Much like the past few years Madison Memorial was able to win this game because they just have more athletes then their opponents. Throughout much of the game it was Memorial playing with five athletes against Sun Prairies two. For the first half of the game Sun Prairie's two athletes were able to keep up with the five of Memorial but, in the end Memorial was just too quick and too athletic for Sun Prairie. Also similar to last year is the fact that Memorials best offense might be the missed shot as they were able to get second and third opportunities at the basket every time down the court. Memorial may of shot about 30 percent on the game but, it seemed that they scored every time down the court.
In the first quarter Sun Prairie came out in a 2-3 one zone defense which really seemed to play in Memorials hands. Early on Memorial really moved the ball well and they were able to find the openings in the Cardinal defense. Memorials point guard 6'1 junior Brendan Ortiz has really improved his passing from a year ago and had some very nice no look passes that set his teammates up for some easy baskets. A pair of seniors 6'5 Junior Lomomba and 6'6 Jamar Morris really did a nice job of getting the ball in the high post and finding cutting teammates in particular 6'4 senior Ngijol Songolo who has always seemed to move well without the ball. Another guy that really impressed me on the night was 6'5 junior Jester Weah who may be able to out jump Morris now, as it seemed that Weah was able to get his hand on every rebound as well as a couple nice blocks that he pinned against the glass.
On the other side Sun Prairie's star 6'6 junior Nick Fuller put his team on his back and completely carried them as he scored 20 points in the first half and the team only scored 30. Memorial did not have a single player that could stay with Fuller as he could get anywhere he wanted and could score at will.
In the second half Fuller slowed up and couldn't get his shot to fall while Memorial continued to control the glass. Memorial has their normal second half run as they came out and had an 8-0 run right out of the locker room in the second half. Memorial has a ton of athletes but, when they really need the buckets they go to Lomomba who has improved his ball handling, shooting, and his elevation since last year. Memorial was able to cruise to the victory and was able to finish it off with an exclamation point dunk from Lomomba when he drove to the hoop and threw down a monster one handed jam.
Top Players
Junior Lomomba 6'5 senior Memorial- A guy that can flat out score. I've always questioned his athletic ability in the past and in this game he showed me that is something that he has worked on as he appears quicker and can elevate higher then past years. I believe he will have a huge year.
Brendan Ortiz 6'1 junior Memorial- Made a huge name for himself last year with his Championship game heroics but, appears to really be looking to be a true point guard this year. Looked to set his teammates up before looking for his own shot. I have always loved his game and now that he appears to be more of a pass first point guard I love him even more.
Jester Weah 6'5 junior Memorial- Dominated the glass on both ends of the court. I think I may of seen the best leaper I will see all year.
Nick Fuller 6'6 junior Sun Prairie- No doubt he is a high D1 college player. Handles the ball exceptionally well and can get anywhere he wants on the court with the ball. A great shooter that has really expanded his game in the past two years.
Nick Noskowiak 6'1 freshmen Sun Prairie- I am very interested to watch this kid play as he plays like a senior already and plays with a ton of confidence. He is already the second best player on the team and is a dead eye shooter from the outside.
Box Score
Memorial- Lomomba 20 Morris 14 Ortiz 10 Songolo 10 Weah 6 Tyler Lindquist 6 Donnel Thomspon 0
SP- Fuller 27 Noskowiak 11 Craig Evans 4 Ryan Yentz 4 Andre Wallace 3 Nick Behrens 3 Mike Vernio 2 Andrew Struebel 2 Martin Cromwell 0
Once again I think that we will be seeing Memorial at the Kohl Center when it comes to state. Sun Prairie has a star that can carry them in Fuller and they have a handful of solid players but, I just don't think they can put it together to win the conference let alone make a run at state.
Monday, December 19, 2011
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
First Round Team Rankings
Two weeks into the season and I figured it was time to do my first official rankings for the regular season. I know I haven't gone to many games yet this year by I now have a fiance and there just hasn't been a lot of good games to start the season.
Division One
I try not to punish teams for losing to out of state teams but, Hamilton lost to a very good team from Illinois and felt they should at least drop alittle so I had them fall below De Pere to number six. Brookfield Central, Homestead, and Oshkosh North all lost a game and fall below Sheboygan North and Racine Park. Menomonee Falls, Burlington, and Racine Case has already lost two games and fall out of the rankings all together. DC Everest, Milwaukee South, and Superior have all registered impressive 3-0 starts and make their appearance in my rankings.
