Last Saturday night, I checked out the Madison Memorial verse Madison La Follette game. This game really meant nothing as Memorial had already clinched the conference and the seeding had already been done for the playoffs. La Follette could move up in the rankings but, they weren't going to win conference. I knew that Memorial was going to push the tempo and look to run every chance they got and La Follette was a team that would run right with them even though it played into Memorial's hands.
This game was exactly what I expected Memorial ran and La Follette ran right with them and La Follette kept the game close but, in the end Memorial pulled it out. Memorial maybe shot two or three, three point shots while La Follette continued to jack up a ton of three just as they have in every game I was seen them and the threes really weren't falling until late in the game when they had a mini run.
Memorial looks so much better then they looked earlier in the year. There weren't nearly as many bad shots put up and the guards 5'11 senior Reggie Roemer and 5'10 junior Shareef Smith were driving and dishing to open team mates, fellow senior big men 6'4 Tyler Lindquist and 6'7 Darral Willis. Lindquist had a huge game because he just never stops moving without the ball in his hands and his team mates are going to find him. Willis was getting the easy look in the paint as well as getting the ball at the free throw line and getting to the rim. With the way they run they are going to turn the ball over but, they really are at their best when their running.
Every time I see La Follette play they seem to have fewer players suited up and in this game they only had nine players able to play. The running really took a toll on La Follette big man 6'9 senior Keahn Dunn who only played in short burst and didn't even score in the game and looked lost at times against Memorial's box and one defense. The Memorial defense really seem to confuse La Follette as no one really penetrated the defense and time and again they settled for the three point shot. Their leader 6'1 junior Darol Thomas plays hard and I love the attitude and leadership he shows but, at times doesn't seem like he trusts his team mates and try to do too much on his own. Thomas is a very good player but, needs to play within the offense a little more and back off the deep threes at times. Despite lacking size outside of Dunn, La Follete always really battles on the glass particularly 6'4 senior Maurice Ewing and 6'3 junior Cortez McCree. Both players can really jump and attack the glass with no fear. La Follette had a run late in the game but, in the end the lack of their outside shooting did them in.
Top Players
Tyler Lindquist 6'4 senior Memorial- As I said early he's always moving without the ball and finding openings in the defense. Ultimate competitor and rebounds really well.
Darral Willis 6'7 senior Memorial- Seems longer then 6'7. Nearly impossible for other big men to contain because of his quickness. Did benefit from some strong guard play.
Maurice Ewing 6'4 senior La Follette- Spent much of his night battling the taller Willis but, did a good job rebounding. Used his quickness to score as well around the rim.
Quinten Shere 5'11 junior La Follette- Came off the bench and really provided some good outside shooting. I believe he hit three, three point shots in the game.
Box Score
Memorial 73- Lindquist 28 Willis 18 Henry Houden 6 Brett Tauber 5 Smith 4 Roemer 4 Koko Songolo 3 Jake Ferguson 3 Daurice Fountain 2 Jason Weah 0 Bryce Danielson 0 Matt Caropreso 0 Billy Wilson 0
La Follette 58- Ewing 18 Shere 14 Thomas 12 McCree 10 Jordan Carlson 5 Kian O'Brien 0 Dunn 0 Joseph Phillips 0 Larry Haynes 0
Really seems that Memorial has hit their stride and at about the right time with playoffs just around the corner. With the way their playing and the lack of strength in the Sectional I will not be one bit surprised to see them back at the Kohl Center in the final four. La Follette ended up finishing ninth in the conference but, would not be one bit surprised to see them beat someone in the playoffs and I have actually picked them to defeat Middleton in their first round game. Should be a good one so will see what happens.
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Sunday, February 23, 2014
Week 13 Rankings
The regular season has ended and here are my final rankings. Don't think I will do any more rankings the rest of the year because the playoffs will pretty much show whose the top team.
Division One
Milwaukee King lost to Milwaukee Hamilton and drop to #6. Germantown beat Homestead and West Allis Central knocking them to 11 and 12.
1. Brookfield Central
2. Stevens Point
3. Neenah
4. Madison Memorial
5. Germantown
6. Milwaukee King
7. Racine Case
8. Kettle Moraine
9. Oshkosh North
10. Milwaukee Hamilton
11. Homestead
12. West Allis Central
13. Milwaukee Riverside
14. De Pere
15. Sussex Hamilton
Division Two
West De Pere lost to Seymour and fall down to #8. New Berlin Eisenhower lost to Pewaukee and Pulaski got beat by Ashwaubenon dropping them to 11 and 12. Stoughton lost to Racine Park and Monona Grove lost to Oregon, dropping them to 14 and 15.
1. Rice Lake
2. Mt Horeb
3. Seymour
4. Wisconsin Lutheran
5. Ashwaubenon
6. La Crosse Central
7. Whitefish Bay
8. West De Pere
9. Plymouth
10. Holmen
11. New Berlin Eisenhower
12. Pulaski
13. Milwaukee Pius
14. Monona Grove
15. Stoughton
Division Three
Edgerton lost to Monona Grove and fall to 10. Aquinas lost to Holmen and nearly fell out of the rankings, while Kettle Moraine Lutheran lost to Winnebago Lutheran and West Salem lost to La Crosse Central and GET, both teams dropped out of the rankings. Somerset and Prescott are the two new teams to the rankings.
1. Roncalli
2. Lodi
3. Marshall
4. Peshtigo
5. Elk Mound
6. GET
7. Laconia
8. Valders
9. Poynette
10. Edgerton
11. Xavier
12. Brown Deer
13. Somerset
14. Prescott
15. Aquinas
Division Four
Racine St. Cats lost to Racine Case and dropped one spot to #8. Owen Withee lost to Fall Creek and Brillion lost to Roncalli. Brillion fell out of the rankings while Fall Creek jumped into 14 and Owen Withee fell to 15.
1. Dominican
2. Mineral Point
3. Lourdes Academy
4. Auburndale
5. Pacelli
6. Abbotsford
7. Unity
8. Racine St. Catherines
9. Brookfield Academy
10. Blair Taylor
11. Iola Scandenavia
12. Shiocton
13. Amherst
14. Fall Creek
15. Owen Withee
Division Five
Catholic Central lost to Racine St. Cats and dropped two spots to #5. Milwaukee Academy lost to Destiney and fall to #8. Randolph lost to Valley Christian and Pardeeville and fall out of the rankings, as did Williams Bay who lost to Elkhorn and Milwaukee Academy. Central Wisconsin Christian lost to Lourdes and fell to 15. Bangor and Fall River are the two new teams to the rankings.
