Well I've done one and two so time for three. Yes playoffs start tomorrow and I won't have all my picks in but, the first round is really just play in games and for the most parts are givens or at least usually no big upsets.
Eau Claire North Sectional
Favorite
GET- Only undefeated team in the division so have to be a given and they play that very tough 1-3-1 zone. Have Nick Wagner and Lucas Scherr as four year varsity guys leading the way.
Contenders
Prescott- State team a year ago and they have 7'0 Owen Hamilton leading the way and overall some very good team height.
Long Shots
Westby- Maybe because I watched them but, they were pretty impressive in that game. The 1-3-1 zone they play is pretty good as well. I really like Jesse Solberg as well.
Final
GET over Prescott
Kaukauna Sectional
Favorite
Xavier- State team a year ago and they have one of the best point guards in Sam Burkart.
Contenders
Wrightstown- Have only lost one game all year long other then that I don't know much. Record says it all though.
Valders- Another team with a very good record and a strong tradition.
Long Shot
Southern Door- Another team with a strong record but, really question who they've played.
Final
Xavier over Wrightstown
Waunakee Sectional
Favorite
Marshall- Probably a lot of people will disagree with me but, I've seen the other favorite Lake Mills and I was just more impressed with Marshall and they have size advantage over Lake Mills.
Contenders
Lake Mills- I know a lot of people probably have them as their favorite but, my eye test tells me Marshall. Lake Mills relies on threes too much and they lack size.
East Troy- There a two seed so have to have them as contender right? They've played an extremely tough schedule through out the season and will be battle tested.
Prairie du Chien- There's really no one of their half of the sectional so they should walk to the sectional final. I just don't think they have the athletes to beat a Lake Mills or Marshall.
Evansville- Their record is great and that's about all I know.
Long Shots
Lakeside Lutheran- If the DeNoyer cousins could get going from the outside they could beat anybody in this sectional.
Madison Edgewood- They play bigger schools all year long, can shoot the three, and are coach by Zwittler, which all these things give them a chance.
Final
Marshall over Prairie du Chien
Whitefish Bay Sectional
Favorite
Brown Deer- Two time defending champs are under the radar every year but, they play bigger schools all year long so playing D3 is nothing.
Contender
Waupun- Lost only one game all year so they have to be.
Ripon- Seem to be peaking at the right time and have a pair of big time college recruits in Bennett Vander Plas and Luke Lowe.
Brookfield Academy- Have a great record and have a pair of big time scorers in Ryan Cleary and Joseph Lemon.
Kettle Moraine Lutheran- Really balanced team and they have been very high and very low at times but, have beaten some very good teams this year.
Long Shot
Omro- Tremendous record but, have to question the schedule strength.
Final
Brown Deer over Ripon
State
GET over Xavier
Brown Deer over Marshall
Brown Deer will just be bigger and quicker then the other teams at state. They've probably played the toughest schedule of any of the four. Xavier just doesn't have the talent GET does.
Monday, February 29, 2016
Sunday, February 28, 2016
Week 13 Rankings
Here is week 13 and the final round of regular season rankings. Not sure that I'll continue with any additional rankings and possible might just do a final ranking after state. So this may very well be my last rankings of the year.
Division One
Racine Park dropped a game to Destiny and fall to four in the rankings. Middleton lost to Janesville Craig and Sun Prairie lost to Madison East dropping them to nine and ten. Appleton West lost to Oshkosh North falling to 14 followed by Vincent who lost to Riverside.
1. Stevens Point
2. Milwaukee Riverside
3. Sheboygan North
4. Racine Park
5. Milwaukee Marquette
6. Germantown
7. Madison Memorial
8. Muskego
9. Middleton
10. Sun Prairie
11. Oshkosh North
12. Superior
13. Oconomowoc
14. Appleton West
15. Milwaukee Vincent
Division Two
Eisenhower was taken down by Pewaukee and fall to two. Hortonville lost to Appleton West and fall a couple spots to 14. Sauk Prairie lost to DeForest and fall from the rankings and are replaced by Badger South winner Stoughton.
1. Kaukauna
2. New Berlin Eisenhower
3. Waunakee
4. La Crosse Central
5. Pewaukee
6. Milwaukee Washington
7. Luxemburg Casco
8. Cedarburg
9. Monona Grove
10. Pulaski
11. Whitnall
12. Milwaukee Morse Marshall
13. Onalaska
14. Hortonville
15. Stoughton
Division Three
Waupun went down to Ripon and fell to four. Marshall went down to Watertown Luther Prep dropping to 10. Valders lost to Roncalli falling to 12 followed by Omro who lost to Winnebago Lutheran and I couldn't see dropping them behind anyone. Northwestern lost to Bloomer and fell a spot to 15.
1. GET
2. Lake Mills
3. Wrightstown
4. Waupun
5. Prescott
6. Xavier
7. Brookfield Academy
8. Brown Deer
9. Evansville
10. Marshall
11. Lakeside Lutheran
12. Valders
13. Omro
14. Southern Door
15. Northwestern
Division Four
Edgar lost to Marathon and that was the only change as they fell to 13.
1. Melrose Mindoro
2. Dominican
3. Cameron
4. Amherst
5. Markesan
6. Unity
7. Iowa Grant
8. Destiny
9. Deerfield
10. Eau Claire Regis
11. Marathon
12. Wabeno/Laona
13. Edgar
14. Cochrane-Fountain City
15. Darlington
Division Five
McDonnell Central lost to Marathon and drop a spot to three. Columbus Catholic lost to Eau Claire Regis and fell to seven. Pecatonica lost to Black Hawk but, hold strong at 15 as there was no one to jump them.
1. Hillsboro
2. Port Edwards
3. McDonnell Central
4. Almond Bancroft
5. Washburn
6. Solon Springs
7. Columbus Catholic
8. Seneca
9. Bangor
10. Clayton
11. Gresham
12. Hustisford
13. Barneveld
14. Shullsburg
15. Pecatonica
Division One
Racine Park dropped a game to Destiny and fall to four in the rankings. Middleton lost to Janesville Craig and Sun Prairie lost to Madison East dropping them to nine and ten. Appleton West lost to Oshkosh North falling to 14 followed by Vincent who lost to Riverside.
1. Stevens Point
2. Milwaukee Riverside
3. Sheboygan North
4. Racine Park
5. Milwaukee Marquette
6. Germantown
7. Madison Memorial
8. Muskego
9. Middleton
10. Sun Prairie
11. Oshkosh North
12. Superior
13. Oconomowoc
14. Appleton West
15. Milwaukee Vincent
Division Two
Eisenhower was taken down by Pewaukee and fall to two. Hortonville lost to Appleton West and fall a couple spots to 14. Sauk Prairie lost to DeForest and fall from the rankings and are replaced by Badger South winner Stoughton.
1. Kaukauna
2. New Berlin Eisenhower
3. Waunakee
4. La Crosse Central
5. Pewaukee
6. Milwaukee Washington
7. Luxemburg Casco
8. Cedarburg
9. Monona Grove
10. Pulaski
11. Whitnall
12. Milwaukee Morse Marshall
13. Onalaska
14. Hortonville
15. Stoughton
Division Three
Waupun went down to Ripon and fell to four. Marshall went down to Watertown Luther Prep dropping to 10. Valders lost to Roncalli falling to 12 followed by Omro who lost to Winnebago Lutheran and I couldn't see dropping them behind anyone. Northwestern lost to Bloomer and fell a spot to 15.
1. GET
2. Lake Mills
3. Wrightstown
4. Waupun
5. Prescott
6. Xavier
7. Brookfield Academy
8. Brown Deer
9. Evansville
10. Marshall
11. Lakeside Lutheran
12. Valders
13. Omro
14. Southern Door
15. Northwestern
Division Four
Edgar lost to Marathon and that was the only change as they fell to 13.
1. Melrose Mindoro
2. Dominican
3. Cameron
4. Amherst
5. Markesan
6. Unity
7. Iowa Grant
8. Destiny
9. Deerfield
10. Eau Claire Regis
11. Marathon
12. Wabeno/Laona
13. Edgar
14. Cochrane-Fountain City
15. Darlington
Division Five
McDonnell Central lost to Marathon and drop a spot to three. Columbus Catholic lost to Eau Claire Regis and fell to seven. Pecatonica lost to Black Hawk but, hold strong at 15 as there was no one to jump them.