1. Germantown
2. Madison Memorial
3. Milwaukee Riverside
4. Milwaukee King
5. De Pere
6. Milwaukee Hamilton
7. Sheboygan North
8. Racine Park
9. Brookfield Central
10. Homestead
11. Oshkosh North
12. D.C. Everest
13. Bay Port
14. Milwaukee South
15. Superior
Division Two
Edgewood has already dropped two games and fall out of the rankings. Waterford lost to a pretty good Burlington team while Pius lost a game and Waterford moved up to seven and Pius dropped to eight. Whitnall and Antigo remain undefeated and move up. New Berline Eisenhower and Beaver Dam remain undefeated and move up to nine and 10. Milwaukee Washington lost two very tough games and hang in at #11 while Lutheran is now 2-4 and fall out of the rankings along with Pewaukee. Kaukana and Pulaski have both started an impressive and come in at 12 and 13. Stoughton registered an impressive victory over Edgewood to move up to 14 and Fort Atkinson is another undefeated team to make it to the rankings.
1. Onalaska
2. Rice Lake
3. Wauwatosa East
4. Waunakee
5. Whitnall
6. Antigo
7. Waterford
8. Milwaukee Pius
9. New Berlin Eisenhower
10. Beaver Dam
11. Milwaukee Washington
12. Kaukana
13. Pulaski
14. Stoughton
15. Fort Atkinson
Division Three
East Troy lost to a very good D1 team in Arrowhead and fall only two spots to #3. St. Cats lost to a D2 team and fall to #7. Praire du Chien, Two Rivers, River Valley, Roncalli, and University schools all are no one near as good as teams in the past and fall out of the rankings. Brillon, Wrightstown, and Valdres have all already beaten each other and come in at 10, 11, and 12. Oostburg, Marshall, and Northwestern are all new teams checking into the rankings.
1. Lacrosse Aquinas
2. GET
3. East Troy
4. Wisconsin Dells
5. Little Chute
6. Lodi
7. Racine St. Catherines
8. Omro
9. Clinton
10. Brillon
11. Wrightstown
12. Valders
13. Oostburg
14. Marshall
15. Northwestern
Division Four
Dominican lost but, it was to the top team in division one so they'll stay my number one team. Oshkosh Lordes lost to Oshkosh North and drop only one spot. Elk Mound lost to a top D5 team in Elmwood and drop to #10. Fall Creek, Blair Taylor, Destiny, and Regis have all struggled early and fell out of the rankings. Wild Rose, Colfax, Thorp, Stanley-Boyd, and Cameron took their place.
1. Dominican
2. Aburndale
3. Cuba City
4. Laconia
5. Oshkosh Lourdes
6. Bonduel
7. Three Lakes
8. Amherst
9. Grantsburg
10. Elk Mound
11. Wild Rose
12. Colfax
13. Thorp
14. Stanley-Boyd
15. Cameron
Division Five
Sheboygan and Racine Lutheran both lost to larger schools and fall only to the third and fourth spot. Clayton lost to Drummond and fall to #14 just behind Drummond and Green Lake falls to #15 after their first loss. GBNEW has only lost to Sheboygan Lutheran and therefore doesn't fall in the rankings. Marion has only lost to a top D4 team so only drop to #12 and as I said earlier Drummond had the big win and move into the rankings.
1. Randolph
2. Benton
3. Sheboygan Lutheran
4. Racine Lutheran
5. Royal
6. Young Coggs Prep
7. Green Bay New Lutheran
8. Prentice
9. Siren
10. Hilbert
11. Suring
12. Marion
13. Drummond
14. Clayton
15. Green Lake
Well that's my updated rankings first my first round. Hopefully I will get to another game Thursday and then possibly will get to another game on Friday. After Christmas my games should start to pick up more and my game posts will increase.
Division One
I try not to punish teams for losing to out of state teams but, Hamilton lost to a very good team from Illinois and felt they should at least drop alittle so I had them fall below De Pere to number six. Brookfield Central, Homestead, and Oshkosh North all lost a game and fall below Sheboygan North and Racine Park. Menomonee Falls, Burlington, and Racine Case has already lost two games and fall out of the rankings all together. DC Everest, Milwaukee South, and Superior have all registered impressive 3-0 starts and make their appearance in my rankings.
