Within the same week that I talked about Madison Memorial appearing poised to win their 12th straight conference title they nearly lost one to Sun Prairie who has been heading in the opposite direction. Sun Prairie looked like the better team throughout the game and if it wasn't for some late game heroics and a bit of a Cardinal collapse Memorial would of lost this one.
Sun Prairie came out in a 2-3 zone defense which stymied Memorial a bit early on. On the offensive end I really liked that what Memorial did with their leading scorer 5'10 senior Shareef Smith. Smith would bring the ball up the court and then once he passed the ball off he go to the base line and run the base line behind the zone defense. Memorial really looked for Smith and even though he wasn't scoring much he would fine team mates cutting to the hoop in his three seniors 6'0 Koko Songolo, 6'3 Henry Houden, and 6'5 Brett Tauber. On the other end Memorial was running a man to man defense but, they were switching on everything so it really was more of a zone defense. This defense really opened up a lot of threes for Sun Prairie as 6'1 senior Malik Robinson hit a three right off the bat but, things when south until 6'4 junior Rod Johnson came into the came. Johnson hit three threes fresh off the bench and 6'5 senior JT Ruffin chipped in a three which forced Memorial to switch into a more traditional man to man defense. Sun Prairie had a three point lead at the half.
In the second half Sun Prairie continued to maintain their lead but, Memorial continued to hang around by pounding the offensive glass as always and force feeding the ball into their big man Brett Tauber. Tauber score three straight buckets in the second half. For Sun Prairie Johnson continued his hot shooting from the outside and Ruffin used his athleticism to score around the Memorial big man. In the fourth quarter Houden started to get going offensively driving the ball to the hoop and getting some second chance buckets while Songolo was dropping the threes from the outside. Sun Prairie seemed to put things out of reach after back to back threes from the corner from Johnson and Ruffin and I believe with about three minutes left in the game were up by nine. A three by Songolo and then an and one basket by Houden combined with a Malik Robinson missed free throw set the stage for the ending. Songolo drove to the hoop shot the runner which came off the rim and Houden tipped the ball back in the hoop with three seconds left and Sun Prairies half court heave banked of the backboard and off the rim to give Memorial the one point win 53-52.
Top Players
Henry Houden 6'3 senior Madison Memorial- Had the game winning basket but, played a great all around game throughout. Was able to drive the ball to the rim, hit the mid range shot, knocked down a couple threes and was all over the glass all night. He's their glue guy and he can really score at times.
Koko Songolo 6'0 senior Madison Memorial- Was the guy consistently hitting from the outside. Had a hot streak midway through the second half where he just couldn't miss. Missed a lot of driving runners in the lane but, drew the defenders and allowed team mates to get the rebounds.
Brett Tauber 6'5 senior Madison Memorail- Had the one very strong run there but, was really a force in the paint at times both scoring and rebounding. Also does a nice job of getting the ball in the high post and finding the open team mate.
Rod Johnson 6'4 junior Sun Prairie- Huge game with 19 points off the bench. When he's given the open spot up three your very surprised when he misses. Also has the ability to put the ball on the floor and score.
JT Ruffin 6'5 senior Sun Prairie- Stepped out and hit the three point shot, battled for rebounds, and used his quickness and finesse to score on the inside.
Box Score
MM- Houden 19 Songolo 17 Tauber 9 Smith 6 Jason Weah 2 Jake Ferguson 0 Billy Wilson 0
SP- Johnson 19 Ruffin 15 Sam Kerr 9 Robinson 6 Ben Hauser 3 Deshawn Black 0 Nate Verstegen 0
I will remain with my statement that Memorial is a team to beat in the Big Eight. Memorial is just finding a way to win even when they don't play great now just like the old Memorial teams and they get a ton of rebounds and their playing some pretty god defense right now and it really was Sun Prairie's three point shooting that put this game where it was. For Sun Prairie they seem to be finding themselves since the lose of Noskowiak. Things will still be tough when their struggling to find someone to put the team on their back and will them to a win.
Friday, January 30, 2015
Tuesday, January 27, 2015
WBCA Shootout
Eau Claire Regis 80 Columbus 57
I really thought that this game was going to be closer with how good Columbus looked the last time I had seen them play. Columbus came out running early led by their leading scorer 6'2 senior Kyle Geiger and jumped out to the early 9-2 lead but, really after that point things went down hill. After the first Regis was up one, at half up 14, after three up 19 and then the final of 23. Regis's D1 recruit 6'6 senior Billy Wampler started off cold, which led to the slow start but, he got going midway through the first and scored 19 points in the first half and it was kind of nice to see him have a good game after all the talk I've heard about him and how cold he was the last time I saw him. Columbus really cooled off in the second quarter then in the second half the turnovers started and the run outs began for Regis which really made things get ugly. Had it not been the clearing of the benches with about four minutes left in the game this would of been much uglier. Highlights of this game was the three point shooting of Wampler hitting deep threes with someone in his face and the dunk attempt of 6'1 senior Brady Martin. Martin missed the dunk but, I give him credit for going for it. Not much else to say in this one. Early on it was Regis's size on the inside and outside shooting, in the second half it was the defense leading to easy offense.
Top Scorers
Regis- Wampler 27 Logan Rohrscheib 24 Brady Martin 12
Columbus- Geiger 19 Tanner Perry 11 Alec Archambault 8
Stevens Point 71 Middleton 55
This game was over very early and Middleton was lucky it was as close as it was. Stevens Point was just far bigger and quicker then Middleton. Middleton looked extremely small on the court and their not a huge team but, their really not that small either. Signifying play of this game was the two junior stars hooking up on a big dunk. 6'2 Trev Anderson got a steal and found a streaking 6'6 Sam Hauser for a thunderous dunk. In the first half it was Anderson driving to the rim and scoring and Sam Hauser with the finesse game hitting the outside jumpers. In the second half Anderson was a one man wrecking grew driving the length of the court time and again and creating contact and going to the line or finishing at the rim. Stevens Point has a big front line starting three 6'6 players with Sam Hauser, senior Andrew Ruzek, and freshmen Joey Hauser. When point went to the 1-3-1 zone defense with Sam Hauser out top things completely shut down for Middleton. Middleton's primary ball handlers are all about 5'9 and they had a very tough time looking over and around the 6'6 defender. Middleton plays a ton of players subbing similar to Kentucky with five in five out but, they don't have that kind of talent, but who does. Middleton just doesn't have a star and has 10-12 players that are all very similar skill wise and I guess the constant subbing always their plays to be fresh and be able to play extremely hard at all times. Middleton does play very hard throughout and shoot a lot of threes but, those threes weren't falling tonight. Middleton did hit some threes late to get this game somewhat respectable as Point had gotten the lead to 24 point at one time and where up by 20 much of the game.
Top Scorers
SP- Anderson 31 S Hauser 23 J Hauser 7
Midd- Tyree Eady 22 Tyler Ballweg 9 Ian Hokanson 5
Top Players
Billy Wampler 6'6 senior Regis- Was money shooting from the outside tonight. Really can elevate over the defender even if they are right in his face. Forces things at times and would like to seem him driving to the rim a little more.
Logan Rohrscheib 6'2 junior Regis- Just a tireless worker that always plays extremely hard and gets a large portion of his points from hustle. Can really shot the three as well.
Kyle Geiger 6'2 senior Columbus- Guy that can really score when he's given space. Very versatile playing outside primarily but, can play in the post using his strength.
Tyree Eady 6'3 sophomore Middleton- A superb athlete that uses his length to get to the hoop and score and really got it going from the corners nailing four threes in the game.
Trev Anderson 6'2 junior Stevens Point- Just so strong with the ball in his hands. I said it last time I saw him play and he truly can get to the rim anytime he wants and can knock down the three. Also went 13-14 from the foul line.
Sam Hauser 6'6 junior Stevens Point- Very smooth player. Doesn't need much room to get his shot of with his size and has a really nice fade away in his arsenal as well. Helps when your 6'6 and can run the court.
Eau Claire Regis seems poised to make a run to state but, there is no one in D4 that can play with Dominican sadly. Columbus will have a pretty good record this year and just play a tough brand of basketball but, I just don't think they have the athletes to go super far. I like Geiger and point guard Coughlin but, if they aren't both clicking things good be hard. Middleton will live and die by the three. If their hitting they could be tough and if their not anyone could beat them. Stevens Point is the odds on favorite to win it all and they are the best team I've seen this year and I've seen most of the top teams. There's not many 1,2 punches that match Anderson and Hauser.
Monday, January 26, 2015
Madison Memorial continues Big Eight dominance
This was finally going to be the year that Madison Memorial's streak of 11 straight conference titles was going to end. Sun Prairie was the odds on favorite to win conference led by Marquette recruit Nick Noskowiak. Sun Prairie was the leader of the pack until Noskowiak left the team and school dealing with some personal issues and I wish him the best in dealing with these issues and hoping he can get past these issues. Sun Prairie hasn't been able to find their footing since losing Noskowiak. Then Middleton was the top team and Memorial promptly bet them by 20. Madison East was the next team to step up until Memorial took them down by 20 as well. Middleton is now still top in the standings but, with the way Memorial is playing that doesn't appear to be long lasting.
Friday decided to take in the Memorial vs La Follette game. It's been a little while so honestly I can't remember a ton about the game after taking in two games. Some lastly impressions was the lack of La Follette offense in this game. I believe La Follette was running a dribble drive offense but, it just seemed to be a lot of one on one ball with whoever had the ball would just drive to the hoop and try to score. This offense ended up with a lot of forced wild shots in the lane that just weren't falling. Also noticeable in this game was the play of their star 6'1 senior Darold Thomas. I know Thomas has just recently missed a handful of games for whatever reason and he just didn't seem himself. Thomas appeared to be in some pain on the court and spent a good deal of time on the bench. Normally Thomas plays with a pretty high energy and is pretty aggressive on the court but, tonight Thomas seemed a little passive on defense and offense, where his game was mostly launching NBA threes and missing them. 5'11 Quinten Shere did his best to keep La Follette in this game but, he just couldn't get any help.
For Memorial I was hoping to see their leading scorer 5'10 Shareef Smith have a big game but, Smith got in early foul trouble and didn't even score in the game. Smith did have some nice assists but, never got in the flow of the game shooting the ball. Memorial didn't shoot the ball particularly well but, as usual they did dominate the glass and got second and third opportunities all game long. No one really stared for Memorial and it truly was a team effort as they had four players score at least 10 points. 6'0 senior Koko Songolo was the leading scorer but, he really got the bulk of his points shooting free throws late. Wish I had more to say about Memorials game but, I don't recall a lot and there wasn't anything that impressive other then the pounding of the glass by Memorial, which has gotten to be the norm for Memorial.
Top Players
Quinten Shere 5'11 senior La Follette- Kind of street ball game with lots of dribbling and going to the hoop hard. Has that real nice floater in the lane and just plays extremely hard.
Henry Houden 6'3 senior Memorial- Just the ultimate glue player. Does a little bit of everything and really battles on the glass. Showed a real nice step back jumper from 15 feet.
Brett Tauber 6'5 senior Memorial- Another guy that really control the glass and the paint on the defensive end. Showed a nice offensive touch and even stepped out and hit a three point shot.
Box Score
MF- Shere 18 Cortez McCree 13 Thomas 6 David Turner 4 Tommy Green 3 Travell Ewing 2 Elias Sobah 1 Kian O'Brien 0 Tom Bartz 0
MM- Songolo 15 Houden 13 Tauber 12 Jake Ferguson 10 Travis Lindquist 5 Billy Wilson 3 Smith 0
It appears these two teams are going in the opposite direction. Memorial appears to be clicking at the right time and are my pick to win the Big Eight conference. La Follette just can't get things going at all and just can not consistently score and get beat on the offensive glass. Hopefully for La Follette's sake Thomas and company can get back on track.
Friday decided to take in the Memorial vs La Follette game. It's been a little while so honestly I can't remember a ton about the game after taking in two games. Some lastly impressions was the lack of La Follette offense in this game. I believe La Follette was running a dribble drive offense but, it just seemed to be a lot of one on one ball with whoever had the ball would just drive to the hoop and try to score. This offense ended up with a lot of forced wild shots in the lane that just weren't falling. Also noticeable in this game was the play of their star 6'1 senior Darold Thomas. I know Thomas has just recently missed a handful of games for whatever reason and he just didn't seem himself. Thomas appeared to be in some pain on the court and spent a good deal of time on the bench. Normally Thomas plays with a pretty high energy and is pretty aggressive on the court but, tonight Thomas seemed a little passive on defense and offense, where his game was mostly launching NBA threes and missing them. 5'11 Quinten Shere did his best to keep La Follette in this game but, he just couldn't get any help.
For Memorial I was hoping to see their leading scorer 5'10 Shareef Smith have a big game but, Smith got in early foul trouble and didn't even score in the game. Smith did have some nice assists but, never got in the flow of the game shooting the ball. Memorial didn't shoot the ball particularly well but, as usual they did dominate the glass and got second and third opportunities all game long. No one really stared for Memorial and it truly was a team effort as they had four players score at least 10 points. 6'0 senior Koko Songolo was the leading scorer but, he really got the bulk of his points shooting free throws late. Wish I had more to say about Memorials game but, I don't recall a lot and there wasn't anything that impressive other then the pounding of the glass by Memorial, which has gotten to be the norm for Memorial.
Top Players
Quinten Shere 5'11 senior La Follette- Kind of street ball game with lots of dribbling and going to the hoop hard. Has that real nice floater in the lane and just plays extremely hard.
Henry Houden 6'3 senior Memorial- Just the ultimate glue player. Does a little bit of everything and really battles on the glass. Showed a real nice step back jumper from 15 feet.
Brett Tauber 6'5 senior Memorial- Another guy that really control the glass and the paint on the defensive end. Showed a nice offensive touch and even stepped out and hit a three point shot.
Box Score
MF- Shere 18 Cortez McCree 13 Thomas 6 David Turner 4 Tommy Green 3 Travell Ewing 2 Elias Sobah 1 Kian O'Brien 0 Tom Bartz 0
MM- Songolo 15 Houden 13 Tauber 12 Jake Ferguson 10 Travis Lindquist 5 Billy Wilson 3 Smith 0
It appears these two teams are going in the opposite direction. Memorial appears to be clicking at the right time and are my pick to win the Big Eight conference. La Follette just can't get things going at all and just can not consistently score and get beat on the offensive glass. Hopefully for La Follette's sake Thomas and company can get back on track.
Sunday, January 25, 2015
Week Eight Rankings
Another week of the is in the books and here is another round of my weekly state rankings. D1 seems to be a five team race with the top five but, Stevens Point is the favorite. D2 the story is can anyone catch Kaukauna. D3 and D5 seem to be completely up for grabs with no clear cut favorites and a lot of teams in the running. In D4 can anyone play with Dominican, in watching #2 Regis yesterday I would say no.