1. NEW Lutheran
2. Cassville
3. Sheboygan Lutheran
4. Washburn
5. Catholic Central
6. Goodman Pembine
7. Wausaukee
8. Milwaukee Academy of Science
9. Hillsboro
10. Port Edwards
11. Gilmanton
12. La Farge
13. Bangor
14. Fall River
15. Central Wisconsin Christian
Division Two Preview
I did the division one preview so now is the time for my division two preview. This is probably the division that is the most open to who could win state.
Favorites
Rice Lake- They have the top player in 6'9 Henry Ellenson who could easily carry them to a state title and I don't believe that their is another player in D2 that could match up with him.
Mt Horeb- They are the only undefeated team in D2 so obviously they are one of the top teams.
Seymour- They have ultra athletic athletes in Sandy Cohen and Dakota Oskey who are both big time players and might be the best one two punch in the division.
Wisconsin Lutheran- Have the most depth of any team out there. Go 10 deep and don't lose a thing. Play an up tempo game and really plays into his hands.
Contenders
Ashwaubenon- Won their conference for the first time since the last time they went to state in and play in a conference with mostly D1 teams.
West De Pere- Have a pair of D1 talents and battled Seymour for tops in the conference.
Whitefish Bay- Don't have the greatest record but, play in one of the top D1 conferences in the state and have battled Homestead and Germantown to the wire and they are two of the top D1 teams in the state.
Longshots Darkhorses
Milwaukee Pius- Have two big time talents in 6'2 Donovan Jackson and 6'7 Levi Bradley that could flat out carry a team and both average nearly 20 game.
Milwaukee Washington- Have had a pretty rough year record wise but, they do have a lot of talented and are battle tested playing in the City Conference.
Brown Deer- Have a lot of talent and size with their team. Won conference and could make a long run.
I will do my best to do my previews before the playoffs start but, not sure that is going to happen.
Friday, February 21, 2014
Division One Playoff Preview
With the state tournament less then a week a way figured I would do a quick run down of the teams that will probably be at state and have a chance to win. I'm breaking down favorites, contenders, and long shots/darkhorses. Favorites are obviously teams everyone thinks will win, contenders are teams that will make a run at state and could easily make the title game, and long shots are teams that are viewed as having a slim chance at state or teams that people thought would be much better but, haven't brought it together.
Favorites
Brookfield Central- In most people's minds state in D1 comes down to two teams Brookfield Central and Germantown. Germantown has been the favorite since the end of last year but, Brookfield Central was the only team to beat Germantown at full strength and have gone undefeated all year long.
Germantown- Start five scholarship players and like I stated earlier they have been the odds on favorite to win state since last year ended. Had a few players that were suspended for awhile so they may be a little rusty but, have three tournament games to work that out.
Contenders
Stevens Point- Having only lost one game all year and have the top two sophomores in the state.
Milwaukee King- King always have to be a contender because they are always loaded with guards and athletes and have one of the top coaches in the state.
Neenah- Lost only one game all year and have the top big man in the state in 6'10 Matt Heldt.
Madison Memorial- If they can push the tempo and cause a frantic pace can play with anyone in the state. Have only lost the one game in state but, have only played Big Eight teams in state.
Racine Case- Have the size and the guards to play anyone in the state.
Oshkosh North- Were at state a year ago and brought back basically everyone. Split with Neenah and played Germantown tough.
Milwaukee Hamilton- Went undefeated in the City conference and have the top player in the state in 6'9 Kevon Looney.
Long Shots
Homestead- Only lost three games all year and two of those were to Germantown. Too bad the have to play Germantown in sectionals.
Sun Prairie- Have underachieved all year, at least in my mind. If Nick Noskowiak is healthy and he can control a game they could beat anyone.
As you can tell by my post that D1 has two clear cut favorites and then a lot of teams right behind them. There are lots of good D1 teams but, not a lot of great teams. The elite players don't seem to have a lot of help and the good teams don't have those "elite" players just a bunch of pretty good players that have come together.
Favorites
Brookfield Central- In most people's minds state in D1 comes down to two teams Brookfield Central and Germantown. Germantown has been the favorite since the end of last year but, Brookfield Central was the only team to beat Germantown at full strength and have gone undefeated all year long.
Germantown- Start five scholarship players and like I stated earlier they have been the odds on favorite to win state since last year ended. Had a few players that were suspended for awhile so they may be a little rusty but, have three tournament games to work that out.
Contenders
Stevens Point- Having only lost one game all year and have the top two sophomores in the state.
Milwaukee King- King always have to be a contender because they are always loaded with guards and athletes and have one of the top coaches in the state.
Neenah- Lost only one game all year and have the top big man in the state in 6'10 Matt Heldt.
Madison Memorial- If they can push the tempo and cause a frantic pace can play with anyone in the state. Have only lost the one game in state but, have only played Big Eight teams in state.
Racine Case- Have the size and the guards to play anyone in the state.
Oshkosh North- Were at state a year ago and brought back basically everyone. Split with Neenah and played Germantown tough.
Milwaukee Hamilton- Went undefeated in the City conference and have the top player in the state in 6'9 Kevon Looney.
Long Shots
Homestead- Only lost three games all year and two of those were to Germantown. Too bad the have to play Germantown in sectionals.
Sun Prairie- Have underachieved all year, at least in my mind. If Nick Noskowiak is healthy and he can control a game they could beat anyone.
As you can tell by my post that D1 has two clear cut favorites and then a lot of teams right behind them. There are lots of good D1 teams but, not a lot of great teams. The elite players don't seem to have a lot of help and the good teams don't have those "elite" players just a bunch of pretty good players that have come together.
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Week 12 Rankings
Only one week to go of the regular season so it is time for one of my last rankings of teams.
Division One
West Allis Central lost to top dog Brookfield Central and drop a couple spots to 11. Milwaukee Riverside lost to Milwaukee South and Milwaukee King and fall to 13. Sussex Hamilton lost to West Allis Central and drop to 15, while Arrowhead lost to Homestead and fall out of the rankings and are replaced by De Pere at 14.