1. Hillsboro
2. Port Edwards
3. McDonnell Central
4. Almond Bancroft
5. Washburn
6. Solon Springs
7. Columbus Catholic
8. Seneca
9. Bangor
10. Clayton
11. Gresham
12. Hustisford
13. Barneveld
14. Shullsburg
15. Pecatonica
Saturday, February 27, 2016
D2 State Picks
Here are my division two state picks with my favorites in each division, along with my top contenders and the long shots. I'm going to give a quick thought on each team that I'm basically doing off the top of my head with a little help in the standings or record department from Wishoops.
Stevens Point Sectional
Favorite
La Crosse Central- They have one of the best players in the state in 6'3 junior Kobe King who teams with 6'0 junior Bailey Kale to have one of the best back courts in the state. These two can carry them at times but, lack of help could cause some trouble.
Contender
Hortonville- They've been one of the top teams in the Fox Valley Conference, which is primarily a D1 conference and most of their losses have been against D1s.
Wausau East- Another team that plays mostly D1 schools throughout the year and started the year off very hot but, cooled off late.
Long Shot
Onalaska- They've played Central twice already and another team that started extremely hot and cooled off late.
La Crosse Logan- One of the few teams that did beat Central this year and they have some talent but, have been up and down all year.
Final
La Crosse Central over Hortonville
Menasha Sectional
Favorite
Kaukauna- This is the D2 team that won a D1 FVA conference. They have two of the best guards in 5'11 sophomore Jordan McCabe and 6'2 junior Adam Smith. They've been my favorite all year long.
Contender
Pulaski- Another team playing D1s all year long and they've only lost five games. They've been one of my ranked teams most of the year and have beaten some of the top teams in D1.
Cedarburg- A high scoring team that can truly beat anyone but, they lost some very bad games where they never should of lost.
Long Shot
Luxemburg Casco- Don't know anything about them but, they've only lost two games all year so that has to mean something.
Seymour- They have the strong tradition and the coach and a record that really isn't too bad.
West De Pere- They've beaten some very good teams but, have lost to some so so teams.
Beaver Dam- So so record for a higher seed they can really shoot the three when can cause problems for any team if their hitting.
Final
Kaukauna over Cedarburg
Middleton Sectional
Favorite
Waunakee- Have lost only two games this year and they just continue to win games all year long. They have a pair of sophomores in their backcourt that are very good.
Contenders
Westosha Central- I'll be honest I know nothing but, they have a very good record and they are the other #1 seed in the sectional.
Long Shots
Mount Horeb- They are the defending champs but, they have struggled a bit this year. They do seem to be rounding in to form late in the year though.
Sauk Prairie- Tied Mount Horeb for second in conference behind Waunakee and they are the only team thats been in shouting distance of playing with Stevens Point.
Stoughton- Won the Badger South conference before bowing out to Waunakee in the crossover game.
Monona Grove- Took a last second shot by Waunakee to beat them during the season so a second match up could go either way.
Final
Waunakee over Westosha Central
Brown Deer Sectional
Favorite
Pewaukee- Lost only three games this year and they just recently beat Eisenhower fairly soundly.
Contenders
Milwaukee Washington- Coming out of the City Conference they are battle tested but, missing 6'0 senior Te'jon Lucas is really going to hurt them making a deep run.
New Berlin Eisenhower- Probably most peoples favorites as they've lost only two games but, just recently were beaten badly by Pewaukee.
Whitnall- 6'4 sophomore Tyler Herro could will his team deep into the tournament and they have a very good record as well and have battled Eisenhower and Pewaukee twice already.
Long Shots
Whitefish Bay- Undersized team but, they can really shoot the three which could win them some big games.
Greendale- They've been to state back to back years and they have great size and their top scorer back from last year.
Final
Pewaukee over Milwaukee Washington
State
Kaukauna over La Crosse Central
Pewaukee over Waunakee
Kaukauna over Pewaukee
Kaukauna is the best team hands down in D2. They've already beaten Central fairly handily and the only real question is how they will do against a Pewaukee or Eisenhower who are kind of unknowns for them. I don't think Waunakee has the offensive fire power once they get to state.
Stevens Point Sectional
Favorite
La Crosse Central- They have one of the best players in the state in 6'3 junior Kobe King who teams with 6'0 junior Bailey Kale to have one of the best back courts in the state. These two can carry them at times but, lack of help could cause some trouble.
Contender
Hortonville- They've been one of the top teams in the Fox Valley Conference, which is primarily a D1 conference and most of their losses have been against D1s.
Wausau East- Another team that plays mostly D1 schools throughout the year and started the year off very hot but, cooled off late.
Long Shot
Onalaska- They've played Central twice already and another team that started extremely hot and cooled off late.
La Crosse Logan- One of the few teams that did beat Central this year and they have some talent but, have been up and down all year.
Final
La Crosse Central over Hortonville
Menasha Sectional
Favorite
Kaukauna- This is the D2 team that won a D1 FVA conference. They have two of the best guards in 5'11 sophomore Jordan McCabe and 6'2 junior Adam Smith. They've been my favorite all year long.
Contender
Pulaski- Another team playing D1s all year long and they've only lost five games. They've been one of my ranked teams most of the year and have beaten some of the top teams in D1.
Cedarburg- A high scoring team that can truly beat anyone but, they lost some very bad games where they never should of lost.
Long Shot
Luxemburg Casco- Don't know anything about them but, they've only lost two games all year so that has to mean something.
Seymour- They have the strong tradition and the coach and a record that really isn't too bad.
West De Pere- They've beaten some very good teams but, have lost to some so so teams.
Beaver Dam- So so record for a higher seed they can really shoot the three when can cause problems for any team if their hitting.
Final
Kaukauna over Cedarburg
Middleton Sectional
Favorite
Waunakee- Have lost only two games this year and they just continue to win games all year long. They have a pair of sophomores in their backcourt that are very good.
Contenders
Westosha Central- I'll be honest I know nothing but, they have a very good record and they are the other #1 seed in the sectional.
Long Shots
Mount Horeb- They are the defending champs but, they have struggled a bit this year. They do seem to be rounding in to form late in the year though.
Sauk Prairie- Tied Mount Horeb for second in conference behind Waunakee and they are the only team thats been in shouting distance of playing with Stevens Point.
Stoughton- Won the Badger South conference before bowing out to Waunakee in the crossover game.
Monona Grove- Took a last second shot by Waunakee to beat them during the season so a second match up could go either way.
Final
Waunakee over Westosha Central
Brown Deer Sectional
Favorite
Pewaukee- Lost only three games this year and they just recently beat Eisenhower fairly soundly.
Contenders
Milwaukee Washington- Coming out of the City Conference they are battle tested but, missing 6'0 senior Te'jon Lucas is really going to hurt them making a deep run.
New Berlin Eisenhower- Probably most peoples favorites as they've lost only two games but, just recently were beaten badly by Pewaukee.
Whitnall- 6'4 sophomore Tyler Herro could will his team deep into the tournament and they have a very good record as well and have battled Eisenhower and Pewaukee twice already.
Long Shots
Whitefish Bay- Undersized team but, they can really shoot the three which could win them some big games.
Greendale- They've been to state back to back years and they have great size and their top scorer back from last year.
Final
Pewaukee over Milwaukee Washington
State
Kaukauna over La Crosse Central
Pewaukee over Waunakee
Kaukauna over Pewaukee
Kaukauna is the best team hands down in D2. They've already beaten Central fairly handily and the only real question is how they will do against a Pewaukee or Eisenhower who are kind of unknowns for them. I don't think Waunakee has the offensive fire power once they get to state.
Friday, February 26, 2016
D1 State Picks
With the state tournament just around the corner I figured I'd give my state picks. Now these will be my favorites may not be the true favorites but, the teams that I pick for each sectional, the top contenders, and then the long shots.
Marshfield Sectional
Favorite
Stevens Point
Honestly there is no one in this sectional and probably no one in the state that will challenge Stevens Point this year. 6'2 senior Trev Anderson, 6'6 Senior Sam Hauser, and 6'7 sophomore Joey Hauser might be the top three players in the state this year and no ones going to challenge them.
Contenders
Appleton West- Second place team from the always tough Fox Valley and honestly that's about as much as I know and probably about as much as you need to know.