Division One
Minimal changes this week. Neenah lost to top D2 team Kauakauna whose taken Kimberly's spot in beating everyone now. Sheboygan North lost to a very good Ashwaubenon dropping to 14. Burlington lost to Waterford and barely hang on to the rankings at 15. Racine Horlick lost to Riverside who should of beaten them and being that Horlick just beat Case I couldn't justify dropping Horlick below case and have them go up to nine now.
1. Stevens Point
2. Milwaukee King
3. Germantown
4. Milwaukee Riverside
5. Kimberly
6. Muskego
7. Superior
8. Kenosha Indian Trail
9. Racine Horlick
10. Racine Case
11. Neenah
12. De Pere
13. Milwaukee Marquette
14. Sheboygan North
15. Burlington
Division Two
Another division that remained fairly stable. Rice Lake lost to Eau Claire Memorial and fall to seven because I couldn't drop them below Menomonie a team they just beat. Luxemburg Casco lost to Seymour a conference rival and are sandwich between Seymour and Shawano conference opponents. Stoughton destroyed Sauk Prairie who calls to 14. Port Washington lost to Germantown and Homestead two extremely good D1 teams and stay in the rankings at 15.
1. Kaukauna
2. Milwaukee Pius
3. Seymour
4. Luxemburg Casco
5. Shawano
6. Wisconsin Lutheran
7. Rice Lake
8. Menomonie
9. Mount Horeb
10. Stoughton
11. Milwaukee Washington
12. Milwaukee Messmer
13. La Crosse Central
14. Sauk Prairie
15. Port Washington
Division Three
Brookfield Academy lost to Kettle Moraine Lutheran and drop a couple spots to 10. Lake Mills lost to Poynette who I've neglected a bit in the rankings and have Poynette jump to 13 and Lake Mills falls to 15. Brown Deer lost to a good D2 Milwaukee Washington team and fall to 11. Southern Door lost to Luxemburg Casco no surprise and fall to 14. Valders lost to St Mary Central and Laconia and fall out of the rankings. Arcadia is a team I really want to rank but, just can't find a spot for them.
1. Prescott
2. GET
3. Kettle Moraine Lutheran
4. Freedom
5. Watertown Luther Prep
6. Ripon
7. Laconia
8. Marshall
9. Roncalli
10. Brookfield Academy
11. Brown Deer
12. Waupun
13. Poynette
14. Southern Door
15. Lake Mills
Division Four
Cuba City lost to Darlington, Brillion lost to Roncalli, and Lourdes lost to Algoma with all teams checking in just behind Darlington at 8,9, and 10. Fall Creek lost to Regis and drop just one spot to 12. Blair Taylor lost to Arcadia and just couldn't keep them in the rankings anymore. Phillips and St Marys Springs are new to the rankings as I also had Frederic ranked in D4 when they are actually D5.
1. Whitefish Bay Dominican
2. Eau Claire Regis
3. Mineral Point
4. Marathon
5. Unity
6. Racine St Catherines
7. Darlington
8. Cuba City
9. Brillion
10. Lourdes
11. Amherst
12. Fall Creek
13. Iola Scandenavia
14. Phillips
15. St Marys Springs
Division Five
Had a few big changes in this one with Fredric getting moved to the correct division and then Wausaukee lost to Wabeno/Laona, which left a dilemma. Do you drop Wausaukee all the way to 15 or move Wabeno/Laona up, which typically I don't do. I moved Waubeno/Laona to three, Fredric four, and Wausaukee to five. Gilmanton lost to Cochrane-Foutain City and Necedah lost to Bangor dropping them to 9 and 10. New Auburn lost to Gilmanton, falling to 11. Potosi lost to Shullsburg and Seneca lost to La Farge, dropping them both from the rankings and Shullsburg jumps into the rankings at 15.
1. Randolph
2. Port Edwards
3. Wabeno/Laona
4. Fredric
5. Wausaukee
6. Bangor
7. Cameron
8. Gresham
9. Gilmanton
10. Necedah
11. New Auburn
12. Central Wisconsin Christian
13. Hillsboro
14. Wausau Newman
15. Shullsburg
Division One
Minimal changes this week. Neenah lost to top D2 team Kauakauna whose taken Kimberly's spot in beating everyone now. Sheboygan North lost to a very good Ashwaubenon dropping to 14. Burlington lost to Waterford and barely hang on to the rankings at 15. Racine Horlick lost to Riverside who should of beaten them and being that Horlick just beat Case I couldn't justify dropping Horlick below case and have them go up to nine now.
1. Stevens Point
2. Milwaukee King
3. Germantown
4. Milwaukee Riverside
5. Kimberly
6. Muskego
7. Superior
8. Kenosha Indian Trail
9. Racine Horlick
10. Racine Case
11. Neenah
12. De Pere
13. Milwaukee Marquette
14. Sheboygan North
15. Burlington
Division Two
Another division that remained fairly stable. Rice Lake lost to Eau Claire Memorial and fall to seven because I couldn't drop them below Menomonie a team they just beat. Luxemburg Casco lost to Seymour a conference rival and are sandwich between Seymour and Shawano conference opponents. Stoughton destroyed Sauk Prairie who calls to 14. Port Washington lost to Germantown and Homestead two extremely good D1 teams and stay in the rankings at 15.
1. Kaukauna
2. Milwaukee Pius
3. Seymour
4. Luxemburg Casco
5. Shawano
6. Wisconsin Lutheran
7. Rice Lake
8. Menomonie
9. Mount Horeb
10. Stoughton
11. Milwaukee Washington
12. Milwaukee Messmer
13. La Crosse Central
14. Sauk Prairie
15. Port Washington
Division Three
Brookfield Academy lost to Kettle Moraine Lutheran and drop a couple spots to 10. Lake Mills lost to Poynette who I've neglected a bit in the rankings and have Poynette jump to 13 and Lake Mills falls to 15. Brown Deer lost to a good D2 Milwaukee Washington team and fall to 11. Southern Door lost to Luxemburg Casco no surprise and fall to 14. Valders lost to St Mary Central and Laconia and fall out of the rankings. Arcadia is a team I really want to rank but, just can't find a spot for them.
1. Prescott
2. GET
3. Kettle Moraine Lutheran
4. Freedom
5. Watertown Luther Prep
6. Ripon
7. Laconia
8. Marshall
9. Roncalli
10. Brookfield Academy
11. Brown Deer
12. Waupun
13. Poynette
14. Southern Door
15. Lake Mills
Division Four
Cuba City lost to Darlington, Brillion lost to Roncalli, and Lourdes lost to Algoma with all teams checking in just behind Darlington at 8,9, and 10. Fall Creek lost to Regis and drop just one spot to 12. Blair Taylor lost to Arcadia and just couldn't keep them in the rankings anymore. Phillips and St Marys Springs are new to the rankings as I also had Frederic ranked in D4 when they are actually D5.
1. Whitefish Bay Dominican
2. Eau Claire Regis
3. Mineral Point
4. Marathon
5. Unity
6. Racine St Catherines
7. Darlington
8. Cuba City
9. Brillion
10. Lourdes
11. Amherst
12. Fall Creek
13. Iola Scandenavia
14. Phillips
15. St Marys Springs
Division Five
Had a few big changes in this one with Fredric getting moved to the correct division and then Wausaukee lost to Wabeno/Laona, which left a dilemma. Do you drop Wausaukee all the way to 15 or move Wabeno/Laona up, which typically I don't do. I moved Waubeno/Laona to three, Fredric four, and Wausaukee to five. Gilmanton lost to Cochrane-Foutain City and Necedah lost to Bangor dropping them to 9 and 10. New Auburn lost to Gilmanton, falling to 11. Potosi lost to Shullsburg and Seneca lost to La Farge, dropping them both from the rankings and Shullsburg jumps into the rankings at 15.
1. Randolph
2. Port Edwards
3. Wabeno/Laona
4. Fredric
5. Wausaukee
6. Bangor
7. Cameron
8. Gresham
9. Gilmanton
10. Necedah
11. New Auburn
12. Central Wisconsin Christian
13. Hillsboro
14. Wausau Newman
15. Shullsburg
Saturday, January 24, 2015
Poynette over Lake Mills
Tuesday night didn't have anything going on so decided to take in the Poynette verse Lake Mills game. This was a Capitol North Conference game which in my opinion might be one of the best medium size conferences in the state. Its a six team conference and all of the teams are division three. Poynette, Watertown Luther Prep, and Lake Mills have all spent time ranked in the top 10 and Columbus has just been on the fringe of being ranked all year. Lodi had recently been the power team as they have gone to state the past three years but, are down this year and Lakeside Lutheran had been at state three years ago I believe but, they are also down as well.
Coming into the game I had seen Lake Mills play and was fairly impressed with them and they are fun to watch playing an uptempo game and shooting a lot of three pointers. They are pretty young as they only have two seniors on the team and their top four scorers are all juniors and sophomores. For Poynette they started the year ranked very high in the state but, a couple bad losses early in the season knocked them down. Poynette gave Lodi everything they could handle a year ago and lost only one contributor from that team.
Early on Lake Mills looked very good as 6'6 junior Simon Lensmire scored the first six points of the game to jump out 6-0. Lake Mills hit seven three pointers in the first half led by 5'11 sophomore Brady Wagner and 5'9 senior Brian Nelson who combined on five of those threes. Poynette weathered the first half flurry of threes and just kind of slowly worked their way back into the game and after being down 10 after the first led by three at half. Poynette is a veteran team that never seemed to panic and always seemed to be in control. What really changed the game was Poynette went to a diamond press and fell back into a 1-3-1 zone defense. 6'1 senior Jacob Reddeman came off the bench and really created difficulty for the smaller Lake Mills guards. Reddeman created some turn overs which led to easy Poynette buckets and layups for Reddeman. The zone didn't allow the open looks that Lake Mills was getting early on. In the half court Poynette's leading scorer 6'3 senior Tanner Bruchs couldn't find his shot but, fellow 6'3 senior Riley Lytle came up big getting the ball at free throw line and just going to work. Poynette also took advantage of their overall height advantage going to 6'5 senior Ben Lattimer who was being guarded by a 6'1 player.
In the second half Lake Mills just seemed wore down by the Poynette zone as the threes weren't dropping and many of the shots weren't even close and they only hit two threes in the second half. Poynette had the depth and height advantage which led to numerous offensive rebounds and second chance buckets. Lensmire may be 6'6 but, the rest of the team is about 6'0 and under and they don't have the bangers as Lytle had a field day on the offensive class and Lake Mills was continually one and done on offense. Lake Mills lived by the three in the first half and in the second half they died by the three. The depth and size advantage were the differences in this one.
Top Players
Riley Lytle 6'3 senior Poynette- I would take this kid on my team anytime. He knows his limitations and doesn't try to do to much. He handles the ball a lot but, doesn't take outside shots his game is from 15 feet and in. Works extremely hard and goes to the hoop hard and can finish with either hand. His hard work gets him a ton of rebounds.
Jacob Reddeman 6'1 senior Poynette- Really was the reason that Poynette won coming off the bench. Played the top of the diamond press and 1-3-1, which is really one in the same. Reddeman forced numerous turnovers and really took the Lake Mills guards out of their comfort zone.
Ben Lattimer 6'5 senior Poynette- Really improved since last year. Showed a nice post game finishing over the smaller defenders. Missed some easy shots but, will really help Poynette in making a deep playoff run.
Simon Lensmire 6'6 junior Lake Mills- Moves extremely well for a big kid. More of an offensive player then defense but, really has a nice game playing more like a wing. Solid rebounder as well which he has to be because of the teams lack of overall size.
Box Score
Poy- Lytle 19 Bruchs 13 Lattimer 8 Reddeman 8 Bradley Smith 3 Jacob Krumberger 2 Tyler Klink 1 Scott Lenius 0 Brennan Pederson 0
LM- Lensmire 14 Alex Ranney 9 Wagner 9 Nelson 9 Nick Anderson 5 Collin Moen 0 Ben Dunkleberger 0
This was a pretty fun game to watch as Lake Mills took the big lead and then Poynette battled back and then extended their lead in the second half. I think the better team won as Poynette is the veteran team and has nice size overall to battle most D3 teams. Lake Mills is probably a year away from being the state contender but, if they hit their threes they can beat anyone.
Coming into the game I had seen Lake Mills play and was fairly impressed with them and they are fun to watch playing an uptempo game and shooting a lot of three pointers. They are pretty young as they only have two seniors on the team and their top four scorers are all juniors and sophomores. For Poynette they started the year ranked very high in the state but, a couple bad losses early in the season knocked them down. Poynette gave Lodi everything they could handle a year ago and lost only one contributor from that team.
Early on Lake Mills looked very good as 6'6 junior Simon Lensmire scored the first six points of the game to jump out 6-0. Lake Mills hit seven three pointers in the first half led by 5'11 sophomore Brady Wagner and 5'9 senior Brian Nelson who combined on five of those threes. Poynette weathered the first half flurry of threes and just kind of slowly worked their way back into the game and after being down 10 after the first led by three at half. Poynette is a veteran team that never seemed to panic and always seemed to be in control. What really changed the game was Poynette went to a diamond press and fell back into a 1-3-1 zone defense. 6'1 senior Jacob Reddeman came off the bench and really created difficulty for the smaller Lake Mills guards. Reddeman created some turn overs which led to easy Poynette buckets and layups for Reddeman. The zone didn't allow the open looks that Lake Mills was getting early on. In the half court Poynette's leading scorer 6'3 senior Tanner Bruchs couldn't find his shot but, fellow 6'3 senior Riley Lytle came up big getting the ball at free throw line and just going to work. Poynette also took advantage of their overall height advantage going to 6'5 senior Ben Lattimer who was being guarded by a 6'1 player.
In the second half Lake Mills just seemed wore down by the Poynette zone as the threes weren't dropping and many of the shots weren't even close and they only hit two threes in the second half. Poynette had the depth and height advantage which led to numerous offensive rebounds and second chance buckets. Lensmire may be 6'6 but, the rest of the team is about 6'0 and under and they don't have the bangers as Lytle had a field day on the offensive class and Lake Mills was continually one and done on offense. Lake Mills lived by the three in the first half and in the second half they died by the three. The depth and size advantage were the differences in this one.
Top Players
Riley Lytle 6'3 senior Poynette- I would take this kid on my team anytime. He knows his limitations and doesn't try to do to much. He handles the ball a lot but, doesn't take outside shots his game is from 15 feet and in. Works extremely hard and goes to the hoop hard and can finish with either hand. His hard work gets him a ton of rebounds.
