. Marshfield got a big win over Merrill and jumped over Milwaukee Washington to the #7 spot. Milwaukee Riverside is another team to make an appearance being undefeated.

1. Milwaukee King
2. Appleton East
3. Milwaukee Marquette
4. Germantown
5. Madison Memorial
6. Sun Prairie
7. Marshfield
8. Milwaukee Washington
9. Superior
10. Arrowhead
HM
Waukesha West
Depere
Sheboygan North
Racine Case
Milwaukee Hamilton
Milwaukee Riverside

Divison Two
Rankings of D2 remained fairly the same with Waterford, Merrill, and Hayward falling completely out of the rankings after losing this past week. Nicolet drops to #10 after their losing this week.

1. Seymour
2. Waunakee
3. Onalaska
4. Monroe
5. Rice Lake
6. New Berlin Eisenhower
7. Baraboo
8. New Richmond
9. Pewaukee
10. Nicolet
HM
Wisconsin Lutheran

Division Three
D3 remained pretty much the same with some slight changes with Dominican moving down to #7 after they lost pretty badly to Madison Edgewood and Valders flip flops with Prairie du Chien after dropping a game to Brillion.

1. Racine St. Catherines
2. St. John's Military
3. Brillion
4. Manitowoc Roncalli
5. River Valley
6. Lacrosse Aquinas
7. Whitefish Bay Dominican
8. East Troy
9. GET
10. Prairie du Chien
HM
Valders
Viroqua
Northewestern

Division Four
D4 remained the same with no teams losing in the top 10. Undefeated moved up to HM as they remained undefeated.

1. Blair Taylor
2. Racine Lutheran
3. Darlington
4. Oostburg
5. Colfax
6. Laconia
7. Amherst
8., Eau Claire Regis
9. Marathon
10. Cuba City
HM
Colby
Marathon

Division Five
There were a couple teams that lost in the top 10 in D5 with Benton losing to Platteville and Green Lake to Oakfield, along with Prentice taking a loss as well and falling out of the top 10. Hilbert moves up to #10 while Lake County Lutheran, Gilmanton, and Oakfield all appeared in honorable mention this week.

1. Randolph
2. Sheboygan Lutheran
3. Suring
4. Benton
5. Green Bay New Lutheran
6. Seneca
7. Luck
8. Clayton
9. Green Lake
10. Hilbert
HM
Lake County Lutheran
Prentice
Hillsboro
Royal
Gilmanton
Oakfield

Those are my updated rankings. Doing the best I can being that I haven't seen most of the teams play particularly in the smaller divisions.



Saturday, December 11, 2010

Sun Prairie over Middleton

Well I'm sitting at home today watching college basketball instead of being down at the Eastbay Converse Classic due to this stupid white stuff that is coming down. Did get to watch the Wisconsin vs Marquette game though which was fun particularly for someone that has no real affiliation to one team or the other so I could just sit back and relax and watch some former high school stars go at it.

Friday night got a chance to check out Sun Prairie's Fieldhouse and was pretty impressed with the facility. The only bad thing was that I didn't realize that they actually got an entire brand new school and not just a new gym. After driving around Sun Prairie a bit I did manage to find the new school. The school and gym are state of the art facilities and from my seat in the bleachers I could get a peek into the weight room which looked very similar to my college weight room and very big.

Anyway on to the game, where there wasn't a whole lot to talk about. Sun Prairie had a huge advantage in every aspect of the game. They had more talent and more height all around but, they did allow Middleton to hang around longer then they should of. The game started off and Middleton didn't appear to be running much of an offense and had a hard time even getting a shot off as the repeatedly turned the ball over and allowed Sun Prairie to get in run outs and score. When the Sun Prairie wasn't getting the fast breaks they looked to their big man 6'5 senior Chris Hawkins who didn't score a lot but, was able to find teammates open on the outside, as they ran their offense from the inside out. Middleton did get alittle bit of their offense going looking into their big man 6'6 senior Ian Joyce, who showed a nice touch around the rim early on. After the first quarter SP had the 10 lead up 17-7. Middleton got things going a bit in the second quarter behind 6'2 senior Seth Coyne who had a pair of nice drives but, SP continued their hot shooting and when they got the ball whether on a rebound or turnover they pushed the ball immediately and were able to convert on easy buckets. Sun Prairie was up 36-21 at half and appeared ready to go into cruise control .

