A couple games I took in last week and didn't have a chance to talk about. Watched Waunakee defeat Monona Grove on a buzzer shot between the elite of the Badger North and South. In the other game saw Middleton take sole possession of the Big Eight conference defeating Madison Memorial. Had Memorial won it would of been a three way tie and very interesting conference race. Also just noticed as I write this that the two teams played each other tonight which I didn't even notice.
Waunakee 62 Monona Grove 59
Didn't know much about either team coming in and came away thinking both teams are very solid not great teams but, they are very good teams. This game was back and forth throughout and many times I thought one team was pulling away and I would look up at the scoreboard and the other team was actually leading. Early on Monona Grove was hitting from the outside which allowed them to get ahead early but, in the second half they really cooled down. 6'0 senior Myles Thomas tried to carry MG but, he just wasn't getting enough help. For Waunakee they were just solid throughout going about their business and I was really impressed by their two starting sophomore guards 6'3 Mitch Listau and 6'2 Mason Steffen. Listau is the big scorer and gets most of the headlines but, Steffen did a nice job of running the point and showed some really nice moves but, just couldn't get the shots to fall. Listau was able to knock down the mid range jumpers all game long and in the end it was Listau hitting his only three of the game at the buzzer to give Waunakee the three point win.
Top Players
Myles Thomas 6'0 senior Monona Grove- Really quick guard that really slashed to the rim driving around defenders and getting contact going to the line in the first half but, finished those drives in the second half.
Mitch Listau 6'3 sophomore Waunkee- Really smooth player that seems to get open without really looking like he's trying that hard. His mid range jumper is money and plays with a ton of confidence.
Mason Steffen 6'2 sophomore Waunkee- Over shadowed by his back court running mate but, I really like Steffen's game. He runs the point and controlled the game completely. Showed a nice game driving and then stopping and popping, unfortunately only one of these fell for him I believe. Might be a little quicker then Listau too.
Top Scorers
MG
Thomas 16 Peyton Mueller 15 Michael Thome 8
Waunakee
Listau 25 Steffen 10 Tyler Ronk 7
Middleton 71 Madison Memorial 63
I really thought Middleton could blow this game out but, it was Memorial that took the early lead using the superior height to control the offensive and defensive glass. Middleton who rely heavily on their outside shooting came out ice cold from three point range. In the early minutes it nearly looked like Memorial might run away with this one. Wasn't a pretty game early on but, just seemed like every loose ball was going Memorial's way and their height was just such a huge factor. Late in the first half though Middleton applied the pressure and like I had expected Memorial turned the ball over allowing Middleton to get back in the game. In the second half Middleton continued with the pressure and Memorial struggled throughout the second half and when Middleton started hitting their threes late the game was over.
Top Players
Jake Ferguson 6'5 junior Madison Memorial- This was finally the game where Feruson broke out a bit and played like the player I thought I would see all year. Did a great job of moving without the ball and grabbing offensive rebounds which led to easy buckets. It was the Ferguson show early on. He also knocked down some mid range jumpers with his back to the basket.
Chris Knight 6'8 junior Madison Memorial- Didn't have a great night but, made a big impression on the defensive end blocking shots. In the second half he did do a good job of catching the ball in the high post and using his quickness to score at the rim.
Storm Murphy 5'11 junior Middleton- Took a lot of bad shots in this one but, there really wasn't anyone on Memorial's team that could stay in front of him. He was able to get to the rim and finish or get fouled and was missing the threes early but, hit a couple big threes late.
Tyree Eady 6'4 junior Middleton- Another guy that was cold early but, was hitting the shots late in the game. Eady hit a pair of monster threes late that sealed the game.
Top Scorers
Memorial
Ferguson 15 Knight 14 Billy Wilson 12
Middleton
Murphy 26 Eady 14 CJ Fermanich 10
Well there's my quick catch up from last week. Might do a player ranking later this week and then next week will be the start of showcase tournaments with the WBBY Shootout and three days of all the basketball you could possibly want. If you want to catch some of the best teams in the state play one place then the shootout at Concordia is the place to be.
Tuesday, December 22, 2015
Sunday, December 20, 2015
Week 3 Rankings
It's Sunday again so another round of rankings. Again these rankings mean absolutely nothing but, are purely for my enjoyment and to give an idea what my rankings would be like if I had a vote.
Division One
Arrowhead lost to Mukwonago which was kind of a bad lose, dropping them to 12. Sun Prairie lost to Middleton but, beat Madison Memorial who also lost to Middleton which allowed Sun Prairie to stay put at nine and Memorial dropped to 13. Neenah was destroyed by Oshkosh North as was De Pere by Stevens Point, who fell to 15 and 14.
1. Stevens Point
2. Germantown
3. Milwaukee King
4. Milwaukee Riverside
5. Middleton
6. Sheboygan North
7. Racine Park
8. Muskego
9. Sun Prairie
10. Kimberly
11. Oshkosh North
12. Arrowhead
13. Madison Memorial
14. De Pere
15. Neenah
Division Two
Onalaska lost to a very good D3 team in GET and fall just a couple spots to five. Monona Grove lost to Waunakee, so they fell just behind them at 11. Greendale lost to Eisenhower and team they should of lost to so only fall a spot to six. Whitnall lost to Brown Deer another good D3 team and drop to 13. Wauwatosa East lost to Sussex Hamilton and fall out of the rankings and are replaced by Wausau East at 14. Whitefish Bay went down to a very good Germantown team and hang on to the 15 spot.
1. Kaukauna
2. La Crosse Central
3. New Berlin Eisenhower
4. Pewaukee
5. Onalaska
6. Greendale
7. Milwaukee Washington
8. Cedarburg
9. Seymour
10. Waunakee
11. Monona Grove
12. Hortonville
13. Whitnall
14. Wausau East
15. Whitefish Bay
Division Three
Ripon went down to a so so D1 team in Milwaukee Vincent and drop a couple spots to three. Evansville lost to Lakeside Lutheran who lost to Marshall, I felt I had to put Evansville behind Lakeside to put them at 12 with Lakeside 10. Brown Deer dropped a game to a very good D2 team in Milwaukee Washington a fall a few spots to 11. Southern Door lost to Algoma and dropped to 15.
1. GET
2. Lake Mills
3. Ripon
4. Marshall
5. Brookfield Academy
6. Xavier
7. Wrightstown
8. Waupun
9. Prescott
10. Lakeside Lutheran
11. Brown Deer
12. Evansville
13. Madison Edgewood
14. Watertown Luther Prep
15. Southern Door
Division Four
Eau Claire Regis lost to a very good McDonnel Central team and drop a couple spots to 11. Racine Luteran lost to St. Joes and Dominican which shouldn't be much of shocks but, they were crushed so they do fall to 15.
1. Amherst
2. Destiny
3. Melrose-Mindoro
4. Kenosha St Joes
5. Dominican
6. Cameron
7. Unity
8. Deerfield
9. La Crosse Aquinas
10. Markesan
11. Eau Claire Regis
12. Darlington
13. Marathon
14. Iowa Grant
15. Racine Lutheran
Division Five
Shullsburg lost to Southerwestern and drop all the way to 12 because no one else lost. Newman lost to Pittsville and fall to 15. Blair Taylor lost to Arcadia and Melrose-Mindoro and fall from the rankings and are replaed at 14 by Solon Springs. .
1. Hillsboro
2. Washburn
3. McDonnell Central
4. Seneca
5. Port Edwards
6. Gresham
7. Columbus Catholic
8. Bangor
9. Almond Bancroft
10. Clayton
11. Pecatonica
12. Shullsburg
13. Hustisford
14. Solon Springs
15. Wausau Newman
It will be two weeks until my next rankings because of the holiday's so both weeks are basically cut in half to I will combine the next two weeks for my rankings. Should be some shake ups and the picture should be more clear after the great holiday tournaments that there are every year.
Division One
Arrowhead lost to Mukwonago which was kind of a bad lose, dropping them to 12. Sun Prairie lost to Middleton but, beat Madison Memorial who also lost to Middleton which allowed Sun Prairie to stay put at nine and Memorial dropped to 13. Neenah was destroyed by Oshkosh North as was De Pere by Stevens Point, who fell to 15 and 14.