Jacob Reddeman 6'1 senior Poynette- Really was the reason that Poynette won coming off the bench. Played the top of the diamond press and 1-3-1, which is really one in the same. Reddeman forced numerous turnovers and really took the Lake Mills guards out of their comfort zone.
Ben Lattimer 6'5 senior Poynette- Really improved since last year. Showed a nice post game finishing over the smaller defenders. Missed some easy shots but, will really help Poynette in making a deep playoff run.
Simon Lensmire 6'6 junior Lake Mills- Moves extremely well for a big kid. More of an offensive player then defense but, really has a nice game playing more like a wing. Solid rebounder as well which he has to be because of the teams lack of overall size.
Box Score
Poy- Lytle 19 Bruchs 13 Lattimer 8 Reddeman 8 Bradley Smith 3 Jacob Krumberger 2 Tyler Klink 1 Scott Lenius 0 Brennan Pederson 0
LM- Lensmire 14 Alex Ranney 9 Wagner 9 Nelson 9 Nick Anderson 5 Collin Moen 0 Ben Dunkleberger 0
This was a pretty fun game to watch as Lake Mills took the big lead and then Poynette battled back and then extended their lead in the second half. I think the better team won as Poynette is the veteran team and has nice size overall to battle most D3 teams. Lake Mills is probably a year away from being the state contender but, if they hit their threes they can beat anyone.
Thursday, January 22, 2015
Midwest Players Classic
Has been five days since I attended the players classic but, going to do my best to do a recap of the games at the players classic up in La Crosse. For starters the La Crosse Center is a great place to host an even like this and not sure what we can't get tournament games there for sectionals like they do in other places. This year the event didn't have the teams of the past but, this is because they are looking to keep the Showcase more centralized to the La Crosse area and when teams are down in the La Crosse area games may get a little rough.
St Croix Lutheran MN 58 La Crosse Aquinas 21
Aquinas just isn't a very good team this year. Aquinas looked like they had some athletes but, they just couldn't drive the ball to the hoop and couldn't hit any outside shots and took a lot of bad shots. SCL was actually a pretty good team and I was fairly impressed with them. They had a lot of guys between 6'2 to 6'5 that could all do a little bit of everything. Two guys I really liked was juniors Aage Rovney and Ade Lamu. Rovney really drove to the hoop well but, didn't force things and picked his times to drive. Lamu really didn't shoot a ton but, he's a tremendous athlete that probably had 15 rebounds and got the bulk of his points on second chance buckets.
East Ridge MN 66 West Salem 33
This was another game that was over fairly quickly. West Salem plays very hard and is disciplined but, just didn't have the athletes or the size to battle East Ridge West Salem's top scorer, senior Bailey Williams really struggled with East Ridge's length and physicality that East Ridge brought and the refs let them play. West Salem was able to get some rebounds early on to keep things close but, then deep threes and turnovers led to some run out buckets.
Waverly-Shell Rock IW 57 Caledonia MN 54
This was a battle of top teams ion their division in each of their states. Really was a fun game to watch. Not a fast pace game but, was just a very fundamentally sound game. Both teams really did a nice job of working from the inside out and they didn't take bad shots. Caledonia probably had more athletes and were the better team in my opinion but, Waverly's Jake Velky wouldn't let his team lose and made big shot after big shot. WSR jumped out early play Caledonia climbed back into and took the lead in the second and never looked back until WSR finally got the lead for good when Velky hit a three at the buzzer to win it. Both these teams would be very tough to beat in division three or four in Wisconsin which is where they would fall here I believe. Shell Rock had a pair of kids around 6'10 but, outside of them Caledonia was the bigger team and the two big kids never played together. Depsite the height differences by both teams it was negated by the strength and smart play of both teams.
Rice Lake 62 Rochestor John Marshall MN 51
This game was no where as close as the final score shows. This game was all about the Henry Ellenson show. Ellenson had his normal game. The outside shot wasn't falling for Ellenson but, everything else was and he really had a chance to show off his ball handling skills. The play of the game had to be when Ellenson brought the ball up the court and crossed over and then finished off with a big two handed dunk. For anyone that has never seen Ellenson play I always compare his game to Dirk Nowitzki. Ellenson is 6'10 but, really plays more like a wing and rarely post up. I think his skills will help him more as he moves up in the levels but, right now he's 6'10 and should just park his butt in the post. John Marshall's Michael Hurt held his own very well against Ellenson scoring 21 points and playing a tough man to man against him. Hurt is about 6'6 or 6'7 I'd guess evidently is going to Minnesota which may be a bit of a stretch for him but, I did like his play so who knows.
La Crosse Aquinas girls won big over La Crosse Central. Didn't keep score so no idea what the final was but, it wasn't good.
La Crosse Central 70 Sioux City North IW 67
Easily the game of the day with entertainment value and closeness. Central starts four sophomores and I was very impressed with them. Central is a quick long team and I have no idea how they have lost four games this year. This was the coming out party for sophomore Kobe King for Central. King can jump out of the gym, drive to the hoop, and can hit the three. In my mind right now King is the top Sophomore I have seen this year. King had a monster put back dunk to go along with 31 points. This game looked like a run away at one point as they were up by 20 at one point until North's Daniel Tillo started lighting up from down town. Tillo shot a lot in the first half but, they weren't going but, in the second half they started to fall. Some poor free throw shooting by Central gave North an opening and missed a desperation three at the buzzer when they couldn't get the ball in Tillo's hands.
Top Players Didn't have heights for players
Aage Roveny junior St Croix Lutheran- Could really get to the hoop and score and also had the outside jumper in his arsenial as well.
Ade Lamu junior St Croix Lutheran- Guessing he was 6'4 or 6'3 but, dominated the glass on both ends. Most of his points off of transition or offensive rebounds. Athlete describes him perfectly.
Sid Tomes senior East Ridge- 6'4 point guard and he was every bit of a point guard. Could really score but, really looked to set up his team mates. Had a handful of passes that made you want to stand up a cheer.
Seth Green junior East Ridge- Another long athlete. Green did a great job of guarding West Salem's Baily Williams and did a little bit of everything as a glue guy.
Kyle Sorenson senior Caledonia- A perfect high post player at 6'7 passes very well and can hit the mid range shot. Runs the court well as well.
Justin Burg senior Caledonia- Did a very nice job guarding the 6'10 Austin Phyfe and was able to score in the post.
Jake Velky senior Waverly-Shell Rock- Sharpshooter from the outside and had a very nice step back jumper which he used to hit the game winner. Very strong player with the ball in his hands.
Austin Phyfe sophomore Waverly-Shell Rock- Big man with a very nice touch around the rim and has a great game with his back to the basket.
Henry Ellenson senior Rice Lake- Everyone knows about Ellenson already but, just think Dirk Nowitzki. One of the fastest players on the court at 6'10, handles the ball, and does everything. Had six dunks in the game.
Michael Hurt senior John Marshall- Moves really well for a kid his size and showed the ability to hit the three. Would be a good role player at the next level.
Kobe King sophomore La Crosse Central- Already said everything earlier. Might be the best leaper in the state and he's a big time player just waiting to blow up.
Daniel Tillo senior Sioux City North- Sharpshooter and shoot he does. When he's able to step into a three the shot it going to fall.
Top Scorers
Kobe King Central 31
Daniel Tillo Sioux City 29
Henry Ellenson Rice Lake 25
Michael Hurt John Marshal 21
Seth Green East Ridge 16
Bobby Remke East Ridge 16
Jake Velky Waverly-Shell Rock 16
Ade Lamu St Croix 15
St Croix Lutheran MN 58 La Crosse Aquinas 21
Aquinas just isn't a very good team this year. Aquinas looked like they had some athletes but, they just couldn't drive the ball to the hoop and couldn't hit any outside shots and took a lot of bad shots. SCL was actually a pretty good team and I was fairly impressed with them. They had a lot of guys between 6'2 to 6'5 that could all do a little bit of everything. Two guys I really liked was juniors Aage Rovney and Ade Lamu. Rovney really drove to the hoop well but, didn't force things and picked his times to drive. Lamu really didn't shoot a ton but, he's a tremendous athlete that probably had 15 rebounds and got the bulk of his points on second chance buckets.
East Ridge MN 66 West Salem 33
This was another game that was over fairly quickly. West Salem plays very hard and is disciplined but, just didn't have the athletes or the size to battle East Ridge West Salem's top scorer, senior Bailey Williams really struggled with East Ridge's length and physicality that East Ridge brought and the refs let them play. West Salem was able to get some rebounds early on to keep things close but, then deep threes and turnovers led to some run out buckets.
Waverly-Shell Rock IW 57 Caledonia MN 54
This was a battle of top teams ion their division in each of their states. Really was a fun game to watch. Not a fast pace game but, was just a very fundamentally sound game. Both teams really did a nice job of working from the inside out and they didn't take bad shots. Caledonia probably had more athletes and were the better team in my opinion but, Waverly's Jake Velky wouldn't let his team lose and made big shot after big shot. WSR jumped out early play Caledonia climbed back into and took the lead in the second and never looked back until WSR finally got the lead for good when Velky hit a three at the buzzer to win it. Both these teams would be very tough to beat in division three or four in Wisconsin which is where they would fall here I believe. Shell Rock had a pair of kids around 6'10 but, outside of them Caledonia was the bigger team and the two big kids never played together. Depsite the height differences by both teams it was negated by the strength and smart play of both teams.
Rice Lake 62 Rochestor John Marshall MN 51
This game was no where as close as the final score shows. This game was all about the Henry Ellenson show. Ellenson had his normal game. The outside shot wasn't falling for Ellenson but, everything else was and he really had a chance to show off his ball handling skills. The play of the game had to be when Ellenson brought the ball up the court and crossed over and then finished off with a big two handed dunk. For anyone that has never seen Ellenson play I always compare his game to Dirk Nowitzki. Ellenson is 6'10 but, really plays more like a wing and rarely post up. I think his skills will help him more as he moves up in the levels but, right now he's 6'10 and should just park his butt in the post. John Marshall's Michael Hurt held his own very well against Ellenson scoring 21 points and playing a tough man to man against him. Hurt is about 6'6 or 6'7 I'd guess evidently is going to Minnesota which may be a bit of a stretch for him but, I did like his play so who knows.
La Crosse Aquinas girls won big over La Crosse Central. Didn't keep score so no idea what the final was but, it wasn't good.
La Crosse Central 70 Sioux City North IW 67
Easily the game of the day with entertainment value and closeness. Central starts four sophomores and I was very impressed with them. Central is a quick long team and I have no idea how they have lost four games this year. This was the coming out party for sophomore Kobe King for Central. King can jump out of the gym, drive to the hoop, and can hit the three. In my mind right now King is the top Sophomore I have seen this year. King had a monster put back dunk to go along with 31 points. This game looked like a run away at one point as they were up by 20 at one point until North's Daniel Tillo started lighting up from down town. Tillo shot a lot in the first half but, they weren't going but, in the second half they started to fall. Some poor free throw shooting by Central gave North an opening and missed a desperation three at the buzzer when they couldn't get the ball in Tillo's hands.
Top Players Didn't have heights for players
Aage Roveny junior St Croix Lutheran- Could really get to the hoop and score and also had the outside jumper in his arsenial as well.
Ade Lamu junior St Croix Lutheran- Guessing he was 6'4 or 6'3 but, dominated the glass on both ends. Most of his points off of transition or offensive rebounds. Athlete describes him perfectly.
Sid Tomes senior East Ridge- 6'4 point guard and he was every bit of a point guard. Could really score but, really looked to set up his team mates. Had a handful of passes that made you want to stand up a cheer.
Seth Green junior East Ridge- Another long athlete. Green did a great job of guarding West Salem's Baily Williams and did a little bit of everything as a glue guy.
Kyle Sorenson senior Caledonia- A perfect high post player at 6'7 passes very well and can hit the mid range shot. Runs the court well as well.
Justin Burg senior Caledonia- Did a very nice job guarding the 6'10 Austin Phyfe and was able to score in the post.
Jake Velky senior Waverly-Shell Rock- Sharpshooter from the outside and had a very nice step back jumper which he used to hit the game winner. Very strong player with the ball in his hands.
Austin Phyfe sophomore Waverly-Shell Rock- Big man with a very nice touch around the rim and has a great game with his back to the basket.
Henry Ellenson senior Rice Lake- Everyone knows about Ellenson already but, just think Dirk Nowitzki. One of the fastest players on the court at 6'10, handles the ball, and does everything. Had six dunks in the game.
Michael Hurt senior John Marshall- Moves really well for a kid his size and showed the ability to hit the three. Would be a good role player at the next level.
Kobe King sophomore La Crosse Central- Already said everything earlier. Might be the best leaper in the state and he's a big time player just waiting to blow up.
Daniel Tillo senior Sioux City North- Sharpshooter and shoot he does. When he's able to step into a three the shot it going to fall.
Top Scorers
Kobe King Central 31
Daniel Tillo Sioux City 29
Henry Ellenson Rice Lake 25
Michael Hurt John Marshal 21
Seth Green East Ridge 16
Bobby Remke East Ridge 16
Jake Velky Waverly-Shell Rock 16
Ade Lamu St Croix 15
Sunday, January 18, 2015
Week Seven Rankings
Once again its Sunday and another week is completed and another round of rankings for myself. Again these are solely my rankings and are purely for the fun of myself and to compare my thoughts to what the actually rankings are.
Division One
Kimberly lost to a very very good Kaukauna team and drop to five. Racine Case lost to Racine Horlick and drop all the way to 13 mostly because I feel Horlick and Kenosha Indian Trail are teams that have been over looked and should be in the rankings. De Pere lost to Ashwaubenon and drop to 14 mostly because the two new teams. Milwaukee Marquette lost to Whitefish Bay and Germantown but, hang on the rankings at 15. Sun Prairie lost to Madison East and Lafollette fall from the rankings and will have a hard time getting back into the rankings with Nick Noskowiak out for the foreseeable future. Homestead lost to Whitefish Bay and also fall from the rankings but, in my mind are sitting at 16.
1. Stevens Point
2. Milwaukee King
3. Germantown
4. Milwaukee Riverside
5. Kimberly
6. Muskego
7. Neenah
8. Superior
9. Sheboygan North
10. Burlington
11. Kenosha Indian Trail
12. Racine Horlick
13. Racine Case
14. De Pere
15. Milwaukee Marquette
Division Two
Like every year Division Two is appearing to be a mess. Seymour lost to West De Pere and drop to five. Milwaukee Pius lost to Germantown a very good team and drop only a spot to four. Wisconsin Lutheran lost to Hartford and dropped down to #7 followed by Menomonie who lost to Eau Claire Memorial and Rice Lake. Stoughton lost to Monona Grove and dropped a couple spots to 10. Sauk Prairie lost to Mount Horeb but, hold at the same spot at 11. Port Washington lost to Germantown and drop one spot to 14. Surprising Milwaukee North and Whitefish Bay, who has been beating some very good teams as of late, are just outside the rankings.