Oshkosh North- Just recently beat Appleton West and the have one of the best back courts in the state in 5'7 junior Shane Wissinik and 6'5 sophomore Tyrese Haiburton. If they best Neenah tomorrow they will tie West for second.
Long Shots
Superior- An anomaly being that they play in an all Minnesota conference but, their record says their a team to contend with.
Neenah- Another top team from the Fox Valley that will be tough in the playoffs. Have already beaten some of the top teams in the conference.
Final
Stevens Point over Oshkosh North
Sheboygan South Sectional
Favorite
Germantown- They are battle tested and have the experience as they have become a regular at state. 6'0 senior Juwan McCloud is one of the best point guards in the state.
Contenders
Sheboygan North- Their record says it all. At 20-2 and a top five team nearly the entire year they'll be tough to beat and it's probably a toss up with them and Germantown but, I think G'Town has played the tougher schedule that will prepare them.
Long Shots
Arrowhead- Arrowhead has had a lot of ups and downs this year but, they have beaten Germantown once already this year and 5'11 junior guard Trevell Cunningham could really carry them at times and they have nice overall team size.
De Pere- A team with a ton of size that is always extremely disciplined.
Bay Port- Second place team behind Sheboygan North in the Fox River.,
Hamilton- A boarder line team in the top 10 all year and have really overachieved all year long.
Kimberly- Another top team from the Fox Valley that has beaten some of the top teams in the conference.
Germantown over Sheboygan North
Sun Prairie Sectional
Favorite
Madison East- As I said in my last post Madison East is really peeking at the top time and being that their playing conference opponents where things could go either way. They were at state last year when they got hot.
Contenders
Sun Prairie- Their the #1 seed for a reason and they were co-champs of the Big Eight. Seniors 6'1 Sam Kerr and 6'5 Rod Johnson could very well carry this team.
Middleton- They've been the favorite most of the year to get to state and win the conference but, have struggled as of late. Their big three juniors 6'4 Tyree Eady, 5'11 Storm Murphy, and CJ Fermanich are as good as anyone in the state.
Madison Memorial- They have a ton of size and have the experience and the history backing them. They will go as far as 6'8 junior Chris Knight will carry them.
Long Shots
Oconomowoc- Another border line top 10 team and they won the Little Ten conference.
Muskego- Another conference champ here that got seeded a little low and will see how they stack up against the Big Eight.
Final
Madison East over Middleton
West Allis Central Sectional
Favorite
Milwaukee Riverside- They've been my number two almost the entire season and they may be the deepest team in the state and they can run and gun with anyone. Juniors 6'6 Terrence Lewis and 6'5 George Dixon and two of the best.
Contender
Milwaukee Marquette- They've been a very consistent team all year long and came out on top of the Greater Metro Conference.
Racine Park- Only lost one game all year but, I just don't know that they've been tested enough and may struggle against the city teams.
Long Shots
Milwaukee Vincent- A team that really has some talent and just recently gave Riverside all they wanted. They have lots of guards but, success will hinge on their bigs in particular 6'5 junior twins Jamel and Jamal White.
Milwaukee King- I know King has struggled this year but, I just feel like a deep playoff run is in store. Their junior guard 6'1 Virshon Cotton and 6'3 Jordan Poole are two of the best shooters in the state.
Final
Milwaukee Riverside over Milwaukee Marquette
State Matchups
Stevens Point over Germantown
Milwaukee Riverside over Madison East
Stevens Point over Milwaukee Riverside
Stevens Point has already taken it to Germantown and Riverside once this year and state will be no different. In Riverside's first game I think East would try to run with them and you don't want to do that with Riverside.
Again these are just my thoughts and most of this is just off the top of my head so didn't go into any real detail just the biggest reasons for picks on certain teams. I'll admit I did get a little help on some of the conference standings.
Marshfield Sectional
Favorite
Stevens Point
Honestly there is no one in this sectional and probably no one in the state that will challenge Stevens Point this year. 6'2 senior Trev Anderson, 6'6 Senior Sam Hauser, and 6'7 sophomore Joey Hauser might be the top three players in the state this year and no ones going to challenge them.
Contenders
Appleton West- Second place team from the always tough Fox Valley and honestly that's about as much as I know and probably about as much as you need to know.
Oshkosh North- Just recently beat Appleton West and the have one of the best back courts in the state in 5'7 junior Shane Wissinik and 6'5 sophomore Tyrese Haiburton. If they best Neenah tomorrow they will tie West for second.
Long Shots
Superior- An anomaly being that they play in an all Minnesota conference but, their record says their a team to contend with.
Neenah- Another top team from the Fox Valley that will be tough in the playoffs. Have already beaten some of the top teams in the conference.
Final
Stevens Point over Oshkosh North
Sheboygan South Sectional
Favorite
Germantown- They are battle tested and have the experience as they have become a regular at state. 6'0 senior Juwan McCloud is one of the best point guards in the state.
Contenders
Sheboygan North- Their record says it all. At 20-2 and a top five team nearly the entire year they'll be tough to beat and it's probably a toss up with them and Germantown but, I think G'Town has played the tougher schedule that will prepare them.
Long Shots
Arrowhead- Arrowhead has had a lot of ups and downs this year but, they have beaten Germantown once already this year and 5'11 junior guard Trevell Cunningham could really carry them at times and they have nice overall team size.
De Pere- A team with a ton of size that is always extremely disciplined.
Bay Port- Second place team behind Sheboygan North in the Fox River.,
Hamilton- A boarder line team in the top 10 all year and have really overachieved all year long.
Kimberly- Another top team from the Fox Valley that has beaten some of the top teams in the conference.
Germantown over Sheboygan North
Sun Prairie Sectional
Favorite
Madison East- As I said in my last post Madison East is really peeking at the top time and being that their playing conference opponents where things could go either way. They were at state last year when they got hot.
Contenders
Sun Prairie- Their the #1 seed for a reason and they were co-champs of the Big Eight. Seniors 6'1 Sam Kerr and 6'5 Rod Johnson could very well carry this team.
Middleton- They've been the favorite most of the year to get to state and win the conference but, have struggled as of late. Their big three juniors 6'4 Tyree Eady, 5'11 Storm Murphy, and CJ Fermanich are as good as anyone in the state.
Madison Memorial- They have a ton of size and have the experience and the history backing them. They will go as far as 6'8 junior Chris Knight will carry them.
Long Shots
Oconomowoc- Another border line top 10 team and they won the Little Ten conference.
Muskego- Another conference champ here that got seeded a little low and will see how they stack up against the Big Eight.
Final
Madison East over Middleton
West Allis Central Sectional
Favorite
Milwaukee Riverside- They've been my number two almost the entire season and they may be the deepest team in the state and they can run and gun with anyone. Juniors 6'6 Terrence Lewis and 6'5 George Dixon and two of the best.
Contender
Milwaukee Marquette- They've been a very consistent team all year long and came out on top of the Greater Metro Conference.
Racine Park- Only lost one game all year but, I just don't know that they've been tested enough and may struggle against the city teams.
Long Shots
Milwaukee Vincent- A team that really has some talent and just recently gave Riverside all they wanted. They have lots of guards but, success will hinge on their bigs in particular 6'5 junior twins Jamel and Jamal White.
Milwaukee King- I know King has struggled this year but, I just feel like a deep playoff run is in store. Their junior guard 6'1 Virshon Cotton and 6'3 Jordan Poole are two of the best shooters in the state.
Final
Milwaukee Riverside over Milwaukee Marquette
State Matchups
Stevens Point over Germantown
Milwaukee Riverside over Madison East
Stevens Point over Milwaukee Riverside
Stevens Point has already taken it to Germantown and Riverside once this year and state will be no different. In Riverside's first game I think East would try to run with them and you don't want to do that with Riverside.
Again these are just my thoughts and most of this is just off the top of my head so didn't go into any real detail just the biggest reasons for picks on certain teams. I'll admit I did get a little help on some of the conference standings.
Madison East over Sun Prairie
The seedings may be set but, this was a huge game as far as the Big Eight Conference was concerned. A Sun Prairie win would of given them at least a share of the Big Eight crown and for East it was their senior night in front of a packed crowd. Both teams had a lot to play for and should of been playing hard but, it was East that came out of the gates flying high behind a starting lineup of their five seniors.