1. Stevens Point
2. Germantown
3. Milwaukee King
4. Milwaukee Riverside
5. Middleton
6. Sheboygan North
7. Racine Park
8. Muskego
9. Sun Prairie
10. Kimberly
11. Oshkosh North
12. Arrowhead
13. Madison Memorial
14. De Pere
15. Neenah
Division Two
Onalaska lost to a very good D3 team in GET and fall just a couple spots to five. Monona Grove lost to Waunakee, so they fell just behind them at 11. Greendale lost to Eisenhower and team they should of lost to so only fall a spot to six. Whitnall lost to Brown Deer another good D3 team and drop to 13. Wauwatosa East lost to Sussex Hamilton and fall out of the rankings and are replaced by Wausau East at 14. Whitefish Bay went down to a very good Germantown team and hang on to the 15 spot.
1. Kaukauna
2. La Crosse Central
3. New Berlin Eisenhower
4. Pewaukee
5. Onalaska
6. Greendale
7. Milwaukee Washington
8. Cedarburg
9. Seymour
10. Waunakee
11. Monona Grove
12. Hortonville
13. Whitnall
14. Wausau East
15. Whitefish Bay
Division Three
Ripon went down to a so so D1 team in Milwaukee Vincent and drop a couple spots to three. Evansville lost to Lakeside Lutheran who lost to Marshall, I felt I had to put Evansville behind Lakeside to put them at 12 with Lakeside 10. Brown Deer dropped a game to a very good D2 team in Milwaukee Washington a fall a few spots to 11. Southern Door lost to Algoma and dropped to 15.
1. GET
2. Lake Mills
3. Ripon
4. Marshall
5. Brookfield Academy
6. Xavier
7. Wrightstown
8. Waupun
9. Prescott
10. Lakeside Lutheran
11. Brown Deer
12. Evansville
13. Madison Edgewood
14. Watertown Luther Prep
15. Southern Door
Division Four
Eau Claire Regis lost to a very good McDonnel Central team and drop a couple spots to 11. Racine Luteran lost to St. Joes and Dominican which shouldn't be much of shocks but, they were crushed so they do fall to 15.
1. Amherst
2. Destiny
3. Melrose-Mindoro
4. Kenosha St Joes
5. Dominican
6. Cameron
7. Unity
8. Deerfield
9. La Crosse Aquinas
10. Markesan
11. Eau Claire Regis
12. Darlington
13. Marathon
14. Iowa Grant
15. Racine Lutheran
Division Five
Shullsburg lost to Southerwestern and drop all the way to 12 because no one else lost. Newman lost to Pittsville and fall to 15. Blair Taylor lost to Arcadia and Melrose-Mindoro and fall from the rankings and are replaed at 14 by Solon Springs. .
1. Hillsboro
2. Washburn
3. McDonnell Central
4. Seneca
5. Port Edwards
6. Gresham
7. Columbus Catholic
8. Bangor
9. Almond Bancroft
10. Clayton
11. Pecatonica
12. Shullsburg
13. Hustisford
14. Solon Springs
15. Wausau Newman
It will be two weeks until my next rankings because of the holiday's so both weeks are basically cut in half to I will combine the next two weeks for my rankings. Should be some shake ups and the picture should be more clear after the great holiday tournaments that there are every year.
Thursday, December 17, 2015
Middleton over Sun Prairie
Tonight took in the top two teams record wise in the Big Eight conference. I had seen Sun Prairie once before and this was my first time seeing Middleton play but, have seen them a lot in the past so I knew what to expect and didn't disappoint. Middleton subbed constantly throughout the game, shot a lot of threes, and played extremely hard.
Middleton came out and blitzed Sun Prairie with a full court press and Sun Prairie simply couldn't handle it. This really exposed the fact that Sun Prairie doesn't have a great ball handler outside of their point guard 6'1 senior Sam Kerr. The pressure forced the ball out of Kerr's hands and resulted in turnover after turnover. The turnovers combined with 6'5 senior Rod Johnson inability to score and Kerr suffering from a hip injury and foul trouble, led to a near 20 point lead midway through the first half. With Kerr on the bench Johnson had to run the point which seemed to settle things down and Sun Prairie was able to crawl back into the game behind some scrappy play. At half Middleton was up 35 to 27.
For Middleton it was the three headed junior monster all night. Early on it was 6'0 CJ Fermanich scoring in transition and knocking down the open jumpers. Then later in the game it was 6'4 Tyree Eady hitting the threes and sealing the game from the free throw line. Throughout the entire game the strong guard play of 5'11 Storm Murphy controlled the game throughout beating his defenders off the dribble and finding open team mates or provided the defensive pressure on the ball handler on the defensive end.
Sun Prairie battled throughout and were able to get the game down to five points at one time but, Eady and company were always there to push the lead to 10. Johnson couldn't miss from three late in the game and was hitting free throws but, it just seemed like anyone else wanted to take a shot. In the end Sun Prairie's lack of ball handlers did them in and Middleton was able to throw too many players at them. Middleton won 69 to 61.
Top Players
Rod Johnson 6'5 senior Sun Prairie- Johnson did a nice job of running the point when there just wasn't anyone else to do it. Johnson also was hitting the three in the second half which got Sun Prairie back in the game. He was also money from the free throw line all game long as well as being the teams emotional leader all game. I can see him playing at the next level when he posts up a defender and knocks down the fade away, hitting the step back three, or just the deep three, three feet behind the line.
Storm Murphy 5'11 junior Middleton- Didn't have the scoring numbers of the other two big time players but, Murphy was probably my MVP. Murphy completely controlled this game both on offense and defense with his quickness and I don't think anyone could stay in front of him. He also hand his hands on numerous passes on the defense end. Despite his lack of size I really like this kid.
CJ Fermanich 6'0 junior Middleton- Really a heady player that finished around the hoop very well and knocked down the outside shot. Always does a lot but, never seems like he's working hard but, always seems to be in the right spot at the right time.
Tyree Eady 6'4 junior Middleton- Probably the best overall athlete on the team. Does a little bit of everything from shooting the three, to rebounding, and can also handle the ball. Eady was huge in this one hitting two late threes and going 8 of 10 from the free throw line.
Box Score
Sun Prairie 61- Johnson 23 Nate Verstegen 10 Kerr 8 Marlon Ruffin 8 Deshawn Black 6 Ben Hauser 3 Sean Suchomel 3 DJ Jones 0 Taylor Jansen 0 Marty Schroeder 0
Middleton 69- Eady 20 Fermanich 19 Murphy 11 Brogan Brunker 5 Mitch Bacon 3 Kevin Ripp 3 Daydrian Spears 3 Cody Markel 3 Jack Smith 2 Travis Raffel 0 Brady Thomas 0 Myron Ashford Jr 0
Middleton really looks like a conference contender and having seen East and Memorial as well I don't see anyone beating Middleton unless the go completely cold. Sun Prairie on the other hand will need to find some ball handling to help Kerr out otherwise you will just be able to press them all game long.
Middleton came out and blitzed Sun Prairie with a full court press and Sun Prairie simply couldn't handle it. This really exposed the fact that Sun Prairie doesn't have a great ball handler outside of their point guard 6'1 senior Sam Kerr. The pressure forced the ball out of Kerr's hands and resulted in turnover after turnover. The turnovers combined with 6'5 senior Rod Johnson inability to score and Kerr suffering from a hip injury and foul trouble, led to a near 20 point lead midway through the first half. With Kerr on the bench Johnson had to run the point which seemed to settle things down and Sun Prairie was able to crawl back into the game behind some scrappy play. At half Middleton was up 35 to 27.
For Middleton it was the three headed junior monster all night. Early on it was 6'0 CJ Fermanich scoring in transition and knocking down the open jumpers. Then later in the game it was 6'4 Tyree Eady hitting the threes and sealing the game from the free throw line. Throughout the entire game the strong guard play of 5'11 Storm Murphy controlled the game throughout beating his defenders off the dribble and finding open team mates or provided the defensive pressure on the ball handler on the defensive end.
Sun Prairie battled throughout and were able to get the game down to five points at one time but, Eady and company were always there to push the lead to 10. Johnson couldn't miss from three late in the game and was hitting free throws but, it just seemed like anyone else wanted to take a shot. In the end Sun Prairie's lack of ball handlers did them in and Middleton was able to throw too many players at them. Middleton won 69 to 61.