In the second half Coyne came out firing as he put Middleton on his back and really played with a high energy level to get Middleton back in the game. I don't know if it was the fact that Middleton had more energy due, to the fact that they 13 players in their regular rotation but, Middleton appeared to have more energy in the second half and were able to turn Sun Prairie over and hit a couple threes and some and ones to get back in the game and cut the lead to 47-37 at the end of three quarters. Fourth quarter Sun Prairie was able to space the floor and take over with their strong ball handling from 6'5 sophomore Nick Fuller and 6'0 senior Jaron Schaffner where able to penetrate and usually get fouled or find an open teammate. In the end both benches were cleared with about a minute left in the game and Sun Prairie won 66-52.

Top Players
Seth Coyne 6'2 senior Middleton- Middleton success will probably depend on Coyne's play. Plays with a high energy and is very strong driving with the ball to his right. Middleton was coming back tell he took a hit to the face which resulted in a bloody nose and his aggressiveness fell off a bit after that.
Ian Joyce 6'6 senior Middleton- Only real height they have and will have to play a ton of minutes for this team. Has a nice touch around the rim but, would like to seem him go towards the rim instead of fading away on everything.
Nick Fuller 6'5 sophomore Sun Prairie- Is in my mind without a doubt the top player in his class that I have seen. I had my doubts last year between him and Brendan Ortiz from Madison Memorial but, Fuller is my guy. Handles the ball very well particularly for someone his size. Can grab a defensive board and take it coast to coast and score. Shoots very well from anywhere on the court. Is probably this teams top player.
Jaron Schaffner 6'0 senior Sun Prairie- Had a great night using his ball handling skills and quickness to get the open shot. Hit his free throws and had a nice break away dunk that surprised me.
Chris Hawkins 6'5 senior Sun Prairie- Very strong in the post as always. Didn't have a stand out game scoring but, killed on the boards and showed he could finish at the rim with some finesse.

Box Score
Sun Prairie 66- Fuller 19 Schaffner 15 Hawkins 12 Paris Saffold 8 Jordan Noskowiak 5 Jacob Oakley 3 Daniel Mifflin 2 Ryan Yentz 2 Nick Behrens 0 Rapheal Ragland 0 Martin Cromwell 0 Andre Wallace 0 Bryce Opps 0
Middleton 52- Coyne 18 Joyce 10 Will O'Brien 8 Sonny Bavery 5 Connor Wipfli 4 Antoine Buchanon 3 Sam Everson 2 TJ Weber 2 Jake Raffel 0 James Gardner 0 Bryan Machmeier 0 Connor Stubbe 0 Robby Williams 0 Matt Meinholz 0 Eric Hagstrom 0 Nick Schmidt 0

Sun Prairie again shows me again and again that they are a top five team in the state. They need to find some bench help and tonight Saffold brought that but, they need it night in and night out. Their top four players are as good as any in the state and they should push Madison Memorial and the Milwaukee schools for that state appearance. Middleton on the other side will be an up and down year. They will beat the bottom dwellers but, will really struggle against the top teams. They really don't have a lot of help after Joyce and Coyne, they play a lot of guys but, their really isn't much of a difference between 3 through 13. Well hopefully this snow will let up sometime and can head to some games this coming week.

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Madison Edgewood outplays Whitefish Bay Dominican

Coming into this game I was expecting to Dominican to run away and hide in but, it ended up being the complete opposite. From what I had heard and seen by scores Madison Edgewood had already lost two games and didn't appear to be playing well and Dominican was undefeated and had already beaten some very good teams. The JV game should of been an indication though with Edgewood winning the game by 20 plus points.

Watching warmups Edgewood was their typical Edgewood self looking very sound and very disciplined. On the Dominican side 6'3 senior Iman Johnson was looking really good and appeared to be very focused so I expected a huge game out of him but, that wasn't the outcome. Edgewood started off just like I expected from a Coach Zwettler coached team. The ran their offense very methodically and found the open shooter which was typically a three point shot which they seem fine with. Edgewood struggled to hit their first shot on most possessions but, always got second and third opportunities always Edgewood seemed to simply out hustle Dominican on every aspect of the game. Dominican also seemed to have a tough time finding the man they were guarding as Edgewood continued to get open three after open three. On the other side Dominican couldn't get a shot to fall as the had a terrible shooting percentage for the first quarter as they mounted only six points and were down 15-6 after one. As I alluded to earlier Iman Johnson was a non factor as he picked up two early fouls in the first quarter and never seemed to get into the game. For Edgewood their two star juniors 6'2 Spencer Brink and 6'5 Austin Arians just couldn't get things going but, they were picked up by the rest of their team and were able to find open teammates when things weren't going for them. Halftime score 20-15.