1. Brookfield Central
2. Stevens Point
3. Milwaukee King
4. Neenah
5. Madison Memorial
6. Germantown
7. Racine Case
8. Kettle Moraine
9. Oshkosh North
10. Homestead
11. West Allis Central
12. Milwaukee Hamilton
13. Milwaukee Riverside
14. De Pere
15. Sussex Hamilton
Division Two
Only teams that lost was Holmen lost to Onalaska which was a bad lose and dropped them to 12. Kaukauna lost to an elite D1 Neenah team and fall out of the rankings and are replaced by Milwaukee Pius.
1. Rice Lake
2. Mt Horeb
3. Seymour
4. Wisconsin Lutheran
5. Ashwaubenon
6. West De Pere
7. La Crosse Central
8. New Berlin Eisenhower
9. Whitefish Bay
10. Pulaski
11. Plymouth
12. Holmen
13. Monona Grove
14. Stoughton
15. Milwaukee Pius
Division Three
Lodi was upset by Poynette and dropped one spot to two. Aquinas lost to Rice Lake and La Crosse Central and only fall a spot to 11. West Salem lost to Westby falling all the way to 15. Lakeside Lutheran lost to Watertown Luther Prep and Lodi and Ripon lost to Freedom dropping both teams from the rankings and they are replaced by Brown Deer and Kettle Moraine Lutheran at 13 and 14.
1. Roncalli
2. Lodi
3. Marshall
4. Peshtigo
5. Elk Mound
6. GET
7. Edgerton
8. Laconia
9. Valders
10. Poynette
11. Aquinas
12. Xavier
13. Brown Deer
14. Kettle Moraine Lutheran
15. West Salem
Division Four
Brookfield Academy lost to Milwaukee Messmer and drop all the way to nine, followed by Blair Taylor who lost to Melrose Mindoro. Shiocton lost to Amherst and Pacelli, drop to 13 and Birllion is right behind at 14 having lost to Valders. Westby lost to Hillsboro and fall out of the rankings being replaced by Iola Scandenavia who beat Amherst who hangs on to the 15 spot.
1. Dominican
2. Mineral Point
3. Lourdes Academy
4. Auburndale
5. Pacelli
6. Abbotsford
7. Racine St. Catherines
8. Unity
9. Brookfield Academy
10. Blair Taylor
11. Owen Withee
12. Iola Scandenavia
13. Shiocton
14. Brillion
15. Amherst
Division Five
Wausaukee lost to Peshtigo and drop a few spots to eight. CWC lost to Fall River and Montello and fall all the way to 14 sandwiched between La Farge who lost to North Crawford and Williams Bay who lost to Hustiford.
1. NEW Lutheran
2. Cassville
3. Catholic Central
4. Sheboygan Lutheran
5. Washburn
6. Milwaukee Academy of Science
7. Goodman Pembine
8. Wausaukee
9. Randolph
10. Hillsboro
11. Port Edwards
12. Gilmanton
13. La Farge
14. Central Wisconsin Christian
15. Williams Bay
Division One
West Allis Central lost to top dog Brookfield Central and drop a couple spots to 11. Milwaukee Riverside lost to Milwaukee South and Milwaukee King and fall to 13. Sussex Hamilton lost to West Allis Central and drop to 15, while Arrowhead lost to Homestead and fall out of the rankings and are replaced by De Pere at 14.
1. Brookfield Central
2. Stevens Point
3. Milwaukee King
4. Neenah
5. Madison Memorial
6. Germantown
7. Racine Case
8. Kettle Moraine
9. Oshkosh North
10. Homestead
11. West Allis Central
12. Milwaukee Hamilton
13. Milwaukee Riverside
14. De Pere
15. Sussex Hamilton
Division Two
Only teams that lost was Holmen lost to Onalaska which was a bad lose and dropped them to 12. Kaukauna lost to an elite D1 Neenah team and fall out of the rankings and are replaced by Milwaukee Pius.
1. Rice Lake
2. Mt Horeb
3. Seymour
4. Wisconsin Lutheran
5. Ashwaubenon
6. West De Pere
7. La Crosse Central
8. New Berlin Eisenhower
9. Whitefish Bay
10. Pulaski
11. Plymouth
12. Holmen
13. Monona Grove
14. Stoughton
15. Milwaukee Pius
Division Three
Lodi was upset by Poynette and dropped one spot to two. Aquinas lost to Rice Lake and La Crosse Central and only fall a spot to 11. West Salem lost to Westby falling all the way to 15. Lakeside Lutheran lost to Watertown Luther Prep and Lodi and Ripon lost to Freedom dropping both teams from the rankings and they are replaced by Brown Deer and Kettle Moraine Lutheran at 13 and 14.
1. Roncalli
2. Lodi
3. Marshall
4. Peshtigo
5. Elk Mound
6. GET
7. Edgerton
8. Laconia
9. Valders
10. Poynette
11. Aquinas
12. Xavier
13. Brown Deer
14. Kettle Moraine Lutheran
15. West Salem
Division Four
Brookfield Academy lost to Milwaukee Messmer and drop all the way to nine, followed by Blair Taylor who lost to Melrose Mindoro. Shiocton lost to Amherst and Pacelli, drop to 13 and Birllion is right behind at 14 having lost to Valders. Westby lost to Hillsboro and fall out of the rankings being replaced by Iola Scandenavia who beat Amherst who hangs on to the 15 spot.
1. Dominican
2. Mineral Point
3. Lourdes Academy
4. Auburndale
5. Pacelli
6. Abbotsford
7. Racine St. Catherines
8. Unity
9. Brookfield Academy
10. Blair Taylor
11. Owen Withee
12. Iola Scandenavia
13. Shiocton
14. Brillion
15. Amherst
Division Five
Wausaukee lost to Peshtigo and drop a few spots to eight. CWC lost to Fall River and Montello and fall all the way to 14 sandwiched between La Farge who lost to North Crawford and Williams Bay who lost to Hustiford.