1. Germantown
2. Madison Memorial
3. Milwaukee Riverside
4. Milwaukee King
5. De Pere
6. Milwaukee Hamilton
7. Sheboygan North
8. Racine Park
9. Brookfield Central
10. Homestead
11. Oshkosh North
12. D.C. Everest
13. Bay Port
14. Milwaukee South
15. Superior
Division Two
Edgewood has already dropped two games and fall out of the rankings. Waterford lost to a pretty good Burlington team while Pius lost a game and Waterford moved up to seven and Pius dropped to eight. Whitnall and Antigo remain undefeated and move up. New Berline Eisenhower and Beaver Dam remain undefeated and move up to nine and 10. Milwaukee Washington lost two very tough games and hang in at #11 while Lutheran is now 2-4 and fall out of the rankings along with Pewaukee. Kaukana and Pulaski have both started an impressive and come in at 12 and 13. Stoughton registered an impressive victory over Edgewood to move up to 14 and Fort Atkinson is another undefeated team to make it to the rankings.
1. Onalaska
2. Rice Lake
3. Wauwatosa East
4. Waunakee
5. Whitnall
6. Antigo
7. Waterford
8. Milwaukee Pius
9. New Berlin Eisenhower
10. Beaver Dam
11. Milwaukee Washington
12. Kaukana
13. Pulaski
14. Stoughton
15. Fort Atkinson
Division Three
East Troy lost to a very good D1 team in Arrowhead and fall only two spots to #3. St. Cats lost to a D2 team and fall to #7. Praire du Chien, Two Rivers, River Valley, Roncalli, and University schools all are no one near as good as teams in the past and fall out of the rankings. Brillon, Wrightstown, and Valdres have all already beaten each other and come in at 10, 11, and 12. Oostburg, Marshall, and Northwestern are all new teams checking into the rankings.
1. Lacrosse Aquinas
2. GET
3. East Troy
4. Wisconsin Dells
5. Little Chute
6. Lodi
7. Racine St. Catherines
8. Omro
9. Clinton
10. Brillon
11. Wrightstown
12. Valders
13. Oostburg
14. Marshall
15. Northwestern
Division Four
Dominican lost but, it was to the top team in division one so they'll stay my number one team. Oshkosh Lordes lost to Oshkosh North and drop only one spot. Elk Mound lost to a top D5 team in Elmwood and drop to #10. Fall Creek, Blair Taylor, Destiny, and Regis have all struggled early and fell out of the rankings. Wild Rose, Colfax, Thorp, Stanley-Boyd, and Cameron took their place.
1. Dominican
2. Aburndale
3. Cuba City
4. Laconia
5. Oshkosh Lourdes
6. Bonduel
7. Three Lakes
8. Amherst
9. Grantsburg
10. Elk Mound
11. Wild Rose
12. Colfax
13. Thorp
14. Stanley-Boyd
15. Cameron
Division Five
Sheboygan and Racine Lutheran both lost to larger schools and fall only to the third and fourth spot. Clayton lost to Drummond and fall to #14 just behind Drummond and Green Lake falls to #15 after their first loss. GBNEW has only lost to Sheboygan Lutheran and therefore doesn't fall in the rankings. Marion has only lost to a top D4 team so only drop to #12 and as I said earlier Drummond had the big win and move into the rankings.
1. Randolph
2. Benton
3. Sheboygan Lutheran
4. Racine Lutheran
5. Royal
6. Young Coggs Prep
7. Green Bay New Lutheran
8. Prentice
9. Siren
10. Hilbert
11. Suring
12. Marion
13. Drummond
14. Clayton
15. Green Lake
Well that's my updated rankings first my first round. Hopefully I will get to another game Thursday and then possibly will get to another game on Friday. After Christmas my games should start to pick up more and my game posts will increase.
Sunday, December 11, 2011
South Central Preview
Along with the Big Eight Conference the South Central Conference is the other conference that I follow fairly closely since it is the conference that my home town is in. As always the conference will go to Wisconsin Dells who I believe has at least shared the conference title every year but, one year. Honestly I don't see any other team challenging them whatsoever. The Dells is head and shoulders above everyone followed by Nekoosa and Mauston who are head and shoulders above the bottom three teams in the conference.
1. Wisconsin Dells - They are the defending conference champs and they bring back everyone from their team that won the conference. The are headlined by 6'4 junior Shane Wimann and 5'11 MJ Delmore who were both first team all conference and 5'9 junior Mike Dickman who was a second teamer.
2. Mauston- They are a one man team behind 6'4 junior Joel Heesch who can do it all from run the point guard to guard anyone on the court.
