WBBY Shootout

Was a good day of basketball but, a very long day that took it's tole on me. It was also two days ago now so I will do my best to do a recap on the long day of basketball where I watched seven straight games and then two halves of two other games. Were some good games, some lopsided games, and some games that were just a little boring which is pretty rare for me to say about a high school game.

Martin Luther 79 Brookfield Academy 49
I got to this game just before half time and this game was basically over before it started. Brookfield Academy is an extremely young team and their big man 6'10 senior Alex Setzer didn't play in the game. Martin Luther really pushed the tempo and looked for their three point shooters after they pushed that tempo and they were hitting their threes.

Kettle Moraine Lutheran 66 St. Thomas More 58
Thinking back now I really don't remember much of this game Lutheran was their typical team with no real star and just a very solid top eight players that they could rotate in. 6'2 senior Joey Behm is one of the few seniors on the team and he made his presence known from the outside hitting threes. For St Thomas More their star 5'10 senior Jason Klatt could never get himself going and really forced a lot.

Beaver Dam 63 Wausau West 61 
I watched this game and I was still surprised that this game went to over time. Beaver Dam clearly was the better team in my eyes but, Wausau West played extremely hard and fought to the bitter end and could of just as well as won this game. I don't know much about Nate Lemmons the coach of West but, he really impressed me and really got his players to play extremely hard for him. I will be curious to watch West in coming years. For Beaver Dam 5'11 senior Garrett Nelson was the best player in the game but, late in the game he forced things a bit too much an was out of control at times.

Wauwatosa East 62 Whitefish Bay Dominican 49
Tosa East may of won the game but, I have more to say about Dominican. East doesn't have any stars just a ton of good players and they are very balanced. Dominican has really took a step back and will probably take a year under Coach Gosz before he can put his stamp on this team. 6'1 junior Gacoby Jones seems a little lost right now in the offense. Last year the point guard dominated the ball and his primary offense was to drive to the rim and finish or dish off to a team mate. This year Jones is playing off the ball a good amount of time and was taking a lot more jumpers from the outside then he did in the past. Domincan overall is a young team with very little experience.

Milwaukee Pius 57 La Crosse Central 56
I think everyone came to watch Badger recruit 6'5 senior Kobe King and Central play and everyone had to come away very impressed by Pius. King did his thing whenever he touched the ball and looked very impressive and 6'0 senior Baily Kale struggled in the first half but, got it going late to bring Central back into this game. Pius came out like gang busters off the bat and jumped Central and Central had to claw back all game long. Pius is long and athletic and can shoot the three very well. Pius's starting lineup consists of five guys between 6'3 and 6'6 and they all move very well and can shoot.

Brookfield Central 59 Homestead 41
This was one of the more boring games as Central jumped out early and Homestead never really threatened to come back at all. Central moved the ball extremely well and have a solid point guard in 5'9 sophomore Gage Malensek and 6'2 junior Andres Peralta-Werns was draining threes from the outside in route to 27 points. Homestead had no offense what so ever other then a few dump downs to their big man but, other then that they settled for outside jumpers that just weren't falling.

Oshkosh North 94 Milwaukee Riverside 84
In a battle of top five teams North really showed that they are the top team in the state right now. Riverside just had nothing of a consistent offensive basis other then their star 6'6 senior Terrence Lewis. Lewis was the most impressive player in the game as he had 29 points in the first half and finished with 43. Lewis was hitting everything from the outside and was able to score on the inside and just seemed to have a nose for the ball. For North it was really a three headed monster that got it done and each took their turn doing it. 6'2 senior Brett Ellestad came off the bench with a monster first half knocking down the three point shot and saved one highlight for the second half with a nice breakaway dunk. 6'5 senior Philip Flory took his turn early in the second half scoring in transition and knocking down some outside shots and 6'5 junior Tyrese Haliburton finished it off when Riverside had to extend their defense and Haliburton was able to drive to the rim and score at will it seemed.

Kaukauna 84 Whitnall 57
This was probably deemed the game of the day but, unfortunately this game didn't live up to it. Whitnall couldn't do anything at all and Badger recruit 6'5 junior Tyler Herro probably had one of the worst games of his life scoring nine points and zero in the second half. Their number two guy 6'6 Kevon Taylor didn't even look to shoot it seemed and he hit a pair of shots late in the game. One thing that made this game interesting though was that it was the Jordan McCabe show. The 6'0 junior put on a And One like performance and was playing to the crowd who was oohing and awing all game long and McCabe was loving every second of it and was playing to the crowd. McCabe did it all knocking down NBA threes, scoring in the lane, rebounding, and of course his passing with no looks and behind the backs.

Personal All Showcase Team (from Day 3 anyway)
1st team
Jordan McCabe 6'0 junior Kaukauna
Terrence Lewis 6'6 senior Milwaukee Riverside
Kobe King 6'4 senior La Crosse Central
Garrett Nelson 5'11 senior Beaver Dam
Bailey Kale 6'0 senior La Crosse Central

2nd Team
Tyrese Haliburton 6'5 junior Oshkosh North
Michael Pitrof 6'3 senior Milwaukee Pius
Brett Ellestad 6'2 senior Oshkosh North
Andres Peralta-Werns 6'2 junior Brookfield Central
Carlos Curtis 6'3 junior Milwaukee Riverside

3rd Team
Victor Nwagbaraocha 6'4 senior Milwaukee Pius
Philip Flory 6'5 senior Oshkosh North
Joey Behm 6'2 senior Kettle Moraine Lutheran
Tommy Borta 6'7 senior Wausau West
Gage Malensek 5'9 sophomore Brookfield Central

This tournament always has some great story lines and this one was no different. D2 was the biggest story with Lax Central handling Kaukauna and then going and getting beat by Pius, while Kaukauna dominated Whitnall. Oshkosh North showed their dominance which a huge win over Riverside as did Ripon winning both of their games. Potentially their may of been three state champions here and maybe even four if you count the Prairie School who I didn't get an opportunity to watch.

Week 5 Rankings

Well another week is in the books so time for another round of my weekly rankings. Wasn't a ton of games this past week with the holiday but, this coming week should provide some changes with multiple big name teams playing each other in the holiday tournaments.

Division One
Vincent lost to a team from Indiana but, again I never hold that against teams as we truly don't know anything about the out of state teams. Madison Memorial lost to Janesville Craig who had been ranked earlier in the year but, still drop to 10 being their second loss. Riverside also lost to a team from Indiana so we really won't count that one. Racine Park lost to Racine Case and drop just behind Memorial at 11. Mukwonago lost to Waukesha West which is a bad loss but, they had recently beaten Muskego so they stay at 12. Sun Prairie lost to Madison West and fell out of the rankings and allowing me to get rid of the 15a and b.

1. Oshkosh North
2. Milwaukee Vincent
3. Middleton
4. Milwaukee Riverside
5. Kimberly 
6. Stevens Point
7. Brookfield Central
8. Arrowhead
9. Menomonee Falls
10. Madison Memorial
11. Racine Park
12. Mukwonago
13. Muskego
14. Bay Port
15. De Pere

Division Two
Kaukauna lost to Appleton West which isn't terrible but, with all the tough teams they drop to seven. West De Pere lost to Green Bay Southwest and fall to 15. Eisenhower lost to Milwaukee Pius and Pewaukee and drop from the rankings and are replaced by Pius.

1. La Crosse Central
2. Cedarburg
3. Waunakee 
4. Whitnall
5. La Crosse Logan
6. Stoughton
7. Kaukauna
8. Pewaukee
9. Onalaska
10. Milwaukee Washington
11. Beaver Dam
12. Milwaukee Pius
13. Wisconsin Lutheran
14. Wauwatosa West
15. West De Pere

Division Three
Prairie du Chien lost to a top D2 team in Onalaska which dropped them to seven with all the undefeated teams at the top. Evansville was upset by Oregon and drop to 13. Southern Door lost to Sturgeon Bay and I just couldnt' see dropping them below the Dells so they stay at 14.

1. Ripon
2. Xavier
3. Lake Mills
4. Prescott
5. Waupun
6. Columbus
7. Prairie du Chien
8. Beloit Turner
9. GET
10. Dominican
11. Valders
12. Westby
13. Evansville
14. Southern Door
15. Wisconsin Dells

Division Four
Melrose Mindoro lost to Cochrane-Fountain City so felt that I had to drop them behind Cochrane at 12. Marathon lost to Auburndale and fall to 14. Lourdes lost to Markesan and fell out of the rankings and are replaced by Edgar at 15.

1. Darlington
2. Laconia
3. Destiny
4. The Prairie School
5. Shiocton
6. Markesan
7. Kenosha St Joseph
8. Eau Claire Regis
9. Stanley-Boyd
10. Howards Grove
11. Cochrane-Fountain City
12. Melrose Mondoro
13. Wabeno/Laona
14. Marathon
15. Edgar

Division Five
Sheboygan Christian was the only team that lost dropping a game to Hilbert and are replaced by Phelps at 15.

1. Columbus Catholic
2. Barneveld
3. Shullsburg
4. Hilbert
5. Bangor
6. Seneca
7. Loyal
8. McDonnell Central
9. Assumption
10. Alma/Pepin
11. Almond Bancroft
12. Gresham
13. Pecatonica
14. Port Edwards
15. Phelps

Madison West upsets Sun Prairie

In another attempt to just get some more games under my belt I went to Sun Prairie basically to catch a game in my mind. Sun Prairie was a team currently ranked in the top 10 in the state and Madison West was 2-6 so I was expecting blow out, and it was anything but that and was surprised with West coming up with the win. I expected to see a West team that was full of athletes and was deep but, lacked disciplined and didn't play together and would underachieve. Shockingly West doesn't have all that talent and they really rely on their top two players in seniors 6'2 Terrell Carey and 5'9 Simeon Parker. On the Sun Prairie side they really lacked any scoring and turned the ball over and that may of been because their top scorer 6'4 junior Marlon Ruffin really struggled and 6'1 senior point guard Sean Suchomel was in foul trouble much of the night.