Top Players
Rod Johnson 6'5 senior Sun Prairie- Johnson did a nice job of running the point when there just wasn't anyone else to do it. Johnson also was hitting the three in the second half which got Sun Prairie back in the game. He was also money from the free throw line all game long as well as being the teams emotional leader all game. I can see him playing at the next level when he posts up a defender and knocks down the fade away, hitting the step back three, or just the deep three, three feet behind the line.
Storm Murphy 5'11 junior Middleton- Didn't have the scoring numbers of the other two big time players but, Murphy was probably my MVP. Murphy completely controlled this game both on offense and defense with his quickness and I don't think anyone could stay in front of him. He also hand his hands on numerous passes on the defense end. Despite his lack of size I really like this kid.
CJ Fermanich 6'0 junior Middleton- Really a heady player that finished around the hoop very well and knocked down the outside shot. Always does a lot but, never seems like he's working hard but, always seems to be in the right spot at the right time.
Tyree Eady 6'4 junior Middleton- Probably the best overall athlete on the team. Does a little bit of everything from shooting the three, to rebounding, and can also handle the ball. Eady was huge in this one hitting two late threes and going 8 of 10 from the free throw line.
Box Score
Sun Prairie 61- Johnson 23 Nate Verstegen 10 Kerr 8 Marlon Ruffin 8 Deshawn Black 6 Ben Hauser 3 Sean Suchomel 3 DJ Jones 0 Taylor Jansen 0 Marty Schroeder 0
Middleton 69- Eady 20 Fermanich 19 Murphy 11 Brogan Brunker 5 Mitch Bacon 3 Kevin Ripp 3 Daydrian Spears 3 Cody Markel 3 Jack Smith 2 Travis Raffel 0 Brady Thomas 0 Myron Ashford Jr 0
Middleton really looks like a conference contender and having seen East and Memorial as well I don't see anyone beating Middleton unless the go completely cold. Sun Prairie on the other hand will need to find some ball handling to help Kerr out otherwise you will just be able to press them all game long.
Monday, December 14, 2015
Dunks of the Year
Every year I get to the end of the season and start thinking back to all the dunks I saw and wonder what dunk truly was the best or what were some of the best. I've decided this year to keep a running list of the top 10 dunks I've seen throughout the year to help me remember some of the best. In my mind a good dunk is one that gets the crow excited, maybe wasn't expected, or something that makes you get out of your seat. Some of the best that come to mind from the past 10 years I've been watching is Justin Dahmen throwing one off the glass to Wes Mathews who was trailing the play. Duane Wilson's put back dunk off the glass at the WBBYShootout and the multiple break away dunks. Marquis Mason with to many to count but, the tops are a one power dribble and throwing it down over the defender and the windmill to seal the game against Verona. Last years may of been the put back dunk by Kobe King at the Midwest Classic last year. So far I've only seen three dunks but, we have to start somewhere.
1. Jake Ferguson 6'5 junior Madison Memorial vs Sun Prairie December 8.
Ferguson drove the baseline and threw down a powerful two handed dunk. This one was kind of unexpected as I expected him just to lay it in but, he just went up and put it down.
2. Chris Knight 6'8 junior Madison Memorial vs Madison East December 3
Knight caught the ball just past half court and took it to the hoop in transition and threw it down one handed between three East defenders. This play got the crowd pumped up and wasn't a great dunk but, was a tremendous play overall.
3. Chris Knight 6'8 junior Madison Memorial vs Sun Prairie December 8
Typical steal and break away dunk that resulted in a nice little two handed dunk. Almost looked too easy though.
Well there are the first three but, I'm sure not the last.
1. Jake Ferguson 6'5 junior Madison Memorial vs Sun Prairie December 8.
Ferguson drove the baseline and threw down a powerful two handed dunk. This one was kind of unexpected as I expected him just to lay it in but, he just went up and put it down.
2. Chris Knight 6'8 junior Madison Memorial vs Madison East December 3
Knight caught the ball just past half court and took it to the hoop in transition and threw it down one handed between three East defenders. This play got the crowd pumped up and wasn't a great dunk but, was a tremendous play overall.
3. Chris Knight 6'8 junior Madison Memorial vs Sun Prairie December 8
Typical steal and break away dunk that resulted in a nice little two handed dunk. Almost looked too easy though.
Well there are the first three but, I'm sure not the last.
Sunday, December 13, 2015
Week 2 Rankings
It's Sunday which means it's time for another week of my personal rankings. Had a few teams lose this week but, nothing that jumps out to me right off hand. Madison East has started the season 0-3 after started the year ranked fifth in my rankings and a state appearance year ago. Defending D2 champion Mount Horeb is also 1-3.
Division One
A pair of top teams lost to a pair of lower rankings teams with De Pere losing to Kimberly and Madison Memorial going down to Sun Prairie.Madison East lost to Middleton and Janesville Craig. and fall from the rankings. Kimberly lost to Neenah which really made things tough at the bottom. Kimberly has already beaten De Pere and Oshkosh North so they had to stay ahead of them with matching records and Appleton West had already lost to Neenah so they hang on at 15b. Muskego is new to the rankings at 10.
1. Stevens Point
2. Germantown
3. Milwaukee King
4. Milwaukee Riverside
5. Middleton
6. Arrowhead
7. Sheboygan North
8. Racine Park
9. Sun Prairie
10. Muskego
11. Madison Memorial
12. Neenah
13. Kimberly
14. De Pere
15. Oshkosh North
15b. Appleton West
Division Two
Whitnall went down to Pewaukee, who seems to be beating everything and Whitnall falls to 10. Waunakee lost to Sauk Prairie, Wauwatosa East lost to Brookfield Central, Whitefish Bay lost to Milwaukee Marquette, and Hortonville lost to Kaukauna all very tough games so no one falls from the rankings but, fall into 12, 13, 14, and 15.
1. Kaukauna
2. La Crosse Central
3. New Berlin Eisenhower
4. Onalaska
5. Monona Grove
6. Greendale
7. Pewaukee
8. Milwaukee Washington
9. Cedarburg
10. Whitnall
11. Seymour
12. Waunakee
13. Wauwatosa East
14. Whitefish Bay
15. Hortonville
Division Three
Brookfield Academy lost to Milwaukee Morse-Marshall and Brown Deer lost to Milwaukee Pius both very tough teams and they drop only a couple spots to six and seven. WLP lost to Lakeside Lutheran and drop just a spot to 15. East Troy lost to two very tough teams in Milwaukee Washington and Destiny but, fall out of the rankings and are replaced by Madison Edgewood who is new to D3 this year having played D2 always in the past.
1. Ripon
2. GET
3. Lake Mills
4. Evansville
5. Marshall
6. Brookfield Academy
7. Brown Deer
8. Xavier
9. Lakeside Lutheran
10. Wrightstown
11. Southern Door
12. Waupun
13. Prescott
14. Madison Edgewood
15. Watertown Luther Prep
Division Four
Only one team in the top 15 lost as Aquinas lost to Regis who was to be expected and Aquinas drops two spots this week. .
1. Amherst
2. Destiny
3. Melrose-Mindoro
4. Kenosha St Joes
5. Dominican
6. Cameron
7. Unity
8. Eau Claire Regis
9. Deerfield
10. Racine Lutheran
11. La Crosse Aquinas
12. Markesan
13. Darlington
14. Marathon
15. Iowa Grant
Division Five
Almond-Bancroft lost to Port Edwards dropping to 10 followed by Clayton who lost to Cameron. Always a tough team to judge with the competition they play but, Young Coggs Prep lost to Milwaukee Hamilton and fall from the rankings.
1. Hillsboro
2. Shullsburg
3. Washburn
4. McDonnell Central
5. Seneca
6. Port Edwards
7. Gresham
8. Columbus Catholic
9. Bangor
10. Almond-Bancroft
11. Clayton
12. Pecatonica
13. Newman Catholic
14. Blair Taylor
15. Hustisford
Division One
A pair of top teams lost to a pair of lower rankings teams with De Pere losing to Kimberly and Madison Memorial going down to Sun Prairie.Madison East lost to Middleton and Janesville Craig. and fall from the rankings. Kimberly lost to Neenah which really made things tough at the bottom. Kimberly has already beaten De Pere and Oshkosh North so they had to stay ahead of them with matching records and Appleton West had already lost to Neenah so they hang on at 15b. Muskego is new to the rankings at 10.