3. Nekoosa- Don't know much about them at all be they seem to be showing some promise and have 6'4 senior Derek Baker.
4. Adams Friendship- Don't know much about them other then they are Adams Friendship so they shouldn't finish last.
5. Westfield- Would of had them last but, Wautoma only scored 19 points in their first game of the year to that puts them last.
6. Wautoma- See above.
All Conference
1st Team
6'4 junior Wisconsin Dells Shane Wimman
5'11 junior Wisconsin Dells MJ Delmore
6'4 junior Mauston Joel Heesch
6'4 senior Nekoosa Derek Baker
5'10 senior Adams Friendship Nick Becker
2nd Team
5'9 junior Wisconsin Dells Mike Dickman
6'3 senior Wisconsin Dells Trevor Hirst
6'2 senior Wautoma John Eagan
6'3 junior Mauston Hunter Nelson
6'1 senior Westfield Cordell Maas
Predicted Standings
Wisconsin Dells 10-0
Mauston 7-3
Nekoosa 6-4
Adams Friendship 5-5
Westfield 2-8
Wautoma 1-9
Well there are my preseason thoughts on the South Central Conference. Some cheating on this one since the season has already started.
1. Wisconsin Dells - They are the defending conference champs and they bring back everyone from their team that won the conference. The are headlined by 6'4 junior Shane Wimann and 5'11 MJ Delmore who were both first team all conference and 5'9 junior Mike Dickman who was a second teamer.
2. Mauston- They are a one man team behind 6'4 junior Joel Heesch who can do it all from run the point guard to guard anyone on the court.
3. Nekoosa- Don't know much about them at all be they seem to be showing some promise and have 6'4 senior Derek Baker.
4. Adams Friendship- Don't know much about them other then they are Adams Friendship so they shouldn't finish last.
5. Westfield- Would of had them last but, Wautoma only scored 19 points in their first game of the year to that puts them last.
6. Wautoma- See above.
All Conference
1st Team
6'4 junior Wisconsin Dells Shane Wimman
5'11 junior Wisconsin Dells MJ Delmore
6'4 junior Mauston Joel Heesch
6'4 senior Nekoosa Derek Baker
5'10 senior Adams Friendship Nick Becker
2nd Team
5'9 junior Wisconsin Dells Mike Dickman
6'3 senior Wisconsin Dells Trevor Hirst
6'2 senior Wautoma John Eagan
6'3 junior Mauston Hunter Nelson
6'1 senior Westfield Cordell Maas
Predicted Standings
Wisconsin Dells 10-0
Mauston 7-3
Nekoosa 6-4
Adams Friendship 5-5
Westfield 2-8
Wautoma 1-9
Well there are my preseason thoughts on the South Central Conference. Some cheating on this one since the season has already started.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Big Eight Preview
I know I'm alittle late with this preview since most teams have already played two or three games but, this is really the first chance I've had to make the predictions. The Big Eight is one of the conferences that I follow closely. There have already been some big ups and downs with Beloit defeated Sun Prairie who I thought would be one of the top teams in the conference and then Beloit going and losing to Janesville Craig who should be towards the bottom of the conference. The middle of the conference is really going to be up in the air and three through seven could really go anyway. Here are my predictions on the conference.
1. Madison Memorial- The defending state champs are clearly the class of the conference and have at least three scholarship players in 6'5 senior Junior Lomomba, who recently signed his D1 letter, 6'1 junior Brendan Ortiz who should keep the momentum going from his tremendous state championship game, and 6'6 senior Jamar Morris who should have a breakout year now that he will start the year out injury free. 6'4 junior Jester Weah and 6'4 senior Ngijol Songolo also saw lots of minutes starting a year ago.
2. Sun Prairie- 6'6 junior Nick Fuller might be the best player in the conference and should have an extremely impressive year. 6'5 senior Andre Wallace appears to be a solid side kick early in the season.
3. Middleton- Have one of the better coaches in the conference and always seem to play very hard for their coach. I expect a huge year out of 6'5 senior Antoine Buchanon who seemed to have a ton of talent a year ago but, could never get things going.
4. Madison East- Height is always an issue but, they play with alot of heart. 5'8 senior Rudy Bentley should have a big year and teams with 5'10 junior Jermel McLin to form a very solid back court.
5. Verona- Solid coach and a team that always plays well and hard. 6'4 senior Bryan Dalton seems to be poised for a big big year early on.