For about the first two thirds of the game all the calls went to Sun Prairie and I found myself even questioning some of the fouls on West and typically I side with the ref. West is a pretty aggressive in your face team so fouls are going to happen but, a blocking call on Carey I didn't agree with and I questioned a technical called on another West player which I guess could of been something he said as he really did nothing at all that I could tell. Ref also called a timeout once to basically tell a West player to keep his mouth shut. In the first half Ruffin couldn't do anything which may of been due to the defense of Carey who was very physical with Ruffin and took him out of his element. Thankfully for Sun Prairie junior 6'2 Caden White had a nice first half carry the offense before Carey picked up two fouls and couldn't guard Ruffin anymore. In the final three minutes Ruffin took advantage scoring seven straight points. For West the outside shooting was horrible and they couldn't hit everything and they really relied on Carey's drive to the hoop like a freight train and many times it took him two shots. Sun Prairie led at half 27 to 23.

Things stayed fairly consistent in the second half with neither team playing great basketball and Sun Prairie keeping their lead. Then about the 10 minute mark all heck broke loose and the switch was flipped as West pressured Sun Prairie into turnover after turnover and they started to get back into the game and then took the lead and never looked back. Second half it was really the Simeon Parker show as no one could stay in front of him and he got to the hoop multiple times finishing with floaters in the lane or find Carey and company wide open under the hoop. In the end Sun Prairie just wasn't able to hit the outside shot and the West pressure was too much. Sun Prairie also struggled keeping West off the glass as time and again West got offensive rebounds even on missed free throws which just can not happen. West actually ended up running away with it 66-51 in the end.

Top Players
Terrell Carey 6'2 senior Madison West- Madison ESPN radio finished with 27 points and 23 rebounds. Don't need to say any more. Carey is just a beast on the court. He may not be the greatest basketball player but, he's probably one of the strongest and definitely going to work the hardest. With West's lack of height needs to dominate the glass. Couldn't make an outside shot to save his life but, Sun Prairie couldn't stop him from getting in the lane and scoring around the basket and if there was a rebound to be had on either end of the court he was going to make it.

Simeon Parker 5'9 senior Madison West- Really the first time I've seen Parker play extended minutes and I was super impressed. I really wish he was about 6'0 to 6'2 though. If he was he would be a monster college recruit and would be getting a lot of hype. Has a tremendous stop and go move with the ball in his hand and despite his height when he goes to the rim on the left side he's going to score. Outside shot was off but, that didn't matter and he's was able to score one on one at any time. Also showed some nice hoops going to the rim and trying to block shots.

Marlon Ruffin 6'4 junior Sun Prairie- Has really grown into his body now and looks like a legit 6'4. Pretty smooth finesse player that likes to make his one move and go. Not a great ball handler but, a really good athlete that uses his long strides to get past the defender and score at the rim. Had a nice drive where he drove from the left elbow came back to the right side and finished with a nice little dunk.

Box Score 
West 66- Carey 27 Parker 19 Xavier Miller 7 Keishawn Shanklin 6 Casey Bradt 5 Jaden Stephens 2 Jared Manke 0 
SP 51- Ruffin 15 White 10 Suchomel 9 Marty Strey 6 Cooper Nelson 4 Colin Schaefer 3 Mitch Schroeder 2 Alec Schaefer 2 Jack Zander 0 Santana Bernard 0

Some final thoughts West has two very good players and will go as far as those two will take and with those two they will beat some teams they shouldn't in conference but, in all likely hood will be towards bottom of the conference. For Sun Prairie I just don't know. Watching them they were not a top 10 team but, they had three guys not suited up for whatever reasons and then 6'5 senior Nate Verstegen was no where to be seen and he's a four year varsity guy. They will probably finish top half of the conference but, honestly won't be a real playoff threat.

Wisconsin Dells over Marshall

I was determined to get to a game tonight so I took in the closest game to me and one of the few games being played in my home town Wisconsin Dells. Dells had a pretty decent record and they were playing Marshall who has had a pretty strong tradition so I figured what the heck, close and should be a solid game.

I have to be honest the Wisconsin Dells team really surprised me. They seem to have a lot more height then the last couple days and have a lot of long lanky guys that are around 6'3 or so. This was a pretty physical game throughout as both teams did their fair share of pushing and grabbing which led to both teams finding themselves in foul trouble in the first half and then again in the second half. Early on both teams looked to run and Marshall took the lead behind some hot shooting from 5'11 junior Reece Leistikow who hit a pair of early threes. Later in the half Marshall got their points from the free throw line where they only shot about 50 percent while Dells started hitting the threes. I really think it was Marshall's lack of subbing that hurt them late as they couldn't keep up with the Dells players which led to wide open three after wide open three. Dells sharpshooter 6'3 junior Alex Weiss was unconscious hitting four straight threes at one point and the fifth shot rimmed out. Weiss even banked in a three at the buzzer leading to 22 points in the first half. The hot shooting led to a 48 to 36 lead at half.

In the second half Marshall went to a zone defense which slowed the Dells offense down and they kind of stalled for the first nine minutes of the second half. Even with the Dells offense stalling Marshall just couldn't get any momentum and never got the lead down to single digits and never really threaten the Dells too much. Leistikow forced some shots driving to the lane where he scored but, he seemed to struggle most of the night with the Dells length. The other issue for Marshall was that outside of Leistiko, 6'5 senior Adam Wehking was really the only other consistent scorer. Wehking did a nice job battling on the glass and scoring on put backs and post ups. Marshall really struggled feeding the post so Wehking had to just outwork guys to get his baskets on the glass. Freshmen 6'3 Tyler Chadwick seemed like another scoring threat but, he really struggled with his shot all night and could never get things going.

Wisconsin Dells finally did get things going the way you always do against the zone defense by getting the ball to the free throw line hitting three shots from around 15 foot and finding cutters when they got the ball to the low post. A pair of back to back and one's really sunk Marshalls chances and then were sealed when Leistikow fouled out with about three minutes left and then got a technical leading to Weiss hitting all four of his free throw shots.

Top Players
Alex Weiss 6'3 junior Wisconsin Dells- A sharpshooter from the outside. When he gets his feet set he's going to knock down the shot. Hit a huge bank in three at the first half buzzer and you knew it was his night.

Tanner Brandt 6'6 junior Wisconsin Dells- I really love this kid. Moves so well for a big kid and has a wide array of moves from 15 feet and in. Question his physicality and his defense but, his offense is a really developed. Hit a pair of 15 foot shots, drove the lane, and showed some nice touch on the hook shot.

Peyton Rohling 6'0 senior Wisconsin Dells- Just a solid point guard. Really leads the team and he did take some questionable shots but, he's the only guy on the Dells that could really create his own shot at least off the dribble.

Reece Leistikow 5'11 junior Marshall- Can tell he's a scorer by the way he plays. High energy kid and force things at times but, on this team he has to.

Adam Wehking 6'5 senior Marshall- You can tell he's a three year starter. Just a calming influence on the court. Seems to always be covering up for team mates on defense around the rim, grabs all the rebounds, scores in the post, if he got better feeds, and has added an outside shot this year.

Box Score
WD 76- Weiss 26 Brandt 19 Rohling 11 Colin Hirst 9 Matt Lutter 7 Jackson Sveum 4 Carter McCloskey 0 Jacob Pakos 0 Chase Slack 0
M 60- Zeistikow 21 Wehking 16 Chadwick 5 Nathan Hatzinger 5 Kelvin Opoku-Appoh 5 Adam Wildman 4 Blake Luzenski 3 Hunter Utz 1

Some final thoughts. Both these teams will probably have pretty good regular seasons and contend for their conference titles but, on the state level neither one will make a dent. Maybe a sectional run depending who they see but, not past that. Dells has a pretty nice starting five but, nothing off the bench so they could hurt them a bit and Marshall really only has three guys that are looking to score. So for both teams depth will be a concern.

Week 4 Rankings

Well here is another Sunday and once again I didn't get a chance to go to any games do to the weather. So here are my week 4 rankings which is turning out to be my only post currently. Next week my goal is to make at least one game.

Division One
Madison Memorial was upset by Madison East but, I couldn't see dropping Memorial behind Middleton so they dropped only to the three spot. Muskego lost to Mukwonago which was to be expected and drop just two spots to 14.

1. Oshkosh North
2. Milwaukee Vincent
3. Madison Memorial
4. Middleton
5. Milwaukee Riverside
6. Kimberly
7. Stevens Point
8. Racine Park
9. Brookfield Central
10. Arrowhead
11. Mukwonago
12. Sun Prairie
13. Menomonee Falls
14. Muskego
15a. Bay Port
15b. De Pere

Division Two
Wauwatosa West dropped a game to Eisenhower and felt obligated to drop them behind Eisenhower at 15.

1. Kaukauna
2. La Crosse Central
3. Cedarburg
4. Waunakee
5. Whitnall
6. La Crosse Logan
7. Stoughton
8. Pewaukee
9. Onalaska
10. Milwaukee Washington
11. Beaver Dam
12. Wisconsin Lutheran
13. West De Pere
14. New Berlin Eisenhower
15. Wauwatosa West

Division Three
Beloit Turner lost to Evansville which is a tough one but they fell to nine. GET lost to Onalaska a ranked D2 team which you can't fall them so they stay put at 10. Mauston lost to Holmen and Wisconsin Dells andEdgewood lost to Madison West knock both teams from the rankings and allowing Southern Door and Wisconsin Dells to jump into the rankings.

1. Ripon
2. Xavier
3. Prairie du Chien
4. Lake Mills
5. Prescott
6. Waupun
7. Evansville
8. Columbus
9. Beloit Turner
10. GET
11. Dominican
12. Valders
13. Westby
14. Southern Door
15. Wisconsin Dells

Divison Four
Phillips lost to Prentice and fall from the rankings and are replaced by Wabeno/Laona.

1. Darlington
2. Laconia
3. Destiny
4. The Prairie School
5. Melrose Mindoro
6. Shiocton
7. Markesan
8. Kenosha St Joe's 
9. Eau Claire Regis
10. Stanley-Boyd
11. Marathon
12. Howards Grove
13. Cochrane-Fountain City
14. Oshkosh Lourdes
15. Wabeno/Laona

Division Five
Sheboygan Christian lost to a ranked D4 team in Howards Grove so they hang on to the rankings but, barely at 15.