1. Stevens Point
2. Germantown
3. Milwaukee King
4. Milwaukee Riverside
5. Middleton
6. Arrowhead
7. Sheboygan North
8. Racine Park
9. Sun Prairie
10. Muskego
11. Madison Memorial
12. Neenah
13. Kimberly
14. De Pere
15. Oshkosh North
15b. Appleton West
Division Two
Whitnall went down to Pewaukee, who seems to be beating everything and Whitnall falls to 10. Waunakee lost to Sauk Prairie, Wauwatosa East lost to Brookfield Central, Whitefish Bay lost to Milwaukee Marquette, and Hortonville lost to Kaukauna all very tough games so no one falls from the rankings but, fall into 12, 13, 14, and 15.
1. Kaukauna
2. La Crosse Central
3. New Berlin Eisenhower
4. Onalaska
5. Monona Grove
6. Greendale
7. Pewaukee
8. Milwaukee Washington
9. Cedarburg
10. Whitnall
11. Seymour
12. Waunakee
13. Wauwatosa East
14. Whitefish Bay
15. Hortonville
Division Three
Brookfield Academy lost to Milwaukee Morse-Marshall and Brown Deer lost to Milwaukee Pius both very tough teams and they drop only a couple spots to six and seven. WLP lost to Lakeside Lutheran and drop just a spot to 15. East Troy lost to two very tough teams in Milwaukee Washington and Destiny but, fall out of the rankings and are replaced by Madison Edgewood who is new to D3 this year having played D2 always in the past.
1. Ripon
2. GET
3. Lake Mills
4. Evansville
5. Marshall
6. Brookfield Academy
7. Brown Deer
8. Xavier
9. Lakeside Lutheran
10. Wrightstown
11. Southern Door
12. Waupun
13. Prescott
14. Madison Edgewood
15. Watertown Luther Prep
Division Four
Only one team in the top 15 lost as Aquinas lost to Regis who was to be expected and Aquinas drops two spots this week. .
1. Amherst
2. Destiny
3. Melrose-Mindoro
4. Kenosha St Joes
5. Dominican
6. Cameron
7. Unity
8. Eau Claire Regis
9. Deerfield
10. Racine Lutheran
11. La Crosse Aquinas
12. Markesan
13. Darlington
14. Marathon
15. Iowa Grant
Division Five
Almond-Bancroft lost to Port Edwards dropping to 10 followed by Clayton who lost to Cameron. Always a tough team to judge with the competition they play but, Young Coggs Prep lost to Milwaukee Hamilton and fall from the rankings.
1. Hillsboro
2. Shullsburg
3. Washburn
4. McDonnell Central
5. Seneca
6. Port Edwards
7. Gresham
8. Columbus Catholic
9. Bangor
10. Almond-Bancroft
11. Clayton
12. Pecatonica
13. Newman Catholic
14. Blair Taylor
15. Hustisford
Saturday, December 12, 2015
Marshall over Wisconsin Dells
Took in a rare Wisconsin Dells game tonight. Tonight gave me a chance to watch my hometown team as they took on one of the top D3 teams in the state. Going in to the game I didn't think Dells had much of a chance and the game pretty much held to form but, the Dells did hold this one closer for longer then I thought the would.
The game started out very fast and uptempo, which didn't surprise me having watched Marshall in past years but, I don't think this was what the Chiefs wanted but, they ran anyway. Early on Marshall really struggled hitting the outside shot but, they shot a lot of threes, so the shots they did hit were worth more. Marshall's senior star point guard 6'4 senior Adam Link really struggled early on but, he was picked up he was picked up by fellow seniors 6'2 Jordan Gomez and 6'2 Brandon Neuberger. As Marshall hit their threes Dells ran with them but, just couldn't couldn't convert do to Marshall's size advantage leading to rushed bunnies over larger defenders. Dells played just hard enough and got some nice play from 6'0 junior Peyton Rohling and sophomore Tanner Brandt. Rohling was able to hit some big threes and was able to get to the lane and finish. Brandt was money shooting from about 15 feet. Not sure what Brandt's actual height is but, he has to be about 6'5 and really showed a soft touch. These things allowed dells to only be down 28-23 at the half.
In the second half I think the Dells just ran out of gas and there wasn't much to write about. Marshall continued to run and Dells just ran out of gas. Marshall got easy bucket after easy bucket and spread things out which led to easy baskets for them as the Dells defense came out to guard them. Another part to Marshall continue to increase their lead was the play of 6'5 junior Adam Wehking who sat out much of the first half do to foul trouble and in the second half Wehking provide an inside presence and some easy baskets. It didn't feel like it but, in the end Marshall won big 72-49.
Top Players
Adam Link 6'4 senior Marshall- Didn't have a great game but, did a very nice job of running the offense and in the second half was able to slash to the rim and score.
Adam Wehking 6'5 junior Marshall- Sat most of the first half but, made his presence known in the second half scoring in the post and rebounding on the inside. Really works hard in the post and does a good job of fighting for position.
Jordan Gomez 6'2 senior Marshall- Really shot the three well hitting four three point shots. Moved extremely well without the ball and when the open shot was given didn't hesitate to take it.
Brandon Neuberger 6'2 senior Marshall- Probably the most valuable player in the game. He was able to hit the three point shot when it was given. In the second half he really looked to drive to the rim and score and didn't force things and let the game come to him.
Peyton Rohling 6'0 junior Wisconsin Dells- Was knocking down the deep three in this one. He was also able to drive to the rim and finish going to his left, his dominate hand.
Tanner Brandt 6'5 sophomore Wisconsin Dells- Really showed a nice touch from 15 feet and also hit a shot from three as well. Despite his lack of weight did a great job of battling on the block rebounding.
Box Score
Marshall 72- Neuberger 21 Link 16 Wehking 14 Gomez 14 Adam Lutz 5 Tristan Killerlain 2 Nathan Hanna 0 Devon Flynn 0 Reece Leistikow 0 Michael Calvillo 0 Nathan Halzinger 0 Adam Wildman 0 Gregory Hatzinger 0
WD 49- Rohling 18 Brandt 18 Michael Pakos 7 Dominic Morse 4 Adem Ajvazi 2 Colin Hirst 0 Jacob Pakos 0 #12 0
Well Marshall was about what I expected. They are a fun team to watch because they are going to run and gun and shoot a lot of threes. They will probably go as far as their shooting will take them and it will take a pretty good team to beat them. Dells is a team that may not compete on a state level but, will be there on the conference level and height will always be a problem for them.
The game started out very fast and uptempo, which didn't surprise me having watched Marshall in past years but, I don't think this was what the Chiefs wanted but, they ran anyway. Early on Marshall really struggled hitting the outside shot but, they shot a lot of threes, so the shots they did hit were worth more. Marshall's senior star point guard 6'4 senior Adam Link really struggled early on but, he was picked up he was picked up by fellow seniors 6'2 Jordan Gomez and 6'2 Brandon Neuberger. As Marshall hit their threes Dells ran with them but, just couldn't couldn't convert do to Marshall's size advantage leading to rushed bunnies over larger defenders. Dells played just hard enough and got some nice play from 6'0 junior Peyton Rohling and sophomore Tanner Brandt. Rohling was able to hit some big threes and was able to get to the lane and finish. Brandt was money shooting from about 15 feet. Not sure what Brandt's actual height is but, he has to be about 6'5 and really showed a soft touch. These things allowed dells to only be down 28-23 at the half.
In the second half I think the Dells just ran out of gas and there wasn't much to write about. Marshall continued to run and Dells just ran out of gas. Marshall got easy bucket after easy bucket and spread things out which led to easy baskets for them as the Dells defense came out to guard them. Another part to Marshall continue to increase their lead was the play of 6'5 junior Adam Wehking who sat out much of the first half do to foul trouble and in the second half Wehking provide an inside presence and some easy baskets. It didn't feel like it but, in the end Marshall won big 72-49.
Top Players
Adam Link 6'4 senior Marshall- Didn't have a great game but, did a very nice job of running the offense and in the second half was able to slash to the rim and score.
