Waunakee and Middleton get the Ws

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.