1. NEW Lutheran
2. Cassville
3. Catholic Central
4. Sheboygan Lutheran
5. Washburn
6. Milwaukee Academy of Science
7. Goodman Pembine
8. Wausaukee
9. Randolph
10. Hillsboro
11. Port Edwards
12. Gilmanton
13. La Farge
14. Central Wisconsin Christian
15. Williams Bay
Sunday, February 16, 2014
Madison Memorial clinches 11th title
Thursday night was a huge game between the top two teams in the Big Eight conference, a chance for Memorial to clinch their eleventh straight conference title outright after sharing it a year ago with the team they were playing, and Memorial's Principal Bruce Dahmen passed away Tuesday. Dahmen has always been a fixture at Memorial games since I have been going and always struck me as someone that had a good relationship with the students and cared about them. After reading the story about Dahmen in the paper it was fairly evident that this was probably the truth. Memorial's opponent was Sun Prairie has been playing some great ball as of late and their star 6'3 junior Nick Niskowiak is playing like he is the best player in the conference which I truly believe he is.
Memorial jumped out early like usual but, after that it got ugly for both teams. No one could seem to find the range from the outside and shots were clanked all night long. There were numerous shots that didn't even catch the rim. Wasn't a lot to say about this game really with all the missed shots. One thing Sun Prairie did a nice job of was limited the second chances by Memorial big man 6'7 senior Darral Willis. Typically Willis feast on offensive rebounds but, tonight that was really limited and Willis just didn't get a lot of touches in the paint. Willis lack of scoring can be attributed to Sun Prairie really packing in their zone defense and the play of Sun Prairie big man 6'5 senior Shane Waldon. Waldon didn't get a ton of rebounds but, he kept Willis from getting the rebounds as well. For whatever reason Memorial senior 6'4 Tyler Lindquist didn't start but, when he did come in made his impact felt as he was able to carry Memorial in the first half scoring finding openings in the Prairie zone and scoring with his back to the basket.
Sun Prairie was able to actually grab a lead in the second half but, just couldn't close the game out as their senior leader 5'11 Reggie Roemer came up bit with three big baskets late. The biggest thing that help Sun Prairie back was the fact that Noskowiak took a second shot to the head with five minutes left in the game and was unable to return to the game. Possible concussion? Not sure what it was exactly but, he didn't even come back to the bench and without his ball handling Sun Prairie couldn't get things going at all late. Memorial ended up winning 50-45.
Top Players
Shareef Smith 5'10 junior Memorial- Was really strong in the transition game and showed the ability to finish at the rim in a variety of ways.
Tyler Lindquist 6'4 senior Memorial- Showed a really strong game with his back to the basket and was always able to find the opening in the zone defense.
JT Ruffin 6'5 junior Sun Prairie- With Waldon occuping Willis, Ruffin really had his way on the inside. Rebounded extremely well in the game and was able to score in the paint at will.
Box Score
Memorial- Lindquist 14 Smith 11 Roemer 8 Willis 7 Daurice Fountain 6 Henry Houden 4 Bryce Danielson 0 Brett Tauber 0
SP- Ruffin 14 Noskowiak 10 Waldon 8 Michael Marchese 6 Malik Robinson 4 Nate Verstegen 2 Sam Kerr 1 Holden Buie 0
I think Sun Prairie's success will really hinge on the health of Noskowiak. Honestly if Noskowiak is healthy they could nearly beat anyone in their sectional and make a run at state. On the otherside Memorial is the odds on favorite to win the sectional and get to state. This sectional is pretty much their conference plus a couple teams so, whoever wins conference is automatically the favorite to make state. This team is by no means invisible and could easily be beaten but, they are the favorite.
Memorial jumped out early like usual but, after that it got ugly for both teams. No one could seem to find the range from the outside and shots were clanked all night long. There were numerous shots that didn't even catch the rim. Wasn't a lot to say about this game really with all the missed shots. One thing Sun Prairie did a nice job of was limited the second chances by Memorial big man 6'7 senior Darral Willis. Typically Willis feast on offensive rebounds but, tonight that was really limited and Willis just didn't get a lot of touches in the paint. Willis lack of scoring can be attributed to Sun Prairie really packing in their zone defense and the play of Sun Prairie big man 6'5 senior Shane Waldon. Waldon didn't get a ton of rebounds but, he kept Willis from getting the rebounds as well. For whatever reason Memorial senior 6'4 Tyler Lindquist didn't start but, when he did come in made his impact felt as he was able to carry Memorial in the first half scoring finding openings in the Prairie zone and scoring with his back to the basket.
Sun Prairie was able to actually grab a lead in the second half but, just couldn't close the game out as their senior leader 5'11 Reggie Roemer came up bit with three big baskets late. The biggest thing that help Sun Prairie back was the fact that Noskowiak took a second shot to the head with five minutes left in the game and was unable to return to the game. Possible concussion? Not sure what it was exactly but, he didn't even come back to the bench and without his ball handling Sun Prairie couldn't get things going at all late. Memorial ended up winning 50-45.
Top Players
Shareef Smith 5'10 junior Memorial- Was really strong in the transition game and showed the ability to finish at the rim in a variety of ways.
Tyler Lindquist 6'4 senior Memorial- Showed a really strong game with his back to the basket and was always able to find the opening in the zone defense.
JT Ruffin 6'5 junior Sun Prairie- With Waldon occuping Willis, Ruffin really had his way on the inside. Rebounded extremely well in the game and was able to score in the paint at will.
Box Score
Memorial- Lindquist 14 Smith 11 Roemer 8 Willis 7 Daurice Fountain 6 Henry Houden 4 Bryce Danielson 0 Brett Tauber 0
SP- Ruffin 14 Noskowiak 10 Waldon 8 Michael Marchese 6 Malik Robinson 4 Nate Verstegen 2 Sam Kerr 1 Holden Buie 0
I think Sun Prairie's success will really hinge on the health of Noskowiak. Honestly if Noskowiak is healthy they could nearly beat anyone in their sectional and make a run at state. On the otherside Memorial is the odds on favorite to win the sectional and get to state. This sectional is pretty much their conference plus a couple teams so, whoever wins conference is automatically the favorite to make state. This team is by no means invisible and could easily be beaten but, they are the favorite.
Monday, February 10, 2014
Week 11 Rankings
Not sure if I messed something up but, the coaching rankings are at week 13. I know with the holiday break kind of threw me off with adding two weeks together while they just skipped a week and kept going. So here is another round of team rankings.
Division One
Neenah lost their first game of the year to Oshkosh North, who turned around and lost to Appleton North, Neenah falls to four and North fell to 11. Germantown lost there second game of the year to Wisconsin Lutheran and fell to six. Milwaukee Riverside also lost their second game of the year to Milwaukee Hamilton and drop to 10, while Hamilton was able to get back in the rankings. De Pere lost to Kimberly and fell out of the rankings as did Waukesha West who lost to Waukesha North and Kettle Moraine, Arrowhead replaced them at 15.