1. Columbus Catholic
2. Barneveld
3. Shullsburg
4. Hilbert
5. Bangor
6. Seneca
7. Loyal
8. McDonnell Central
9. Assumption
10. Alma/Pepin
11. Almond Bancroft
12. Gresham
13. Pecatonica
14. Port Edwards
15. Sheboygan Christian

Week 3 Rankings

Unfortunately there haven't been many good games in my area so I didn't see any games this past week and this next week I've got some things going on but, hopefully will get a game in Tuesday night and then Saturday depending how long my plans last for. Anyway today is Sunday and my last post was last weeks rankings and now the very next post will be more rankings. Seems like things have really been shaken up in the rankings so will see how things shook up. As I type this I haven't looked deep into the wins and loses but, seemed like a lot of top teams lost this past week.

Division One
Racine Park lost badly to Oak Creek which is bad lose and I dropped them to eight just behind Stevens Point who lost to Bay Port, which wasn't to bad and allowed Bay Port to jump into the rankings at 15. Vincent lost to a team from Minnesota Brooklyn Center but, I never hold out of state opponents against teams because how can you? Also I have no idea how good these teams are.De Pere lost a pair of games to Kimberly and Stevens Point which were both to be expected so they hung on to the rankings at 15b mostly because I meant to keep them in the rankings but, forgot and couldn't decide who to drop out. Craig lost to Middleton and Sun Prairie and fall from the rankings and are replaced by Sun Prairie at 13. Marquette lost to Menomonee Falls and fall from the rankings while Falls takes there spot at 14. Germantown lost to Wisconsin Lutheran and Homestead and fall from the rankings allowing an undefeated and state team a year ago in Muskego to get into the rankings.

1. Oshkosh North
2. Madison Memorial
3. Milwaukee Vincent
4. Middleton
5. Milwaukee Riverside
6. Kimberly
7. Stevens Point
8. Racine Park
9. Brookfield Central
10. Arrowhead
11. Mukwonago
12. Muskego
13. Sun Prairie
14. Menomonee Falls
15a. Bay Port
15b. De Pere

Division Two
Whitefish Bay took a another tough lose to West De Pere as did New Berlin Eisenhower who lost to Whitnall. So it came down to who lost to the better team and I decided Eisenhower so Whitefish Bay is out. Eisenhower did beat Brown Deer though and Brown Deer falls from the rankings because they were 15 and Lutheran jumps in at 13 having beat some good D1 schools. West De Pere was mistakenly put in D3 and are rightfully but, in two now.

1. Kaukauna 
2. La Crosse Central
3. Cedarburg
4. Waunakee
5. Whitnall
6. La Crosse Logan
7. Stoughton
8. Pewaukee
9. Wauwatosa West
10. Onalaska 
11. Milwaukee Washington
12. Beaver Dam
13. Wisconsin Lutheran
14. West De Pere
15. New Berlin Eisenhower

Division Three
Waupun lost to Cambelsport a bad lost but, a conference opponent, same can be said for Evansville who lost to McFarland. Waupun falls to seven and Evansville eight. Edgewood lost to Stoughton and Mt Horeb to pretty good D2 schools and fall to 15 hanging on in the rankings. With West De Pere getting put in correct division Westby is able to jump into the rankings.

1. Ripon
2. Xavier
3. Prairie du Chien
4. Lake Mills
5. Prescott
6. Beloit Turner
7. Waupun
8. Evansville
9. Columbus
10. GET
11. Dominican
12. Mauston
13.Valders
14. Westby
15. Madison Edgewood

Divison Four
Some tough games this week as Shiocton lost to a much bigger Sheboygan North, Markesan lost to Laconia which is to be expected, and Kenosha St Joe's lost to a very good and bigger Milwaukee Washington team dropping those three teams to seven, eight, and nine. Phillips lost to Hayward and Howards Grove lost to Oostburg dropping them to 12 and 13. Lourdes lost to Valley Christian but, hang on to the rankings at 15. St Marys Springs lost to Hope Christian and fall from the rankings and are replaced by Cochrane-Fountain City.

1. Darlington
2. Laconia
3. Destiny
4. The Prairie School
5. Melrose Mindoro
6. Shiocton
7. Markesan
8. Kenosha St Joe's
9. Eau Claire Regis
10. Stanley-Boyd
11. Marathon
12. Phillips
13. Howards Grove
14. Cochrane-Fountain City
15. Oshkosh Lourdes

Division Five
Sheboygan Christian lost to St Mary's Springs a good D4 team and drop just alittle to 12 while Port Edwards lost to Almond Bancroft a team ranked just a head of them and fall to 15.

1. Columbus Catholic
2. Barneveld
3. Shullsburg
4. Hilbert
5. Bangor
6. Seneca
7. Loyal
8. McDonnell Central
9. Assumption
10. Alma/Pepin
11. Almond Bancroft
12. Sheboygan Christian
13. Gresham
14. Pecatonica
15. Port Edwards

Week 2 Rankings

Well it's another Sunday so time for my new weekly rankings. There was some turnover as some of the top teams lost, so this may take me a little bit with all the changes at the top.

Division One
Middleton dropped a game to a very good Madison Memorial team, while Riverside lost to Milwaukee Marquette. Arrowhead lost to Wisconsin Lutheran. Fond du Lac dropped a pair of games to Menomonee Falls and Oshkosh West and fall from the rankings as did Madison East who lost to Sun Prairie and Janesville Craig. Mukwonago lost to Brookfield Central. Germantown lost to Milwaukee Hamilton.

1. Oshkosh North
2. Madison Memorial
3. Racine Park
4. Milwaukee Vincent
5. Stevens Point
6. Middleton
7. Milwaukee Riverside
8. Kimberly
9. De Pere
10. Janesville Craig
11. Brookfield Central
12. Milwaukee Marquette
13. Arrowhead
14. Mukwonago
15. Germantown

Division Two
No one dropped out  but, where some changes. Onalaska lost to Chippewa Falls, which is a bad lose and fall to 11. Eisenhower lost to Muskego and fall to 14. Whitefish Bay lost to Cedarburg which is to be expected so they fall just a little to 10 while,  Brown Deer lost to Riverside and drop to 15.

1. Kaukauna 
2. La Crosse Central
3. Cedarburg
4. Waunakee
5. Whitnall
6. La Crosse Logan
7. Stoughton
8. Pewaukee
9. Wauwatosa West
10. Whitefish Bay
11. Onalaska
12. Milwaukee Washington
13. Beaver Dam
14. New Berlin Eisenhower
15. Brown Deer

Division Three
Dominican had a tough start to the year and lost to Roncalli, Pewaukee, and Milwaukee Vincent so they are a tough one to rank and I decided to drop them to 13 to keep them in the rankings. Valders lost to West De Pere, allowing West De Pere into the rankings and Valders dropping to 15. Mauston was killed by Lake Mills which is to be expected so they dropped to 14. Marshall lost to Whitewater and Poynette and fell out of the rankings.

1. Ripon
2. Waupun
3. Xavier
4. Prairie du Chien
5. Lake Mills
6. Prescott
7. Evansville
8. Beloit Turner
9. Columbus
10. Edgewood
11. GET
12. West De Pere
13. Dominican
14. Mauston
15. Valders

Division Four
Destiny lost to Milwaukee Pius and The Prairie School lost to Appleton Xavier both teams that would of beaten anyone in D4 so I dropped them just to four and five. Eau Claire Regis lost to Bloomer and Lourdes lost to Laconia dropping them to 11 and 12. Marathon lost to Mosinee and St Marys Springs lost to Shiocton dropping both teams to 14 and 15 just behind Stanley-Boyd who jump into the rankings having defeated D5 power McDonnell Central, while Winnebago Lutheran lost to Sheboygan Falls and St Mary's Springs and fell from the rankings.

1. Darlington
2. Laconia
3. Shiocton
4. Destiny
5. The Prairie School
6. Markesan
7. Kenosha St Joe's 
8. Melrose Mindoro
9. Phillips
10. Howardes Grove
11. Eau Claire Regis
12. Oshkosh Lourdes
13. Stanley-Boyd
14. Marathon
15. St. Marys Springs

Division Five
McDonnell Central lost to Prescott and Stanley-Boyd both very good teams so Central drops only to 9. Loyal lost to a ranked D3 team in GET and stay ahead of Central at seven. Gresham lost to Algoma and Pecatonica lost to Cuba City dropping both teams to 14 and 15.

1. Columbus Catholic
2. Barneveld 
3. Shullsburg
4. Hilbert
5. Bangor
6. Seneca
7. Loyal
8. McDonell Central
9. Sheboygan Christian
10. Assumption
11. Alma/Pepin
12. Almond Bancroft
13. Port Edwards
14. Gresham
15. Pecatonica

Madison Memorial edges out Middleton

In a battle of top five teams in the state Memorial out lasted Middleton in a high energy game and I think they players felt that energy which led to some so so shooting throughout for both teams. I think some of the players were just a little to hyped up and being that this was the first and second game of the season for each of the teams, which was probably a factor as well. I've always thought that Memorial would be a tough place to play for the visitor and tonight was just another game to validate that.

Couple things that came out of this game is Middleton is probably not a #1 team that I had them ranked in the preseason at least not at this time. I also think that Middleton will get their and continue to improve. Memorial is not like their explosive high flying teams of the past and will have to grind out some games with their size and defense on the front line.