6. Beloit- Have a ton of talent but, see if they can put it all together. Appears that they will be having an up and down year as they have already beaten Sun Prairie and then lost to Janesville Craig.
7. Madison Lafollette- Don't know much about the Lancers but, they bring back four starters so they could easily make the move higher in the conference.
8. Madison West- Another talented team but, they can never seem to put it all together. Things go there way and they should be able to move up but, usually they seem to be towards the bottom.
9. Janesville Craig- Would of had them tied with Parker here but, already getting a big win against Beloit has me thinking alittle different.
10. Janesville Paker- Don't know much about them but, their Parker so they go here.
Predicted conference records
Madison Memorial 18-0
Sun Prairie 15-3
Middleton 11-7
Madison East 10-8
Verona 10-8
Beloit 9-9
Madison Lafollette 9-9
Madison West 5-13
Janesville Craig 3-15
Janesville Paker 1-17
All Conference Picks
1st Team
6'5 senior Junior Lomomba Madison Memorial
6'1 junior Brendan Ortiz Madison Memorial
6'6 junior Nick Fuller Sun Prairie
5'8 senior Rudy Bentley Madison East
6'4 senior Bryan Dalton Verona
2nd Team
6'5 senior Antoine Buchanon Middleton
6'6 senior Jamar Morris Madison Memorial
5'10 senior Kwame Latimer Madison West
6'0 senior Matt Hunter Madison Lafollette
6'4 sophomore Andre Neal Beloit
HM
5'10 junior Jermel McLin Madison East
6'4 junior Jester Weah Madison Memorial
6'5 senior Andre Wallace Sun Prairie
6'2 senior Brett Pickarts Janesville Craig
6'1 senior Demetrious Durley Madison East
Well there are my picks for the Big Eight conference. I'm sure I will end up being way off by the end of the year but, oh well always fun to see how close I can get.
1. Madison Memorial- The defending state champs are clearly the class of the conference and have at least three scholarship players in 6'5 senior Junior Lomomba, who recently signed his D1 letter, 6'1 junior Brendan Ortiz who should keep the momentum going from his tremendous state championship game, and 6'6 senior Jamar Morris who should have a breakout year now that he will start the year out injury free. 6'4 junior Jester Weah and 6'4 senior Ngijol Songolo also saw lots of minutes starting a year ago.
2. Sun Prairie- 6'6 junior Nick Fuller might be the best player in the conference and should have an extremely impressive year. 6'5 senior Andre Wallace appears to be a solid side kick early in the season.
3. Middleton- Have one of the better coaches in the conference and always seem to play very hard for their coach. I expect a huge year out of 6'5 senior Antoine Buchanon who seemed to have a ton of talent a year ago but, could never get things going.
4. Madison East- Height is always an issue but, they play with alot of heart. 5'8 senior Rudy Bentley should have a big year and teams with 5'10 junior Jermel McLin to form a very solid back court.
5. Verona- Solid coach and a team that always plays well and hard. 6'4 senior Bryan Dalton seems to be poised for a big big year early on.
6. Beloit- Have a ton of talent but, see if they can put it all together. Appears that they will be having an up and down year as they have already beaten Sun Prairie and then lost to Janesville Craig.
7. Madison Lafollette- Don't know much about the Lancers but, they bring back four starters so they could easily make the move higher in the conference.
8. Madison West- Another talented team but, they can never seem to put it all together. Things go there way and they should be able to move up but, usually they seem to be towards the bottom.
9. Janesville Craig- Would of had them tied with Parker here but, already getting a big win against Beloit has me thinking alittle different.
10. Janesville Paker- Don't know much about them but, their Parker so they go here.
Predicted conference records
Madison Memorial 18-0
Sun Prairie 15-3
Middleton 11-7
Madison East 10-8
Verona 10-8
Beloit 9-9
Madison Lafollette 9-9
Madison West 5-13
Janesville Craig 3-15
Janesville Paker 1-17
All Conference Picks
1st Team
6'5 senior Junior Lomomba Madison Memorial
6'1 junior Brendan Ortiz Madison Memorial
6'6 junior Nick Fuller Sun Prairie
5'8 senior Rudy Bentley Madison East
6'4 senior Bryan Dalton Verona
2nd Team
6'5 senior Antoine Buchanon Middleton
6'6 senior Jamar Morris Madison Memorial
5'10 senior Kwame Latimer Madison West
6'0 senior Matt Hunter Madison Lafollette
6'4 sophomore Andre Neal Beloit
HM
5'10 junior Jermel McLin Madison East
6'4 junior Jester Weah Madison Memorial
6'5 senior Andre Wallace Sun Prairie
6'2 senior Brett Pickarts Janesville Craig
6'1 senior Demetrious Durley Madison East
Well there are my picks for the Big Eight conference. I'm sure I will end up being way off by the end of the year but, oh well always fun to see how close I can get.