1. Brookfield Central
2. Stevens Point
3. Milwaukee King
4. Neenah
5. Madison Memorial
6. Germantown
7. Racine Case
8. West Allis Central
9. Kettle Moraine
10. Milwaukee Riverside
11. Oshkosh North
12. Homestead
13. Sussex Hamilton
14. Milwaukee Hamilton
15. Arrowhead
Division Two
Lots of losses in the top half of the rankings La Crosse Central lost to Holmen, New Berlin Eisenhower lost to Greendale, Monona Grove lost to Deforest, and Stoughton lost to Fort Atkinson, they check in at #8, #9, #13 and 14. Milwaukee Pius lost to Wauwatosa West and are replaced by Kaukauna in the rankings.
1. Rice Lake
2. Mt Horeb
3. Seymour
4. Wisconsin Lutheran
5. Ashwaubenon
6. Holmen
7. West De Pere
8. La Crosse Central
9. New Berlin Eisenhower.
10. Whitefish Bay
11. Pulaski
12. Plymouth
13. Monona Grove
14. Stoughton
15. Kaukauna
Division Three
Edgerton lost to Kettle Moraine and East Troy while Laconia lost to Kettle Moraine Lutheran and they drop to seven and eight. West Salem lost to Onalaska Luther and drop to 11. Ripon lost to Xavier, who jumps then replacing Lake Mills who lost to Lodi and Lakeside Lutheran.
1. Lodi
2. Roncalli
3. Marshall
4. Peshtigo
5. Elk Mound
6. GET
7. Edgerton
8. Laconia
9. Valders
10. Aquinas
11. West Salem
12. Poynette
13. Lakeside Lutheran
14. Xavier
15. Ripon
Division Four
St. Catherines lost to Dominican but, don't drop because I don't think anyone in D4 would of beat them. Owen Withee lost to Thorp and drop to 13, while Iola Scandenavia lost to Rosholt and fall out of the rankings and are replaced by Westby at 14. Amherst lost to Shiocton but, didn't feel there was anyone to jump them and that really isn't a bad loss.
1. Dominican
2. Mineral Point
3. Lourdes Academy
4. Auburndale
5. Brookfield Academy
6. Pacelli
7. Abbotsford
8. Blair Taylor
9. Racine St. Catherines
10. Shiocton
11. Unity
12. Brillion
13. Owen Withee
14. Westby
15. Amherst
Division Five
CWC lost to Lourdes Academy, Randolph lost to Cambria Friesland, La Farge lost to Ithaca, and Williams Bay lost to Deerfield checking these teams at #9 through 12. Black Hawk lost to Barneveld dropping out of the rankings and are replaced by Gilmanton.
1. NEW Lutheran
2. Cassville
3. Catholic Central
4. Sheboygan Lutheran
5. Wausaukee
6. Washburn
7. Milwaukee Academy of Science
8. Goodman Pembine
9. Central WIsconsin Christian
10. Randolph
11. La Farge
12. Williams Bay
13. Hillsboro
14. Port Edwards
15. Gilmanton
Division One
Neenah lost their first game of the year to Oshkosh North, who turned around and lost to Appleton North, Neenah falls to four and North fell to 11. Germantown lost there second game of the year to Wisconsin Lutheran and fell to six. Milwaukee Riverside also lost their second game of the year to Milwaukee Hamilton and drop to 10, while Hamilton was able to get back in the rankings. De Pere lost to Kimberly and fell out of the rankings as did Waukesha West who lost to Waukesha North and Kettle Moraine, Arrowhead replaced them at 15.
1. Brookfield Central
2. Stevens Point
3. Milwaukee King
4. Neenah
5. Madison Memorial
6. Germantown
7. Racine Case
8. West Allis Central
9. Kettle Moraine
10. Milwaukee Riverside
11. Oshkosh North
12. Homestead
13. Sussex Hamilton
14. Milwaukee Hamilton
15. Arrowhead
Division Two
Lots of losses in the top half of the rankings La Crosse Central lost to Holmen, New Berlin Eisenhower lost to Greendale, Monona Grove lost to Deforest, and Stoughton lost to Fort Atkinson, they check in at #8, #9, #13 and 14. Milwaukee Pius lost to Wauwatosa West and are replaced by Kaukauna in the rankings.
1. Rice Lake
2. Mt Horeb
3. Seymour
4. Wisconsin Lutheran
5. Ashwaubenon
6. Holmen
7. West De Pere
8. La Crosse Central
9. New Berlin Eisenhower.
10. Whitefish Bay
11. Pulaski
12. Plymouth
13. Monona Grove
14. Stoughton
15. Kaukauna
Division Three
Edgerton lost to Kettle Moraine and East Troy while Laconia lost to Kettle Moraine Lutheran and they drop to seven and eight. West Salem lost to Onalaska Luther and drop to 11. Ripon lost to Xavier, who jumps then replacing Lake Mills who lost to Lodi and Lakeside Lutheran.
1. Lodi
2. Roncalli
3. Marshall
4. Peshtigo
5. Elk Mound
6. GET
7. Edgerton
8. Laconia
9. Valders
10. Aquinas
11. West Salem
12. Poynette
13. Lakeside Lutheran
14. Xavier
15. Ripon
Division Four
St. Catherines lost to Dominican but, don't drop because I don't think anyone in D4 would of beat them. Owen Withee lost to Thorp and drop to 13, while Iola Scandenavia lost to Rosholt and fall out of the rankings and are replaced by Westby at 14. Amherst lost to Shiocton but, didn't feel there was anyone to jump them and that really isn't a bad loss.
1. Dominican
2. Mineral Point
3. Lourdes Academy
4. Auburndale
5. Brookfield Academy
6. Pacelli
7. Abbotsford
8. Blair Taylor
9. Racine St. Catherines
10. Shiocton
11. Unity
12. Brillion
13. Owen Withee
14. Westby
15. Amherst
Division Five
CWC lost to Lourdes Academy, Randolph lost to Cambria Friesland, La Farge lost to Ithaca, and Williams Bay lost to Deerfield checking these teams at #9 through 12. Black Hawk lost to Barneveld dropping out of the rankings and are replaced by Gilmanton.