Adam Wehking 6'5 junior Marshall- Sat most of the first half but, made his presence known in the second half scoring in the post and rebounding on the inside. Really works hard in the post and does a good job of fighting for position.
Jordan Gomez 6'2 senior Marshall- Really shot the three well hitting four three point shots. Moved extremely well without the ball and when the open shot was given didn't hesitate to take it.
Brandon Neuberger 6'2 senior Marshall- Probably the most valuable player in the game. He was able to hit the three point shot when it was given. In the second half he really looked to drive to the rim and score and didn't force things and let the game come to him.
Peyton Rohling 6'0 junior Wisconsin Dells- Was knocking down the deep three in this one. He was also able to drive to the rim and finish going to his left, his dominate hand.
Tanner Brandt 6'5 sophomore Wisconsin Dells- Really showed a nice touch from 15 feet and also hit a shot from three as well. Despite his lack of weight did a great job of battling on the block rebounding.
Box Score
Marshall 72- Neuberger 21 Link 16 Wehking 14 Gomez 14 Adam Lutz 5 Tristan Killerlain 2 Nathan Hanna 0 Devon Flynn 0 Reece Leistikow 0 Michael Calvillo 0 Nathan Halzinger 0 Adam Wildman 0 Gregory Hatzinger 0
WD 49- Rohling 18 Brandt 18 Michael Pakos 7 Dominic Morse 4 Adem Ajvazi 2 Colin Hirst 0 Jacob Pakos 0 #12 0
Well Marshall was about what I expected. They are a fun team to watch because they are going to run and gun and shoot a lot of threes. They will probably go as far as their shooting will take them and it will take a pretty good team to beat them. Dells is a team that may not compete on a state level but, will be there on the conference level and height will always be a problem for them.
Tuesday, December 8, 2015
Sun Prairie over Madison Memorial
Went to Sun Prairie tonight to take in the battle between the Cardinals and the Madison Memorial Spartans. In the past five to 10 years they have really had some epic battles and every game always seems to come down to the wire. This game had some moments of excitement but, overall wasn't a great game and a bit of a defensive struggle. Memorial struggled all night shooting and Sun Prairie started off hot but, cooled off in the second half and actually stopped shooting the threes in the second. Both teams struggled shooting but, both teams did a pretty good job offensive rebounding which led to longer possessions and a lower scoring game.
Sun Prairie jumped all over Memorial early led by three threes from 6'5 senior Rod Johnson who scored 11 points in the first five minutes but, then only scored one point the rest of the game. Along with Johnson the rest of the Sun Prairie lineup was hitting as they got threes from 6'2 senior DJ Jones, 6'2 junior Ben Hauser, and 6'3 junior Bryce Moore. The Sun Prairie hot shooting combined with the extremely poor shooting of Memorial star 6'8 junior Chris Knight led to a 20-8 score at one point in the first half. Knight had an extremely poor shooting night and I would guess he was maybe 1-12 shooting in the first half. Knight has all the moves to get his shot any time but, he's fading away and drifting at times. I would like to see him go straight to the hoop. Really the only highlights of the first half were a pair of dunks, one by 6'5 junior Jake Ferguson driving baseline for a dunk, which was Memorial's first basket after three straight Knight misses, and then a steal and break away dunk by Knight. Despite the start Memorial was able to claw back into the game behind some nice interior play 6'6 junior Matt Caropreso scoring on the inside with some nice post moves including a nice little hook shot. The first half Sun Prairie absolutely dominated the offensive glass as well.
In the second half Knight came out much stronger looking to get the ball deeper in the post and making some easy buckets and drawing fouls. In the second half though Sun Prairie was able to hold on behind the play of their point guard 6'1 senior Sam Kerr. Kerr had a quiet half in the first half but, he came up big controlling the tempo of the game and getting in the lane and hitting some big mid range jumpers as well as getting to the hoop and scoring or drawing contact against the bigger Memorial defenders. In the end Memorial just didn't have anyone to create for themselves on the inside and couldn't get the ball to the post on a consistent basis.
Top Players
Rod Johnson 6'5 senior Sun Prairie- That first five minutes of the game sealed the deal for Johnson. He was making shots with very little room and hit a couple fadeaways with a little Kobe game. In the second half Memorial played very physical with him which took him off his game.
Sam Kerr 6'1 senior Sun Prairie- Didn't have a great game but, did the job of the point guard controlling the game late and dominating the ball late and scoring. I really love Kerr's game as a point guard. He can just run the offensive or he can score when needed and seems like he lets the game come to him and doesn't force things early.
Chris Knight 6'8 junior Madison Memorial- Had a very rough game but, did get things going a bit in the second half. I do like his back to the basket game but, would like to see more towards the rim.
Matt Caropreso 6'6 junior Madison Memorial- Had some very nice post up moves in the game and when Ferguson was saddled with foul trouble came up big rebounding.
Box Score
Sun Prairie 49- Johnson 12 Kerr 12 Hauser 6 Jones 5 Moore 5 Nate Verstegen 4 Deshawn Black 4 Marlon Ruffin 2 Sean Suchomel 0
Madison Memorial 43- Knight 12 Logan Knecht 9 Billy Wilson 8 Caropreso 7 Ferguson 5 Terrel Goodwan 2 Jason Weah 0 Ian Brown 0
After this game it really looks like Sun Prairie and Middleton are the two favorites for conference, as Middleton defeated Madison East tonight as well. The biggest question for Sun Prairie is who will be the third scorer behind Kerr and Johnson. Memorial needs to get more consistent production from their guards at least in driving to the hoop. Right now Memorial's offensive is pass it around the perimeter trying to feed the post if that fails just jack up a three. With that said the Big Eight conference seems that it will be very interesting with both Memorial and East losing tonight.
Sun Prairie jumped all over Memorial early led by three threes from 6'5 senior Rod Johnson who scored 11 points in the first five minutes but, then only scored one point the rest of the game. Along with Johnson the rest of the Sun Prairie lineup was hitting as they got threes from 6'2 senior DJ Jones, 6'2 junior Ben Hauser, and 6'3 junior Bryce Moore. The Sun Prairie hot shooting combined with the extremely poor shooting of Memorial star 6'8 junior Chris Knight led to a 20-8 score at one point in the first half. Knight had an extremely poor shooting night and I would guess he was maybe 1-12 shooting in the first half. Knight has all the moves to get his shot any time but, he's fading away and drifting at times. I would like to see him go straight to the hoop. Really the only highlights of the first half were a pair of dunks, one by 6'5 junior Jake Ferguson driving baseline for a dunk, which was Memorial's first basket after three straight Knight misses, and then a steal and break away dunk by Knight. Despite the start Memorial was able to claw back into the game behind some nice interior play 6'6 junior Matt Caropreso scoring on the inside with some nice post moves including a nice little hook shot. The first half Sun Prairie absolutely dominated the offensive glass as well.
In the second half Knight came out much stronger looking to get the ball deeper in the post and making some easy buckets and drawing fouls. In the second half though Sun Prairie was able to hold on behind the play of their point guard 6'1 senior Sam Kerr. Kerr had a quiet half in the first half but, he came up big controlling the tempo of the game and getting in the lane and hitting some big mid range jumpers as well as getting to the hoop and scoring or drawing contact against the bigger Memorial defenders. In the end Memorial just didn't have anyone to create for themselves on the inside and couldn't get the ball to the post on a consistent basis.
Top Players
Rod Johnson 6'5 senior Sun Prairie- That first five minutes of the game sealed the deal for Johnson. He was making shots with very little room and hit a couple fadeaways with a little Kobe game. In the second half Memorial played very physical with him which took him off his game.
Sam Kerr 6'1 senior Sun Prairie- Didn't have a great game but, did the job of the point guard controlling the game late and dominating the ball late and scoring. I really love Kerr's game as a point guard. He can just run the offensive or he can score when needed and seems like he lets the game come to him and doesn't force things early.
Chris Knight 6'8 junior Madison Memorial- Had a very rough game but, did get things going a bit in the second half. I do like his back to the basket game but, would like to see more towards the rim.
Matt Caropreso 6'6 junior Madison Memorial- Had some very nice post up moves in the game and when Ferguson was saddled with foul trouble came up big rebounding.