1. Kaukauna
2. Rice Lake
3. Luxemburg Casco
4. Milwaukee Pius
5. Seymour
6. Shawano
7. Wisconsin Lutheran
8. Menomonie
9. Mount Horeb
10. Stoughton
11. Sauk Prairie
12. Milwaukee Washington
13. Milwaukee Messmer
14. Port Washington
15. La Crosse Central
Division Three
Division three remained very stable with only two teams having lost. Waupun lost to Beaver Dam and Valders lost to Brillion, knocking both teams to 14 and 15. Poynette is a team I would love to put into the rankings but, just didn't have anyone to knock out.
1. Prescott
2. GET
3. Kettle Moraine Lutheran
4. Freedom
5. Watertown Luther Prep
6. Ripon
7. Brookfield Academy
8. Lake Mills
9. Laconia
10. Brown Deer
11. Marshall
12. Roncalli
13. Southern Door
14. Waupun
15. Valders
Division Four
St.Cats lost to Dominican which is always a hard one but, dropped them to nine just ahead of Darlington lost to Mineral Point but, staid at the same spot. Auburndale lost to Wausau Newman and fell from the rankings being replaced by Fredric. Blair Taylor lost to Gilmanton and hang on to the 15 spot, while Bonduel lost to Stevens Point Pacelli and are replaced by Iola Scandinavia.
1. Whitefish Bay Dominican
2. Eau Claire Regis
3. Mineral Point
4. Cuba City
5. Marathon
6. Brillion
7. Lourdes
8. Unity
9. Racine St Catherines
10. Darlington
11. Fall Creek
12. Amherst
13. Fredric
14. Iola Scandenavia
15. Blair Taylor
Division Five
Central Wisconsin Christian lost to Randolph and Lourdes two very good teams but, had to drop them to 10. Sheboygan Lutheran lost to Sheboygan Christian and Cedar Grove-Belgium and fall from the rankings and are replaced by Wabeno/Laona. Gresham lost to Port Edwards but, held on to the same spot at #9.
1. Wausaukee
2. Randolph
3. Port Edwards
4. Gilmanton
5. Necedah
6. Bangor
7. New Auburn
8. Cameron
9. Gresham
10. Central Wisconsin Christian
11. Hillsboro
12. Wausau Newman
13. Potosi
14. Seneca
15. Wabeno/Laona
Division One
Kimberly lost to a very very good Kaukauna team and drop to five. Racine Case lost to Racine Horlick and drop all the way to 13 mostly because I feel Horlick and Kenosha Indian Trail are teams that have been over looked and should be in the rankings. De Pere lost to Ashwaubenon and drop to 14 mostly because the two new teams. Milwaukee Marquette lost to Whitefish Bay and Germantown but, hang on the rankings at 15. Sun Prairie lost to Madison East and Lafollette fall from the rankings and will have a hard time getting back into the rankings with Nick Noskowiak out for the foreseeable future. Homestead lost to Whitefish Bay and also fall from the rankings but, in my mind are sitting at 16.
1. Stevens Point
2. Milwaukee King
3. Germantown
4. Milwaukee Riverside
5. Kimberly
6. Muskego
7. Neenah
8. Superior
9. Sheboygan North
10. Burlington
11. Kenosha Indian Trail
12. Racine Horlick
13. Racine Case
14. De Pere
15. Milwaukee Marquette
Division Two
Like every year Division Two is appearing to be a mess. Seymour lost to West De Pere and drop to five. Milwaukee Pius lost to Germantown a very good team and drop only a spot to four. Wisconsin Lutheran lost to Hartford and dropped down to #7 followed by Menomonie who lost to Eau Claire Memorial and Rice Lake. Stoughton lost to Monona Grove and dropped a couple spots to 10. Sauk Prairie lost to Mount Horeb but, hold at the same spot at 11. Port Washington lost to Germantown and drop one spot to 14. Surprising Milwaukee North and Whitefish Bay, who has been beating some very good teams as of late, are just outside the rankings.
1. Kaukauna
2. Rice Lake
3. Luxemburg Casco
4. Milwaukee Pius
5. Seymour
6. Shawano
7. Wisconsin Lutheran
8. Menomonie
9. Mount Horeb
10. Stoughton
11. Sauk Prairie
12. Milwaukee Washington
13. Milwaukee Messmer
14. Port Washington
15. La Crosse Central
Division Three
Division three remained very stable with only two teams having lost. Waupun lost to Beaver Dam and Valders lost to Brillion, knocking both teams to 14 and 15. Poynette is a team I would love to put into the rankings but, just didn't have anyone to knock out.
1. Prescott
2. GET
3. Kettle Moraine Lutheran
4. Freedom
5. Watertown Luther Prep
6. Ripon
7. Brookfield Academy
8. Lake Mills
9. Laconia
10. Brown Deer
11. Marshall
12. Roncalli
13. Southern Door
14. Waupun
15. Valders
Division Four
St.Cats lost to Dominican which is always a hard one but, dropped them to nine just ahead of Darlington lost to Mineral Point but, staid at the same spot. Auburndale lost to Wausau Newman and fell from the rankings being replaced by Fredric. Blair Taylor lost to Gilmanton and hang on to the 15 spot, while Bonduel lost to Stevens Point Pacelli and are replaced by Iola Scandinavia.
1. Whitefish Bay Dominican
2. Eau Claire Regis
3. Mineral Point
4. Cuba City
5. Marathon
6. Brillion
7. Lourdes
8. Unity
9. Racine St Catherines
10. Darlington
11. Fall Creek
12. Amherst
13. Fredric
14. Iola Scandenavia
15. Blair Taylor
Division Five
Central Wisconsin Christian lost to Randolph and Lourdes two very good teams but, had to drop them to 10. Sheboygan Lutheran lost to Sheboygan Christian and Cedar Grove-Belgium and fall from the rankings and are replaced by Wabeno/Laona. Gresham lost to Port Edwards but, held on to the same spot at #9.
1. Wausaukee
2. Randolph
3. Port Edwards
4. Gilmanton
5. Necedah
6. Bangor
7. New Auburn
8. Cameron
9. Gresham
10. Central Wisconsin Christian
11. Hillsboro
12. Wausau Newman
13. Potosi
14. Seneca
15. Wabeno/Laona
Friday, January 16, 2015
Madison East takes down Sun Prairie
In a slight upset, Madison East took down Sun Prairie and claimed first place in the conference having beat Sun Prairie head to head. This was an upset by record only thought because Sun Prairie is without their Marquette recruit 6'3 senior Nick Noskowiak who is currently dealing with depression, which was reported on wishoops via Noskowiak's twitter. Wish Noskowiak all the best dealing with his issue and hope to see him back on the court soon, whether with Sun Prairie or Marquette in the future.
Playing without Noskowiak really puts a wrench in the Cardinals plans as he is their primary ball handler and it puts a lot of pressure on Sun Prairie junior 6'0 Sam Kerr. Kerr really is the only true ball handler right now and he is forced to start and play a lot more minutes then he has in the past. Sun Prairie really came out flat in this one and East took it to them all game., East jumped out early behind the strong play of their leading scorer 6'3 junior Deang Deang who was able to get to the middle of the SP zone and also knock down a pair of threes in the first half. Fellow junior 5'10 Tre'vone Irby chipped in as well knocking down some deep threes. This was kind of a slow game and East took the first half lead 23-15.
In the second half Sun Prairie continued to play the 1-3-1 zone defense and East was very content to sit back and run the clock down because they had the lead. East's outside shooting slowed a bit but, they did a great job on the offensive glass getting second and third shots and most importantly ran the clock down with long offensive possessions. Sun Prairie finally did get back in to the game pressing and pushing the ball where Kerr and fellow guard 6'1 senior Malik Robinson seemed to excel in and spent a lot of time at the line where they could score with the clock stopped. Sun Prairie did cut the score to three late but, just couldn't get a shot to fall or find an open shot for that matter. Some chaos at the end with turnovers led to an eight point win for Madison East and a big dunk from 6'5 senior D'Angelo Millon to seal that game.
Box Score
SP- Kerr 13 Robinson 10 Ben Hauser 6 JT Ruffin 5 Nate Verstegen 2 Rod Johnson 1 Deshawn Black 0
East- Deang 16 Irby 11 De'Shawn Burks 8 Kenny Jones 6 Millon 3 Keshawn Justice 0 Cameron Cratic 0 Oliver Allison 0
Top Players
Sam Kerr 6'0 junior Sun Prairie- Right now might be Sun Prairie's best player. Handles the ball very well showed the ability to get inside and score and was really good in the transition game and finished well at the rim.
Malik Robinson 6'1 senior Sun Prairie- Outside of Kerr really the only other guy that looked to get to the rim and score. Just seems like a great athlete that could play any sport and excel.
Deang Deang 6'3 junior Madison East- Very smart player and he just knows how to score. Showed that he can hit the three and was able to beat the zone by himself getting to the middle of the zone and scoring.
This really was an ugly game considering it was for first place in the conference. I still believe that the Big Eight is one of the top conference in the state but, they don't have the power house teams of the past but, top to bottom the conference is pretty good. Madison East seems to be going in the right direction right now and Sun Prairie is going the opposite. Noskowiak may be out for Sun Prairie but, they are still a pretty good team and should be playing better then this.
Playing without Noskowiak really puts a wrench in the Cardinals plans as he is their primary ball handler and it puts a lot of pressure on Sun Prairie junior 6'0 Sam Kerr. Kerr really is the only true ball handler right now and he is forced to start and play a lot more minutes then he has in the past. Sun Prairie really came out flat in this one and East took it to them all game., East jumped out early behind the strong play of their leading scorer 6'3 junior Deang Deang who was able to get to the middle of the SP zone and also knock down a pair of threes in the first half. Fellow junior 5'10 Tre'vone Irby chipped in as well knocking down some deep threes. This was kind of a slow game and East took the first half lead 23-15.
In the second half Sun Prairie continued to play the 1-3-1 zone defense and East was very content to sit back and run the clock down because they had the lead. East's outside shooting slowed a bit but, they did a great job on the offensive glass getting second and third shots and most importantly ran the clock down with long offensive possessions. Sun Prairie finally did get back in to the game pressing and pushing the ball where Kerr and fellow guard 6'1 senior Malik Robinson seemed to excel in and spent a lot of time at the line where they could score with the clock stopped. Sun Prairie did cut the score to three late but, just couldn't get a shot to fall or find an open shot for that matter. Some chaos at the end with turnovers led to an eight point win for Madison East and a big dunk from 6'5 senior D'Angelo Millon to seal that game.
Box Score
SP- Kerr 13 Robinson 10 Ben Hauser 6 JT Ruffin 5 Nate Verstegen 2 Rod Johnson 1 Deshawn Black 0
East- Deang 16 Irby 11 De'Shawn Burks 8 Kenny Jones 6 Millon 3 Keshawn Justice 0 Cameron Cratic 0 Oliver Allison 0
Top Players
Sam Kerr 6'0 junior Sun Prairie- Right now might be Sun Prairie's best player. Handles the ball very well showed the ability to get inside and score and was really good in the transition game and finished well at the rim.
Malik Robinson 6'1 senior Sun Prairie- Outside of Kerr really the only other guy that looked to get to the rim and score. Just seems like a great athlete that could play any sport and excel.
Deang Deang 6'3 junior Madison East- Very smart player and he just knows how to score. Showed that he can hit the three and was able to beat the zone by himself getting to the middle of the zone and scoring.
This really was an ugly game considering it was for first place in the conference. I still believe that the Big Eight is one of the top conference in the state but, they don't have the power house teams of the past but, top to bottom the conference is pretty good. Madison East seems to be going in the right direction right now and Sun Prairie is going the opposite. Noskowiak may be out for Sun Prairie but, they are still a pretty good team and should be playing better then this.
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
JAG Border Battle
Not sure if this is suppose to be to compete with the "official" Border Battle put on by the yearbook but, the JustAGame Fieldhouse has started running their own Border Battle the last few years. In the past it has typically been teams from Iowa vs Wisconsin with maybe a Minnesota team sprinkled in but, this year was all Minnesota vs Wisconsin. I pretty much missed the first game as I had to work the morning but, Richland Center got destroyed by St Charles and St Charles was up 30 when I showed up at the start of the fourth quarter. St Charles ended up winning 77 to 54.
Marshall 80 Spring Grove 78
This was easily the best game of the tournament and was fast passed and high scoring. Spring Grove was a team that pushed the tempo a little but, really kept things quick because they weren't shy about taking the first available shot and at times forced some shots. When Spring Grove missed those quick shots Marshall was pushing the ball right back at them in transition and typically that led to transition threes for Marshall and they love to shoot the threes. Marshall's defense left a lot to be desired at times but, they didn't seem to concerned. In the first half Marshall was dropping all their threes and Spring Grove couldn't buy a bucket. Through the third Marshall was up double digits but, in the fourth Spring Grove kept chipping away and sophomore Chase Grinde starting knocking down some big threes. Marshall did a little bit of a choke job missing some threes and turning the ball over while Grinde hit the threes. Marshall star 6'3 junior Adam Link went from the goat to the hero in a matter of seconds. Up two Link missed both free throws and Spring Grove game down and scored. On the inbounds pass Link took the ball the length of the court and knocked down the step back shot from the free throw line to get the win at the buzzer.
Top Scorers
M- Adam Wehking 17 Link 16 Andy Lutz 13 Jordan Gomez 11
SG- Chase Grinde 29 Alex Engelbardt 27 Brady Schuttemeier 11
Caledonia 67 GET 63
I had heard a lot of talk about GET and their 1-3-1 defense and too be honest I wasn't that impressed and whether it was simply a bad game or that was their true selves I'm not sure. GET star 6'3 junior Nick Wagner really forced some shots and seemed to settle so much on fade away jumpers and his only basket was a layup out of a bit of a scramble right at the end of the first half. GET defense seemed much better when 6'1 senior Carl Huhn was playing the middle of that defense but, Huhn was in foul trouble the entire game and spent a lot of time on the bench. Thankfully for GET 6'2 junior Noah Hammond was huge off the bench running the point when Wagner was denied the ball and then hitting some big threes. For Caledonia they did a great job of beating the 1-3-1. Early on they were getting the open threes in the corners, then throwing the diagonal pass to the opposite block, and using their height advantage going from the high to low post. Caledonia just kind of methodically beat GET all game long until GET pressed late and forced some turnovers and then Hammond and Wagner started hitting some threes, to make this a game late.