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Randolph cruises past Pardeeville
Any chance I can see Randolph play against a team that is actually somewhat decent team I'll be at the game. Coming into this game I thought Pardeeville would give them somewhat of a game but, evidently I was wrong. Pardeeville was anything but, impressive but, I have to take into consideration that this was Pardeeville's first game of the year.
From the get go Randolph was the aggressor looking to score and they were getting to every loose ball. Pardeeville came out in a zone not sure if it was 1-3-1 or 2-3 but, it seemed to give Randolph some trouble, for whatever reason Pardeeville came out of it early in the first quarter. At the end of the first quarter Randolph was up 15 to 3 and never looked back as they got the easy 65 to 33 victory. Randolph road the coat tails of 6'4 junior Jay Peters early on, who was able to hit the mid range shot all night particularly in transition. Peters has really improved over the past year and seems to have grown a few inches as well. Throughout the entire game it was the Randolph defense that really set the tone. 6'8 senior Cody Reuter really led the D from the inside out as he was able to block shot after shot, which caused Pardeeville to be really tentative. I think if Pardeeville would of gone right at Reuter instead of stopping and trying to go over him, they would of got the big man in foul trouble.
In the second half Randolph's defense continued to be strong and that was able to key their fast break. Reuter continued to block shots and 6'4 junior Aaron Retzlaff grabbed the rebounds and they would outlet it to their point guard 5'10 senior Miles Taylor who would push the tempo and get his teammates open looks. Randolph cleared their bench with only five minutes left in the game and got the easy W, 65 to 33.
Top Players
Jay Peters 6'4 junior- Has a very nice mid range jump shot and moves extremely well for a player with his size. Just looks like a player.
Aaron Retzlaff 6'4 junior- Offensive game seemed to of suffered alittle as he played on the post much more this year. A tremendous rebounder who does all the little things. Along with Peters plays a very nice two man game in the high post.
Eric Schepp 6'1 junior Pardeeville- The one player who wasn't afraid to take the ball at Reuter and challenge the big man.
Box Score
Randolph 65- Peters 16 Retzlaff 12 Hunter Verhulst 10 Miles Taylor 6 Collin Vander Gailen 6 Duke Vander Galien 6 Reuter 5 Dylan Adel 3 Wesley DeYoung 0 Chris DeVries 0
Pardeeville 33- Schepp 9 Cameron Knutson 5 Tyler Bush 4 Mackenzie Manthey 3 Logan Dredske 3 Trace Osborn 3 Kemal Kirchmeier 3 Eric Curtis 2 Nate Schmidt 1 #2 0
Some final thoughts on the game. Pardeeville will probably do fairly well in their conference as the Trailways isn't the toughest conference and they are one of the larger schools in the conference. Randolph will once again be one of the to teams in D5 because they have that great defense and are still one of the taller teams you will fine in D5. They have a very good top seven players but, one thing that shocked me was that they only had 10 players on the team. In the past Randolph has always had at least 15 players. I'm not sure if it's school enrollment that caused the drop in numbers or what but, just something that surprised me. Should be a great year as the season has just started.
From the get go Randolph was the aggressor looking to score and they were getting to every loose ball. Pardeeville came out in a zone not sure if it was 1-3-1 or 2-3 but, it seemed to give Randolph some trouble, for whatever reason Pardeeville came out of it early in the first quarter. At the end of the first quarter Randolph was up 15 to 3 and never looked back as they got the easy 65 to 33 victory. Randolph road the coat tails of 6'4 junior Jay Peters early on, who was able to hit the mid range shot all night particularly in transition. Peters has really improved over the past year and seems to have grown a few inches as well. Throughout the entire game it was the Randolph defense that really set the tone. 6'8 senior Cody Reuter really led the D from the inside out as he was able to block shot after shot, which caused Pardeeville to be really tentative. I think if Pardeeville would of gone right at Reuter instead of stopping and trying to go over him, they would of got the big man in foul trouble.