Box Score
Sun Prairie 49- Johnson 12 Kerr 12 Hauser 6 Jones 5 Moore 5 Nate Verstegen 4 Deshawn Black 4 Marlon Ruffin 2 Sean Suchomel 0
Madison Memorial 43- Knight 12 Logan Knecht 9 Billy Wilson 8 Caropreso 7 Ferguson 5 Terrel Goodwan 2 Jason Weah 0 Ian Brown 0
After this game it really looks like Sun Prairie and Middleton are the two favorites for conference, as Middleton defeated Madison East tonight as well. The biggest question for Sun Prairie is who will be the third scorer behind Kerr and Johnson. Memorial needs to get more consistent production from their guards at least in driving to the hoop. Right now Memorial's offensive is pass it around the perimeter trying to feed the post if that fails just jack up a three. With that said the Big Eight conference seems that it will be very interesting with both Memorial and East losing tonight.
Sunday, December 6, 2015
Week 1 Rankings
With the first full week of play under way, it's time for my week one rankings. I'll be building off my preseason rankings so there may be some surprise teams that aren't in the rankings yet because I didn't think they would be that. Most teams have only played two or three games so these rankings don't mean much at this time and things usually play themselves out come the end of the year.
Division One
Milwaukee Riverside got destroyed by Stevens Point but, who wouldn't so they only dropped a spot to four. Madison East lost to Madison Memorial in their opener and dropped to a couple spots behind them at 11.There's always big battles in the Fox Valley where Oshkosh North lost to Kimberly and Appleton West went down to Neenah, knocking North and West down to 14 and 15 while Kimberly jumped into the rankings at 13 after Mukwanago lost to Waukesha South and fell from the rankings.
1. Stevens Point
2. Germantown
3. Milwaukee King
4. Milwaukee Riverside
5. Middleton
6. De Pere
7. Arrowhead
8. Madison Memorial
9. Sheboygan North
10. Racine Park
11. Madison East
12. Sun Prairie
13. Kimberly
14. Oshkosh North
15. Appleton West
Division Two
The division that always seems to have the most movement and the first week didn't disappoint. Milwaukee Washington lost to Pewaukee and DeLaSalle from Minnesota. The Minnesota lose I won't hold against them but, the Pewaukee lose dropped them to 10 behind Pewaukee at eight. Mount Horeb lost their first two games of the year losing to Burlington and Reedsburg and fall out of the rankings. Seymour lost to Green Bay Southwest and nearly fell from the rankings but, stuck at 15. Wauwatosa East went down to Waunakee, allowing Waunakee to get into the rankings at nine and putting East at 11. Cedarburg lost to Muskego but, did beat Whitefish Bay and Hortonville, dropping all three teams together to 12, 13, and 14. Ashwaubenon lost to Kaukauna and West De Pere and fall from the rankings but, they are on the radar still just outside the rankings.
1. Kaukauna
2. La Crosse Central
3. New Berlin Eisenhower
4. Onalaska
5. Monona Grove
6. Greendale
7. Whitnall
8. Pewaukee
9. Waunakee
10. Milwaukee Washington
11. Wauwatosa East
12. Cedarburg
13. Whitefish Bay
14. Hortonville
15. Seymour
Division Three
Brown Deer lost a tough game to Milwaukee Riverside and drop just two spots to five. Marshall lost to Lake Mills and fall to seven. Xavier lost to a D1 school in Appleton East and drop just a spot to eight. Roncalli has already lost five games four of which are ranked in their division so I wouldn't be shocked to see them reappear in the rankings. East Troy got crushed by Stevens Point so they hold their spot at 15. Watertown Luther Prep jumps into the rankings at 14.
1. Ripon
2. GET
3. Lake Mills
4. Brookfield Academy
5. Brown Deer
6. Evansville
7. Marshall
8. Xavier
9. Lakeside Lutheran
10. Wrightstown
11. Southern Door
12. Waupun
13. Prescott
14. Watertown Luther Prep
15. East Troy
Division Four
Not as much changes here in D4. Dominican lost to an elite team in Brown Deer and drop just three spots to five. Darlington lost to Cuba City dropping them to 13 probably because of missing players due to injury. Deerfield lost to a highly ranked D3 school in Lake Mills and only fell a little to 10. 14 and 15 are a pair of schools that lost to much bigger schools with Marathon losing to Mosinee and Iowa Grant losing to Dodgeville.
1. Amherst
2. Destiny
3. Melrose-Mindoro
4. Kenosha St. Joes
5. Dominican
6. Cameron
7. Unity
8. Eau Claire Regis
9. La Crosse Aquinas
10. Deerfield
11. Racine Lutheran
12. Markesan
13. Darlington
14. Marathon
15. Iowa Grant
Division Five
GBNew Lutheran lost twice to Sheboygna Christian and Southern Door and they dropped out of the rankings. Blair Taylor lost to Bangor who jumped to 11 and Blair Taylor fell to 14. Pecatonica lost to Cuba City and dropped to 12. Newman Catholic lost to a D1 school in Wausau East and held at 13 along with Young Coggs Prep at 15 who lost to a pair of bigger schools in Beloit and Oregon.
1. Hillsboro
2. Almond-Bancroft
3. Shullsburg
4. Washburn
5. McDonnell Central
6. Seneca
7. Port Edwards
8. Clayton
9. Gresham
10. Columbus Catholic
11. Bangor
12. Pecatonica
13. Newman Catholic
14. Blair Taylor
15. Young Coggs Prep
Friday, December 4, 2015
Madison Memorial over Madison East
For my first game of the year I decided take in a contest between two of the top teams in the Big Eight conference. Nearly anyone that follows high school ball has one of these two teams picked as the favorite to win the Big Eight. Memorial has won the conference title 12 years in a row now and a win in this game would give them a great start to 13. East is coming off a state run a year ago and bring back four starters from that state game. With East having the majority of the players back Memorial is nearly completely turning over with one starter and one significant bench player back. Memorial also has a new star in De Forest transfer 6'8 junior Chris Knight who leads fives juniors in the starting lineup. East has their returning star in 6'4 senior Deang Deang but, the also have an emerging star in 6'5 sophomore Keshawn Justice.
The game started out pretty rough for both teams offensively and it was pretty obvious that this was both teams first game of the year. Memorial starts a big front line of 6'8, 6'6, and 6'5 along with a pair of smaller guards at 5'11 and 6'0. To take advantage of that front court height and possibly to allow their bigs not to have to guard on the perimeter Memorial played a 2-3 zone which nearly switched into a switching man to man defense. At times the Memorial defenders would stay with the East player across the zone and other times they would stay in their position. Early on it seemed that East was clearly the better team and it was just fouls and the Memorial height that were keeping them in the game. The East guards just seemed too quick for the Memorial guards early on and Memorial had a tough time even getting into their offense. Despite that fact East was just never able to take a big lead early on and Memorial hung around. The game could pretty much be summarized in one play where Deang picked the pocket of the Memorial guard and drove towards a wide open hoop. As Deang put the lay up, up 6'5 Memorial junior Jake Ferguson chased him down and pinned the lay up against the back board which would be the first of four of those types of blocks by Ferguson. Every Memorial turn over seemed to be followed up by an East turnover. Foul trouble by the East bigs lead to Memorial being able to take advantage in the post in particular 6'6 junior Matt Caropreso who was Memorial's leading scorer in the first half on mostly garbage buckets. At half time Memorial led 25-21.
In the second half things got going as Knight found his game as he seemed lost at times in the first half. Knight really has a strong back to the basket game and seems pretty comfortable going over either shoulder. Knight had a huge run making three straight bucks in a row finalized by a jumper from just inside the free throw line. Knight also had the momentum dagger as he caught the ball on a fast break just past half court and took the ball to the rim and threw it down which got a the crowd into the game and made it feel like I was watching the old Memorial teams that would run and press and get electrifying break away dunks. For East no one could really get it going as even Deang seemed to struggle putting the ball in the hoop and late in the second half is when Justice started getting him self going hitting big three after big three any time he was open. There didn't seem to be much scoring outside of the threes by Justice but, that was all the needed to hang around in this one. Unfortunately the game was pretty much sealed when Deang was injured with just under two minutes left and Memorial made the free throws to seal the game 61 to 53.