In the second half Dominican finally tried to push the tempo by going to a 1-3-1 defense with a bit of a trap thrown in there. This seemed to frustrate the Edgewood ball handlers and I felt that Dominican should of done some of this earlier when they got behind right away. On offense Dominican gave up on the outside shot and started looking to drive to the hoop and they were able to get to the free throw line and hand a couple and one baskets. Dominican finally started to hit some of their free throws, where they struggled so greatly in the first half. Dominican's defense and free throws allowed them to get to a 32-28 deficit after three. In the fourth quarter Edgewood really spread the floor on offense which frustrated Dominican a bit and forced them to have to foul early and often and unfortunately for them Edgewood shot an incredible percentage from the line. Johnson fouled out with four minutes left in the game without recording a point, without taking a shot, and going 0-2 from the foul line. In the end Edgewood got the 52-45 and that was only after I last ditch three pointer by Dominican to end the game.

Top Players
Duane Wilson 6'1 sophomore Dominican- Ultra ultra quick with the ball in his hands. Can get to the hoop at will. Needs to work on outside shot though.
Jamall Taylor 6'1 junior Dominican- Really uses the shot fake well, even though he should probably take the shot sometimes. Does a nice job of drawing the contact and making the basket.
Brock Pavlik 6'2 senior Edgewood- Made most of his points from the free throw line but, made the threes when given the open shot.
Chris Wells 6'2 junior Edgewood- Huge lift off the bench bring some immidiate energy. Hit a big three pointer and moved very well without the ball to find openings and score.

Box Score
Dominican 45- Taylor 19 Wilson 16 Breon Jordan 4 Sam Starke 4 Montes Strodthoff 2 Johnson 0 Aaron Rafeet 0 Will Curtis 0
Edgewood 52- Pavlik 15 Arians 11 Jack Zwettler 10 Wells 8 Bruin Armwald 6 Brink 2 Hans Meixelsperger 0 Ben Young 0 Matt Ripple 0

I would anticipate the strong play by Madison Edgewood continue. In my opinion they have one of the best coaches in the state and he always gets the most out of his players. Whitefish Bay Dominican will probably rebound from this came and get back on the winning track with the next couple weeks.

Monday, December 6, 2010

State Rankings

Typically my rankings I do are based only on teams I've seen play but, after thinking about it a bit most people that do rankings don't even see most of the the teams play anyway so decided to do a ranking of the top 15 teams in the state for each division without a whole lot of explanation. I will still do a ranking of teams I've seen play but, this will be an overall state ranking.

D1
1. Madison Memorial
2. Appleton East
3. Milwaukee King
4. Milwaukee Marquette
5. Sun Prairie
6. Germantown
7. Milwaukee Washington
8. Marshfield
9. Superior
10. Waukesha West
HM
Racine Case
Sheboygan North
Depere
Milwaukee Hamiliton

D2
1. Seymour
2. Waunakee
3. Onalaska
4. Monroe
5. Rice Lake
6. Waterford
7. New Berlin Eisenhower
8. Nicolet
9. Baraboo
10. New Richmond
HM
Merrill
Wisconsin Lutheran
Hayward

D3
1. Racine St. Catherines
2. St. John's Military
3. Whitefish Bay Dominican
4. Brillion
5. Manitowoc Roncalli
6. River Valley
7. Lacrosse Aquinas
8. East Troy
9. GET
10. Valders
HM
Prairie du Chien
Viroqua
Northwestern

D4
1. Blair-Taylor
2. Racine Lutheran
3. Darlington
4. Oostburg
5. Colfax
6. Laconia
7. Amherst
8. Eau Claire Regis
9. Marathon
10. Cuba City
HM
Colby

D5
1. Randolph
2. Benton
3. Sheboyban Lutheran
4. Suring
5. Green Bay New Lutheran
6. Green Lake
7. Seneca
8. Prentice
9. Luck
10. Clayton
HM
Hillsboro
Royal

Those are my state rankings should be back with more game action tomorrow night.

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Madison Memorial over Sun Prairie

In the most highly anticipated matchup of the year so far Madison Memorial beat Sun Prairie by the slimmest of margins to get the early lead in Big Eight play. A year ago Sun Prairie took Memorial down in the opening game of Big Eight play but, had an up and down year where they finished .500 in conference and dropped their second matchup against Memorial later in the year. Memorial lost that first matchup but, they were the ones that went on to be co-champs in the Big Eight. This year Sun Prairie brings back most of their guys from a year ago and Memorial reloads just like they always do.