Top Scorers
GET- Hammond 22 Wagner 18 Huhn 11
C- Gavin Schroeder 20 Kyle Sorenson 13 Austin Bauer 13 Owen King 12
Randolph 53 Fond du Lac Ojibwe 51
This game was much closer then what I expected and that may be because Randolph is not the Randolph of old. Randolph doesn't have the height of the past or the players. Hands down the best player by a long shot was Randolph senior 5'6 Duke Vander Galien. Vander Galien could do just about anything he wanted and did a great job of getting to the rim and scoring and knocking down the 15 foot shot. Vander Galien appeared to want to push the tempo but, just didn't seem to have the horses to run with him. This game felt like Randolph had control throughout but, every time you looked up at the score board it was still a close game. The surprise of the game had to be Ojibwe senior Cameron Thompson. Thompson didn't resemple a basketball player one bit but, was a very good outside shooter and then late in the game showed the ability to score in the post with his back to the basket. Randolph was able to hang on but, gave Ojibwe every opportunity to steal one.
Top Scorers
R- Vander Galien 27 Cole Westra 11 Xander Herpel 8
FLO- Thompson 24 Jordan Diver 12 Dexter Delille 9
Top Players
Adam Link 6'3 junior Marshall- Very smooth point guard that did force shots at times. Can hit the spot up three pointer or hitting the step back mid range shot.
Adam Wehking 6'4 sophomore Marshall- Really did a nice job battling in the post and got nearly ever rebound. Showed the ability to hit the short jumpers and was very tough from the free throw line.
Chase Grinde sophomore Spring Grove- Just a scorer. Was able to just dribble into the three point shot and knock it down with a defender in his face and had the strength to score taking the ball to the rim.
Alex Engelhardt junior Spring Grove- An athlete more then a basketball player. Showed the quickness to get to the rim and finish in a variety of ways and had a nice little post up game in the paint.
Noah Hammond 6'2 junior GET- Came up huge when Wagner was struggling and a did a good job running the point off the bench. Used a soft touch driving to the rim and didn't miss from the corners shooting the three.
Nick Wagner 6'3 junior GET- No doubt he's a good player but, like to see kids take it to the rim rather then settle for jumpers. Liked seeing him play off the ball with Hammond running the offense. Was able to hit some big deep threes when he was able to dribble into his shot.
Gavin Schroeder 6'4 junior Caledonia- Got to mention a kid that scores 20 points off the bench. High energy kid that ran the court well and was able to get position and score against the zone defense.
Owen King 6'0 freshmen Caledonia- Really a calming factor in the game despite being a freshmen. Didn't take a lot of shots but, when he did he was going to make them. Don't recall him turning the ball over once.
Kyle Sorenson 6'7 senior Caledonia- Just a solid player. Did a great job of catching the ball in the high post and feeding Schroeder, finding the open team mate for three, or knocking the shot down himself. Helped break the pressure defense as well.
Duke Vander Galien 5'6 senior Randolph- Ultra quick lead guard. Could get to the rim and finish at will or stop on a dime and hit the 15 foot jumper. I believe he was also 9-10 from the free throw line.
Cameron Thompson senior Fond du Lac Ojibwe- Money from three point range and was also able to show some nice moves in the post.
Dexter Delille senior Fond du Lac Ojibwe- Very talented player but, some times tried to be a little fancy. Handled the ball very well and was always looking to set team mates up.
Overall was a pretty good day of basketball. May not of been as good as the real Border Battle but, hey for this one it was a 30 second drive for me.
Marshall 80 Spring Grove 78
This was easily the best game of the tournament and was fast passed and high scoring. Spring Grove was a team that pushed the tempo a little but, really kept things quick because they weren't shy about taking the first available shot and at times forced some shots. When Spring Grove missed those quick shots Marshall was pushing the ball right back at them in transition and typically that led to transition threes for Marshall and they love to shoot the threes. Marshall's defense left a lot to be desired at times but, they didn't seem to concerned. In the first half Marshall was dropping all their threes and Spring Grove couldn't buy a bucket. Through the third Marshall was up double digits but, in the fourth Spring Grove kept chipping away and sophomore Chase Grinde starting knocking down some big threes. Marshall did a little bit of a choke job missing some threes and turning the ball over while Grinde hit the threes. Marshall star 6'3 junior Adam Link went from the goat to the hero in a matter of seconds. Up two Link missed both free throws and Spring Grove game down and scored. On the inbounds pass Link took the ball the length of the court and knocked down the step back shot from the free throw line to get the win at the buzzer.
Top Scorers
M- Adam Wehking 17 Link 16 Andy Lutz 13 Jordan Gomez 11
SG- Chase Grinde 29 Alex Engelbardt 27 Brady Schuttemeier 11
Caledonia 67 GET 63
I had heard a lot of talk about GET and their 1-3-1 defense and too be honest I wasn't that impressed and whether it was simply a bad game or that was their true selves I'm not sure. GET star 6'3 junior Nick Wagner really forced some shots and seemed to settle so much on fade away jumpers and his only basket was a layup out of a bit of a scramble right at the end of the first half. GET defense seemed much better when 6'1 senior Carl Huhn was playing the middle of that defense but, Huhn was in foul trouble the entire game and spent a lot of time on the bench. Thankfully for GET 6'2 junior Noah Hammond was huge off the bench running the point when Wagner was denied the ball and then hitting some big threes. For Caledonia they did a great job of beating the 1-3-1. Early on they were getting the open threes in the corners, then throwing the diagonal pass to the opposite block, and using their height advantage going from the high to low post. Caledonia just kind of methodically beat GET all game long until GET pressed late and forced some turnovers and then Hammond and Wagner started hitting some threes, to make this a game late.
Top Scorers
GET- Hammond 22 Wagner 18 Huhn 11
C- Gavin Schroeder 20 Kyle Sorenson 13 Austin Bauer 13 Owen King 12
Randolph 53 Fond du Lac Ojibwe 51
This game was much closer then what I expected and that may be because Randolph is not the Randolph of old. Randolph doesn't have the height of the past or the players. Hands down the best player by a long shot was Randolph senior 5'6 Duke Vander Galien. Vander Galien could do just about anything he wanted and did a great job of getting to the rim and scoring and knocking down the 15 foot shot. Vander Galien appeared to want to push the tempo but, just didn't seem to have the horses to run with him. This game felt like Randolph had control throughout but, every time you looked up at the score board it was still a close game. The surprise of the game had to be Ojibwe senior Cameron Thompson. Thompson didn't resemple a basketball player one bit but, was a very good outside shooter and then late in the game showed the ability to score in the post with his back to the basket. Randolph was able to hang on but, gave Ojibwe every opportunity to steal one.
Top Scorers
R- Vander Galien 27 Cole Westra 11 Xander Herpel 8
FLO- Thompson 24 Jordan Diver 12 Dexter Delille 9
Top Players
Adam Link 6'3 junior Marshall- Very smooth point guard that did force shots at times. Can hit the spot up three pointer or hitting the step back mid range shot.
Adam Wehking 6'4 sophomore Marshall- Really did a nice job battling in the post and got nearly ever rebound. Showed the ability to hit the short jumpers and was very tough from the free throw line.
Chase Grinde sophomore Spring Grove- Just a scorer. Was able to just dribble into the three point shot and knock it down with a defender in his face and had the strength to score taking the ball to the rim.
Alex Engelhardt junior Spring Grove- An athlete more then a basketball player. Showed the quickness to get to the rim and finish in a variety of ways and had a nice little post up game in the paint.
Noah Hammond 6'2 junior GET- Came up huge when Wagner was struggling and a did a good job running the point off the bench. Used a soft touch driving to the rim and didn't miss from the corners shooting the three.
Nick Wagner 6'3 junior GET- No doubt he's a good player but, like to see kids take it to the rim rather then settle for jumpers. Liked seeing him play off the ball with Hammond running the offense. Was able to hit some big deep threes when he was able to dribble into his shot.
Gavin Schroeder 6'4 junior Caledonia- Got to mention a kid that scores 20 points off the bench. High energy kid that ran the court well and was able to get position and score against the zone defense.
Owen King 6'0 freshmen Caledonia- Really a calming factor in the game despite being a freshmen. Didn't take a lot of shots but, when he did he was going to make them. Don't recall him turning the ball over once.
Kyle Sorenson 6'7 senior Caledonia- Just a solid player. Did a great job of catching the ball in the high post and feeding Schroeder, finding the open team mate for three, or knocking the shot down himself. Helped break the pressure defense as well.
Duke Vander Galien 5'6 senior Randolph- Ultra quick lead guard. Could get to the rim and finish at will or stop on a dime and hit the 15 foot jumper. I believe he was also 9-10 from the free throw line.
Cameron Thompson senior Fond du Lac Ojibwe- Money from three point range and was also able to show some nice moves in the post.
Dexter Delille senior Fond du Lac Ojibwe- Very talented player but, some times tried to be a little fancy. Handled the ball very well and was always looking to set team mates up.
Overall was a pretty good day of basketball. May not of been as good as the real Border Battle but, hey for this one it was a 30 second drive for me.
Sunday, January 11, 2015
Week Six Rankings
Another week is in the books so another round of team state rankings for myself.
Rankings
Burlington lost to Wilmot and end up dropping all the way to 15. Homestead lost to Germantown the #3 team, Superior lost to a Chippewa Falls team that is just a hair out of the rankings, and Sheboygan North lost to a top ten team in De Pere.
1. Stevens Point
2. Milwaukee King
3. Germantown
4. Kimberly
5. Racine Case
6. Milwaukee Riverside
7. Muskego
8. Neenah
9. De Pere
10. Milwaukee Marquette
11. Sun Prairie
12. Homestead
13. Superior
14. Sheboygan North
15. Burlington
Division Two
Milwaukee Pius lost to Greendale but, only dropped a spot to #3. Milwaukee Washington lost to Milwaukee King and Sussex Hamilton and fall all the way to 12. Menomonie lost to Hudson and fell just to five. Rice Lake lost to a team from Minnesota which I don't hold against them of course.. Milwaukee Messmer lost to a very good Milwaukee Marquette team and drop to 14. La Crosse Central lost to Holmen and just barely hang on to the rankings at 15. Ashwaubenon lost to Pulaski and fall out of the rankings while a one loss Sauk Prairie team checks in at 11. Whitefish Bay lost to Port Washington and are replaced by Port Washington at 13.
1. Kaukauna
2. Seymour
3. Milwaukee Pius
4. Wisconsin Lutheran
5. Menomonie
6. Rice Lake
7. Luxemburg Casco
8. Stoughton
9. Shawano
10. Mount Horeb
11. Sauk Prairie
12. Milwaukee Washington
13. Port Washington
14. Milwaukee Messmer
15. La Crosse Central
Division Three
Prescott lost to Eau Claire Regis but, they had beaten GET already so stay ahead of GET who lost to a team from Minnesota which we don't hold against them of course. Ripon lost to Appleton Xavier but, did beat Laconia, which dropped Ripon to #6 and Laconia to nine. Columbus lost to Adams Friendship and dropped from the rankings and are replaced by Southern Door.
1. Prescott
2. GET
3. Kettle Moraine Lutheran
4. Freedom
5. Watertown Luther Prep
6. Ripon
7. Brookfield Academy
8. Lake Mills
9. Laconia
10. Brown Deer
11. Marshall
12. Waupun
13. Valders
14. Roncalli
15. Southern Door
Division Four
Fall Creek lost to Altoona and Auburndale lost to Marathon dropping them to 11 and 12. Iola Scandinavia lost to Amherst allowing Amherst in at 15 and Iola Scandinavia to fall from the rankings.
1. Whitefish Bay Dominican
2. Eau Claire Regis
3. Mineral Point
4. Cuba City
5. Marathon
6. Brillion
7. Racine St Catherines
8. Lourdes
9. Unity
10. Darlington
11. Fall Creek
12. Auburndale
13. Blair Taylor
14. Bonduel
15. Amherst
Division Five
I missed that Wausaukee lost to Lakeland a week ago but, they still do hang on at #1. Gilmanton lost to Melrose Mindoro and drop to five. Sheboygan Lutheran lost to Random Lake and fall to seven. New Auburn lost to Northwood and Cameron lost to Unity dropping them to 10 and 11. Assumption lost to Amherst, falling from the rankings and are replaced by Seneca.
1. Wausaukee
2. Central Wisconsin Christian
3. Randolph
4. Port Edwards
5. Gilmanton
6. Necedah
7. Sheboygan Lutheran
8. Bangor
9. Gresham
10. New Auburn
11. Cameron
12. Hillsboro
13. Wausau Newman
14. Potosi
15. Seneca
Rankings
Burlington lost to Wilmot and end up dropping all the way to 15. Homestead lost to Germantown the #3 team, Superior lost to a Chippewa Falls team that is just a hair out of the rankings, and Sheboygan North lost to a top ten team in De Pere.
1. Stevens Point
2. Milwaukee King
3. Germantown
4. Kimberly
5. Racine Case
6. Milwaukee Riverside
7. Muskego
8. Neenah
9. De Pere
10. Milwaukee Marquette
11. Sun Prairie
12. Homestead
13. Superior
14. Sheboygan North
15. Burlington
Division Two
Milwaukee Pius lost to Greendale but, only dropped a spot to #3. Milwaukee Washington lost to Milwaukee King and Sussex Hamilton and fall all the way to 12. Menomonie lost to Hudson and fell just to five. Rice Lake lost to a team from Minnesota which I don't hold against them of course.. Milwaukee Messmer lost to a very good Milwaukee Marquette team and drop to 14. La Crosse Central lost to Holmen and just barely hang on to the rankings at 15. Ashwaubenon lost to Pulaski and fall out of the rankings while a one loss Sauk Prairie team checks in at 11. Whitefish Bay lost to Port Washington and are replaced by Port Washington at 13.
1. Kaukauna
2. Seymour
3. Milwaukee Pius
4. Wisconsin Lutheran
5. Menomonie
6. Rice Lake
7. Luxemburg Casco
8. Stoughton
9. Shawano
10. Mount Horeb
11. Sauk Prairie
12. Milwaukee Washington
13. Port Washington
14. Milwaukee Messmer
15. La Crosse Central
Division Three
Prescott lost to Eau Claire Regis but, they had beaten GET already so stay ahead of GET who lost to a team from Minnesota which we don't hold against them of course. Ripon lost to Appleton Xavier but, did beat Laconia, which dropped Ripon to #6 and Laconia to nine. Columbus lost to Adams Friendship and dropped from the rankings and are replaced by Southern Door.
1. Prescott
2. GET
3. Kettle Moraine Lutheran
4. Freedom
5. Watertown Luther Prep
6. Ripon
7. Brookfield Academy
8. Lake Mills
9. Laconia
10. Brown Deer
11. Marshall
12. Waupun
13. Valders
14. Roncalli
15. Southern Door
Division Four
Fall Creek lost to Altoona and Auburndale lost to Marathon dropping them to 11 and 12. Iola Scandinavia lost to Amherst allowing Amherst in at 15 and Iola Scandinavia to fall from the rankings.