In the second half Randolph's defense continued to be strong and that was able to key their fast break. Reuter continued to block shots and 6'4 junior Aaron Retzlaff grabbed the rebounds and they would outlet it to their point guard 5'10 senior Miles Taylor who would push the tempo and get his teammates open looks. Randolph cleared their bench with only five minutes left in the game and got the easy W, 65 to 33.
Top Players
Jay Peters 6'4 junior- Has a very nice mid range jump shot and moves extremely well for a player with his size. Just looks like a player.
Aaron Retzlaff 6'4 junior- Offensive game seemed to of suffered alittle as he played on the post much more this year. A tremendous rebounder who does all the little things. Along with Peters plays a very nice two man game in the high post.
Eric Schepp 6'1 junior Pardeeville- The one player who wasn't afraid to take the ball at Reuter and challenge the big man.
Box Score
Randolph 65- Peters 16 Retzlaff 12 Hunter Verhulst 10 Miles Taylor 6 Collin Vander Gailen 6 Duke Vander Galien 6 Reuter 5 Dylan Adel 3 Wesley DeYoung 0 Chris DeVries 0
Pardeeville 33- Schepp 9 Cameron Knutson 5 Tyler Bush 4 Mackenzie Manthey 3 Logan Dredske 3 Trace Osborn 3 Kemal Kirchmeier 3 Eric Curtis 2 Nate Schmidt 1 #2 0
Some final thoughts on the game. Pardeeville will probably do fairly well in their conference as the Trailways isn't the toughest conference and they are one of the larger schools in the conference. Randolph will once again be one of the to teams in D5 because they have that great defense and are still one of the taller teams you will fine in D5. They have a very good top seven players but, one thing that shocked me was that they only had 10 players on the team. In the past Randolph has always had at least 15 players. I'm not sure if it's school enrollment that caused the drop in numbers or what but, just something that surprised me. Should be a great year as the season has just started.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Division Five Preseason Rankings
This might be the most interesting year of D5 that there has been with Randolph being a bit down. Randolph is still my pick to win state but, I have as many as six or seven teams with a chance to win state. Should be a fun year in D5 and here are my rankings...
1. Randolph- Defending state champs lost a lot but, have 6'4 junior Aaron Retzlaff and 6'8 senior Cody Reuter back. Also have a promising freshmen in 5'7 Duke Vander Galien.
2. Sheboygan Lutheran- Any time you have a player like 6'7 senior Sam Dekker you know your team can do some damage.
3. Racine Lutheran- Always seem to be right at the top and play a very very tough schedule.
4. Benton- 5'10 senior David Neis is in his fourth year on varsity and may be able to carry this team far.
5. Clayton- State runner ups a year ago bring back alot of talent from last years team.
6. Green Lake- 6'7 senior Matt Van Scyoc is just a step below Dekker.
7. Royal- This team has been to state before and return a handful of players that were on that team including 6'3 junior Sam Murphy.
8. Young Coggs Prep- Seem to have a ton of talent and play a lot of the city schools but, just can't put it all together come playoff time.
9. Green Bay NEW Lutheran- Another small school that benefits greatly from playing larger schools all year long.
10. Seneca- Play great great defense which allows them to play with anyone in the state.
11.Prentice- Looking at the yearbook and they were a top team all last year.
12. Marion- Honestly just following the year book here.
13. Siren- Have three double digit scorers back.
14. Hilbert- Great tradition and has been to state many times before.
15. Suring- Think they have one of the better coaches around and always seem to be good.
Well these are my preseason rankings. I have two games I will be attending the next two days and we will see if I will get the chance to post about the games. Will be seeing Randolph and Madison Memorial in the next two days.
1. Randolph- Defending state champs lost a lot but, have 6'4 junior Aaron Retzlaff and 6'8 senior Cody Reuter back. Also have a promising freshmen in 5'7 Duke Vander Galien.
2. Sheboygan Lutheran- Any time you have a player like 6'7 senior Sam Dekker you know your team can do some damage.
3. Racine Lutheran- Always seem to be right at the top and play a very very tough schedule.
4. Benton- 5'10 senior David Neis is in his fourth year on varsity and may be able to carry this team far.
5. Clayton- State runner ups a year ago bring back alot of talent from last years team.
6. Green Lake- 6'7 senior Matt Van Scyoc is just a step below Dekker.
7. Royal- This team has been to state before and return a handful of players that were on that team including 6'3 junior Sam Murphy.
8. Young Coggs Prep- Seem to have a ton of talent and play a lot of the city schools but, just can't put it all together come playoff time.