Three point shooting, defense, and rebounding played the biggest roll in the game tonight. Middleton shot absolutely terrible front the outside overall specifically their three star seniors 5'11 Storm Murphy, 6'5 Tyree Eady, and 6'0 CJ Fermanich. Not one of the big three hit a three point shot and none of them played real well overall with the exception of Murphy's drives to the hoop. Middleton did hit five threes in the game as Myron Ashord 6'1 senior hit three monster threes in the second half and 6'3 junior Davis Roquet hit back to back threes in the first half but, I would guess Middleton shot at least 25 threes in the game. On the other side, Memorial only took three, threes by my count and went 0-3. Point I'm making is Middleton relies on the three while Memorial does not and Middleton was not making them. When looking at the defense I would give another plus to Memorial as their size really caused some issues with their huge front line of seniors with 6'6 Jake Ferguson, 6'7 Matt Caropreso, and 6'8 Chris Knight. Those three big guys really clogged things up on the inside for anyone not named Storm Murphy and Knight had a pair of back to back blocks late in the second half when Middleton was making a come back. Memorial also switched up their defense a lot as they have often the last few years playing a tough man to man and then employing the 1-3-1 with Ferguson out top. Speaking of Ferguson he had the first dunk of the year with a run of the mill two handed break away dunk. For Middleton their defense was just a little two aggressive playing up on Memorial which allowed the Memorial players to make a quick first step and get to the rim or make a hard cut to the rim without the ball. Rebounding was the age old story Memorial dominated the glass head lined by Caropreso who is a tireless working on the glass getting offensive rebounds and put backs.

This game was really back and forth with Memorial holding the lead throughout but, Middleton kept the game within five most of the night. At half Memorial was up one and then Murphy missed the three at the buzzer with a chance to tie the game. In the second half Knight got things going as Middleton really only had one guy that good guard him in 6'5 senior Jack Smith and any time Smith went out of the game it seemed Knight would score. In the end though I really came away with the story line of Middleton's poor outside shooting not to say Middleton gave them the game and that they were the better team because Memorial did their thing rebounding and limiting inside shots.

Top Players 
Chris Knight 6'8 senior Memorial- Not a monster night for him by any means but, he did a nice job rebounding throughout and the highlights of the night was probably his back to back blocks. Did a nice job of making his free throws in the second half to seal the game.

Matt Caropreso 6'7 senior Memorial- Just does the dirty work for Memorial every game. Battles on the boards on both ends of the court and shows a nice little post game from time to time.

Storm Murphy 5'11 senior Middleton- Really an improved player from last year and he was great last year. Despite his size was able to finish around the rim over and around much taller defenders, finishing with both hands. Despite the poor shooting he handled the ball tremendously and didn't turn it over and probably missed out on a handful of assists due to missed shots and blocks.

Myron Ashford 6'1 senior Middleton- One of the few guys that shot the ball well. Hit three monster threes as well as a deep jumper in the second half to lead the Middleton comeback.

Box Score Starters Italics
Memorial 56- Knight 16 Ferguson 11 Caropreso 10 Billy Wilson 6 Ian Brown 6 Robert Bennett 5 Logan Knecht 2 Chase Danielson 0
Middleton 53- Murphy 14 Ashford 11 Eady 10 Roquet 8 Smith 6 Fermanich 2 Ben Jackson 2 Parker Sigmon 0 Alan Roden 0 Brett Wipfi 0

Just some final thoughts. I think these two teams are the cream of the crop in the Big Eight and the second match up will have some conference title implications in the balance. Middleton will shake this game off and could very well win out in the conference as Memorial will probably do the same. At the end of the day these two teams are both top 10 minimum if not top five teams in the state.

Week 1 Rankings

Well not much has happened with the week really only starting on Tuesday and Thursday being a holiday but, I decided to update my rankings on a weekly calender basis because it will be easier to look at a small amount of games rather then a large number where there could be lots of changes. Add in that a large number of teams haven't even played a game yet this year but, that will just make it easier to do rankings.

Division One
Only team that lost was Janesville Craig who lost to a good D3 Edgwood team. Not great but, still a good team so I decided to not drop them from the rankings but, have them fall down to 15.

1. Middleton
2. Milwaukee Riverside
3. Oshkosh North
4. Madison Memorial
5. Racine Park
6. Milwaukee Vincent
7. Stevens Point
8. Arrowhead
9. Fond du Lac
10. Kimberly
11. Madison East
12. Mukwonago
13. Germantown
14. De Pere
15. Janesville Craig

Division Two
Whitnall lost to a very good Destiny team that will probably beat some very good bigger schools. Milwaukee Washington lost to New Berline Eisenhower which dropped Washington just behind Eisenhower. Pewaukee lost to a very good Milwaukee Vincent team so they don't drop too far while Pulaski lost badly to Beaver Dam causing them to fall from the rankings and getting replaced by Beaver Dam. Brown Deer lost a close game to Milwaukee Riverside so can't really fault them on that and they sit tight at 13.

1. Kaukauna
2. La Crosse Central
3. Cedarburg
4. Waunakee
5. Onalaska
6. Whitnall
7. La Crosse Logan
8. Stoughton
9. Whitefish Bay
10. Pewaukee
11. Wauwatosa West
12. New Berlin Eisenhower
13. Brown Deer
14. Milwaukee Washington
15. Beaver Dam

Division Three
Nothing changed as no one lost.

1. Ripon
2. Waupun
3. Dominican
4. Xavier
5. Prairie du Chien
6. Lake Mills
7. Prescott
8. Evansville
9. Valders
10. Beloit Turner
11. Columbus
12. Mauston
13. Edgewood
14. Marshall
15. GET

Division Four
Winnebago Lutheran was the only team that lost and was even one of the few that played a game. They lost to a very good ranked Valders team so they still remain in the rankings.

1. Darlington
2. Destiny
3. Prairie School
4. Eau Claire Regis
5. Laconia
6. Shiocton
7. Oshkosh Lourdes
8. Markesan
9. Kenosha St Joes
10. Melrose-Mindoro
11. Phillips
12. Marathon
13. Howards Grove
14. St Mary's Springs
15. Winnebago Lutheran

Division Five
Assumption lost to #2 ranked Columbus Catholic which is to be expected. Sheboygan Lutheran lost to New Holstein. Randolph lost a pair of games to Merrill and Wisconsin Rapids neither are great teams but, they are btoh much larger schools. Almond Bancroft and Port Edwards replaced them in the rankings.

1. McDonell Central
2. Columbus Catholic
3. Barneveld
4. Sullsburg
5. Loyal
6. Gresham
7. Hilbert
8. Bangor
9. Pecatonica
10. Seneca
11. Sheboygan Christian
12. Assumption
13. Alma/Pepin
14. Almond Bancroft
15. Port Edwards

JAG Thanksgiving Showcase

Got my first games on the year in today. Wasn't the greatest games but, checked out the JAG Showcase just because it was close and Middleton was playing which made it ok. Didn't realize it before hand but, this morning I checked out last years standings and realized that three of the six teams finished towards the bottom of their conferences and were picked to do so again this year but, I was already committed to going and didn't want to drive anywhere else.

Middleton 74 Oak Creek 54
Oak Creek played with Middleton early on but, the depth and speed of Middleton wore them down before Middleton was able to pull away. In the first half it was the Storm Murphy show. The 5'11 senior guard appears to be improved from last year which is saying something. Murphy completely controlled the game on the offensive end and did a much better job of not getting out of control which he did a lot last year. I counted maybe one time where Murphy was actually out of control but, he was bailed out with a foul. In the second half it was the Tyree Eady show. The 6'5 senior was able to really get out in transition in the second half and push the tempo as Oak Creek turned the ball over time and again. Oak Creek just really didn't have the point guard like Middleton did. OC struggled to get the offense in to a half court set and when they did just rushed things too much. The only calming factor was their star 6'6 senior Drew Yetka who hit numerous three point shots in the game and did a great job of not forcing things and letting the game come to him. In the end the team with the most athletes won this one.

Top Scorers
M- Tyree Eady 32 Storm Murphy 25 CJ Fermanich 9
OC- Drew Yetka 24 Jakup Sinani 9 Bobby Smith 7

Merrill 57 Menasha 53
There just wasn't the talent that we had in the first game but. both these teams played very hard even though it wasn't the most impressive basketball at times. Menasha just didn't have enough scorers and the only guy that could really score was 6'3 junior Alex Zeinert who wasn't anything impressive but, he battled on the inside and was able to hit the spot up three point shot. Menasha really struggled from the outside and couldn't get the ball into the inside on a consistent basis. Merrill started to pull away in the second half but, Menasha went to a zone defense and slowed things down a bit. Merrill didn't shoot great themselves but, they got some timely shooting late from their guards 5'11 sophomore Quinn Steckbauer and 6'2 junior Zack Mootz.

Top Scorers 
Mer- Zack Mootz 18 Jared Ollhoff 12 Quinn Steckbauer 11
Men- Alex Zeinert 29 Gage Dewhurst 11 two with 4

Wisconsin Rapids 48 Randolph 44
Think I got the score right as I didn't write it down and just added up the scorers. Game really wasn't that close though because Randolph hit some threes late to make it closer. Rapids was just bigger overall and that was the story and Randolph couldn't hit an outside shot. Randolph did a nice job of getting the ball in the post but, couldn't score much over the bigger Rapids defenders. Rapids struggled to shoot themselves but, they were patient in the second half and really worked the ball around before finding the best shot.

Top Scorers
WR- Isaiah Westfall 16 Zach Langemeier 14 Brett Hanson 7
R- Sawyer Westra 14 Xander Herpel 11 Jake Roberts 8

I know my quick write ups weren't the greatest but, to be honest the games played weren't the greatest. I also didn't mention the top players because Most of the top players I mentioned already and thinking back on it their wasn't a lot of guys I would consider mentioning. You could definitely tell that this was the first week of play.

Division Five Preseason

Well the last division to do my preseason rankings is D5 of course so here it is. I feel like I know five alittle more then four but, I still don't know it that well and I'll be honest about it.

1. McDonell Central- Defending state champs bring back four starters and have a starting front court of 6'7, 6'6, and 6'6 all three averaged double digit's in points. Then need to replace their top outside shooter but, I think the height will make up for it.

2. Columbus Catholic- 21 and 4 a year ago and they bring back their top two scorers in seniors 5'11 Hunter Schultz and 6'2 Tyler Fuerlinger, who each averaged 18 a game last year. 5'11 junior Nick Malovrh came off the bench a year ago to average 11 points.

3. Barneveld- State team a year ago and they have four starters back including 6'0 senior Matthew Myers who averaged 18 points a game a year ago.