Top Players
Chris Knight 6'8 junior Madison Memorial- Knight gives this team a go to player in a group of very good players. Knight is a true post player that seems to love to play with his back to the basket. I'd like to see a little more emotion out of him but, maybe that isn't his style. Knight completely dominated the glass and wouldn't be surprised if he had 20 rebounds and I'm sure he had a double double.
Jake Ferguson 6'5 junior Madison Memorial- The lone returning starter and probably the biggest key to their success. He is going to take the place of Henry Houden on last years team as the glue guy that holds the team and just does everything well, from scoring, ball handling, rebounding, moving his feet, and of course blocking shots as he had a handful of those, four of witched pinned to the glass.
Keshawn Justice 6'5 sophomore Madison East- Really is more of a guard and really shot the three extremely well in this game. Deang is probably the better player right now but, Justice could very well lead them in scoring. Plays with a ton of confidence.
Box Score (starters in italics)
Memorial- Knight 19 Caropreso 11 Billy Wilson 11 Ferguson 9 Logan Knecht 8 Chase Danielson 2 Jason Weah 1 Terrel Goodwan 0
East- Justice 20 Deang 12 Oliver Allison 8 Tre'vone Irby 4 Courtland Cuevas 4 Cameron Cratic 4 Davion Washington 1 Chris Warren 0 Ali Saffold 0
Yes this game was pretty rough and wasn't great basketball but, this game was the first of the year for both teams so that is to be expected. With Knight Memorial has a game changer and with East, Middleton, and possibly Sun Prairie should battle for a league title. East was missing two of the top players in 6'0 junior Kenny Jones who started at times last year and 6'6 sophomore Steven Wooten who I've heard a lot about as being a top player for his class. If and when those two returned with give East a huge boast he next time around. Should be a fun season and this was a nice start.
The game started out pretty rough for both teams offensively and it was pretty obvious that this was both teams first game of the year. Memorial starts a big front line of 6'8, 6'6, and 6'5 along with a pair of smaller guards at 5'11 and 6'0. To take advantage of that front court height and possibly to allow their bigs not to have to guard on the perimeter Memorial played a 2-3 zone which nearly switched into a switching man to man defense. At times the Memorial defenders would stay with the East player across the zone and other times they would stay in their position. Early on it seemed that East was clearly the better team and it was just fouls and the Memorial height that were keeping them in the game. The East guards just seemed too quick for the Memorial guards early on and Memorial had a tough time even getting into their offense. Despite that fact East was just never able to take a big lead early on and Memorial hung around. The game could pretty much be summarized in one play where Deang picked the pocket of the Memorial guard and drove towards a wide open hoop. As Deang put the lay up, up 6'5 Memorial junior Jake Ferguson chased him down and pinned the lay up against the back board which would be the first of four of those types of blocks by Ferguson. Every Memorial turn over seemed to be followed up by an East turnover. Foul trouble by the East bigs lead to Memorial being able to take advantage in the post in particular 6'6 junior Matt Caropreso who was Memorial's leading scorer in the first half on mostly garbage buckets. At half time Memorial led 25-21.
In the second half things got going as Knight found his game as he seemed lost at times in the first half. Knight really has a strong back to the basket game and seems pretty comfortable going over either shoulder. Knight had a huge run making three straight bucks in a row finalized by a jumper from just inside the free throw line. Knight also had the momentum dagger as he caught the ball on a fast break just past half court and took the ball to the rim and threw it down which got a the crowd into the game and made it feel like I was watching the old Memorial teams that would run and press and get electrifying break away dunks. For East no one could really get it going as even Deang seemed to struggle putting the ball in the hoop and late in the second half is when Justice started getting him self going hitting big three after big three any time he was open. There didn't seem to be much scoring outside of the threes by Justice but, that was all the needed to hang around in this one. Unfortunately the game was pretty much sealed when Deang was injured with just under two minutes left and Memorial made the free throws to seal the game 61 to 53.
Top Players
Chris Knight 6'8 junior Madison Memorial- Knight gives this team a go to player in a group of very good players. Knight is a true post player that seems to love to play with his back to the basket. I'd like to see a little more emotion out of him but, maybe that isn't his style. Knight completely dominated the glass and wouldn't be surprised if he had 20 rebounds and I'm sure he had a double double.
Jake Ferguson 6'5 junior Madison Memorial- The lone returning starter and probably the biggest key to their success. He is going to take the place of Henry Houden on last years team as the glue guy that holds the team and just does everything well, from scoring, ball handling, rebounding, moving his feet, and of course blocking shots as he had a handful of those, four of witched pinned to the glass.
Keshawn Justice 6'5 sophomore Madison East- Really is more of a guard and really shot the three extremely well in this game. Deang is probably the better player right now but, Justice could very well lead them in scoring. Plays with a ton of confidence.
Box Score (starters in italics)
Memorial- Knight 19 Caropreso 11 Billy Wilson 11 Ferguson 9 Logan Knecht 8 Chase Danielson 2 Jason Weah 1 Terrel Goodwan 0
East- Justice 20 Deang 12 Oliver Allison 8 Tre'vone Irby 4 Courtland Cuevas 4 Cameron Cratic 4 Davion Washington 1 Chris Warren 0 Ali Saffold 0
Yes this game was pretty rough and wasn't great basketball but, this game was the first of the year for both teams so that is to be expected. With Knight Memorial has a game changer and with East, Middleton, and possibly Sun Prairie should battle for a league title. East was missing two of the top players in 6'0 junior Kenny Jones who started at times last year and 6'6 sophomore Steven Wooten who I've heard a lot about as being a top player for his class. If and when those two returned with give East a huge boast he next time around. Should be a fun season and this was a nice start.
Tuesday, December 1, 2015
Big Eight Preview
By far the conference that I follow the closest is the Big Eight Conference which is a D1 conference which contains the Madison schools and surrounding suburbs. This is mostly because this is the closest D1 conference to where I live and year in and year out they have some of the best basketball in the state. In the past 10 years that I've followed high school ball and can name a handful of players from each school that have been considered some of the best players in the state of their time. It seems every team has had their time to shine with the exception of Janesville Parker and the one constant has been Madison Memorial winning conference. Back when eight teams went to state in D1 the Big Eight was nearly guaranteed to have two teams there. The question of every year is when will Memorial's rain end and for the past three years I thought we would see but, we still haven't. So without further a due here are my preseason Big Eight rankings and thoughts.
1. Madison East- Last year appeared to be the year East would dethrone Memorial but, East faultered late and Memorial peaked at the right time. In the end though East got the last laugh as they were the team that made state. They lose only one starter from last years team in DeShawn Burkes who was the team leader a year ago but, 6'3 senior point guard Deang Deang should be able to take over that role this year. East also finally has the height they've lacked in the past with 6'5 senior Courtland Cuevas, 6'5 sophomore Keshawn Justice, and 6'6 junior Steve Wooten who all prefer to play on the perimeter but, they give them length and size to rebound. 5'10 senior Tre'vone Irby and 6'0 junior Kenny Jones give them solid front court depth.
2. Madison Memorial- In my mind this team may of fallen all the way down to fourth in the conference had they not received the transfer of 6'7 junior Chris Knight from Deforest. Memorial brings back only one starter in 6'6 junior Jake Ferguson but, they have a very talented junior class that saw a decent amount of action a year ago off the bench. Despite have a strong junior class they didn't have that big time go to player but, with Knight they just might have that. 6'7 junior Matt Caropreso is a returner that can give them a very big front line if he starts with Knight and Ferguson. 6'0 junior Billy Wilson, 5'10 junior Logan Knecht, and 6'0 senior Jason Weah all saw minutes off the bench a year ago. I would expect Wilson and Knecht to do most of the ball handling and Weah to be the defensive stopper you can guard anyone on the court whether it be a big or a guard.
3. Middleton- I think this will really be a three team race with Middleton being the third team. They play a ton of guys so they return a lot of players that saw a lot of solid minutes last year including five of their top six players from last years team. They also have strong junior class which should lead to some very good battles with Memorial the next two years. With a Middleton team you know that they are going to play extremely hard tell the game ends. 6'3 junior Tyree Eady is poised for a monster year in my mind as he is a returning second team all conference and they have a pair of very good 5'11 junior guards in CJ Fermanich and Storm Murphy. Fermanich is very heady player that does all the little things and is a three year varsity player while Murphy is a big time scorer in his own right and despite his size he can get his shot off at any time.