1. Whitefish Bay Dominican
2. Eau Claire Regis
3. Mineral Point
4. Cuba City
5. Marathon
6. Brillion
7. Racine St Catherines
8. Lourdes
9. Unity
10. Darlington
11. Fall Creek
12. Auburndale
13. Blair Taylor
14. Bonduel
15. Amherst
Division Five
I missed that Wausaukee lost to Lakeland a week ago but, they still do hang on at #1. Gilmanton lost to Melrose Mindoro and drop to five. Sheboygan Lutheran lost to Random Lake and fall to seven. New Auburn lost to Northwood and Cameron lost to Unity dropping them to 10 and 11. Assumption lost to Amherst, falling from the rankings and are replaced by Seneca.
1. Wausaukee
2. Central Wisconsin Christian
3. Randolph
4. Port Edwards
5. Gilmanton
6. Necedah
7. Sheboygan Lutheran
8. Bangor
9. Gresham
10. New Auburn
11. Cameron
12. Hillsboro
13. Wausau Newman
14. Potosi
15. Seneca
Wednesday, January 7, 2015
Swingfam Showcase
On Saturday took in the four game showcase of the swingfam. This showcase was to allow players that play for the Swing AAU to showcase their school teams in one setting. I'm not familiar with the Swing AAU team but, I believe each team had at least one player that plays for the AAU team. Also maybe it was a coincidence but, it appeared nearly every team that played ran the swing offense at one time or another. This entire month looks like it will be at the JAG every weekend as each weekend they have a tournament or showcase going on.
Fort Atkinson 56 Waunakee 42
It's hard for me to imagine but, appears that Waunakee is having a down year. Conference wise they seem to be doing pretty decent but, maybe the Badger North is just having a down year overall. Future does look bright for Waunakee as they start a pair of talent freshmen in 6'3 Mith Listau and 6'2 Mason Steffen. Fort Atkinson had more height and more skill in this one but, Waunakee played really hard and scrappy which allowed them to make this game close throughout the first half. In the second half though Fort Atkinson's sharpshooter 6'6 senior Clay Gerds went off. Gerds just couldn't miss and all his three's were falling and had a big and one three as well. Along with Gerds shooting Waunakee wore down inside and led to easy buckets for Fort Atkinson late.
Top Scorers
W- Alex Helt 13 Listau 11 Brett Lenzendorf 6
FA- Gerds 21 Tristan Shoup 12 Brett Behselich 11
West Allis Central 56 Kettle Moraine 39
This was the game that really attracted me to the showcase. I was very impressed with WAC a year ago and knew that 6'0 senior Brandon Key is a fun kid to watch play and Kettle Moraine has a pretty good team. Early on this really looked to be a great game as Kettle Moraine led after one 18-13. Not sure if WAC was just surprised or what but, Kettle Moraine came out looking much quicker then WAC and looking like the much more disciplined team. In the second quarter WAC settled in under the calming influence of Key. WAC outscored Kettle Moraine 21 to 7 in the second quarter and led by nine at half and continued to expand that lead throughout. Kettle Moraine looked great in the first quarter and not sure if it was WAC turning up the pressure slightly or what but, Kettle Moraine just fell apart turning the ball over and taking bad shots. I love watching Key play, he really does control everything for Central on both ends of the court. Other then the occasional one on one from other players Key really is the offense either scoring and setting up his team mates. Key only had 12 points but, I'd like to see how many assists he had this game. Key loves to run the pick'n'roll with fellow senior 6'2 Jerome Cummings, who had 20 points most of which coming from Key passes. When it wasn't Cummings scoring on the inside Key was dishing to open team mates in the corners to knock down the three. Kettle Moraine tried to go to a zone but, Key shredded it and it didn't last long.
Top Scorers
WAC- Cummings 20 Key 12 David Mlachnik 9
KM- Sean Miller 13 Mitch Pfeifer 9 George Schwartz 8
Lake Mills 58 Madison Edgewood 54
I really didn't expect this game to be as close as it was but, with a Chris Zwettler coached team you know their going to come to play. Lake Mills loves, loves to run and it appears that their coach gives them the freedom to do just that. No matter who on the team gets the rebound their going to run and this leads to some easy baskets but, also leads to some very bad and very quick shots. First half 6'0 junior Sam Noyce for Edgewood was getting the open looks and knocking them down but, some foul trouble in the second half really limited him. Lake Mills junior 6'6 Simon Lensmire got a ton of rebounds for Lake Mills and he was the primary guy pushing the tempo which I really wasn't a fan of having your biggest guy going up the court and taking a shot before most of your team had even crossed half court. This game was a pretty fast paced game before of Lake Mills running and the lack of fouls in the first half. Seemed at times they were just running back and forth taking turns missing shots. In the second half the overall play of the game really picked up. Edgewood figured out that they had a big height advantage looking inside to their big man 6'8 junior Lee Witz. Witz is pretty raw right now, like a lot of big guys in high school but, he showed a very nice tough around the rim and I really liked this kid's game. The big difference in the second half was the hot shooting of Lake Mills sophomore 5'11 Brady Wagner. Wagner is a lefty that has the green light at any time and in the second half he just couldn't miss and really shot his team to the win.
Top Scorers
ME- Witz 17 Noyce 12 Alex Arians 12
LM- Wagner 21 Lensmire 12 Alex Ranney 10
Columbus 52 Baraboo 40
Game was pretty ugly and watching the game felt like the score was a lot worse then what it was. This was the first time I had actually looked at the score and I was surprised it was this close. Baraboo is another Badger North team that is down and Columbus kid of sleep walked through the fourth quarter to allow it to be this close. Baraboo played a ton of guys which is mostly because they don't have any real stars so no reason to play anyone big minutes unless their hot and no one got hot for them. The story of the game was the strong play of Columbus's 5'11 sophomore Noah Coughlin. Coughlin had the majority of the teams baskets in the first half and actually the only player for Columbus to make a two point shot in the first half. Columbus was just a very slow methodical team that just wore Baraboo down defensively. On the other side Baraboo shot horrible and missed bunny after bunny. Baraboo did get a lot of offensive rebounds but, that didn't necessarily lead to baskets though.
Top Scorers
C- Kyle Geiger 18 Coughlin 16 Jacob Ballweg 7
B- Nick Stack 13 Matt Munneke 9 Paddy O'Rourke 7
Top Players
Alex Helt 6'0 sr Waunakee- One guy that was hitting some shots. Showed the ability to hit the 12 foot jumper on a regular bases.
Clay Gerds 6'6 sr Fort Atkinson- He was on fire from the outside and just couldn't miss from three point range. Didn't really notice him until the game started and he was draining threes.
Jerome Cummings 6'2 sr West Allis Central- Plays off Key extremely well. Really battled on the inside against bigger defenders who may of been more athletic too.
Brandon Key 6'0 sr West Allis Central- Can't really say more then I said already. Completely controlled the game and is always under control. Might have the best ball handling skills I've seen this year.
Mitch Pfeifer 6'3 sr Kettle Moraine- Didn't have a great game but, showed some real athleticism. Can jump out of the gym and is a solid defender.
Lee Witz 6'8 jr Madison Edgewood- Very nice touch around the rim with his back to the basket.
Brady Wagner 5'11 so Lake Mills- Sharpshooter that really got going late in this game. Doesn't need much space and they shot is going up and usually going to fall.
Simon Lensmire 6'6 jr Lake Mills- High energy player that dominated the glass and can really run the court. Showed the ability to step out and hit the three.
Noah Coughlin 5'11 so Columbus- Great point guard that handles the ball well and is always under control. Can really score but, is actually seemed to be a pass first point guard. Mid range jump shot is very very good.
Kyle Geiger 6'2 sr Columbus- Did a very good job of drawing contact and getting to the free throw line. Shot about 90% from the line and played every minute of the game and didn't seem to get tired.
Nick Stack 6'5 jr Baraboo- Really battled on the inside grabbing a ton of rebounds on defense and offensive side.
Waunakee and Edgewood are both down this year but, their both going to bring it every night and make a team beat them and not going to give the game away. Baraboo is very down but, they did just beat Lake Mills so every team better come to play when they play Baraboo. West Allis Central will go as far as Brandon Key will take them, which we be pretty far but, height will be a concern. Kettle Moraine will have better days I believe and will finish top half in a tough conference and has the ability to make a deep playoff run. Fort Atkinson is a very solid team that could very well make a run to state if they can hit the threes. Lastly the Capitol North has to be one of the best mid size conference in the state with Columbus and Lake Mills who could make state runs and throw in Poynette and Watertown Luther Prep, who have lost a combined four teams between those four teams. Lake Mills may be a year away though as they have a very young team with lots of sophomores and juniors.
Fort Atkinson 56 Waunakee 42
It's hard for me to imagine but, appears that Waunakee is having a down year. Conference wise they seem to be doing pretty decent but, maybe the Badger North is just having a down year overall. Future does look bright for Waunakee as they start a pair of talent freshmen in 6'3 Mith Listau and 6'2 Mason Steffen. Fort Atkinson had more height and more skill in this one but, Waunakee played really hard and scrappy which allowed them to make this game close throughout the first half. In the second half though Fort Atkinson's sharpshooter 6'6 senior Clay Gerds went off. Gerds just couldn't miss and all his three's were falling and had a big and one three as well. Along with Gerds shooting Waunakee wore down inside and led to easy buckets for Fort Atkinson late.
Top Scorers
W- Alex Helt 13 Listau 11 Brett Lenzendorf 6
FA- Gerds 21 Tristan Shoup 12 Brett Behselich 11
West Allis Central 56 Kettle Moraine 39
This was the game that really attracted me to the showcase. I was very impressed with WAC a year ago and knew that 6'0 senior Brandon Key is a fun kid to watch play and Kettle Moraine has a pretty good team. Early on this really looked to be a great game as Kettle Moraine led after one 18-13. Not sure if WAC was just surprised or what but, Kettle Moraine came out looking much quicker then WAC and looking like the much more disciplined team. In the second quarter WAC settled in under the calming influence of Key. WAC outscored Kettle Moraine 21 to 7 in the second quarter and led by nine at half and continued to expand that lead throughout. Kettle Moraine looked great in the first quarter and not sure if it was WAC turning up the pressure slightly or what but, Kettle Moraine just fell apart turning the ball over and taking bad shots. I love watching Key play, he really does control everything for Central on both ends of the court. Other then the occasional one on one from other players Key really is the offense either scoring and setting up his team mates. Key only had 12 points but, I'd like to see how many assists he had this game. Key loves to run the pick'n'roll with fellow senior 6'2 Jerome Cummings, who had 20 points most of which coming from Key passes. When it wasn't Cummings scoring on the inside Key was dishing to open team mates in the corners to knock down the three. Kettle Moraine tried to go to a zone but, Key shredded it and it didn't last long.
Top Scorers
WAC- Cummings 20 Key 12 David Mlachnik 9
KM- Sean Miller 13 Mitch Pfeifer 9 George Schwartz 8
Lake Mills 58 Madison Edgewood 54
I really didn't expect this game to be as close as it was but, with a Chris Zwettler coached team you know their going to come to play. Lake Mills loves, loves to run and it appears that their coach gives them the freedom to do just that. No matter who on the team gets the rebound their going to run and this leads to some easy baskets but, also leads to some very bad and very quick shots. First half 6'0 junior Sam Noyce for Edgewood was getting the open looks and knocking them down but, some foul trouble in the second half really limited him. Lake Mills junior 6'6 Simon Lensmire got a ton of rebounds for Lake Mills and he was the primary guy pushing the tempo which I really wasn't a fan of having your biggest guy going up the court and taking a shot before most of your team had even crossed half court. This game was a pretty fast paced game before of Lake Mills running and the lack of fouls in the first half. Seemed at times they were just running back and forth taking turns missing shots. In the second half the overall play of the game really picked up. Edgewood figured out that they had a big height advantage looking inside to their big man 6'8 junior Lee Witz. Witz is pretty raw right now, like a lot of big guys in high school but, he showed a very nice tough around the rim and I really liked this kid's game. The big difference in the second half was the hot shooting of Lake Mills sophomore 5'11 Brady Wagner. Wagner is a lefty that has the green light at any time and in the second half he just couldn't miss and really shot his team to the win.
Top Scorers
ME- Witz 17 Noyce 12 Alex Arians 12
LM- Wagner 21 Lensmire 12 Alex Ranney 10
Columbus 52 Baraboo 40
Game was pretty ugly and watching the game felt like the score was a lot worse then what it was. This was the first time I had actually looked at the score and I was surprised it was this close. Baraboo is another Badger North team that is down and Columbus kid of sleep walked through the fourth quarter to allow it to be this close. Baraboo played a ton of guys which is mostly because they don't have any real stars so no reason to play anyone big minutes unless their hot and no one got hot for them. The story of the game was the strong play of Columbus's 5'11 sophomore Noah Coughlin. Coughlin had the majority of the teams baskets in the first half and actually the only player for Columbus to make a two point shot in the first half. Columbus was just a very slow methodical team that just wore Baraboo down defensively. On the other side Baraboo shot horrible and missed bunny after bunny. Baraboo did get a lot of offensive rebounds but, that didn't necessarily lead to baskets though.
Top Scorers
C- Kyle Geiger 18 Coughlin 16 Jacob Ballweg 7
B- Nick Stack 13 Matt Munneke 9 Paddy O'Rourke 7
Top Players
Alex Helt 6'0 sr Waunakee- One guy that was hitting some shots. Showed the ability to hit the 12 foot jumper on a regular bases.
Clay Gerds 6'6 sr Fort Atkinson- He was on fire from the outside and just couldn't miss from three point range. Didn't really notice him until the game started and he was draining threes.
Jerome Cummings 6'2 sr West Allis Central- Plays off Key extremely well. Really battled on the inside against bigger defenders who may of been more athletic too.
Brandon Key 6'0 sr West Allis Central- Can't really say more then I said already. Completely controlled the game and is always under control. Might have the best ball handling skills I've seen this year.
Mitch Pfeifer 6'3 sr Kettle Moraine- Didn't have a great game but, showed some real athleticism. Can jump out of the gym and is a solid defender.
Lee Witz 6'8 jr Madison Edgewood- Very nice touch around the rim with his back to the basket.
Brady Wagner 5'11 so Lake Mills- Sharpshooter that really got going late in this game. Doesn't need much space and they shot is going up and usually going to fall.
Simon Lensmire 6'6 jr Lake Mills- High energy player that dominated the glass and can really run the court. Showed the ability to step out and hit the three.