4. Shullsburg- Five starters back from a 20 win team and they have some size in their starting lineup wiht 6'9, 6'5, 6'4, and 6'3. Three of those starters average 10 plus points a game.

5. Loyal- 18 win team a year ago and they bring back their three top scorers. 6'3 senior Cameron Brussow 22 ppg, 5'11 senior Riley Geiger 18 ppg, and 5'10 junior Luke Bogdonovich 11 ppg.

6. Gresham- They've had a great record the past two or three years and won 21 games a year ago. All five starters are back led by 6'2 senior Neal Cerveny who averaged 27 points per game a year ago.

7. Hilbert- Another team with five starters back and three of those starters averaged double digits in scoring.

8. Assumption- Four starters are back from a very good team. Have a pair of starters that averaged double digit in scoring.

9. Bangor- They have two big time scoring juniors back in 6'0 Luke Reader and 6'0 Drew Johnson. Those two headline a strong junior class.

10. Pecatonica- Won 18 games a year ago and have AJ Hendrickson back a 6'4 senior scoring machine and a double double guy.

11. Seneca- Have an extremely strong tradition as of recent. 6'5 senior Nick Payne is a double double guy.

12. Sheboygan Lutheran- Three double digit scorers are back for them.

13. Sheboygan Christian- Top two scorers are back and they both averaged 15 plus points.

14. Randolph- It's tough to do D5 rankings and not have Randolph listed somewhere even though they are no where near where they used to be. They've also lost a pair of games already this year.

15. Alma/Pepin- Have 6'2 senior Caiden Haake who is a double double machine at 23 and 11 a year ago along with 6'1 senior Ben Mueller.

Division Four Preseason

In the past you could simply write Dominican as the top team in D4 but, this year will be different with Dominican being push up to D3. This should finally be the year that a public school will win D4 but, you do have Destiny out there waiting in the wings. Destiny isn't a typical private school but, I believe they are a charter school or at least a small school located in a very large city.Here are D4 and I will be honest that I'm going to rely heavily on the yearbook as I don't typically follow the small schools as closely.

1. Darlington- Bring back everyone from an extremely talent team that won 20 games. Darlington has been just behind Dominican the last few years so they should be the team to beat with Dominican moving up. Have a very solid senior class.

2. Destiny- Have a ton of talent and athleticism. Have a starting lineup of 6'8, 6'7, and 6'6 and there probably isn't anyone in D4 that can match up with that.

3. Prairie School- Have four starters back from a team that won 16 games and are led by a D1 college talent in 6'4 junior JC Butler who has the pedigree of his father Caron who played in the NBA.

4.Eau Claire Regis- Outstanding tradition and outstanding coach. Have good overall team height and a very strong senior class with four starters back.

5. Laconia- Five starters back and they are moving down from D3 to D4. Have 6'2 senior Drew Grennick who averaged nearly 20 a game a year ago.

6. Shiocton- Four starers back led by 6'2 senior Nathan Schmidt who averaged 24 a game last year. Won 17 games a year ago.

7. Oshkosh Lourdes- Four starters back led by senior 6'1 Evan Ganther who averaged 20 points a game a year ago.

8. Markesan- 24 and 1 a year ago and bring back two big time scoring juniors in 6'0 Brayden Bernhagen and 6'1 Carson Clark.

9. Kenosha St Joes- Big time scorer 6'2 senior DeAndre Johns leads the way dropping 22 a game.

10. Melrose-Mindoro- Went 24 and 1 last year. Lost a lot but, 6'1 senior guard Erik Christoperson is one of the best in D4.

11. Phillips- Lost a lot but, 6'3 senior Cade Rose is a big time scorer and rebounder.

12. Marathon- They've become a tradition power in D4 and the yearbook has them high but, other then that I don't see much. Yes they were 22-4 last year but, they lost four starters.

13. Howards Grove- Complete yearbook pick here as I don't know a thing about them and not that impressed from what I could see.

14. Winnebago Lutheran- Had a pretty impressive year last year winning 16 games and they have three of their top players back.

15. St Mary's Springs- Very deep team that has a ton of outside shooters and run a ton of guys at you all game long.

Division Three Preseason Rankings

In the past division three always seemed to be one of the most interesting divisions and seemed to have the most "good" teams but, this year D3 actually seems to be a little down. There's not really any dominate teams so that should at least make things interesting. Probably the most interesting thing is D4 power Dominican moving up to D3 as they will try to continue their state dominance. Unfortunately Dominican probably isn't as talented as they've been in the past so I see their state championship streak coming to an end.

1. Ripon- All five starters are back and they are led by D1 recruit 6'8 senior Bennett Vander Plas who averaged 20 and 11 a year ago along with fellow senior 6'4 Eddie Muench who will play at the college level somewhere. I will be curious to see how talented point guard 5'8 senior Mevlin Lee fits into things having transferred from Milwaukee Riverside. Having lost Luke Loewe to transfer Ripon was really missing a solid point guard at times. Muench did his best but, he is much better catching and shooting then scoring off the dribble.

2. Waupun- Defending state champs play in the same conference as Ripon so that will make things very interesting. They lost only one game a year ago and bring back their leading scorer in 6'5 sophomore Marcus Domask along with fellow double digit scorer 6'3 junior Owen Theune.

3. Dominican- The D4 power I mentioned early is down a bit but, they do have some pretty good talent. They have three starters back in 6'0 junior Gacoby Jones who is one of the elite point guards in the state, 6'2 senior Jake Bennett a sharpshooter and three year starter, and 6'2 senior Ralen Brown who is a big time athlete. Throw in 6'8 senior Will Jelacic who average eight and six a year ago coming off the bench.

4. Xavier- State runner ups a year ago and they lost alot but, they've become a staple at state and 6'0 junior Hunter Plamann should have a monster season after having a coming out party at state last year despite playing with an injury.

5. Prairie du Chien- Another state team a year ago having lost only three games. They were extremely deep last year which should help them make up for losing three starters. Leading scorer 6'6 senior Nate Banasik is back as is third leading scorer 6'2 senior Chas Sagedahl who can shoot it from the outside.

6. Lake Mills- May have the best back court in the division behind senior guards 6'1 Alex Ranney and 6'0 Brady Wagner who are both four year varsity players and have the ability to light it up at any time.

7. Prescott- Really grown a rich tradition and they have big man 7'0 senior Owen Hamilton leading the way whose a D1 college recruit along with 5'10 junior Petey Brookshaw who averaged 15 a game last year.

8. Evansville- 22 win team a year ago and they have four starters back, three of which averaged double digits in points, led by 6'0 Brennen Banks who led the team with 18 a game.

9. Valders- Won 21 a year ago and they have a very strong tradition as of recent. A starting line of 6'7, 6'5, and 6'5 shouldn't hurt either.

10. Beloit Turner- Ok this was a complete yearbook steal here. They have 6'5 senior Alec Fruin who averaged 22 points game and 6'0 junior Nacio Villarreal who averaged 12 a game.

11. Columbus- Have two big time scorers back in undersized big man 6'2 senior Tanner Perry and point guard 6'1 senior Noah Coughlin. Perry averaged 20 points a game while Coughlin is a three year starter that averaged 15.

12. Mauston- Grasping a little year but, they are defending champs of the South Central conference and won 19 games a year ago. 6'2 senior Tarren Hall averaged 22 points a game a year ago.

13. Edgewood- Lost a lot from last years team but, it's always hard to count out an Edgewood team. You know their going to be well coached and are going to play extremely hard. 6'4 senior Alex Arians is poised for a monster year.

14. Marshall- Another team with a strong tradition and 6'5 senior Adam Wehking is a double double waiting to happen.

15. GET- Strong tradition rains here again and coach Wagner has always had successful teams.

Well there are my rankings. I'll admit and I think you can tell that things were pretty rough after the first eight. With those thoughts I'm sure the bottom of the rankings will change a decent amount.

Division Two Preseason

Division Two is by far the most interesting division and they have all the stars. All four teams that were at state a year ago return their top players. Honestly I could see up to seven different teams winning state.

1. Kaukauna- Defending state champs return their top two players in West Virginia recruit 6'0 junior Jordan McCabe and D2 recruit 6'2 senior Adam Smith. Those two along with returning big man 6'7 junior Dylan Kurey are a very formidable big three. Yes Smith is out with an injury until January or February but, McCabe should keep them in good standing.

2. La Crosse Central- 6'4 senior Kobe King is a Badger recruit and might be the best player in the state and 6'0 senior Bailey Kale is a very solid player in his own right. Lost only five games a year ago and two of those were two Kaukauna. King and Kale will carry this team throughout the year but, to win it all they'll need a little help from their team mates.

3. Whitnall- State team a year ago return a pair of 20 point scorers in 6'4 junior Tyler Herro who is a Badger recruit and 6'5 senior Kevion Taylor who will play college at the D2 level.

4. Cedarburg- Five starters back from a 20-6 team and lots of experience with numerous guys having started for at least three years. They have a pair of tremendous scorers/outside shooters in 6'4 junior John Diener a Depaul recruit and 6'5 senior Jordan Johnson who will probably end up at a D2 school. 6'7 junior Matthew Barber will control the paint.

5. Waunakee- Another state team a year ago and they bring back both their starting junior guards in 6'4 Mitch Listau and 6'3 Mason Steffen who could each wind up playing at the D1 college level in a couple years.

6. Onalaska- All five starters are back from a team that won 17 games a year ago and have a very solid back court in three seniors 5'10 Jalen Zurbich, 5'10 Noah Fredrickson, and 6'2 Tyler Hughes who all average double digits in points a year ago.

7. Milwaukee Washington- As always Washington will have a ton of athletes and will be a very deep team. 6'4 sophomore Deontay Long is a star in the making.

8. Pewaukee- Went 19-4 last year bring back three starters including 6'6 senior Wyatt Cook a four year varsity player and 6'3 senior Aidan Nordquist. From the sounds of things 6'8 senior Grant Basile
 has had a big summer after growing a couple inches and should move into the starting lineup.

9. Lacrosse Logan- Another team that returns a ton of experience with four starters back from a 16 win team and junior 6'0 CJ Siegl is poised for a monster year. 6'4 senior Trey Davis is also a four year starter.