I think the overall crowd and being at home with senior night gave East a huge adrenaline rush earlier on and they nearly ran Sun Prairie out of the gym in the first half. East star 6'4 senior Deang Deang really was aggressive early on and he seemed to want to guard whoever had the ball. Deang was the star but, fellow senior 6'5 Courtland Cuevas electrified the crowd throwing down a nice put back dunk and then hitting a three from the corner combined with a three from 6'2 senior Oliver Allison and East was up 16-4 before Sun Prairie knew what hit them. Sun Prairie did their best to climb back into this game but, their two senior stars of their own 6'1 Sam Kerr and 6'5 Rod Johnson really struggled in the first half. For Kerr nothing was falling for him as numerous shots went in and out and for Johnson he just couldn't find any open looks with Deang all over him. Deang did whatever he wanted in the first half and got just enough for his team mates to take the 29-16 first half lead.
In the second half things just kind of slugged along for the first 12 minutes before things got exciting. East started missing shots and turning the ball over including Deang himself which is pretty rare. Johnson finally got himself going to help out Kerr, who had been carrying the team up until that point. Johnson hit one three after another, one where I think Deang was nearly hanging on him and then Johnson hit a very impressive step back three to bring Sun Prairie within six. Throughout Johnson's hot shooting East was missing their free throws. After Johnson hit the big three East turned the ball over and in transition Johnson pulled up for three and Deang tried to block him from behind which he did but, he also fouled him giving Johnson a chance to shoot three free throws. The normally smooth shooting Johnson went up and missed all three shots which is extremely rare which basically sealed the game with under a minute to go. The game was finalized by a powerful two handed dunk by 6'6 junior Steve Wooten on the break away and Sun Prairie score a bucket at the buzzer to lose by six.
Top Players
Sam Kerr 6'1 senior Sun Prairie- Kerr struggled at times but, really got going from three point range from the corners in the second half. Really gotta give Kerr credited as he played all but, two minutes in this game and was suffering from cramps late in this one.
Rod Johnson 6'5 senior Sun Prairie- Really not a factor in the first half but, was extremely impressive from the outside late in the game. Johnson hit a couple threes with Deang right in his face and that step back three just makes you say wow.
Deang Deang 6'4 senior Madison East- Best player on the court all night long. His defense was impressive and he will always guard the best player on the court no matter what type of player he is and his size. Offensively Sun Prairie couldn't stay in front of him and when he drives and stops and pops the only thing stopping him is himself.
Steve Wooten 6'6 junior Madison East- Wooten hit a pair of huge three points and had two very big fast break baskets late including the monster dunk.
Box Score
SP 50- Johnson 20 Kerr 18 Ben Hauser 5 Marlon Ruffin 4 Deshawn Black 2 Marty Strey 1 DJ Jones 0 Nate Verstegen 0 Sean Suchomel 0 Bryce Moore 0
ME 56- Deang 19 Wooten 12 Kenny Jones 7 Cuevas 5 Keshawn Justice 5 Allison 3 Davion Washington 3 Cameron Cractic 2 Donovan Tomony 0 Tre'vone Irby 0
Unfortunately Sun Prairie lost this game but, fortunately Middleton lost this night as well causing a three way tie between Sun Prairie, Middleton, and Madison Memorial. Biggest winner of the night might be Madison Memorial who won a share of their 13 straight conference title. Sun Prairie is a team that could be dangerous come tournament time with Kerr and Johnson, and they are the #1 seed but, they just don't have enough scoring outside of the big two in my mind. On the other side I can really see Madison East making a repeat run at state. East was my pick to win the conference all year long and they just didn't play up to their potential but, I think they are peaking at the right time. Mark it down Madison East will win the sectional and find themselves back at the Kohl Center come the end of March.
Sunday, February 21, 2016
Week 12 Rankings
This season is winding down so the rankings are nearly final. Teams are one playing one or two games a week so there just isn't as much chance for teams to lose so there just aren't as many changes. Playoff pairings were released today which makes it even more interesting to check out how they relate in relationship to how many ranked teams are in a region or sectional.
Division One
Oshkosh North dropped a game to Kaukauna and dropped them to 12 not just because of the lose to a very good team but, because I kind of reevaluated things and thought they should be behind Appleton West. Superior lost to Rice Lake and fall to 13, followed by Vincent who lost to Milwaukee Washington.
1. Stevens Point
2. Milwaukee Riverside
3. Racine Park
4. Sheboygan North
5. Milwaukee Marquette
6. Middleton
7. Germantown
8. Sun Prairie
9. Madison Memorial
10. Muskego
11. Appleton West
12. Oshkosh North
13. Superior
14. Milwaukee Vincent
15. Oconomowoc
Division Two
Kaukauna lost to Kimberly and dropped just one spot to two.. Monona Grove lost to Oregon, Pulaski lost to Manitowoc Lincoln, and Whitnall lost to Wauwatosa West dropping them in at nine, ten, and eleven.Wausau East lost to DC Everest and Marshfield falling from the rankings allowing Onalaska back into the rankings because there wasn't anyone else. Morse Marshall lost to Milwaukee Riverside and fall to 14 only hang on to the rankings because again there wasn't anyone else.
1. New Berlin Eisenhower
2. Kaukauna
3. Waunakee
4. La Crosse Central
5. Pewaukee
6. Milwaukee Washington
7. Luxemburg Casco
8. Cedarburg
9. Monona Grove
10. Pulaski
11. Whitnall
12. Hortonville
13. Sauk Prairie
14. Milwaukee Morse Marshall
15. Onalaska
Division Three
KML lost to Plymouth and Ripon while Edgewood lost to Monroe dropping both teams from the rankings and allowing Omro and Northwestern into the rankings. Southern Door lost to Luxemburg Casco but, hang on to the 15 spot.
1. GET
2. Waupun
3. Lake Mills
4. Wrightstown
5. Prescott
6. Xavier
7. Marshall
8. Brookfield Academy
9. Brown Deer
10. Evansville
11. Valders
12. Lakeside Lutheran
13. Omro
14. Northwestern
15. Southern Door
Division Four
Wabeno/Laona dropped a pair of games to Menominee Mich and Wausaukee and fall to 13. Darlington lost to Iowa Grant which is to be expected so I kept them at 15.
1. Melrose Mindoro
2. Dominican
3. Cameron
4. Amherst
5. Markesan
6. Unity
7. Iowa Grant
8. Destiny
9. Deerfield
10. Eau Claire Regis
11. Edgar
12. Marathon
13. Wabeno/Laona
14. Cochrane-Fountain City
15. Darlington
Division Five
Seneca dropped to eight having lost to Hillsboro who also beat Bangor. Clayton lost to Cameron and Port Edwards beat Gresham which were all expected so they all remained the same at 9, 10, 11. Pecatonica lost to Barneveld and dropped a spot to 15.
1. Hillsboro
2. McDonnell Central
3. Port Edwards
4. Columbus Catholic
5. Almond Bancroft
6. Washburn
7. Solon Springs
8. Seneca
9. Bangor
10. Clayton
11. Gresham
12. Hustisford
13. Barneveld
14. Shullsburg
15. Pecatonica
Well there are my rankings. I haven't decided if I will do rankings through the playoffs or if next week will be my final rankings since the regular season is ending. It really seems to be a mute point to do rankings after we have a state champ.
Division One
Oshkosh North dropped a game to Kaukauna and dropped them to 12 not just because of the lose to a very good team but, because I kind of reevaluated things and thought they should be behind Appleton West. Superior lost to Rice Lake and fall to 13, followed by Vincent who lost to Milwaukee Washington.
1. Stevens Point
2. Milwaukee Riverside
3. Racine Park
4. Sheboygan North
5. Milwaukee Marquette
6. Middleton
7. Germantown
8. Sun Prairie
9. Madison Memorial
10. Muskego
11. Appleton West
12. Oshkosh North
13. Superior
14. Milwaukee Vincent
15. Oconomowoc
Division Two
Kaukauna lost to Kimberly and dropped just one spot to two.. Monona Grove lost to Oregon, Pulaski lost to Manitowoc Lincoln, and Whitnall lost to Wauwatosa West dropping them in at nine, ten, and eleven.Wausau East lost to DC Everest and Marshfield falling from the rankings allowing Onalaska back into the rankings because there wasn't anyone else. Morse Marshall lost to Milwaukee Riverside and fall to 14 only hang on to the rankings because again there wasn't anyone else.