Noah Coughlin 5'11 so Columbus- Great point guard that handles the ball well and is always under control. Can really score but, is actually seemed to be a pass first point guard. Mid range jump shot is very very good.
Kyle Geiger 6'2 sr Columbus- Did a very good job of drawing contact and getting to the free throw line. Shot about 90% from the line and played every minute of the game and didn't seem to get tired.
Nick Stack 6'5 jr Baraboo- Really battled on the inside grabbing a ton of rebounds on defense and offensive side.
Waunakee and Edgewood are both down this year but, their both going to bring it every night and make a team beat them and not going to give the game away. Baraboo is very down but, they did just beat Lake Mills so every team better come to play when they play Baraboo. West Allis Central will go as far as Brandon Key will take them, which we be pretty far but, height will be a concern. Kettle Moraine will have better days I believe and will finish top half in a tough conference and has the ability to make a deep playoff run. Fort Atkinson is a very solid team that could very well make a run to state if they can hit the threes. Lastly the Capitol North has to be one of the best mid size conference in the state with Columbus and Lake Mills who could make state runs and throw in Poynette and Watertown Luther Prep, who have lost a combined four teams between those four teams. Lake Mills may be a year away though as they have a very young team with lots of sophomores and juniors.
Sunday, January 4, 2015
Week Four/Five Rankings
Has been two weeks since my last rankings but, game wise was probably only a full week maybe a little more. There were many great games played over the holiday break which should shake up the rankings quite a bit. Also after the past few weeks things are really being solidified as far as the over rankings are concerned.
Division One
Milwaukee King lost to a team from California and a team from Spain, which I've said in the past I won't hold an out of state loss against a team let alone an out of country. Burlington lost to Verona, which is a bad loss and dropped them to 10. Neenah lost to Germantown and a spot to #8. Muskego beat Homestead for the second time this year knocking Homestead to 11. Oshkosh North lost to Stevens Point and Mukwonago and fall from the rankings and are replaced by Sun Prairie, who edged out Madison La Follete and West Allis Central to get in the rankings. Sheboygan North lost to Oconomowoc and Milwaukee Marquette lost to Pewaukee but, remain the same because I couldn't see anyone that could jump them.
1. Stevens Point
2. Milwaukee King
3. Germantown
4. Kimberly
5. Racine Case
6. Milwaukee Riverside
7. Muskego
8. Neenah
9. De Pere
10. Burlington
11. Homestead
12. Superior
13. Sheboygan North
14. Milwaukee Marquette
15. Sun Prairie
Division Two
Rice Lake lost to Kaukauna and Wauwatosa West, while #2 Wisconsin Lutheran lost to Dominican and Milwaukee Riverside, dropping Wisco to #6 and Rice Lake #7. #3 Mount Horeb lost four games to Beaver Dam, De Pere, Kaukauna, and Marshall dropping them all the way to 15 and cementing Kaukauna #1. Whitefish Bay lost to Milwaukee Washington and their best player Isaiah Johnson falling to eight, followed by Milwaukee Messmer who lost to Mukwonago. Ashwaubenon lost to Shawano and fall just behind them at 14. Luxemburg Casco lost to Freedom but, actually moved up due to the teams above them losing. West De Pere lost to Stoughton and GET and fall out of the rankings.
1. Kaukauna
2. Milwaukee Pius
3. Milwaukee Washington
4. Seymour
5. Menomonie
6. Wisconsin Lutheran
7. Rice Lake
8. Whitefish Bay
9. Milwaukee Messmer
10. Luxemburg Casco
11. Stoughton
12. La Crosse Central
13. Shawano
14. Ashwaubenon
15. Mount Horeb
Division Three
GET beat Ripon, who in turned beat Laconia, Ripon falls to three and Laconia to five. Kettle Moraine Lutheran lost to Milwaukee Pius dropping to four. Brookfield Academy lost to Milwaukee Marquette falling to #8. Waupun lost to Kettle Moraine Lutheran and Wauwatosa East, dropping down to 12. Lake Mills lost to Baraboo, ending up at nine. Valders lost to Kiel and Roncalli lost to Valders and Ashwaubenon dropping them to 13 and 15. Mcfarland lost to Monona Grove and Elkhorn and drop out of the rankings and are replaced by Columbus at 14.
1. Prescott
2. GET
3. Ripon
4. Kettle Moraine Lutheran
5. Laconia
6. Freedom
7. Watertown Luther Prep
8. Brookfield Academy
9. Lake Mills
10. Brown Deer
11. Marshall
12. Waupun
13. Valders
14. Columbus
15. Roncalli
Division Four
After seeing Dominican play and realizing that they lost to Riverside without Stone playing, there is no reason that anyone outside of Dominican should be #1. Racine St Cats lost to Kenosha Indian Trail and drop to #8. Iola Scandinavia lost to Port Edwards and Lourdes lost to Laconia dropping them to 10 and 11. Blair Taylor lost to Cochrane Fountain City and Bonduel lost to Oconto falling in at 14 and 15. Amherst lost to Algoma, falling out of the rankings and are replaced by Darlington at 13.
1. Whitefish Bay Dominican
2. Eau Claire Regis
3. Mineral Point
4. Fall Creek
5. Cuba City
6. Marathon
7. Brillion
8. Racine St Catherines
9. Auburndale
10. Iola Scandinavia
11. Lourdes
12. Unity
13. Darlington
14. Blair Taylor
15. Bonduel
Division Five
Bangor lost to West Salem. Hillsboro lost to Viroqua and Mauston. Newman lost to Marathon. Potosi lost to Lancaster. Assumption lost to Stratford.
1. Wausaukee
2. Gilmanton
3. Sheboygan Lutheran
4. Central Wisconsin Christian
5. Randolph
6. Port Edwards
7. New Auburn
8. Cameron
9. Necedah
10. Bangor
11. Gresham
12. Hillsboro
13. Wausau Newman
14. Potosi
15. Wisconsin Rapids Assumption
There are my new rankings. Looking at a lot of the teams records they haven't played as many games as I thought. No one is half way through their season yet but, most teams have completed most of their out of conference games so it really comes down to conference play which can be interesting with teams being so familiar with each other.
Division One
Milwaukee King lost to a team from California and a team from Spain, which I've said in the past I won't hold an out of state loss against a team let alone an out of country. Burlington lost to Verona, which is a bad loss and dropped them to 10. Neenah lost to Germantown and a spot to #8. Muskego beat Homestead for the second time this year knocking Homestead to 11. Oshkosh North lost to Stevens Point and Mukwonago and fall from the rankings and are replaced by Sun Prairie, who edged out Madison La Follete and West Allis Central to get in the rankings. Sheboygan North lost to Oconomowoc and Milwaukee Marquette lost to Pewaukee but, remain the same because I couldn't see anyone that could jump them.
1. Stevens Point
2. Milwaukee King
3. Germantown
4. Kimberly
5. Racine Case
6. Milwaukee Riverside
7. Muskego
8. Neenah
9. De Pere
10. Burlington
11. Homestead
12. Superior
13. Sheboygan North
14. Milwaukee Marquette
15. Sun Prairie
Division Two
Rice Lake lost to Kaukauna and Wauwatosa West, while #2 Wisconsin Lutheran lost to Dominican and Milwaukee Riverside, dropping Wisco to #6 and Rice Lake #7. #3 Mount Horeb lost four games to Beaver Dam, De Pere, Kaukauna, and Marshall dropping them all the way to 15 and cementing Kaukauna #1. Whitefish Bay lost to Milwaukee Washington and their best player Isaiah Johnson falling to eight, followed by Milwaukee Messmer who lost to Mukwonago. Ashwaubenon lost to Shawano and fall just behind them at 14. Luxemburg Casco lost to Freedom but, actually moved up due to the teams above them losing. West De Pere lost to Stoughton and GET and fall out of the rankings.
1. Kaukauna
2. Milwaukee Pius
3. Milwaukee Washington
4. Seymour
5. Menomonie
6. Wisconsin Lutheran
7. Rice Lake
8. Whitefish Bay
9. Milwaukee Messmer
10. Luxemburg Casco
11. Stoughton
12. La Crosse Central
13. Shawano
14. Ashwaubenon
15. Mount Horeb
Division Three
GET beat Ripon, who in turned beat Laconia, Ripon falls to three and Laconia to five. Kettle Moraine Lutheran lost to Milwaukee Pius dropping to four. Brookfield Academy lost to Milwaukee Marquette falling to #8. Waupun lost to Kettle Moraine Lutheran and Wauwatosa East, dropping down to 12. Lake Mills lost to Baraboo, ending up at nine. Valders lost to Kiel and Roncalli lost to Valders and Ashwaubenon dropping them to 13 and 15. Mcfarland lost to Monona Grove and Elkhorn and drop out of the rankings and are replaced by Columbus at 14.
1. Prescott
2. GET
3. Ripon
4. Kettle Moraine Lutheran
5. Laconia
6. Freedom
7. Watertown Luther Prep
8. Brookfield Academy
9. Lake Mills
10. Brown Deer
11. Marshall
12. Waupun
13. Valders
14. Columbus
15. Roncalli
Division Four
After seeing Dominican play and realizing that they lost to Riverside without Stone playing, there is no reason that anyone outside of Dominican should be #1. Racine St Cats lost to Kenosha Indian Trail and drop to #8. Iola Scandinavia lost to Port Edwards and Lourdes lost to Laconia dropping them to 10 and 11. Blair Taylor lost to Cochrane Fountain City and Bonduel lost to Oconto falling in at 14 and 15. Amherst lost to Algoma, falling out of the rankings and are replaced by Darlington at 13.
1. Whitefish Bay Dominican
2. Eau Claire Regis
3. Mineral Point
4. Fall Creek
5. Cuba City
6. Marathon
7. Brillion
8. Racine St Catherines
9. Auburndale
10. Iola Scandinavia
11. Lourdes
12. Unity
13. Darlington
14. Blair Taylor
15. Bonduel
Division Five
Bangor lost to West Salem. Hillsboro lost to Viroqua and Mauston. Newman lost to Marathon. Potosi lost to Lancaster. Assumption lost to Stratford.
1. Wausaukee
2. Gilmanton
3. Sheboygan Lutheran
4. Central Wisconsin Christian
5. Randolph
6. Port Edwards
7. New Auburn
8. Cameron
9. Necedah
10. Bangor
11. Gresham
12. Hillsboro
13. Wausau Newman
14. Potosi
15. Wisconsin Rapids Assumption
There are my new rankings. Looking at a lot of the teams records they haven't played as many games as I thought. No one is half way through their season yet but, most teams have completed most of their out of conference games so it really comes down to conference play which can be interesting with teams being so familiar with each other.
Friday, January 2, 2015
Third Round Player Rankings
With seeing so many games in the last couple of days felt I really needed to update my player rankings. The toughest thing about it though is whatever you just saw most recent seems like the best. The past two days are the freshest in my head and honestly may forget about who I've seen in the past. Thought about extending my number of top players but, then it really just gets to be too much. Just a reminder these rankings only have to do with the games I saw them play so if they had a bad game when I saw their ranking may be lower then what they actually are.
Rankings
1. Diamond Stone 6'10 senior Dominican- Anyone that follows high school basketball just a little bit knows about Diamond Stone. Stone is the most dominate player I've ever seen in the paint Yes he's the biggest player on the court but, he rebounds extremely well, blocks shot, and his offensive game inside is supreme. Even has the ability to step out and hit the jumper out to the three point line.
2. Henry Ellenson 6'10 senior Rice Lake- Everything that was just said for Stone can be said for Ellenson. The difference between Ellenson and Stone is that Ellenson game outside of the paint is far superior to Stones. Ellenson does the following better run the court, handle the ball, shoots threes very well, and shoots mid range jumpers. The reason for have Stone higher is because he dominates on the inside while Ellenson hangs around the three point line and perimeter. Some of this may be because of necessity but, Stone just seemed to control the scoring of the game much better.
3. Matt Heldt 6'10 senior Neenah- There may be two 6'10 kids ahead of him but, no one seals their defender like Heldt when he's being fronted. He also has a very nice back to the basket game and can finish with either hand. Can step out and hit the jumper, blocks shots, and of course rebounds. Not as explosive as the other two and doesn't make they play that will make you stand up and cheer.
4. Nick Noskowiak 6'3 senior Sun Prairie- One of the best shooters off the dribble I've ever seen and really does a nice job of controlling his teams offense. Can stop on a dime and get his shot. Finish well at the rim and when he gets to the free throw line he doesn't miss.
5. Trev Anderson 6'2 junior Stevens Point- Very strong point guard that doesn't turn the ball over. When given the open three can knock it down. Has a very good cross over and can get to the rim anytime he wants.
6. Brevin Pritzl 6'4 senior De Pere- Just a very smooth player that always seems to be under control. Has a very very pretty shot. If he gets a small opening he can hit the shot.
7. Levi Bradley 6'7 senior Milwaukee Pius- Very very smooth player. Doesn't blow by guys but, doesn't need to because he shoots over them. He gets the ball inside 15 foot he's going to score. All lefty but, that's ok.
8. Mason Domask 6'3 senior Waupun- Flat out big time scorer. Moves extremely well without the ball to free himself and is a very good shooter. Very athletic as well and can jump out of the gym.
9. Sam Hauser 6'6 junior Stevens Point- Another smooth player that uses his size to shoot over small defenders. Is also a great defender in his own right. Is a very good passer and does a great job of letting the game come to him and not forcing things.
10. Te'Jon Lucas 5'11 junior Milwaukee Washington- Super super quick with the ball in his hands from one end of the court to the other. Can really finish at the rim or knock down the shot off the dribble. Very good rebounder for a skinny 5'11 kid.
11. Drew Fredrickson 6'2 senior Mount Horeb- Ultimate leader on the court always talking to his team mates and direct things on the offensive end. Perfect point guard in passing to team mates and taking the shots when needed. Doesn't shoot a lot but, when he does its going in.
12. Diamantae Freeman 6'5 senior Milwaukee King- Tremendous leaper that can jump out of the gym and runs the court very well. Has a very nice post game with his back to the basket.
13. Chris Howard 5'10 junior Milwaukee Messmer- May get some disagreement on this but, I really liked Howard. Very fiery competitor that plays in your face defense. Handles the ball very well running the point and can real shoot from three point range.
14. Juwan Mccloud 6'0 junior Germantown- Another superior point guard running his teams offense. Off the dribble he's very tough to stop and has a very nice shot. Does a good job of balancing his shooting and passing.
15. Garrison Goode 6'8 senior Dominican- Vastly improved since last year. Really showed a very nice mid range jump shot playing off Stone. Can run the court very well and can jump out of the gym, which enables him to finish with powerful dunks or rebound.