4. Sun Prairie- This team will probably live and die with 6'1 senior point guard Sam Kerr. Last year Kerr only started after Noskowiak missed all his time last year and Kerr ended up being the teams leading scorer. I love Kerr's game and he can score big time or can distribute to his team mates. To help Kerr out they need 6'6 senior Rod Johnson to step up. Last year Johnson was asked to come in and just knock down outside shots but, this year they will need more and I think he has it in him. 6'5 senior DeShawn Black, 6'3 junior Ben Hauser, and 6'6 junior Nate Verstegen are also returners that saw some time in the starting lineup last year.
5. Janesville Craig- After tying for last a year ago this might be the biggest mover of the year. I never saw them play last year but, have heard some very good things and they seemed to peak at the end of last year which should learn to some good things this year. Junior point guard 5'10 San'Trell Payton was a second teamer last year and they have some tremendous size in 6'9 junior Adam Anhold and 6'11 senior Riley Jensen. After taking a quick look it appears that they have size in Anhold and I don't know anything about Jensen other then he's 6'11 as he didn't score in their first game of the year and doesn't show any stats from last year.
6. Verona- I really like coach Buss and think he gets the most out of his players even when the talent may not always be there. They bring back three starters from a fifth place finish a year ago, led by 6'4 senior Cole Schmitz who averaged 14 points a game a year ago and was second team all conference.
7. Madison West- Didn't see them a year ago and really don't know much but, they bring back five starters none of which averaged double digits from a team that finished 6-12 in conference a year ago.
8. Beloit- Another team I really didn't see a year ago. 5'10 junior Drew Freitag is a three year varsity player but, think they will really miss Kyan Pleasant who led them in scoring and rebounding a year ago. Thinking back I did see them once play at Just a Game here in the Dells but, other then Pleasant I hardly remember anyone.
9. Madison La Follette- Lots of unknowns here. The Darold Thomas era is over and double digit scorers Quinten Shere and Cortez McCree are gone. Coach Robinson will probably get the most out of his team with hustle and threes but, not sure there is much left for scoring on this team at least guys that can get their own basket.
10. Janesville Parker- In all my years I don't think I watched a Parker team play and that is because they are usually towards the bottom of the conference and it has been pretty rare that they ever finish at the top.
Predicted Standings Big Eight Records
Madison East 15-3
Madison Memorial 13-5
Middleton 13-5
Sun Prairie 12-6
Janesville Craig 11-7
Verona 9-9
Madison West 7-11
Beloit 4-14
Madison La Follette 3-15
Janesville Parker 2-16
Looking at the run down it appears that just like the rest of the state that the junior class is incredibly strong in the Big Eight. After running down the teams I see that the conference is incredibly deep and every team in the top seven has some very strong positives and could challenge anyone else in the conference on any given night. Top to bottom this might be one of the strongest conferences in the state. That being said there probably isn't a state champion contender but, the lower teams are pretty tough and if they were in another conference would probably finish much higher. Thursday night my season will start with a tough one right off the bat in Madison East verse Madison Memorial, my top two teams.
1. Madison East- Last year appeared to be the year East would dethrone Memorial but, East faultered late and Memorial peaked at the right time. In the end though East got the last laugh as they were the team that made state. They lose only one starter from last years team in DeShawn Burkes who was the team leader a year ago but, 6'3 senior point guard Deang Deang should be able to take over that role this year. East also finally has the height they've lacked in the past with 6'5 senior Courtland Cuevas, 6'5 sophomore Keshawn Justice, and 6'6 junior Steve Wooten who all prefer to play on the perimeter but, they give them length and size to rebound. 5'10 senior Tre'vone Irby and 6'0 junior Kenny Jones give them solid front court depth.
2. Madison Memorial- In my mind this team may of fallen all the way down to fourth in the conference had they not received the transfer of 6'7 junior Chris Knight from Deforest. Memorial brings back only one starter in 6'6 junior Jake Ferguson but, they have a very talented junior class that saw a decent amount of action a year ago off the bench. Despite have a strong junior class they didn't have that big time go to player but, with Knight they just might have that. 6'7 junior Matt Caropreso is a returner that can give them a very big front line if he starts with Knight and Ferguson. 6'0 junior Billy Wilson, 5'10 junior Logan Knecht, and 6'0 senior Jason Weah all saw minutes off the bench a year ago. I would expect Wilson and Knecht to do most of the ball handling and Weah to be the defensive stopper you can guard anyone on the court whether it be a big or a guard.
3. Middleton- I think this will really be a three team race with Middleton being the third team. They play a ton of guys so they return a lot of players that saw a lot of solid minutes last year including five of their top six players from last years team. They also have strong junior class which should lead to some very good battles with Memorial the next two years. With a Middleton team you know that they are going to play extremely hard tell the game ends. 6'3 junior Tyree Eady is poised for a monster year in my mind as he is a returning second team all conference and they have a pair of very good 5'11 junior guards in CJ Fermanich and Storm Murphy. Fermanich is very heady player that does all the little things and is a three year varsity player while Murphy is a big time scorer in his own right and despite his size he can get his shot off at any time.
4. Sun Prairie- This team will probably live and die with 6'1 senior point guard Sam Kerr. Last year Kerr only started after Noskowiak missed all his time last year and Kerr ended up being the teams leading scorer. I love Kerr's game and he can score big time or can distribute to his team mates. To help Kerr out they need 6'6 senior Rod Johnson to step up. Last year Johnson was asked to come in and just knock down outside shots but, this year they will need more and I think he has it in him. 6'5 senior DeShawn Black, 6'3 junior Ben Hauser, and 6'6 junior Nate Verstegen are also returners that saw some time in the starting lineup last year.
5. Janesville Craig- After tying for last a year ago this might be the biggest mover of the year. I never saw them play last year but, have heard some very good things and they seemed to peak at the end of last year which should learn to some good things this year. Junior point guard 5'10 San'Trell Payton was a second teamer last year and they have some tremendous size in 6'9 junior Adam Anhold and 6'11 senior Riley Jensen. After taking a quick look it appears that they have size in Anhold and I don't know anything about Jensen other then he's 6'11 as he didn't score in their first game of the year and doesn't show any stats from last year.
6. Verona- I really like coach Buss and think he gets the most out of his players even when the talent may not always be there. They bring back three starters from a fifth place finish a year ago, led by 6'4 senior Cole Schmitz who averaged 14 points a game a year ago and was second team all conference.
7. Madison West- Didn't see them a year ago and really don't know much but, they bring back five starters none of which averaged double digits from a team that finished 6-12 in conference a year ago.
8. Beloit- Another team I really didn't see a year ago. 5'10 junior Drew Freitag is a three year varsity player but, think they will really miss Kyan Pleasant who led them in scoring and rebounding a year ago. Thinking back I did see them once play at Just a Game here in the Dells but, other then Pleasant I hardly remember anyone.
9. Madison La Follette- Lots of unknowns here. The Darold Thomas era is over and double digit scorers Quinten Shere and Cortez McCree are gone. Coach Robinson will probably get the most out of his team with hustle and threes but, not sure there is much left for scoring on this team at least guys that can get their own basket.
10. Janesville Parker- In all my years I don't think I watched a Parker team play and that is because they are usually towards the bottom of the conference and it has been pretty rare that they ever finish at the top.
Predicted Standings Big Eight Records
Madison East 15-3
Madison Memorial 13-5
Middleton 13-5
Sun Prairie 12-6
Janesville Craig 11-7
Verona 9-9
Madison West 7-11
Beloit 4-14
Madison La Follette 3-15
Janesville Parker 2-16
Looking at the run down it appears that just like the rest of the state that the junior class is incredibly strong in the Big Eight. After running down the teams I see that the conference is incredibly deep and every team in the top seven has some very strong positives and could challenge anyone else in the conference on any given night. Top to bottom this might be one of the strongest conferences in the state. That being said there probably isn't a state champion contender but, the lower teams are pretty tough and if they were in another conference would probably finish much higher. Thursday night my season will start with a tough one right off the bat in Madison East verse Madison Memorial, my top two teams.
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