10. Pulaski- To be honest I'm going with the yearbook here but, they have had a ton of success as of recent always seem to find themselves towards the top of the rankings.

11. Stoughton- Another yearbook pick here but, they have won six straight conference titles. Troy Slaby 6'0 senior averaged nearly 20 points a game and 5'11 junior Brady Schipper was also an all conference player.

12. Whitefish Bay- They've started a strong tradition as of late in D2 and will probably once again find them somewhere towards the top behind the scoring of 6'0 senior David Thompson.

13. Brown Deer-They have been a D3 power as of recent and hard to imagine them not being towards the top of D2 but, they did lose a lot and don't have the hype that they've had in the past.

14. Wauwatosa West- Five starters are back and they are led by D1 recruit 6'8 senior Alou Dillon.

15. New Berlin Eisenhower- Going strictly on tradition here as every year I underestimate them and every year they bring another great team.

Division One Preseason

I really went back and forth on whether or not I would continue with this blog since they are something that is kind of dying off but, I figured why not. Even if no one is reading it I'm at least getting  my thoughts written down and it's interesting for others to read. I guess you can say that I have a journal but, I'm posting it for the entire world to view. Granted that world may only truly be a handful of people.

Like previous years I will begin the season with my preseason rankings which I will continue to update throughout the entire year. Again these rankings are purely for my benefit, are just for fun, and mean absolutely nothing. If I had a vote in the coaches poll these would be my predictions. I'm looking back at my final thoughts of last year and will go a bit off of them for my rankings and also using the high school yearbook. So here are my starting rankings for division one.

1. Middleton- They bring back nearly everyone from a team that won 19 games a year ago and they are led by a pair of Dl college senior recruits in 6'5 Tyree Eady and 5'11 Storm Murphy. Middleton plays a ton of guys so they have a ton of experience coming back.

2. Milwaukee Riverside- They would of been my clear cut #1 team but, the loss of 6'5 George Dixon will really affect them. Dixon averaged a double double a year ago and absolutely dominated on the inside. Even without Dixon Riverside should have a shot at state led by Iowa State recruit 6'6 senior Terrence Lewis. Lewis also averaged a double double a year ago and is flanked by a pair of fellow double digit scorers in 6'5 senior Alondes Williams and 6'1 junior Carlos Curtis. The question will be what will they do when a team slows them down.

3. Oshkosh North- Headlined by a pair of D1 college recruits in 6'5 senior Phillip Flory and 6'5 junior Tyrese Haliburton combined with the outstanding point guard play of 5'11 senior Shane Wissink. All three of these guys averaged 15 plus points a game. I do question their 1-3-1 zone defense at times but, I think the length of Flory and Haliburton should suit the zone well.

4. Madison Memorial- Another team with five starters back and won 17 games a year ago. 6'8 senior Chris Knight is a D1 college recruit and leads a team with tons of experience. Their D will be good as well as their transition game but, the question mark is what will their offense be in the half court and their outside shooting.

5. Racine Park- Lost only three games a year ago and bring back a pair of double digit scorers in 6'2 sophomore Larry Canady and 5'10 sophomore Demonta Hudson. These two sophomores are joined by fellow sophomore big man 6'9 Nobal Days who averaged a near double double a year ago.

6. Milwaukee Vincent- 18 wins a year ago and they bring back all five starters. They are led by big time scoring seniors 5'7 Justin Brookens and 6'3 Andrew Lewis. Either Brookens or Lewis could go off in the scoring column in a moments notice but, the success of the team will depend on the post play of 6'5 senior twins Jamel and Jamal White.

7. Stevens Point- Yes they have won back to back state championships but, they lost almost everything. The one thing they do have back is 6'8 junior Joey Hauser who will have his choice of any college to go to and could be the best player in the entire state. Question will be, what do they have around Hauser.

8. Arrowhead- 5'11 senior Trevell Cunningham is one of the best point guards in the state and overall their team has some very good size. Seniors 6'5 Alec Hamilton and 6'4 Ben Seefeld are also returing regulars.

9. Fon du Lac- They bring back three double digit scorers in seniors 6'7 Sam Fredrickson, Caleb Goldstein, and 6'1 junior Drew Jorgensen. The most important factor is incoming transfer 6'3 senior Luke Loewe one of the best players in the senior class and more then likely the top point guard.

10. Kimberly- Headlined by a pair of big time scoring seniors in 6'8 Will Chevalier and 6'5 Danny Vandenboom. Kimberly has gotten to the point where they are a top 10- team year in and year out.

11. Janesville Craig- Have a very large and very good senior class. They have stellar senior guard play in 5'10 San'Trell Payton and 6'1 Jake Negus. They also have one of the states better unknown big man in 6'9 senior Adam Anhold.

12. Madison East- Bring back about everyone from a 17 win team but, the once exception is Mr. Everything Deang Deang who scored 20 a game and was the team point guard. I think the scoring will be there but, the point guard play will be the big question mark. 6'6 junior Keshawn Justice is a sharp shooter from the outside and a three year starter and 6'5 senior Steve Wooten should be poised for a break out year.

13. Mukwonago- They have a strong tradition as of late and have 6'8 D1 recruit Brandon Hau leading the way. Also have three starters back.

14. Germantown- Don't know a ton about them this year but, their tradition is so rich it's hard to imagine them not being towards the top.

15. De Pere- Another team that always seem to find them selves somewhere in the top ten and they have a lot of team height.

Well there you have it. Really looking at the rankings you don't have a real favorite and at the end of last year it would of been Riverside by losing Dixon is just to big of a loss so, this thing is really up for grabs. Realistically I would say any of my top seven teams could win state and they next five could have a chance if they got hot at the right time.

2016-2017 Preview

The season has come to an end and it's never to early to look towards next year. I thought I would do a quick run down of each division of at least the top five teams. Will just be a quick write up off the top of my head and without doing a ton of research.

Division One
With Stevens Point losing their two big guns in Trev Anderson and Sam Hauser the door should open for someone else. Point will still be my number sixth team with Joey Hauser back and he should have a monster junior year.

1. Milwaukee Riverside- They return everyone from a top five team all year and were a tip in at the buzzer from making it to the final four. Their led by a pair of D1 recruits in 6'6 Terrence Lewis and 6'5 George Dixon.

2. Middleton- Started the year 14-0 and bring back four starters and seven rotation players. Tyree Eady and Storm Murphy will both be scholarship players.

3. Racine Park- Lost only three games this past year and have a very good freshmen class coming back led by 6'9 Nobal Hayes, Larry Canady, and Demonta Hudson.

4. Madison Memorial- All five starters are back and they have a front line of 6'8, 6'6, and 6'5 and Chris Knight is a big time scholarship player.

5. Oshkosh North- Have a tremendous back court with the return of 6'6 Philip Flory who missed all of last year who will team with Shane Wissink and Tyrese Hailburton.

Other Teams
Stevens Point, Milwaukee King, Milwaukee Vincent, Arrowhead, Appleton West

Division Two
This could nearly be a repeat of this years state as most of the teams were led by juniors and sophomores. The stars will be in D2 and the one man teams.

1. Kaukauna- Jordan McCabe was a first team all state selection and he had two more years to play and Adam Smith averaged 18 points a game as a number two scorer.

2. La Crosse Central- Kobe King averaged 26 a game and he's going to the Badgers for a reason. Baily Kale averaged 20 in his own right.

3. Whitnall- Like McCabe, Tyler Herro will be around two more years before having his choice of colleges and Keveon Taylor had a huge state game that should give him some attention.

4. Milwaukee Washington- They always seem to be at the top of the division and they have a ton of athletes on the team. Playing D1s all year long always seem to help them.

5. Cedarburg- Have all five starters back including high scorers John Diener and Jordan Johnson.

Other top teams
Waunakee, Onalaska, New Berlin Eisenhower, Pewaukee, La Crosse Logan

Division Three
Rumor has it that Dominican will be D3 and if that's the case they will be my #2 team but, right now I'm acting under the impression that everything will remain the same.

1. Ripon- All five starters are back and they have a pair of D1 recruits in Bennett Vander Plas and Luke Lowe.

2. Brown Deer- Another team that benefits from the drop down effect playing D1 schools all year long. They are always loaded with tons of talent.

3. Appleton Xavier- Had a very strong sophomore class headlined by Hunter Plaman.

4. Lake Mills- Will have one of the best backcourts in Alex Ranney and Brady Wagner.

5. Prescott- 7'0 Owen Hamilton is a tough match up for anyone and they've really built a strong tradition in the past five years.

Other top teams
Waupun

Division Four
Honestly I don't have much of a clue here. You have Dominican as the heavy favorite but, if they move up to D3 then you will have a complete crap shoot. There was mention of D3 state team Prairie du Chien moving down so then they would be my pick for state.

Division Five
McDonnell Central is the clear favorite but, I think there's a handful of teams that could give them a run.

1. McDonnell Central- State champs have four starters back and they have a huge front line of 6'7, 6'6, and 6'5.

2. Bangor- Lost only four games this past year and bring back two of their top three scorers.

3. Columbus Catholic- Lose only two rotation players and bring back a ton of guards which should benefit the way they play fast and shoot lots of threes.

4. Barneveld- State team this past year and bring back their top scorer in Mathew Myers.

State Recap

Quick Recap of each division and then some of the top players.

Division 5
Catholic Central 37 Barneveld 35
The biggest story here was Matthew Myers not scoring for Barneveld. Myers averaged 18 points a game during the season and went scoreless. This game was a struggle throughout as neither team could put the ball in the basket. In the end Barneveld had the chance to tie it but, couldn't hit the big shot.
McDonell Central 70 Green Bay NEW Lutheran 51
The Macks size just was too much for the Blazers. Foul trouble held Blazers star Gabe Lloyd down and the outside shot wasn't falling. Sophomore Hayden Baughman was the star for the Macks as he used his size and athletiscim to score at the rim and was able to knock down the three to carry them to victory.

McDonell Central 63 Catholic Central 41
The size of the Macks was just too much in the game as Catholic Central had to settle for outside shots that weren't falling. McDonell turned up the pressure on the defense in the second half and turned the Toppers over to lead to the win.