First thing I noticed when the teams came out to warm up was that Memorial had three key players that weren't suited up for the game. 6'6 junior Jamar Morris, 6'5 senior Miles Chamberlain, and 6'1 Brian Nkemnji were all injured in some form or another and would not be playing in the game. Morris and Chamberlain would be starters while Nkemnji would be a top player off the bench. Missing those players caused Memorial to have a much smaller lineup as a whole. Their taller bench players 6'4 sophomore Jester Weah and 6'4 junior Ngijol Songolo where forced into the starting lineup, which meant that they had no one over 6'0 off the bench would contribute to the game.

The game started out very fast paced as always with both teams trading baskets and matching eachother point for point. Memorial's top two returning players 6'5 senior Tre Burnette and 6'5 junior Junior Lomomba both picked up two early fouls in the game causing them to sit forcing Memorial to go with a smaller lineup and play a 2-3 zone defense. Sun Prairie turned the ball over numerous times and if not for the turnovers SP would of had a lead after one but, luckily some hot shooting by 6'2 senior Jordan Noskowiak who hit a pair of threes early on and the strong inside play of 6'5 senior Chris Hawkins led to an 18 all tie after one quarter. Second quarter SP's height advantage took full affect as Hawkins was able to have his way on the inside and SP as a whole was able to control the boards. Memorial was able to draw the fouls and get to the free throw line but, they struggled greatly from the line and couldn't take advantage of the "free" points. At the half Sun Prairie was up 35-28.

Memorial came out gunning in the second half as it seems they do every game I watch them play. Early in the third Memorial was able to get the game tied behind some very ragged play by both teams which seemed to favor Memorial as they love to play the up tempo game. For SP 6'5 sophomore Nick Fuller got things going highlighted by a powerful break away dunk. Fuller was able to drive to the hoop and score. Fuller also was nearly perfect from the foul line. At the end of three quarters Sun Prairie still held a narrow 51-49 lead. Fourth quarter became the Lomomba show. When Memorial had the ball it began to feel like an NBA game with Memorial just looking for Lomomba and letting him go one on one to the hoop and score or get fouled. Lomomba spent lots of time at the free throw line where he struggled greatly but, came up big hitting his final four free throws in the final two minutes of the game. Late in the game with 59 seconds left Memorial turned the ball over giving the ball back to Sun Prairie who had a one point lead. The clock ran down to 18 seconds before Memorial fouled Chris Hawkins sending him to the line. Hawkins had been shooting very strong from the line early in the game but, missed both of the clutch free throws giving Memorial the ball back. Memorial ran the clock down a bit then looked for their man Lomomba who drove and then pulled up for the contested 15 foot shot, that was blocked by Noskowiak but, came right back to Lomomba and he hit the 10 foot leaner with under five seconds left in the game. Sun Prairie pushed the ball up the court but, was unable to get a shot off.

Top Players
Junior Lomomba 6'5 junior Madison Memorial- Struggled from the line but, was able to clutch up at the end. Very tough to stop going to the hoop even when you contest his shot. Every year seems to make huge strides in his game.
Brendan Ortiz 6'1 sophomore Madison Memorial- Despite only being a sophomore can see that he and Lomomba are the vocal leaders on the court. Runs the point very smoothly and isn't afraid to take big shots. Hit the first shot of the game and then hit a big thing midway through the fourth.
Jester Weah 6'4 sophomore Madison Memorial- Battled the much bigger Hawkins all game long and did a really solid job limiting Hawkins to only four second half points.
Nick Fuller 6'5 sophomore Sun Prairie- Has gotten much bigger physically and is really a complete ball player now. Very smooth shooter and has the ability to put the ball on the ground and drive to the hoop and is now strong enough to finish.
Chris Hawkins 6'5 senior Sun Prairie- Just a beast in the post that can finish in traffic. Has the ability to handle the ball as well on the perimeter.
Jordan Noskowiak 6'2 senior Sun Prairie- Really a good shooter when he has the ability to set his feet. Great defender that just had a tough break against Lomomba right at the end.

Box Score
Memorial 66- Lomomba 21 Ortiz 15 Songolo 11 Burnette 9 Weah 7 Thomas Parkman 3 #34 0 Zach Mitchell 0 Julian Walters 0
Sun Prairie 65- Fuller 20 Hawkins 19 Noskowiak 10 Jaron Schaffner 9 Daniel Mifflin 5 Ryan Yentz 2 Paris Saffold 0 Andre Wallace 0 Bryce Opps 0

This matchup promises to be another great matchup the second time these two teams play and their is no doubt in my mind that these two teams will be battling for the conference championship the second time around. Should be a fun year in the Big Eight watching these two teams play.