1. NEW Lutheran
2. Cassville
3. Catholic Central
4. Sheboygan Lutheran
5. Wausaukee
6. Washburn
7. Milwaukee Academy of Science
8. Goodman Pembine
9. Central WIsconsin Christian
10. Randolph
11. La Farge
12. Williams Bay
13. Hillsboro
14. Port Edwards
15. Gilmanton
Sunday, February 9, 2014
Sun Prairie over Madison Lafollette
This year in the Big Eight every game is a big game because six of the ten teams in the conference currently have between six to eight wins. You could lose a game and drop four or five spots in the standings. Two weeks ago Madison West was sitting at the three spot and now they are seventh in the standings.
In this match up Sun Prairie jumped out early and Lafollette was fighting from behind all night long. Sun Prairie got the transition game going early while Lafollette struggled from the outside but, really dominated the offensive glass despite Prairie having the height advantage. After one quarter Sun Prairie was up 16-10. Lafollette's star 6'1 junior Darold Thomas couldn't make anything in the first half but, that didn't stop him from shooting. The highlight of the night took place in the second quarter as Thomas missed a three but, 6'3 junior Cortez McCree timed in perfectly and threw down a nasty put back dunk, which may of been the best dunk I've seen at the high school level. One thing that really hurt Lafollette was that one of their top players 6'4 senior Maurice Ewing picked up three early fouls and then McCree picked up a third as well before half time. The fouls left Lafollette limited at the guard position and Lafollette focused on stopping Prairie's top player 6'3 junior Nick Noskowiak, which allowed fellow junior guard 6'1 Malik Robinson to have a huge game as he was able to beat his defender off the dribble and get to the hoop. Late in the second quarter one of Sun Prairie's bench players 5'10 Sophomore Sam Kerr landed hard on his side and was force to sit the rest of the game. Loosing a player really hurts Sun Prairie because they only play seven guys and didn't have another guard that could help out off the bench. At halftime Sun Prairie was up 36-26.
In the second half Lafollette really pushed the tempo by applying a full court press and with Sun Prairie's lack of guard depth they tired and the turnovers started to mount. I don't know had much of a game plan at this point other then get the ball and that seemed to work. At times they were double and triple teaming the ball and clawing and scraping for the ball and the ball always seems to go to the more aggressive team. With about two minutes left in the third quarter Noskowiak picked up his fourth foul and had to sit. Noskowiak is really the only true ball handler. After three quarters Lafollette had cut the lead to 53-45. Sun Prairie continued to turn the ball over but, Lafollette couldn't get the game any closer then eight. Noskowiak sat out until five minutes left in the game and when he did come in, he quickly picked up his fifth and final foul. Luckily for Prairie, Lafollette wasn't able to convert on the turnovers and with the fouling and lack of making shots Sun Prairie won 74-58.
Top Players
Darold Thomas 6'1 junior Lafollette- Didn't have a great first half but, kept shooting in the second half and was making his shots and kept Lafollette close. Also got some big steals in the game as well as he always played extremely hard.
Dre Prather 6'1 senior Lafollette- Did have a big scoring night but, did a great job playing defense on Noskowiak and even blocked a couple of his shots.
Cortez McCree 6'3 junior Lafollette- Had the monster dunk in the game and really battled on the glass giving Lafollette second and third opportunities.
Malik Robinson 6'1 junior Sun Prairie- Used his quickness to get to the rim and score and hit his free threws late in the game to clinch things.
Nick Noskowiak 6'3 junior Sun Prairie- Didn't have a great scoring night but, did do a nice job running the point and leading the team.
Box Score
SP 74- Robinson 26 Noskowiak 13 JT Ruffin 12 Shane Waldon 12 Michael Marchese 9 Nate Verstegen 2 Sam Kerr 0 Nate Oehrlein 0 Holden Buie 0
Laf- Thomas 16 McCree 11 M. Ewing 9 Prather 8 Keahn Dunn 8 Quinten Shere 4 Larry Haynes 2 Kian O'Brien 0 Jordan Carlson 0 Travell Ewing 0
Sun Prairie really appears to have hit their stride and haven't lost a game now since early December besides the game to Iowa City West which is one of the top teams in Iowa. Lafollette seems to basically be what we expected and is kind of a middle of the road team.
In this match up Sun Prairie jumped out early and Lafollette was fighting from behind all night long. Sun Prairie got the transition game going early while Lafollette struggled from the outside but, really dominated the offensive glass despite Prairie having the height advantage. After one quarter Sun Prairie was up 16-10. Lafollette's star 6'1 junior Darold Thomas couldn't make anything in the first half but, that didn't stop him from shooting. The highlight of the night took place in the second quarter as Thomas missed a three but, 6'3 junior Cortez McCree timed in perfectly and threw down a nasty put back dunk, which may of been the best dunk I've seen at the high school level. One thing that really hurt Lafollette was that one of their top players 6'4 senior Maurice Ewing picked up three early fouls and then McCree picked up a third as well before half time. The fouls left Lafollette limited at the guard position and Lafollette focused on stopping Prairie's top player 6'3 junior Nick Noskowiak, which allowed fellow junior guard 6'1 Malik Robinson to have a huge game as he was able to beat his defender off the dribble and get to the hoop. Late in the second quarter one of Sun Prairie's bench players 5'10 Sophomore Sam Kerr landed hard on his side and was force to sit the rest of the game. Loosing a player really hurts Sun Prairie because they only play seven guys and didn't have another guard that could help out off the bench. At halftime Sun Prairie was up 36-26.
In the second half Lafollette really pushed the tempo by applying a full court press and with Sun Prairie's lack of guard depth they tired and the turnovers started to mount. I don't know had much of a game plan at this point other then get the ball and that seemed to work. At times they were double and triple teaming the ball and clawing and scraping for the ball and the ball always seems to go to the more aggressive team. With about two minutes left in the third quarter Noskowiak picked up his fourth foul and had to sit. Noskowiak is really the only true ball handler. After three quarters Lafollette had cut the lead to 53-45. Sun Prairie continued to turn the ball over but, Lafollette couldn't get the game any closer then eight. Noskowiak sat out until five minutes left in the game and when he did come in, he quickly picked up his fifth and final foul. Luckily for Prairie, Lafollette wasn't able to convert on the turnovers and with the fouling and lack of making shots Sun Prairie won 74-58.