16. Ethan Bublitz 6'1 senior Kettle Moraine Lutheran- Another very good athlete that can really jump but, didn't get much of an oportunity. A very good shooter from 15 foot out to the three point line. Handles the ball pretty well too.
17. Trevor Entwisle 5'11 senior Neenah- Surprised how good of a point guard he is now. Does a great job of feeding Heldt for easy buckets on the inside. Oh and still has the ability to really shoot the three.
18. James Batemon 6'0 senior Milwaukee Riverside- Great glue guy and a leader. Doesn't need to score to make an impact. Solid defender, rebounds well, shoots the ball well, and can jump out of the gym. Doesn't do anything spectacular but, does everything good.
19. Alou Dillon 6'7 sophomore Wauwatosa West- Had a coming out party playing against the top two big men in the state. Really slashed to the hoop well and used his quickness to finish at the rim. Rebounds very well and can step out hit the three or take the ball to the rim.
20. Terrance Lewis 6'4 sophomore Milwaukee Riverside- Another very smooth guy, that's really long. Runs the court very very well, battles on the inside, and can knock down the outside shot.
21. Darold Thomas 6'1 senior Madison La Follette- Just a bulldog of a lead guard and is built like a running back. Very strong with the ball and when his shot is falling can make any shot he takes from the outside or driving to the rim.
22. Sam Kerr 5'11 junior Sun Prairie- Probably get a lot of disagreement on this since he doesn't start but, I really like Kerr. Very smooth player that can really handle the ball and doesn't miss from three point range.
23. Deang Deang 6'3 junior Madison East- Everything you want in a point guard. Handles the ball well, can get to the rim and elevate and finish, and can shoot the three. More of a pass first point guard but, has the ability to score when he wants to.
24. JT Ruffin 6'6 senior Sun Prairie- A stretch four at the high school level that can step back and hit the three and can also help handle the ball as well. Strong rebounder on the inside.
25. Blake Marquardt 6'4 senior Oshkosh North- If he gets the open shot from the outside it's going to fall. Has also filled out a bit and can go inside and bang a bit.
Seniors
1. Diamond Stone 6'10 Dominican
2. Henry Ellenson 6'10 Rice Lake
3. Matt Heldt 6'10 Neenah
4. Nick Noskowiak 6'3 Sun Prairie
5. Brevin Pritzl 6'4 De Pere
6. Levi Bradley 6'7 Milwaukee Pius
7. Mason Domask 6'3 Waupun
8. Drew Fredrickson 6'2 Mount Horeb
9. Diamantae Freeman 6'5 Milwaukee King
10. Garrison Goode 6'8 Dominican
Juniors
1. Trev Anderson 6'2 Stevens Point
2. Sam Hauser 6'6 Stevens Point
3. Te'Jon Lucas 5'11 Milwaukee Washington
4. Chris Howard 5'10 Milwaukee Messmer
5. Juwan Mccloud 6'0 Germantown
6. Sam Kerr 5'11 Sun Prairie
7. Deang Deang 6'3 Madison East
8. Bryce Nze 6'6 Arrowhead- Big man that moves very well and can really finish at the line. Has nice fadaway shot and can hit the three.
1. Alou Dillon 6'7 Wauwatosa West
2. Terrance Lewis 6'4 Milwaukee Riverside
3. Adam Smith 6'1 Kaukauna- Flat out scorer. Can hit the three point shot and can get to the rim and finish in a variety of ways. Takes it hard to the rim.
4. Jordan Poole 6'2 Milwaukee King- Another very smooth player that always seems to be under control. Shot wasn't falling in the game I saw but, it is a pretty shot, handles the ball very well and can get to the rim and finish.
5. Phillip Flory 6'4 Oshkosh North- Struggled a bit in the game I saw but, showed the ability to knock down the three point shot and showed a real ability to get to the rim and score.
6. Jake Ferguson 6'4 Madison Memorial- Very athletic big guy that runs the court well and seems to be a pretty smart player. Has a nice mid range jump shot as well.
7. George Dixon 6'4 Milwaukee Riverside- Very tough to stop in the paint with his back to the basket. Really strong kid on the inside.
8. Mikael Green 5'10 Shorewood- Has a lot of freedom but, is very quick lead guard and can really finish at the rim.
9. Max Huddleston 6'6 De Pere- Big kid that moves well and rebounds well. Has a nice mid range shot as well.
10. Drew Yetka 6'4 Oak Creek- Has good size and moves very well for his size. Has a very nice three point shot as well.
Freshmen
1. Joey Hauser 6'6 Stevens Point- A real glue player at this point that can do a little bit of everything. Rebounds very well, can hit the set shot, and plays some pretty good defense. Also a good passer.
2.Jordan McCabe 5'11 Kaukauna- Probably should be #1 but, didn't have a great game when I saw him play. Does have some of the best ball handling skills you'll ever see.
3. Tyrese Haliburton 6'1 Oshkosh North- Very quick point guard and can knock down the three point shot.
4. Brunard Williams 6'3 Wisconsin Lutheran- A big body that can score around the rim and likes to catch the ball outside and take it to the rim.
5. Keshawn Justice 6'4 Madison East- Moves very well for a big kid, playing like a guard. Had good elevation rebounding and blocking some shots.
There are my third round of rankings. I'm guessing there would be a lot of debate with these, as there are with most rankings. I'm also guessing that my rankings won't change much with the teams I saw play in the past few days. These were the best teams in the state and they have the best players.
Rankings
1. Diamond Stone 6'10 senior Dominican- Anyone that follows high school basketball just a little bit knows about Diamond Stone. Stone is the most dominate player I've ever seen in the paint Yes he's the biggest player on the court but, he rebounds extremely well, blocks shot, and his offensive game inside is supreme. Even has the ability to step out and hit the jumper out to the three point line.
2. Henry Ellenson 6'10 senior Rice Lake- Everything that was just said for Stone can be said for Ellenson. The difference between Ellenson and Stone is that Ellenson game outside of the paint is far superior to Stones. Ellenson does the following better run the court, handle the ball, shoots threes very well, and shoots mid range jumpers. The reason for have Stone higher is because he dominates on the inside while Ellenson hangs around the three point line and perimeter. Some of this may be because of necessity but, Stone just seemed to control the scoring of the game much better.
3. Matt Heldt 6'10 senior Neenah- There may be two 6'10 kids ahead of him but, no one seals their defender like Heldt when he's being fronted. He also has a very nice back to the basket game and can finish with either hand. Can step out and hit the jumper, blocks shots, and of course rebounds. Not as explosive as the other two and doesn't make they play that will make you stand up and cheer.
4. Nick Noskowiak 6'3 senior Sun Prairie- One of the best shooters off the dribble I've ever seen and really does a nice job of controlling his teams offense. Can stop on a dime and get his shot. Finish well at the rim and when he gets to the free throw line he doesn't miss.
5. Trev Anderson 6'2 junior Stevens Point- Very strong point guard that doesn't turn the ball over. When given the open three can knock it down. Has a very good cross over and can get to the rim anytime he wants.
6. Brevin Pritzl 6'4 senior De Pere- Just a very smooth player that always seems to be under control. Has a very very pretty shot. If he gets a small opening he can hit the shot.
7. Levi Bradley 6'7 senior Milwaukee Pius- Very very smooth player. Doesn't blow by guys but, doesn't need to because he shoots over them. He gets the ball inside 15 foot he's going to score. All lefty but, that's ok.
8. Mason Domask 6'3 senior Waupun- Flat out big time scorer. Moves extremely well without the ball to free himself and is a very good shooter. Very athletic as well and can jump out of the gym.
9. Sam Hauser 6'6 junior Stevens Point- Another smooth player that uses his size to shoot over small defenders. Is also a great defender in his own right. Is a very good passer and does a great job of letting the game come to him and not forcing things.
10. Te'Jon Lucas 5'11 junior Milwaukee Washington- Super super quick with the ball in his hands from one end of the court to the other. Can really finish at the rim or knock down the shot off the dribble. Very good rebounder for a skinny 5'11 kid.
11. Drew Fredrickson 6'2 senior Mount Horeb- Ultimate leader on the court always talking to his team mates and direct things on the offensive end. Perfect point guard in passing to team mates and taking the shots when needed. Doesn't shoot a lot but, when he does its going in.
12. Diamantae Freeman 6'5 senior Milwaukee King- Tremendous leaper that can jump out of the gym and runs the court very well. Has a very nice post game with his back to the basket.
13. Chris Howard 5'10 junior Milwaukee Messmer- May get some disagreement on this but, I really liked Howard. Very fiery competitor that plays in your face defense. Handles the ball very well running the point and can real shoot from three point range.
14. Juwan Mccloud 6'0 junior Germantown- Another superior point guard running his teams offense. Off the dribble he's very tough to stop and has a very nice shot. Does a good job of balancing his shooting and passing.
15. Garrison Goode 6'8 senior Dominican- Vastly improved since last year. Really showed a very nice mid range jump shot playing off Stone. Can run the court very well and can jump out of the gym, which enables him to finish with powerful dunks or rebound.
16. Ethan Bublitz 6'1 senior Kettle Moraine Lutheran- Another very good athlete that can really jump but, didn't get much of an oportunity. A very good shooter from 15 foot out to the three point line. Handles the ball pretty well too.
17. Trevor Entwisle 5'11 senior Neenah- Surprised how good of a point guard he is now. Does a great job of feeding Heldt for easy buckets on the inside. Oh and still has the ability to really shoot the three.
18. James Batemon 6'0 senior Milwaukee Riverside- Great glue guy and a leader. Doesn't need to score to make an impact. Solid defender, rebounds well, shoots the ball well, and can jump out of the gym. Doesn't do anything spectacular but, does everything good.
19. Alou Dillon 6'7 sophomore Wauwatosa West- Had a coming out party playing against the top two big men in the state. Really slashed to the hoop well and used his quickness to finish at the rim. Rebounds very well and can step out hit the three or take the ball to the rim.
20. Terrance Lewis 6'4 sophomore Milwaukee Riverside- Another very smooth guy, that's really long. Runs the court very very well, battles on the inside, and can knock down the outside shot.
21. Darold Thomas 6'1 senior Madison La Follette- Just a bulldog of a lead guard and is built like a running back. Very strong with the ball and when his shot is falling can make any shot he takes from the outside or driving to the rim.
22. Sam Kerr 5'11 junior Sun Prairie- Probably get a lot of disagreement on this since he doesn't start but, I really like Kerr. Very smooth player that can really handle the ball and doesn't miss from three point range.
23. Deang Deang 6'3 junior Madison East- Everything you want in a point guard. Handles the ball well, can get to the rim and elevate and finish, and can shoot the three. More of a pass first point guard but, has the ability to score when he wants to.
24. JT Ruffin 6'6 senior Sun Prairie- A stretch four at the high school level that can step back and hit the three and can also help handle the ball as well. Strong rebounder on the inside.
25. Blake Marquardt 6'4 senior Oshkosh North- If he gets the open shot from the outside it's going to fall. Has also filled out a bit and can go inside and bang a bit.
Seniors
1. Diamond Stone 6'10 Dominican
2. Henry Ellenson 6'10 Rice Lake
3. Matt Heldt 6'10 Neenah
4. Nick Noskowiak 6'3 Sun Prairie
5. Brevin Pritzl 6'4 De Pere
6. Levi Bradley 6'7 Milwaukee Pius
7. Mason Domask 6'3 Waupun
8. Drew Fredrickson 6'2 Mount Horeb
9. Diamantae Freeman 6'5 Milwaukee King
10. Garrison Goode 6'8 Dominican
Juniors
1. Trev Anderson 6'2 Stevens Point
2. Sam Hauser 6'6 Stevens Point
3. Te'Jon Lucas 5'11 Milwaukee Washington
4. Chris Howard 5'10 Milwaukee Messmer
5. Juwan Mccloud 6'0 Germantown
6. Sam Kerr 5'11 Sun Prairie
7. Deang Deang 6'3 Madison East
8. Bryce Nze 6'6 Arrowhead- Big man that moves very well and can really finish at the line. Has nice fadaway shot and can hit the three.
9. Bobby Hambright 5'10 Milwaukee Riverside- Sharpshooter from the outside and can get his shot off at any time. Can also finish at the rim.
10. Seth Kostroski 5'10 Sauk Prairie- Very quick player that uses his quickness to get to the rim whenever he wants. Can knock down the three pointer as well.
Sophomores10. Seth Kostroski 5'10 Sauk Prairie- Very quick player that uses his quickness to get to the rim whenever he wants. Can knock down the three pointer as well.
1. Alou Dillon 6'7 Wauwatosa West
2. Terrance Lewis 6'4 Milwaukee Riverside
3. Adam Smith 6'1 Kaukauna- Flat out scorer. Can hit the three point shot and can get to the rim and finish in a variety of ways. Takes it hard to the rim.
4. Jordan Poole 6'2 Milwaukee King- Another very smooth player that always seems to be under control. Shot wasn't falling in the game I saw but, it is a pretty shot, handles the ball very well and can get to the rim and finish.
5. Phillip Flory 6'4 Oshkosh North- Struggled a bit in the game I saw but, showed the ability to knock down the three point shot and showed a real ability to get to the rim and score.
6. Jake Ferguson 6'4 Madison Memorial- Very athletic big guy that runs the court well and seems to be a pretty smart player. Has a nice mid range jump shot as well.
7. George Dixon 6'4 Milwaukee Riverside- Very tough to stop in the paint with his back to the basket. Really strong kid on the inside.
8. Mikael Green 5'10 Shorewood- Has a lot of freedom but, is very quick lead guard and can really finish at the rim.
9. Max Huddleston 6'6 De Pere- Big kid that moves well and rebounds well. Has a nice mid range shot as well.
10. Drew Yetka 6'4 Oak Creek- Has good size and moves very well for his size. Has a very nice three point shot as well.
Freshmen
1. Joey Hauser 6'6 Stevens Point- A real glue player at this point that can do a little bit of everything. Rebounds very well, can hit the set shot, and plays some pretty good defense. Also a good passer.
2.Jordan McCabe 5'11 Kaukauna- Probably should be #1 but, didn't have a great game when I saw him play. Does have some of the best ball handling skills you'll ever see.
3. Tyrese Haliburton 6'1 Oshkosh North- Very quick point guard and can knock down the three point shot.
4. Brunard Williams 6'3 Wisconsin Lutheran- A big body that can score around the rim and likes to catch the ball outside and take it to the rim.
5. Keshawn Justice 6'4 Madison East- Moves very well for a big kid, playing like a guard. Had good elevation rebounding and blocking some shots.
There are my third round of rankings. I'm guessing there would be a lot of debate with these, as there are with most rankings. I'm also guessing that my rankings won't change much with the teams I saw play in the past few days. These were the best teams in the state and they have the best players.
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