1. New Berlin Eisenhower
2. Kaukauna
3. Waunakee
4. La Crosse Central
5. Pewaukee
6. Milwaukee Washington
7. Luxemburg Casco
8. Cedarburg
9. Monona Grove
10. Pulaski
11. Whitnall
12. Hortonville
13. Sauk Prairie
14. Milwaukee Morse Marshall
15. Onalaska
Division Three
KML lost to Plymouth and Ripon while Edgewood lost to Monroe dropping both teams from the rankings and allowing Omro and Northwestern into the rankings. Southern Door lost to Luxemburg Casco but, hang on to the 15 spot.
1. GET
2. Waupun
3. Lake Mills
4. Wrightstown
5. Prescott
6. Xavier
7. Marshall
8. Brookfield Academy
9. Brown Deer
10. Evansville
11. Valders
12. Lakeside Lutheran
13. Omro
14. Northwestern
15. Southern Door
Division Four
Wabeno/Laona dropped a pair of games to Menominee Mich and Wausaukee and fall to 13. Darlington lost to Iowa Grant which is to be expected so I kept them at 15.
1. Melrose Mindoro
2. Dominican
3. Cameron
4. Amherst
5. Markesan
6. Unity
7. Iowa Grant
8. Destiny
9. Deerfield
10. Eau Claire Regis
11. Edgar
12. Marathon
13. Wabeno/Laona
14. Cochrane-Fountain City
15. Darlington
Division Five
Seneca dropped to eight having lost to Hillsboro who also beat Bangor. Clayton lost to Cameron and Port Edwards beat Gresham which were all expected so they all remained the same at 9, 10, 11. Pecatonica lost to Barneveld and dropped a spot to 15.
1. Hillsboro
2. McDonnell Central
3. Port Edwards
4. Columbus Catholic
5. Almond Bancroft
6. Washburn
7. Solon Springs
8. Seneca
9. Bangor
10. Clayton
11. Gresham
12. Hustisford
13. Barneveld
14. Shullsburg
15. Pecatonica
Well there are my rankings. I haven't decided if I will do rankings through the playoffs or if next week will be my final rankings since the regular season is ending. It really seems to be a mute point to do rankings after we have a state champ.
Sunday, February 14, 2016
Middleton over Madison Memorial
I was really interested to see how both teams would come out after some disappointing games on Thursday with Middleton losing to Sun Prairie and Memorial to West. It was Middleton that came out and just completely outplayed Memorial for about two thirds of the game and showed they are the team to beat in the Big Eight.
In the first half Middleton came out firing and they were hitting their outside shots unlike Thursday night where they couldn't make a thing. 5'11 junior Storm Murphy was doing his thing hitting the jumpers, 6'4 junior Tyree Eady was scoring off slashes to the rim, and 6'1 junior Myron Ashford Jr got the start and hit a pair of early threes. For Memorial they just couldn't buy a basket as the missed easy lay up after easy layup. I swear nearly every started missed at least two layups in the first half and Middleton stormed out to a 12 point halftime lead. Most of the game was a 12-15 point lead for Middleton.
In the second half Memorial finally came out to play as they really increased the pressure both in the full court and the half court and the shots started falling. 6'8 junior Chris Knight finally got things going on the side and 6'0 junior Billy Wilson had the best game I've seen this year from him as he was hitting threes and driving to the rim and scoring. The real key was Memorial going to a 1-3-1 zone which they extended out to a 3/4 court press at times and putting 6'5 junior Jake Ferguson out top. Ferguson's length and quick hands forced some turnovers and really interrupted the Middleton offense when either Murphy or fellow back court mate 6'0 CJ Fermanich were out of the game. Memorial did cut the lead to six at one point but, three three point field goals from Eady carried Middleton and allowed them to maintain the lead. In the end the free throw shooting of Eady and Murphy sealed the deal and Middleton won 77-63.
Top Players
Storm Murphy 5'11 junior Middleton- Murphy is always going to take a lot of shots some good and some bad but, he's a flat out scorer with a ton of confidence. Murphy was hitting those step back shots and was money from the free throw line.
Tyree Eady 6'4 junior Middleton- Did a great job of cutting to the rim and scoring in the post. When he can set his feet on the outside shot the three is going to fall.
Billy Wilson 6'0 junior Memorial- Hitting the threes which is normal but, showed the ability to drive to the rim and finish which I hadn't seen all year.
Chris Knight 6'8 junior Memorial- Struggled in the first half but, in the second half he was tough to stop around the rim and was using his size to just shot over the Middleton defenders.
Matt Caropreso 6'6 junior Memorial- Didn't score a ton and actually struggled on the offensive end but, was so big rebounding and blocking shots I had to at least give him a mention.
Box Score
Memorial 63- Knight 18 Wilson 17 Logan Knecht 10 Ferguson 9 Caropreso 9 Chase Danielson 0 Jason Weah 0 Terrel Goodwan 0
Middleton 77- Murphy 26 Eady 25 Ashford Jr 6 Brogan Brunker 6 Kevin Ripp 5 Fermanich 3 Cody Markel 2 Travis Raffel 2 Brady Thomas 2 Mitch Bacon 0 Jack Smith 0 Cam Maly 0 Daydrian Spears 0
After watching this game I'm going to stand with my midseason thoughts that Middleton will be a state team and their two biggest road blocks are Muskego and Sun Prairie but, of course can't count out Madison East or Memorial. My personal thoughts though are that Memorial will probably end up getting knocked out rather early by one of the previous mentioned teams.
In the first half Middleton came out firing and they were hitting their outside shots unlike Thursday night where they couldn't make a thing. 5'11 junior Storm Murphy was doing his thing hitting the jumpers, 6'4 junior Tyree Eady was scoring off slashes to the rim, and 6'1 junior Myron Ashford Jr got the start and hit a pair of early threes. For Memorial they just couldn't buy a basket as the missed easy lay up after easy layup. I swear nearly every started missed at least two layups in the first half and Middleton stormed out to a 12 point halftime lead. Most of the game was a 12-15 point lead for Middleton.
In the second half Memorial finally came out to play as they really increased the pressure both in the full court and the half court and the shots started falling. 6'8 junior Chris Knight finally got things going on the side and 6'0 junior Billy Wilson had the best game I've seen this year from him as he was hitting threes and driving to the rim and scoring. The real key was Memorial going to a 1-3-1 zone which they extended out to a 3/4 court press at times and putting 6'5 junior Jake Ferguson out top. Ferguson's length and quick hands forced some turnovers and really interrupted the Middleton offense when either Murphy or fellow back court mate 6'0 CJ Fermanich were out of the game. Memorial did cut the lead to six at one point but, three three point field goals from Eady carried Middleton and allowed them to maintain the lead. In the end the free throw shooting of Eady and Murphy sealed the deal and Middleton won 77-63.
Top Players
Storm Murphy 5'11 junior Middleton- Murphy is always going to take a lot of shots some good and some bad but, he's a flat out scorer with a ton of confidence. Murphy was hitting those step back shots and was money from the free throw line.
Tyree Eady 6'4 junior Middleton- Did a great job of cutting to the rim and scoring in the post. When he can set his feet on the outside shot the three is going to fall.
Billy Wilson 6'0 junior Memorial- Hitting the threes which is normal but, showed the ability to drive to the rim and finish which I hadn't seen all year.
Chris Knight 6'8 junior Memorial- Struggled in the first half but, in the second half he was tough to stop around the rim and was using his size to just shot over the Middleton defenders.
Matt Caropreso 6'6 junior Memorial- Didn't score a ton and actually struggled on the offensive end but, was so big rebounding and blocking shots I had to at least give him a mention.
Box Score
Memorial 63- Knight 18 Wilson 17 Logan Knecht 10 Ferguson 9 Caropreso 9 Chase Danielson 0 Jason Weah 0 Terrel Goodwan 0
Middleton 77- Murphy 26 Eady 25 Ashford Jr 6 Brogan Brunker 6 Kevin Ripp 5 Fermanich 3 Cody Markel 2 Travis Raffel 2 Brady Thomas 2 Mitch Bacon 0 Jack Smith 0 Cam Maly 0 Daydrian Spears 0
After watching this game I'm going to stand with my midseason thoughts that Middleton will be a state team and their two biggest road blocks are Muskego and Sun Prairie but, of course can't count out Madison East or Memorial. My personal thoughts though are that Memorial will probably end up getting knocked out rather early by one of the previous mentioned teams.