Division 4
Dominican 54 Aquinas 46
Defense was the story for Dominican here as Aquinas could never find an open shot. Some late game heroics by Aquinas's Chris Ancious made the game look better but, it was never that close. Jacoby Jones for Dominican was impossible to stay in front on and got the MVP of this game.

Cameron 44 Amherst 41
Cameron's 1-3-1 zone defense was as tough as they come as Amherst couldn't figure it out. For Amherst Tyler Biadasz finally caught the ball around the free throw line and put his head down and drove to the rim. Cameron's Peyton Dibble has his coming out party as he showed the full game, hitting threes, driving to the rim, hitting the mid range jumper, and playing some solid D. Really like Dibble and his size on the perimeter.

Dominican 62 Cameron 43
Dibble came out gunning but, Cameron didn't have the gas to match up. The story of the game was Dominican's Jake Bennett getting wide open in the corner against the Cameron zone and knocking down three after three as he hit seven threes in the game.

Division Three
Waupun 55 Prairie du Chien 43
I'm not sure if Prairie was that over matched or if they just picked a bad time to play the worst game of the year. Nathan Banasik couldn't hit a shot as he went 1-12 in the game including 0-6 from down town. Waupun just kind of did their thing to get the W.

Xavier 82 GET 75
GET just didn't come to play in this game and came out slow and could never recover. Nick Wagner forced a ton of bad shots. Hunter Plaman was huge off the bench and Sam Ferris had a hot start hitting threes early on and had a career game.

Waupun 59 Xavier 58
This was the best game of the tournaemtn and went back and force all game long. Threes were matched with threes. Waupun had the lead and Xavier climped back into it behind Plaman again who missed the tying free throw with two seconds left before getting the offensive rebound and throwing up a falling shot that bounced off the rim.

Division Two
Waunakee 62 Whitnall 59
Waunakee just basically out physicalled Whitnall who I thought had more talent. Waunakee controlled the game on the glass and controlled the tempo. Kevion Taylor tried to get his team back in the game with some late threes but, it was just too late.

Kaukauna 72 La Crosse Central 45
Kaukauna shut down Central's two stars Bailey Kale and Kobe King while the threes were raining for Kaukauna. Jordan McCabe completely controlled the game and Kaukauna ran up and down the court.

Kaukauna 91 Waunakee 62
Kaukauna came out running and for whatever reason Waunakee tried to run with them which just didn't work. This game seemed like a streak ball game with the pace and the lack of defense at times.

Division 1
Muskego 62 Marquette 54
This game was very even throughout until Job Alexander stopped scoring and Marquette's lack of outside shooting. Caleb Wagner for Muskego was able to add to his scoring by knocking down 12 free throws.

Stevens Point 75 Sheboygan North 48
It was Point's D that made the difference here as Sam Hauser shut down North's David Larson and overall they turned North over all game and didn't give them any free looks. Sam and brother Joey dominated the glass while Sam and Trev Anderson did the scoring.

Stevens Point 89 Muskego 64
Again Point came out trapping and took Muskego out of the game early and then Muskego started looking for the three point shot and the shots weren't going. This game was over fairly early.

All Tournament Team (In order of most impressive) 

Jordan McCabe 5'11 sophomore Kauakauna- Wow is all you can say. Easily the most impressive player to watch this weekend and the most fun. Even when the game got out of hand you stayed to watched McCabe play. He really makes everyone else better. Probably would of had double digit assists each game if his team mates could of finished at the rim. Give him even the smallest opening and the shot is going to fall.

Sam Hauser 6'6 senior Stevens Point- The job he did on David Larson could of been all you needed to see but, his ability to hit the three point shot and to run the offense sealed the deal. No doubt he is a college level player.

Trev Anderson 6'2 senior Stevens Point- Didn't have a great tournament but, did make a huge impact. His trapping defense was really on display in both games and of course his strong ball handling and ability to knock down the outside shot. Anderson really showed his strength taking smaller defenders to the post and scoring.

Peyton Dibble 6'6 senior Cameron- Another kid that will no doubt be impressive at the next level. Showed the ability to rise and knock down the outside shot and the quickness to get to the rim and finish.

Joey Hauser 6'7 sophomore Stevens Point- Big man that can really pass the ball, can hit the spot up outside shot, and of course dominate the inside rebounding and scoring with a finesse game on the inside.

Hayden Baughman 6'5 sophomore McDonell Central- He's on the verge of blowing up next year. A 6'5 athlete that can get to the rim and finish and his three point shot is very pretty.

 Caleb Wagner 6'0 senior Muskego- Did a great job of getting to the free throw line where he made his shots. Just a flat out scorer that can get his points at any time and knows how to do it in a variety of ways.

Gacoby Jones 5'10 sophomore Dominican- Just lighting quick with the ball in his hands and is extremeley difficult to stay in front of. Really showed the ability to score in the lane or set up his team mates.

Marcus Moreau 6'4 senior Kaukauna- Had to mention him as he just absolutely dominated the glass on both ends of the court. There were a handful of good rebounders but, he was the best.

Hunter Plamann 6'0 sophomore Xavier- Another flat out scorer that can really handle the ball and get his shot at any time. Step back three is a killer.

Other top Players
Kevion Taylor 6'4 junior Whitnall
Riley Freeman 6'4 senior Waunakee
Colton Homan 6'8 senior Waupun
Marcus Domask 6'5 freshmen Waupun
Matty Farner 6'3 senior Muskego
Ben Retzlaff 6'0 senior McDonell Central
Tyler Herro 6'4 sophomore Whitnall
Kostas Antetokounmpo 6'11 senior Dominican
Tyler Biadsz 6'4 senior Amherst



Sad to see the year come to an end but, I do have a few more posts to make before I'll be done for the year. As you can tell by state Wisconsin's sophomore class is extremely talented and have some big time prospects out there.

Final Rankings

Well the season has come t an end and kind of sad time thinking that there will be no more basketball this year. Again these rankings are somewhat difficult because do you simply just put the winner #1 and then runner up two? Or do you say that the team that lost to the champion might be better?

Division One
I felt that Sheboygan North and Muskego basically did the same thing against Stevens Point, just like everyone else but, felt that North's overall season has been more impressive then Muskego.

1. Stevens Point
2. Sheboygan North
3. Muskego
4. Milwaukee Marquette
5. Milwaukee Riverside
6. Racine Park
7. Germantown
8. Sun Prairie
9. Appleton West
10. Oshkosh North
11. Madison Memorial 
12. Superior
13. Milwaukee Vincent
14. Bay Port
15. Kimberly

Division Two 
Staid the same as last week. I just thought that Waunakee played a lot better D against Kaukauna and made the game somewhat closer.

1. Kaukauna 
2. Waunakee
3. La Crosse Central
4. Whitnall
5. Milwaukee Washington
6. Cedarburg
7. New Berlin Eisenhower
8. Pulaski
9. Hortonville
10. Pewaukee
11. Luxemburg Casco
12. Sauk Prairie 
13. Monona Grove
14. La Crosse Logan
15. Wausau East

Division Three
Waupun was the champ and beat Xavier by one so gotta put them one and two. GET didn't look great but, Prairie du Chien looked even worse and kept them put at six.

1. Waupun
2. Xavier
3. GET
4. Wrightstown
5. Prescott
6. Prairie du Chien
7. Brookfield Academy
8. Evansville
9. Lake Mills
10. Lakeside Lutheran
11. Valders
12. Northwestern
13. Brown Deer
14. East Troy
15. Peshtigo

Division Four
Things played out just like the rankings were. Cameron edged out Amherst and looked good against Dominican but, just didn't have enough fire power against Dominican. Aquinas had a tough game against Dominican and remain unranked.

1. Dominican
2. Cameron
3. Amherst
4. Melrose Mindoro
5. Markesan
6. Unity
7. Destiny
8. Eau Claire Regis
9.Marathon
10. Edgar
11. Darlington
12. Howards Grove
13. Iowa Grant
14. Deerfield
15. Cuba City

Division Five
McDonnell dominated and took home the gold while Central beat Barneveld so I felt tlike I had to move them up even though they lost nine games this year. NEW Lutheran gets into the rankings because I realized I forgot to put a 15th team last week so through them in since they were at state.

1. McDonnell Central
2. Catholic Central
3. Barneveld
4. Washburn
5. Seneca
6. Bangor
7. Hillsboro
8. Almond Bancroft
9. Port Edwards
10. Columbus Catholic
11. Clayton
12. Hustisford
13. Gresham
14. Luck
15. Green Bay NEW Lutheran

State Preview

State Basketball starts tomorrow so here are my state picks.....

Division Five
Catholic Central over Barneveld
McDonell Central over Green Bay NEW Lutheran

McDonell Central over Catholic Central

Unfortunately I gotta go with the private school over Barneveld. BCC has just played tougher competition all year long and don't think Barneveld is ready for that. Ever since I saw McDonell Central play they've been my state pick. McDonell has tremendous size and athleticism and just don't think GBNL can stay with them. McDonell has seen some very tough competition playing in the Cloverbelt Conference.

Division Four
Dominican over Aquinas
Cameron over Amherst

Dominican over Cameron
Having seen Aquinas play earlier in the year I'm really shocked where they are and think that luck runs out against Dominican who just has too much talent for anyone in D4. Cameron is an undefeated team and they took down Eau Claire Regis which really says a lot to me but, don't think they have enough against Dominican.

Division Three
Waupun over Prairie du Chien
GET over Xavier

GET over Waupun

GET is the undefeated team coming in, play a tough defense that you don't see very often, and have three talented seniors with a ton of experience. Don't know much about Waupun but, haven't been super impressed with PDC. They have a handful of good players but, they don't have that elite player that can take over a game.

Division Two
Whitnall over Waunakee
Kaukauna over La Crosse Central

Kaukauna over Whitnall

Just don't think that Waunakee has played the toughest schedule playing in the Badger North while Whitnall plays in a very tough conference in the southeast part of the state. Kaukauna beat La Crosse Central by 15 once already and I expect much the same this time around. Kobe King is great by Kaukauna has better supporting players and Jordan McCabe makes everyone better. This might be the most entertaining conference as every team here has at least one D1 college prospect and they may all have two.