Top Players
Darold Thomas 6'1 junior Lafollette- Didn't have a great first half but, kept shooting in the second half and was making his shots and kept Lafollette close. Also got some big steals in the game as well as he always played extremely hard.
Dre Prather 6'1 senior Lafollette- Did have a big scoring night but, did a great job playing defense on Noskowiak and even blocked a couple of his shots.
Cortez McCree 6'3 junior Lafollette- Had the monster dunk in the game and really battled on the glass giving Lafollette second and third opportunities.
Malik Robinson 6'1 junior Sun Prairie- Used his quickness to get to the rim and score and hit his free threws late in the game to clinch things.
Nick Noskowiak 6'3 junior Sun Prairie- Didn't have a great scoring night but, did do a nice job running the point and leading the team.
Box Score
SP 74- Robinson 26 Noskowiak 13 JT Ruffin 12 Shane Waldon 12 Michael Marchese 9 Nate Verstegen 2 Sam Kerr 0 Nate Oehrlein 0 Holden Buie 0
Laf- Thomas 16 McCree 11 M. Ewing 9 Prather 8 Keahn Dunn 8 Quinten Shere 4 Larry Haynes 2 Kian O'Brien 0 Jordan Carlson 0 Travell Ewing 0
Sun Prairie really appears to have hit their stride and haven't lost a game now since early December besides the game to Iowa City West which is one of the top teams in Iowa. Lafollette seems to basically be what we expected and is kind of a middle of the road team.
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
Week 10 Rankings
Another week has come and here is another round of rankings. Not a lot of changes because the top teams have start to solidify themselves and just a time where there is a lull in the season.
Division One
Waukesha West lost to Waukesha North and was the only team that lost and drop to 15.
1. Brookfield Central
2. Neenah
3. Germantown
4. Stevens Point
5. Milwaukee King
6. Madison Memorial
7. Milwaukee Riverside
8. Oshkosh North
9. Racine Case
10. West Allis Central
11. Kettle Moraine
12. Homestead
13. Sussex Hamilton
14. De Pere
15. Waukesha West
Division Two
Reedsburg lost to Stoughton and Verona and fall out of the rankings and are replaced by Milwaukee Pius.
1. Rice Lake
2. Mt Horeb
3. Seymour
4. Wisconsin Lutheran
5. Ashwaubenon
6. Lac Crosse Central
7. New Berlin Eisenhower
8. Monona Grove
9. Stoughton
10. Holmen
11. West De Pere
12. Whitefish Bay
13. Pulaski
14. Plymouth
15. Milwaukee Pius
Division Three
Valders lost to Roncalli and drop to 10. The Capitol conference has really been battling it out as Lake Mills lost to Poynette who lost to Deforest, and Lakeside Lutheran lost to Lodi. They fall in at 13, 14, and 15, with Poynette, Lake Mills, and Lutheran.
1. Lodi
2. Roncalli
3. Edgerton
4. Laconia
5. Marshall
6. Peshtigo
7. Elk Mound
8. GET
9. West Salem
10. Valders
11. Aquinas
12. Ripon
13. Poynette
14. Lake Mills
15. Lakeside Lutheran
Division Four
Blair Taylor lost to Gilmanton which I missed last week and drop to #8. Iola Scandenavia lost to Pacelli and Amherst lost to Shiocton falling to 12 and 15. Brillion lost to Freedom and Roncalli last week and fell to 14. Necedah lost to Hillsboro and they are replaced by Unity at 13.
1. Dominican
2. Mineral Point
3. Lourdes Academy
4. Auburndale
5. Brookfield Academy
6. Pacelli
7. Abbotsfor
8. Blair Taylor
9. Racine St. Catherines
10. Owen-Withee
11. Shiocton
12. Iola Scandenavia
13. Unity
14. Brillion
15. Amherst
Division Five
North Crawford lost to Boscobel and fall out of the rankings and are replaced by Port Edwards.
1. NEW Lutheran
2. Cassville
3. Catholic Central
4. Sheboygan Lutheran
5. Central Wisconsin Christian
6. Wausaukee
7. Randolph
8. La Farge
9. Williams Bay
10. Washburn
11. Milwaukee Academy
12. Goodman Pembine
13. Hillsboro
14. Black Hawk
15. Port Edwards
Only a total of 12 teams lost in the entire five division rankings. Just goes to show that the top teams are truly the top teams now.
Division One
Waukesha West lost to Waukesha North and was the only team that lost and drop to 15.
1. Brookfield Central
2. Neenah
3. Germantown
4. Stevens Point
5. Milwaukee King
6. Madison Memorial
7. Milwaukee Riverside
8. Oshkosh North
9. Racine Case
10. West Allis Central
11. Kettle Moraine
12. Homestead
13. Sussex Hamilton
14. De Pere
15. Waukesha West
Division Two
Reedsburg lost to Stoughton and Verona and fall out of the rankings and are replaced by Milwaukee Pius.
1. Rice Lake
2. Mt Horeb
3. Seymour
4. Wisconsin Lutheran
5. Ashwaubenon
6. Lac Crosse Central
7. New Berlin Eisenhower
8. Monona Grove
9. Stoughton
10. Holmen
11. West De Pere
12. Whitefish Bay
13. Pulaski
14. Plymouth
15. Milwaukee Pius
Division Three
Valders lost to Roncalli and drop to 10. The Capitol conference has really been battling it out as Lake Mills lost to Poynette who lost to Deforest, and Lakeside Lutheran lost to Lodi. They fall in at 13, 14, and 15, with Poynette, Lake Mills, and Lutheran.
1. Lodi
2. Roncalli
3. Edgerton
4. Laconia
5. Marshall
6. Peshtigo
7. Elk Mound
8. GET
9. West Salem
10. Valders
11. Aquinas
12. Ripon
13. Poynette
14. Lake Mills
15. Lakeside Lutheran
Division Four
Blair Taylor lost to Gilmanton which I missed last week and drop to #8. Iola Scandenavia lost to Pacelli and Amherst lost to Shiocton falling to 12 and 15. Brillion lost to Freedom and Roncalli last week and fell to 14. Necedah lost to Hillsboro and they are replaced by Unity at 13.