Week 11 Rankings
Another week in and another round of rankings. Have one week until seeding meetings and two weeks until playoffs start. So I guess we have two weeks of rankings after this week.
Division One
Middleton dropped a game to Sun Prairie. and drop one spot to six. Madison Memorial lost to Middleton and Madison West and drop down to 10. Arrowhead lost to Kettle Moraine, Eau Claire Memorial lost to Marshfield and Chippewa Falls, and De Pere lost to Ashwaubenon knocking all three teams from the rankings and being replaced by Vincent, Appleton West, and Oconomowoc.
1. Stevens Point
2. Milwaukee Riverside
3. Racine Park
4. Sheboygan North
5. Milwaukee Marquette
6. Middleton
7. Oshkosh North
8. Germantown
9. Sun Prairie
10. Madison Memorial
11. Muskego
12. Superior
13. Milwaukee Vincent
14. Appleton West
15. Oconomowoc
Division Two
La Crosse Central lost to Stevens Point which who doesn't so they only dropped a spot to four. Washington lost to Milwaukee Riverside another tough team and drop to six followed by Monona Grove who lost to Stoughton. Morse Marshall lost to Bradley Tech and fall all the way to 14. Cedarburg lost to Germantown and drop two spots followed by Wausau East who lost to Neenah. Greendale lost to Milwaukee Pius and Pewaukee and fall from the rankings. Hortonville lost to a very good D1 team in Oshkosh North so they stay put at 14. Logan lost to Holmen and La Crosse Central and are another team to fall from the rankings. Sauk Prairie is the new team to the rankings since Lux Casco was 15b last week. Seeing a lot of D2 teams losing because they are playing a lot of D1 teams.
1. Kaukauna
2. New Berlin Eisenhower
3. Waunakee
4. La Crosse Central
5. Pewaukee
6. Milwaukee Washington
7. Monona Grove
8. Pulaski
9. Whitnall
10. Luxemburg Casco
11. Cedarburg
12. Wausau East
13. Milwaukee Morse Marshall
14. Hortonville
15. Sauk Prairie
Division Three
Xavier lost to West De Pere and drop just a spot to six. KML lost to Waupun and Edgewood lost to Monona Grove dropping both teams to 13 and 14. I just couldn't find a way to get Oconto or Omro into the rankings as they have both only lost two games this year. If I hadn't had Southern Door there I probably would of put Omro there.
1. GET
2. Waupun
3. Lake Mills
4. Wrightstown
5. Prescott
6. Xavier
7. Marshall
8. Brookfield Academy
9. Brown Deer
10. Evansville
11. Valders
12. Lakeside Lutheran
13. Kettle Moraine Lutheran
14. Madison Edgewood
15. Southern Door
Division Four
Has to be a first here that no one lost in my top 15 so here are my same rankings as last week.
1. Melrose Mindoro
2. Dominican
3. Cameron
4. Amherst
5. Markesan
6. Unity
7. Iowa Grant
8. Destiny
9. Deerfield
10. Eau Claire Regis
11. Wabeno/Laona
12. Edgar
13. Marathon
14. Cochrane-Fountain CIty
15. Darlington
Division Five
Port Edwards lost to Almond Bancroft and Columbus Catholic lost to Marathon but, I couldn't see dropping either behind Almond Bancroft as they have lost two games. Clayton lost to Unity which is a tough game but, they drop to 10. Everyone else in D5 held strong.
1. Hillsboro
2. McDonnell Central
3. Port Edwards
4. Columbus Catholic
5. Almond Bancroft
6. Seneca
7. Washburn
8. Solon Springs
9. Bangor
10. Clayton
11. Gresham
12. Hustisford
13. Barneveld
14. Pecatonica
15. Shullsburg
Kind of interesting to watch the differences in divisions as far as how much the rankings change. In the bigger divisions teams seem to still lose here and there while in the lower the divisions the top teams don't seem to lose as much and things stay put. Reasoning for this is probably because the smaller divisions just don't have the talent spread out across the entire division.
Division One
Middleton dropped a game to Sun Prairie. and drop one spot to six. Madison Memorial lost to Middleton and Madison West and drop down to 10. Arrowhead lost to Kettle Moraine, Eau Claire Memorial lost to Marshfield and Chippewa Falls, and De Pere lost to Ashwaubenon knocking all three teams from the rankings and being replaced by Vincent, Appleton West, and Oconomowoc.
1. Stevens Point
2. Milwaukee Riverside
3. Racine Park
4. Sheboygan North
5. Milwaukee Marquette
6. Middleton
7. Oshkosh North
8. Germantown
9. Sun Prairie
10. Madison Memorial
11. Muskego
12. Superior
13. Milwaukee Vincent
14. Appleton West
15. Oconomowoc
Division Two
La Crosse Central lost to Stevens Point which who doesn't so they only dropped a spot to four. Washington lost to Milwaukee Riverside another tough team and drop to six followed by Monona Grove who lost to Stoughton. Morse Marshall lost to Bradley Tech and fall all the way to 14. Cedarburg lost to Germantown and drop two spots followed by Wausau East who lost to Neenah. Greendale lost to Milwaukee Pius and Pewaukee and fall from the rankings. Hortonville lost to a very good D1 team in Oshkosh North so they stay put at 14. Logan lost to Holmen and La Crosse Central and are another team to fall from the rankings. Sauk Prairie is the new team to the rankings since Lux Casco was 15b last week. Seeing a lot of D2 teams losing because they are playing a lot of D1 teams.
1. Kaukauna
2. New Berlin Eisenhower
3. Waunakee
4. La Crosse Central
5. Pewaukee
6. Milwaukee Washington
7. Monona Grove
8. Pulaski
9. Whitnall
10. Luxemburg Casco
11. Cedarburg
12. Wausau East
13. Milwaukee Morse Marshall
14. Hortonville
15. Sauk Prairie
Division Three
Xavier lost to West De Pere and drop just a spot to six. KML lost to Waupun and Edgewood lost to Monona Grove dropping both teams to 13 and 14. I just couldn't find a way to get Oconto or Omro into the rankings as they have both only lost two games this year. If I hadn't had Southern Door there I probably would of put Omro there.
1. GET
2. Waupun
3. Lake Mills
4. Wrightstown
5. Prescott
6. Xavier
7. Marshall
8. Brookfield Academy
9. Brown Deer
10. Evansville
11. Valders
12. Lakeside Lutheran
13. Kettle Moraine Lutheran
14. Madison Edgewood
15. Southern Door
Division Four
Has to be a first here that no one lost in my top 15 so here are my same rankings as last week.
1. Melrose Mindoro
2. Dominican
3. Cameron
4. Amherst
5. Markesan
6. Unity
7. Iowa Grant
8. Destiny
9. Deerfield
10. Eau Claire Regis
11. Wabeno/Laona
12. Edgar
13. Marathon
14. Cochrane-Fountain CIty
15. Darlington
Division Five
Port Edwards lost to Almond Bancroft and Columbus Catholic lost to Marathon but, I couldn't see dropping either behind Almond Bancroft as they have lost two games. Clayton lost to Unity which is a tough game but, they drop to 10. Everyone else in D5 held strong.
1. Hillsboro
2. McDonnell Central
3. Port Edwards
4. Columbus Catholic
5. Almond Bancroft
6. Seneca
7. Washburn
8. Solon Springs
9. Bangor
10. Clayton
11. Gresham
12. Hustisford
13. Barneveld
14. Pecatonica
15. Shullsburg
Kind of interesting to watch the differences in divisions as far as how much the rankings change. In the bigger divisions teams seem to still lose here and there while in the lower the divisions the top teams don't seem to lose as much and things stay put. Reasoning for this is probably because the smaller divisions just don't have the talent spread out across the entire division.
Friday, February 12, 2016
Sun Prairie over Middleton
This game was a bit of a shocker as Sun Prairie came out guns blazing and never looked back. I knew Middleton had been struggling as of late but, I thought they would come to play and then when I saw that one of Sun Prairie's top players 6'5 senior Rod Johnson was not suited up for whatever reason. Not sure what's going on with Middleton right now but, after looking like world beaters early on they are really struggling right now.