9. Green Bay NEW Lutheran- Another small school that benefits greatly from playing larger schools all year long.
10. Seneca- Play great great defense which allows them to play with anyone in the state.
11.Prentice- Looking at the yearbook and they were a top team all last year.
12. Marion- Honestly just following the year book here.
13. Siren- Have three double digit scorers back.
14. Hilbert- Great tradition and has been to state many times before.
15. Suring- Think they have one of the better coaches around and always seem to be good.
Well these are my preseason rankings. I have two games I will be attending the next two days and we will see if I will get the chance to post about the games. Will be seeing Randolph and Madison Memorial in the next two days.
Division Four Preseason Rankings
Ever since the state went to five divisions, division four has been the toughest for me to predict, there are alot of unknowns. Many of the teams in D4 would never of been seen in years past because of the bigger D3 schools they were going against, so many of these teams are unknowns. The only thing I can say for sure and I think everyone can say for sure is that Whitefish Bay Dominican is the #1 ranked team in everyones eyes. I'll admit on this one alot of my rankings come from the yearbook.
1. Dominican- Easily the cream of the crop here as their led by a pair of D1 recruits in a pair of 6'2 guards in senior Jamall Taylor and jr Duane Wilson Jr.. If 6'9 freshmen Diamond Stone lives up to half the hype Dominican should run away with the division.
2. Aburndale- 20 win team a year ago bring back four of their starters including 6'4 junior Austin Hawkins who averaged 15 points a game a year ago.
3. Cuba City- Have one of the best coaches in the state and have 6'5 senior Corey Vassen.
4. Oshkosh Lourdes- Have four starters back from an 18 win team and should be battled tested after going against the larger Oshkosh schools.
5. Laconia- Very strong tradition and they always seem to get to 20 wins.
6. Elk Mound- Return four starters from last years team.
7. Bonduel- Return a pair of double digit scorers in a pair of seniors in 6'6 Nathan Doell and 6'1 Jacob Thorne.
8. Three Lakes- Have 6'8 senior Ross Thorn who averaged a double double a year ago.
9. Fall Creek- Have been very good as of late and have a great coach.
10. Blair Taylor- Have a great coach and they have 6'7 senior Reggie Kujak.
11. Amherst- Don't know anything really but, there always a top ranked team.
12. Grantsburg- State runner ups a year ago always seem to be ranked high and make a strong run at state.
13. Marathon- They were defending state champs. Honestly that's all I have.
14. Destiny- Has been alot of talk about Destiny and I'm not sure if it's just talk or what. 6'4 sophomore transfer Jerrelle Deberry should have a huge year.
15. Eau Claire Regis- Lots of success in the past gives them the nod here.
There are my D4 preseason rankings and there was a lot of guessing and a lot of following the year book.
1. Dominican- Easily the cream of the crop here as their led by a pair of D1 recruits in a pair of 6'2 guards in senior Jamall Taylor and jr Duane Wilson Jr.. If 6'9 freshmen Diamond Stone lives up to half the hype Dominican should run away with the division.
2. Aburndale- 20 win team a year ago bring back four of their starters including 6'4 junior Austin Hawkins who averaged 15 points a game a year ago.
3. Cuba City- Have one of the best coaches in the state and have 6'5 senior Corey Vassen.
4. Oshkosh Lourdes- Have four starters back from an 18 win team and should be battled tested after going against the larger Oshkosh schools.
5. Laconia- Very strong tradition and they always seem to get to 20 wins.
6. Elk Mound- Return four starters from last years team.
7. Bonduel- Return a pair of double digit scorers in a pair of seniors in 6'6 Nathan Doell and 6'1 Jacob Thorne.
8. Three Lakes- Have 6'8 senior Ross Thorn who averaged a double double a year ago.
9. Fall Creek- Have been very good as of late and have a great coach.
10. Blair Taylor- Have a great coach and they have 6'7 senior Reggie Kujak.
11. Amherst- Don't know anything really but, there always a top ranked team.
12. Grantsburg- State runner ups a year ago always seem to be ranked high and make a strong run at state.
13. Marathon- They were defending state champs. Honestly that's all I have.
14. Destiny- Has been alot of talk about Destiny and I'm not sure if it's just talk or what. 6'4 sophomore transfer Jerrelle Deberry should have a huge year.
15. Eau Claire Regis- Lots of success in the past gives them the nod here.
There are my D4 preseason rankings and there was a lot of guessing and a lot of following the year book.
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