Division One
Marquette over Muskego
Stevens Point over Sheboygan North

Stevens Point over Marquette

Only question here is can anyone keep the game within 20. Point is just too big and good for anyone
Marquette over Muskego because they've had a very tough regular season and anyone coming out of the southeast sectional has to be a favorite.

Should be a lot of fun. Oh and my three point champ is going to be Ryan Cleary Brookfield Academy beating out Jordan Johnson Cedarburg. Third place is Terrence Lewis of Riverside. 

Week 15 Rankings

Here we are the week of state and the biggest question with rankings is do you simply just put the top four teams that four teams at state? Is it possible that a team that lost to say a Stevens Point, Kaukauna, or Dominican may be better then a team at state? Where do you put the two teams that are .500 or actually one that's under .500?

Division One
Riverside lost to Marquette so I couldn't see dropping them that low and they stayed above state team Muskego. Racine Park was another team that dropped a game to Marquette and fell to six. Germantown was upset by Bay Port and dropped just one spot but, I just couldn't see moving Bay Port up that high after not being ranked previously. Bay Port checks in at 14 knocking Middleton from the rankings Sun Prairie lost to Muskego in a close game while Madison Memorial lost to a so so Madison West team which allowed Sun Prairie to move up a spot to eight and Memorial dropped to 11. Appleton West took out Oshkosh North before being killed by Stevens Point which moved them up a bit to nine and kept North right where they were. Superior was beaten bad by Point as well while Vincent lost to Riverside knocking Superior down a spot and Vincent held tight. Kimerbly moved down because of the Bay Port jump.

1. Stevens Point
2. Sheboygan North
3. Milwaukee Marquette
4. Milwaukee Riverside
5. Muskego
6. Racine Park
7. Germantown
8. Sun Prairie
9. Appleton West
10. Oshkosh North
11. Madison Memorial
12. Superior
13. Milwaukee Vincent
14. Bay Port
15. Kimberly

Division Two
Well this division is the top four is the state teams because my top three were there already ranked and then Whitnall basically went through everyone that was ahead of them as they beat Washington and Eisenhower was out early. Cedarburg went down to Kaukauna, as did Pulaski. Hortonville went down to La Crosse Central as did La Crosse Logan. Pewaukee lost to Whitnall, Sauk Prairie lost to Waunakee, and Wausau East lost to Hortonville.

1. Kaukauna 
2. Waunakee 
3. La Crosse Central 
4. Whitnall
5. Milwaukee Washington
6. Cedarburg
7. New Berlin Eisenhower
8. Pulaski
9. Hortonville
10. Pewaukee
11. Luxemburg Casco
12. Sauk Prairie
13. Monona Grove
14. La Crosse Logan
15. Wausau East

Division Three
Wrightstown went down to Xavier while Prescott lost for the second time to GET both highly ranked teams so I couldn't see having Prairie du Chien jumping them. Brookfield Academy was upset by Milwaukee Lutheran as was Evansville by East Troy who jumps into the rankings at 14 knocking Marshall out. Valders went down to Wrightstown and Northwestern to Prescott.

1. GET 
2. Waupun
3. Xavier
4. Wrightstown
5. Prescott
6. Prairie du Chien
7. Brookfield Academy
8. Evansville
9. Lake Mills
10. Lakeside Lutheran
11. Valders
12. Northwestern
13. Brown Deer
14. East Troy
15. Peshtigo

Division Four
Melrose Mindoro was beaten by Aquinas who I couldn't see jumping up into the rankings having lost 11 games. Markesan lost to Howards Grove who lost to Dominican in the next round. Unity lost to Cameron while Destiny lost to Dominican. Regis was another team taken down by Cameron and Marathon lost to Amherst, while Edgar did lose to Marathon.

1. Dominican
2. Cameron 
3. Amherst
4. Melrose Mindoro
5. Markesan
6. Unity
7. Destiny
8. Eau Claire Regis
9. Marathon
10. Edgar
11. Darlington
12. Howards Grove
13. Iowa Grant
14. Deerfield
15. Cuba City

Division Five
Hillsboro lost to Bangor who ended up losing to Barneveld. Almond Bancroft was upset by Green Bay NEW Lutheran. Washburn lost to McDonnell Central and Seneca lost to Barneveld. Hustisford was taken down by Catholic Central who jumps into the rankings at 15 having beaten Sheboygan Christian.

1. McDonnel Centrall 
2. Barneveld
3. Washburn
4. Seneca 
6. Bangor
7. Hillsboro
8. Almond Bancroft
9. Port Edwards
10. Colubus Catholic
11. Clayton
12. Hustisford
13. Gresham
14. Luck
15. Catholic Central 

Sectionals

Waunakee 66 Sauk Prairie 63
This sectional semi final was a battle between conference opponents, so we knew it was going to be a battle throughout. Waunakee came out gunning early on behind the strong play of 6'2 sophomore Mason Steffen. Typically it's 6'3 sophomore Mitch Listau that gets all the praise but, Steffen stepped up and had a huge game while Listau struggled a little bit. On the other side 6'6 senior Brandon Spray had a huge game. Despite Spray's size it was his outside game that was on full display his three point shooting and driving to the basket. While Steffen did the damage on the outside 6'4 senior Riley Freeman did it on the inside. Freeman dominated the glass on both ends of the court and did his fair share of scoring with his back to the basket. Freeman was my mvp of the game even though he doesn't get the hype of Steffen and Listau but, doing the dirty work on the inside is sometime more impressive. Waunakee had a pretty decent lead until Sauk's 5'10 senior Seth Kostroski got things going from the outside hitting some huge threes but, the hot free throw shooting for Waunakee helped to seal this game.

Top Players
Mason Steffen 6'2 sophomore Waunakee- Hit some monster threes early on in the game, scored in transition, and hit some big free throws early.

Riley Freeman 6'4 senior Waunakee- Freeman dominated the glass on the inside and I'm sure he had a double double in the game. MVP on the game.

Brandon Spray 6'6 senior Sauk Prairie- Was hitting the outside shots and used his quickness rather then size to score in the paint.

Seth Kostroski 5'10 senior Sauk Prairie- Sharpshooter from the outside and is lighting quick with the ball in his hand.

Top Scorers 
Waunakee- Steffen 18 Freeman 17 Listau 15
Sauk Prairie- Kostroski 20 Spray 15 Josh Holler 10

Muskego 69 Madison West 67
Early on it was all Madison West as the game out in the full court press and I just don't see Muskego was ready for that early on. Muskego turned it over time and again and West jumped out to the early lead behind 6'3 junior Terrell Carey who score seven early points to lead West out of the gate that is before foul trouble caught up to Carey and company. The way West plays is no surprise though. They play in your face defense with a lot of hand checking and grabbing. You can turn the other team over if their allowed to play that way but, it can also lead to foul trouble which it did in this game and that may of caused West some problems late in this one. At half time West had two starters with three fouls and three rotation players with two. West had a five point at the half. In the second half West ran out of gas and the foul trouble caught up to them. 6'0 senior point guard Caleb Wagner took over and he was looking to score every time down the court which really wasn't a bad thing. Wagner seemed to score at will and when he missed it was senior big men 6'2 Matty Farner and 6'4 Tommy Anderson. With 15 seconds remaining West 6'4 senior Isaiah Mc Fadden drove the lane and scored. Wagner came down the court and ran the clock down and with six seconds left drove the lane caught the front of the rim and after a right for the ball Farner came up with the ball and laid the game winning shot in with a second left on the clock.

Top Players 
Terrel Carey 6'3 junior Madison West- Just a beast to stop in the post and in the transition.

Larry Hawkins 6'4 junior Madison West- Was really tough in the post and Muskego had a very tough time stopping him when he got position in the post.

Caleb Wagner 6'0 senior Muskego- 30 points in the game says it all. Impossible to stop Wagner was able to score in a variey of ways around the hoop.

Matty Farner 6'3 senior Muskego- Extremely tough on the inside rebounding and of course he had the game winning shot.

Top Scorers
West- Carey 12 Hawkins 12 Raekwon Hess 10
Muskego- Wagner 30 Anderson 16 Farner 12

Prairie du Chien 59 East Troy 49
East Troy had the best two players in the game in 6'3 senior Joey Ciriacks and 6'1 senior Jake Nixon but, Prairie du Chien had the next five best players. Early on in the first half it was the Ciriacks show as he hit four three point shots and had 17 first half points. Prairie du Chiens 6'1 junior sharpshooter Chas Sagedahl hit three of his own first half three point shots. In the second half things really turned around when East Troy got five straight fouls on the same possession allowing PDC to get to bonus very quickly and 6'6 junior Nathan Banasik got things going on the inside after struggling from the outside in the first half. Ciriacks was pretty silent before fouling out on back to back three point attempts which led to six straight free throws. East Troy's star Jake Nixon really put on an impressive show scoring bucket after bucket after a Jimmy Neutron chant aimed at him. PDC was really a team effort in this one as East Troy's outside shooting disappeared late and PDC hit the free throws.

Top Players
Joey Ciriacks 6'3 senior East Troy- Just a smooth outside shooting and it was shocking when the ball didn't go in the hoop. Moved extremely without the ball in his hand.

Jake Nixon 6'1 senior East Troy- Really an impressive ball handler that can get his shot at anytime and can really finish at the rim in a variety of ways. Great free throw shooter as well.

Nathan Banasik 6'6 junior Prairie du Chien- Struggled from the outside but, did some real damaged in the post late and was able to hit the free throws as well.

Connor George 5'10 senior Prairie du Chien- One of the quickest first steps I've seen and is just a tremendous point guard and floor general on the court. Always makes the right decision whether it's shooting the ball or making the right pass.

Top Scorers
ET- Nixon 22 Joey Diriacks 20 Jacob Remsza 7
PDC- Banasik 21 Sagedahl 13 Casey Hogenson 11

So Waunakee, Muskego, and Prairie du Chien are all state teams. I'll do a write up on my state picks late in the year.