Sun Prairie was just launching the threes early on and they were falling as 6'2 senior DJ Jones made his first three shots and a pair of threes by 6'1 senior Sam Kerr gave Sun Prairie a nice 14-2 lead early on and really never looked back. Throughout the entire first half Jones was hitting everything and Kerr and company chipped in when needed. For Middleton nothing was going right. Middleton's three headed junior monster was terrible to put it bluntly. 5'11 Storm Murphy couldn't buy shot, 6'0 CJ Fermanich seemed to lose the handle every time he drove and turned the ball over, and 6'4 Tyree Eady was getting out in transition but, the layups just weren't falling. Outside of the big three there just wasn't much else from anyone and there was no energy on their side. Sun Prairie had the backing of the crowd and they really rode the energy wave. At half Sun Prairie was up nine.
In the second half Sun Prairie extended their lead to 16 at one point before Middleton trimmed it to 10 with about 10 minutes left in the game before some late threes cut the lead to six at one point and Sun Prairie extended it to get the double digit win. Fermanich hit three second half threes and Eady hit a pair but, the calming influence of Kerr on the other end led to Sun Prairie hanging on. Big highlights of the night were a couple nice dunks by 6'5 Sun Prairie senior DeShawn Black in the post and a nice drive spin move and and one from Kerr.
Top Players
Brogan Brunker 6'4 sophomore Middleton- Only guy on Middleton that really brought any energy. Brunker came off the bench and battled in the post and did most of his damaged on the glass and from the free throw line.
CJ Fermanich 6'0 junior Middleton- Struggled early on but, hit the three late in the game and actually did a pretty good job rebounding from the guard position.
DJ Jones 6'2 senior Sun Prairie- Really shot the ball extremely well in the first half as he combined with Kerr to carry the team in the first half. Struggled in the second half and didn't play a ton.
Sam Kerr 6'1 senior Sun Prairie- Had the outside shot going early on hitting some big threes and then in the second half was the calming factor running the point, hitting free throws, and was also able to get to the lane and score.
Box Score
Middleton 53- Fermanich 15 Eady 14 Brunker 10 Murphy 7 Jack Smith 4 Kevin Ripp 3 Cody Markel 0 Travis Raffel 0 Brady Thomas 0 Cam Maly 0 Myron Ashford Jr 0 Daydrian Spears 0
Sun Prairie 64- Kerr 22 Jones 17 Black 7 Marlon Ruffin 7 Sean Suchomel 5 Ben Hauser 4 Nate Verstegen 2 Marty Strey 0
This really makes things interesting in the Big Eight conference. I thought the Middleton lose would give Madison Memorial the lead in the conference but, of course they lost to Madison West setting up the three way tie between Memorial, Middleton, and Sun Prairie. Saturday Memorial and Middleton play, all three have to play Janesville Craig, Middleton has to play West, and Sun Prairie also has Madison East so things will be very interesting. Frankly I wouldn't be completely shocked to wind up with a four way tie with East being thrown into the mix.
Sun Prairie was just launching the threes early on and they were falling as 6'2 senior DJ Jones made his first three shots and a pair of threes by 6'1 senior Sam Kerr gave Sun Prairie a nice 14-2 lead early on and really never looked back. Throughout the entire first half Jones was hitting everything and Kerr and company chipped in when needed. For Middleton nothing was going right. Middleton's three headed junior monster was terrible to put it bluntly. 5'11 Storm Murphy couldn't buy shot, 6'0 CJ Fermanich seemed to lose the handle every time he drove and turned the ball over, and 6'4 Tyree Eady was getting out in transition but, the layups just weren't falling. Outside of the big three there just wasn't much else from anyone and there was no energy on their side. Sun Prairie had the backing of the crowd and they really rode the energy wave. At half Sun Prairie was up nine.
In the second half Sun Prairie extended their lead to 16 at one point before Middleton trimmed it to 10 with about 10 minutes left in the game before some late threes cut the lead to six at one point and Sun Prairie extended it to get the double digit win. Fermanich hit three second half threes and Eady hit a pair but, the calming influence of Kerr on the other end led to Sun Prairie hanging on. Big highlights of the night were a couple nice dunks by 6'5 Sun Prairie senior DeShawn Black in the post and a nice drive spin move and and one from Kerr.
Top Players
Brogan Brunker 6'4 sophomore Middleton- Only guy on Middleton that really brought any energy. Brunker came off the bench and battled in the post and did most of his damaged on the glass and from the free throw line.
CJ Fermanich 6'0 junior Middleton- Struggled early on but, hit the three late in the game and actually did a pretty good job rebounding from the guard position.
DJ Jones 6'2 senior Sun Prairie- Really shot the ball extremely well in the first half as he combined with Kerr to carry the team in the first half. Struggled in the second half and didn't play a ton.
Sam Kerr 6'1 senior Sun Prairie- Had the outside shot going early on hitting some big threes and then in the second half was the calming factor running the point, hitting free throws, and was also able to get to the lane and score.
Box Score
Middleton 53- Fermanich 15 Eady 14 Brunker 10 Murphy 7 Jack Smith 4 Kevin Ripp 3 Cody Markel 0 Travis Raffel 0 Brady Thomas 0 Cam Maly 0 Myron Ashford Jr 0 Daydrian Spears 0
Sun Prairie 64- Kerr 22 Jones 17 Black 7 Marlon Ruffin 7 Sean Suchomel 5 Ben Hauser 4 Nate Verstegen 2 Marty Strey 0
This really makes things interesting in the Big Eight conference. I thought the Middleton lose would give Madison Memorial the lead in the conference but, of course they lost to Madison West setting up the three way tie between Memorial, Middleton, and Sun Prairie. Saturday Memorial and Middleton play, all three have to play Janesville Craig, Middleton has to play West, and Sun Prairie also has Madison East so things will be very interesting. Frankly I wouldn't be completely shocked to wind up with a four way tie with East being thrown into the mix.
Monday, February 8, 2016
Week 10 Rankings
Another week and another round of my state rankings. Again these rankings mean nothing and are just for fun to see what my rankings would be if I had a vote that matters.
Division One
De Pere lost to Pulaski and drop all the way to 15 because they were the only team that lost and the teams in the bottom half of the rankings are just so closely locked. I've been trying to find a way to get Appleton West and Milwaukee Vincent into the rankings but, I just don't see anywhere for them. A possible lose by Arrowhead, Muskego, or De Pere could get them in next week.
1. Stevens Point
2. Milwauekee Riverside
3. Racine Park
4. Sheboygan North
5. Middleton
6. Madison Memorial
7. Milwaukee Marquette
8. Oshkosh North
9. Germantown
10. Sun Prairie
11. Arrowhead
12. Muskego
13. Superior
14. Eau Claire Memorial
15. De Pere
Division Two
Pewaukee got beat by Milwaukee Pius and dropped a few spots to seven. Morse Marshall lost to Milwaukee Vincent but, with Whitnall losing to Brown Deer and Greendale losing to Eisenhower, Morse Marshall stayed put and Whitnall and Greendale fall to 12 and 13. Luxemburg Casco comes in at 15b having mistakenly put them in D3 and they've only lost two games.
1. Kaukauna
2. New Berlin Eisenhower
3. La Crosse Central
4. Waunakee
5. Milwaukee Washington
6. Monona Grove
7. Pewaukee
8. Milwaukee Morse Marshall
9. Cedarburg
10. Pulaski
11. Wausau East
12. Whitnall
13. Greendale
14. Hortonville
15. La Crosse Logan
15b. Luxemburg Casco
Division Three
Evansville lost a game to Clinton and fell all the way to 10. Edgewood was upset by Oregon and drop to 13 because there just wasn't anyone to get into the rankings along with Lakeside Lutheran who lost to Lake Mills. Southern Door was able to get in the rankings because Luxemburg Casco was incorrectly ranked in D3.
1. GET
2. Waupun
3. Lake Mills
4. Wrightstown
5. Xavier
6. Prescott
7. Marshall
8. Brookfield Academy
9. Brown Deer
10. Evansville
11. Kettle Moraine Lutheran
12. Valders
13. Madison Edgewood
14. Lakeside Lutheran
15. Southern Door
Division Four
Only two teams that lost were, Destiny losing to Kenosha Indian Trail and Deerfield losing to Marshall, which knocked both teams down to eight and nine. Algoma and Oconto are knocking on the door.