1. Dominican
2. Mineral Point
3. Lourdes Academy
4. Auburndale
5. Brookfield Academy
6. Pacelli
7. Abbotsfor
8. Blair Taylor
9. Racine St. Catherines
10. Owen-Withee
11. Shiocton
12. Iola Scandenavia
13. Unity
14. Brillion
15. Amherst
Division Five
North Crawford lost to Boscobel and fall out of the rankings and are replaced by Port Edwards.
1. NEW Lutheran
2. Cassville
3. Catholic Central
4. Sheboygan Lutheran
5. Central Wisconsin Christian
6. Wausaukee
7. Randolph
8. La Farge
9. Williams Bay
10. Washburn
11. Milwaukee Academy
12. Goodman Pembine
13. Hillsboro
14. Black Hawk
15. Port Edwards
Only a total of 12 teams lost in the entire five division rankings. Just goes to show that the top teams are truly the top teams now.
Sunday, February 2, 2014
Madison Memorial defeated Madison West
In a key Big Eight battle Madison Memorial took on Madison West. Memorial was looking to secure the dominance and control of the conference, while West was looking to stay out of the middle pack and stay in the top half of the league. Memorial jumped out to an early lead, running and gunning and never looked back.
Memorial was up early 10-0 and got the big 22-11 lead at the end of the first quarter. The player that benefited the most from the running was 6'4 senior Tyler Lindquist who always seemed to be the one finishing at the rim around the West defenders. Lindquist was running the court well but, was also moving well without the ball in the half court offense and find openings in the defense. Lindquist also showed off some range. While Memorial was playing their kind of game West's leading scorer 6'3 senior Malik Clements was struggling. Clements couldn't hit anything and started to force some both outside shots. Clements did start to get some scoring going in the second quarter by driving to the rim, creating contact and getting to the foul line. In the second quarter Memorial slowed things down a bit and looked to their big man 6'7 senior Darral Willis. Willis would get the ball at the free throw line and time and again was able to use his quickness to get by the West big men and score. At half time Memorial led 36-26.
In the second half Memorial continued to ride Willis who was hitting everything inside and out and even had some very nice assists finding teammates cutting to the hoop. West seemed content to try and launch threes to get back in the game and they really weren't falling outside of a couple by senior 6'1 Terrel McFadden but, he launched more then his fair share. Willis also got the West big men in foul trouble which really hurt them on the boards and trying to stop Willis. In the end Memorial won 70-48. Memorial has all but, sealed up the conference raise.
Top Players
Darral Willis 6'7 senior Memorial- Was making everything tonight. I still think that he shoots a little too much but, was unstoppable at times, particularly when he stepped out and hit the outside shots. Actually had some very nice assists tonight finding his teammates moving without the ball.
Tyler Lindquist 6'4 senior Memorial- Has really improved his game this year. Always working hard on the inside, he has really improved his outside shooting, and really ran the court well tonight.
Malik Clements 6'3 senior West- Struggled from the outside but, did what he could to drive the lane and get to the free throw line and get his points.
Box Score
Memorial 70- Willis 22 Lindquist 21 Reggie Roemer 9 Henry Houden 7 Shareef Smith 5 Daurice Fountain 4 Koko Songolo 4 Brett Tauber 2 Travis Lindquist 1 Billy Wilson 0 Jake Ferguson 0
West 48- Clements 17 McFadden 10 Sam Meyer 6 Mario Scott 6 Juwun Pettigrew 3 Semaj Graham 2 Ari Davis 2 Logan Nytes 2 Harold Russell 0 Aubrey Johnson Jr 0 Teddy Cranley 0 Isaac Dennis 0
As I stated earlier it appears that Memorial has all but, sealed up the Big Eight Conference. Mathematically Sun Prairie could probably beat them out yet but, doesn't seem very likely. On the other side West seems to have hit a rough patch. Memorial has always had their number but, they've also lost some games to some teams they should not of lost to.
Memorial was up early 10-0 and got the big 22-11 lead at the end of the first quarter. The player that benefited the most from the running was 6'4 senior Tyler Lindquist who always seemed to be the one finishing at the rim around the West defenders. Lindquist was running the court well but, was also moving well without the ball in the half court offense and find openings in the defense. Lindquist also showed off some range. While Memorial was playing their kind of game West's leading scorer 6'3 senior Malik Clements was struggling. Clements couldn't hit anything and started to force some both outside shots. Clements did start to get some scoring going in the second quarter by driving to the rim, creating contact and getting to the foul line. In the second quarter Memorial slowed things down a bit and looked to their big man 6'7 senior Darral Willis. Willis would get the ball at the free throw line and time and again was able to use his quickness to get by the West big men and score. At half time Memorial led 36-26.
In the second half Memorial continued to ride Willis who was hitting everything inside and out and even had some very nice assists finding teammates cutting to the hoop. West seemed content to try and launch threes to get back in the game and they really weren't falling outside of a couple by senior 6'1 Terrel McFadden but, he launched more then his fair share. Willis also got the West big men in foul trouble which really hurt them on the boards and trying to stop Willis. In the end Memorial won 70-48. Memorial has all but, sealed up the conference raise.
Top Players
Darral Willis 6'7 senior Memorial- Was making everything tonight. I still think that he shoots a little too much but, was unstoppable at times, particularly when he stepped out and hit the outside shots. Actually had some very nice assists tonight finding his teammates moving without the ball.
Tyler Lindquist 6'4 senior Memorial- Has really improved his game this year. Always working hard on the inside, he has really improved his outside shooting, and really ran the court well tonight.
Malik Clements 6'3 senior West- Struggled from the outside but, did what he could to drive the lane and get to the free throw line and get his points.
Box Score
Memorial 70- Willis 22 Lindquist 21 Reggie Roemer 9 Henry Houden 7 Shareef Smith 5 Daurice Fountain 4 Koko Songolo 4 Brett Tauber 2 Travis Lindquist 1 Billy Wilson 0 Jake Ferguson 0
West 48- Clements 17 McFadden 10 Sam Meyer 6 Mario Scott 6 Juwun Pettigrew 3 Semaj Graham 2 Ari Davis 2 Logan Nytes 2 Harold Russell 0 Aubrey Johnson Jr 0 Teddy Cranley 0 Isaac Dennis 0
As I stated earlier it appears that Memorial has all but, sealed up the Big Eight Conference. Mathematically Sun Prairie could probably beat them out yet but, doesn't seem very likely. On the other side West seems to have hit a rough patch. Memorial has always had their number but, they've also lost some games to some teams they should not of lost to.
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