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.