WBBY Shootout

Another post that has been long overdue, as I was at the WBBY shootout over a week ago. This tournament is one of the premiere tournaments of the year and is a must see for any high school basketball fans in the state of Wisconsin.

Ended up getting to the game alittle late and missed the first quarter of the first game, so I never really got into the game and it wasn't the greatest game to begin with. In a minor upset Waukesha Catholic Memorial beat Milwaukee Thomas More 64-58.

Game two was another private school match up as Racine St. Catherine's defeated Manitowoc Roncalli 55-47. Roncalli is their normal self moving the ball very well with little dribbling and moving incredibly well without the ball. St. Cats once again played great man to man defense and did very little dribbling on the offensive end but, moved the ball well. Roncalli jumped out early behind their three point shooting but, cooled off late and St. Cats methodically won this game going away late. 6'6 senior Jordan Fouse may help this team the most when he's running the point. Fouse passes the ball extremely well and draws the defense and finds open teammates.

The next game appeared to be the main attraction in everyones eyes as the gym was packed for the Cuba City verse Sheboygan Lutheran. Everyone was their to see the 6'8 Lutheran senior Sam Dekker a Badger recruit but, it was 6'3 senior Cory Vaassen that stole the show. The Cubans ran a very impressive 1-3-1 zone defense which really focused on stopping Dekker which worked as Dekker never really got any good looks outside of the fast break. This game would of been a blow out if it hadn't been for Luthern sophomore Tyler Zastrow who at only 5'9 is all heart and plays as hard as anyone on the court. The final score was 73-64 Cuba City with the W.

The next game was alittle bit of a disappointment. Sun Prairie stormed out early over Oconomowoc and never looked back. After one quarter Prairie was up 27 to 11 and at halftime they were up 51 to 22 before coasting to a 66-43 victory. The show in this game was 6'6 junior Nick Fuller and 6'1 freshmen Nick Noskowiak who combined for 40 of the teams first half points before sitting midway through the third quarter. Oconomowoc never played a starter in the second half which obviously showed some frustration from their coach.

The battle between Oshkosh North and Onalaska was a great back and forth battle and in the end it was Onalaska coming out on top behind the strong second half play of 6'4 junior Matt Thomas who was on fire throughout and could get his shot at anytime. Oshkosh North had some great post play from 6'5 senior Izaiah Anderson who can use either hand to finish with his back to the basket. Both teams played a strong zone defense which at times allowed their opponent some open looks. Onalaska got a huge 59-51 win.

The final game I watched was the game of the day by far. Whitefish Bay Dominican was able to out last Lodi 79-68 in double overtime. This game was full of lots of excitement and back and forth action. Lodi led the majority of the game behind some strong outside shooting and never seemed to miss a shot. In the end Dominican's athleticism and quickness one out and took over in the second overtime. Dominican had four players score 16 or 17 points which each took a turn carry the team. 6'3 senior Jamall Taylor was on fire in the first half, 6'3 junior Duane Wilson ad 6'9 freshmen Diamond Stone were a great two man team, and in the overtime it was 6'3 senior Breon Jordan who came up big. Highlight of the game was a put back dunk by Wilson followed up by a transition dunk by Stone.

All Tournament Team (I know it was only day but, I broke it up into three teams to groups of five)
1st Team
Matt Thomas 6'4 junior Onalaska- Like I said earlier he just couldn't miss and could get his shot anytime he wanted. Late in the game he was able to post a smaller defender and score and will and wanted the ball in his hands late in the game to hit the clutch free throws.
Nick Fuller 6'6 junior Sun Prairie- Another guy that just couldn't miss. His shot was just so smoothed today and got his hands on numerous passes on the top of the 1-3-1 zone.
Cory Vaassen 6'3 senior Cuba City- Stole the show from Dekker. Drove right at Dekker and scored on him, hit the three point shot, helped bring the ball up, and did a pretty good job defending Dekker out op.
Tyler Zastrow 5'9 sophomore Sheboygan Lutheran- Nothing real pretty about his game but, was a big time scorer and was money from the outside.
Duane Wilson 6'3 junior Dominican- Showed his superior athleticism throughout the game. Had a pair of very nice dunks and hit a clutch three pointer late in regulation to send the game to overtime.

2nd Team
Jordan Fouse 6'6 senior St. Cats- Does alittle bit of everything from scoring, rebounding, assists, and steals. Shows that he is a true D1 college player.
Izaiah Anderson 6'5 senior Oshkosh North- Just a very smooth player in the post. Can finish with either hand with his back to the hoop.
Jamall Taylor 6'3 senior Dominican- Carried this team in the first half and if he was open he'd knock down the shot.
Diamond Stone 6'9 freshmen Dominican- Has a very nice touch around the rim and runs the court extremely well.
Nate Lassila 6'1 junior Roncalli- Moves very well without the ball and when he's hot shoots the ball as good as anyone in the state.

3rd Team
Jordan Shea 6'3 sophomore Lodi- Honestly didn't notice him much but, he did score 20 points in the game.
Breon Jordan 6'3 senior Dominican- Money player late in the game as he hit three, three point shots in the overtime sessions.
Nick Noskowiak 6'1 freshmen Sun Prairie- A great sidekick to Fuller. Hits the open shot when he's given it and does a nice job helping run the offense.
Brady Moses 6'1 junior Lodi- Got the team going with his outside shooting and it carried throughout.
Nick Arenz 6'8 senior Onalaska- Seems to be alittle slowed by last years injury but, still has a very nice post game and rebounds very well.

Was a great day of basketball and was a great chance to see a wide range of teams from all over the state.