1. Melrose Mindoro
2. Dominican
3. Cameron
4. Amherst
5. Markesan
6. Unity
7. Iowa Grant
8. Destiny
9. Deerfield
10. Eau Claire Regis
11. Wabeno/Laona
12. Edgar
13. Marathon
14. Cochrane-Fountain City
15. Darlington
Division Five
Hillsboro lost to Westby and McDonnell Central lost to Eau Claire Regis and honestly I'm not sure if anyone in D5 could of won those games so I'm keeping them at one and two. Solon Springs lost to Washburn and dropped them just behind Washburn at nine. Gresham lost to Almond Bancroft dropped to 11. Shullsburg lost to Pecatonica falling to 15 and Pecatonica fell in at 14 replacing Young Coggs Prep who lost to Milwaukee North.
1. Hillsboro
2. McDonnell Central
3. Port Edwards
4. Columbus Catholic
5. Almond Bancroft
6. Clayton
7. Seneca
8. Washburn
9. Solon Springs
10. Bangor
11. Gresham
12. Hustisford
13. Barneveld
14. Pecatonica
15. Shullsburg
As you can see things have really started to filter out and the top teams aren't losing as much as they were earlier in the year. I still feel that I have some teams that are way over rated and some teams that are underrated but, I'll admit these rankings have a lot to do with teams rankings.
Division One
De Pere lost to Pulaski and drop all the way to 15 because they were the only team that lost and the teams in the bottom half of the rankings are just so closely locked. I've been trying to find a way to get Appleton West and Milwaukee Vincent into the rankings but, I just don't see anywhere for them. A possible lose by Arrowhead, Muskego, or De Pere could get them in next week.
1. Stevens Point
2. Milwauekee Riverside
3. Racine Park
4. Sheboygan North
5. Middleton
6. Madison Memorial
7. Milwaukee Marquette
8. Oshkosh North
9. Germantown
10. Sun Prairie
11. Arrowhead
12. Muskego
13. Superior
14. Eau Claire Memorial
15. De Pere
Division Two
Pewaukee got beat by Milwaukee Pius and dropped a few spots to seven. Morse Marshall lost to Milwaukee Vincent but, with Whitnall losing to Brown Deer and Greendale losing to Eisenhower, Morse Marshall stayed put and Whitnall and Greendale fall to 12 and 13. Luxemburg Casco comes in at 15b having mistakenly put them in D3 and they've only lost two games.
1. Kaukauna
2. New Berlin Eisenhower
3. La Crosse Central
4. Waunakee
5. Milwaukee Washington
6. Monona Grove
7. Pewaukee
8. Milwaukee Morse Marshall
9. Cedarburg
10. Pulaski
11. Wausau East
12. Whitnall
13. Greendale
14. Hortonville
15. La Crosse Logan
15b. Luxemburg Casco
Division Three
Evansville lost a game to Clinton and fell all the way to 10. Edgewood was upset by Oregon and drop to 13 because there just wasn't anyone to get into the rankings along with Lakeside Lutheran who lost to Lake Mills. Southern Door was able to get in the rankings because Luxemburg Casco was incorrectly ranked in D3.
1. GET
2. Waupun
3. Lake Mills
4. Wrightstown
5. Xavier
6. Prescott
7. Marshall
8. Brookfield Academy
9. Brown Deer
10. Evansville
11. Kettle Moraine Lutheran
12. Valders
13. Madison Edgewood
14. Lakeside Lutheran
15. Southern Door
Division Four
Only two teams that lost were, Destiny losing to Kenosha Indian Trail and Deerfield losing to Marshall, which knocked both teams down to eight and nine. Algoma and Oconto are knocking on the door.
1. Melrose Mindoro
2. Dominican
3. Cameron
4. Amherst
5. Markesan
6. Unity
7. Iowa Grant
8. Destiny
9. Deerfield
10. Eau Claire Regis
11. Wabeno/Laona
12. Edgar
13. Marathon
14. Cochrane-Fountain City
15. Darlington
Division Five
Hillsboro lost to Westby and McDonnell Central lost to Eau Claire Regis and honestly I'm not sure if anyone in D5 could of won those games so I'm keeping them at one and two. Solon Springs lost to Washburn and dropped them just behind Washburn at nine. Gresham lost to Almond Bancroft dropped to 11. Shullsburg lost to Pecatonica falling to 15 and Pecatonica fell in at 14 replacing Young Coggs Prep who lost to Milwaukee North.
1. Hillsboro
2. McDonnell Central
3. Port Edwards
4. Columbus Catholic
5. Almond Bancroft
6. Clayton
7. Seneca
8. Washburn
9. Solon Springs
10. Bangor
11. Gresham
12. Hustisford
13. Barneveld
14. Pecatonica
15. Shullsburg
As you can see things have really started to filter out and the top teams aren't losing as much as they were earlier in the year. I still feel that I have some teams that are way over rated and some teams that are underrated but, I'll admit these rankings have a lot to do with teams rankings.
Saturday, February 6, 2016
Madison East over Janesville Craig
In the battle for fourth place in the Big Eight, Madison East outlasted Janesville Craig to take sole advantage of fourth in the conference. East has been a mystery to me all year. They went to state a year ago and return the majority of their players and they've struggled to stay above .500. Every time you think they've righted the ship with some big wins they drop a game they really shouldn't of. Same could be said for Craig who has some great games and then other times laid an egg.
Craig took the first lead in a back and forth game behind the driving of their point guard 5'9 junior SanTrell Payton. Payton used his quickness taking the ball to the rim or moving without the ball to finish at the rim. If was nice to see Payton be aggressive taking the ball to the rim and looking to score. In the two games I have seen Payton he just seems to stand offish and not looking to score and then a light clicks or something and he's able to get to the rim at will and no one can stay with him. I think if he realized that he might be the best player on the court and he has the ability to score at will he's stock and reputation would sky rocket. When Payton wasn't scoring Craig was looking to dump the ball into their two bigs 6'9 junior Adam Anhold and 6'11 senior Riley Jensen. They pretty much switch in for each other and despite Jensen coming off the bench they are both very capable scorers in the post. For East 6'4 senior Deang Deang kept them in the game with his driving and pull up mid range jumper and sprinkling in some sharp shooting from 6'5 sophomore Keshawn Justice. Craig went to a 3-2 zone which allowed Deang and Justice to routinely find open threes. At half Craig led by two.
In the second half Craig continued to play zone which continued to give Justice open threes particularly from the corners and Justice was hitting them. Deang also chipped in with a few threes of his own. In the second half it also seemed that East big man 6'6 junior Steve Wooten figured out that he couldn't use his size against the Craig bigs but, he had the quickness to go around them and used it to score six huge points in the second half. For Craig their offense kind of stalled and it seemed that they all stood around and watch 6'1 junior Jake Negus go one on one and typically get fouled where he would go to the line and make his free throws. Anhold and Payton each hit a three put there wasn't much else from anyone else. In the end Craig just couldn't get the basket they needed and East got the four point win.
Top Players
SanTrell Payton 5'9 junior Janesville Craig- Just flat out quicker then everyone tonight. When he wanted to he could score at will. Also very solid on defense guarding Deang when they weren't in the zone.
Adam Anhold 6'9 junior Janesville Craig- Really solid playing in the post with his back to the basket. Does a great job of getting position on the inside, scoring from the block, and he's a great passer out of the post.
Jake Negus 6'1 junior Janesville Craig- Real solid point guard and could go one on one and get in the lane every time down the court. Think he shot 9-10 from the free throw line.
Deang Deang 6'4 senior Madison East- Used his athleticism and quickness to get to the mid range and knock down the jumpers. Also was able to get to the rim and sore at will.
Keshawn Justice 6'5 sophomore Madison East- Sharpshooter from long range, he can really shoot the three. When he got his shot from the corners it was going to fall.
Steven Wooten 6'6 junior Madison East- Like I had said earlier he used his quickness to go around the bigger slower Craig defenders and had a solid game despite battling foul trouble.
Box Score
East 65- Deang 26 Justice 25 Wooten 10 Cameron Cratic 2 Davion Washington 2 Kenny Jones 0 Tre'vone Irby 0 Chris Warren 0 Courtland Cuevas 0 Oliver Allison 0
Craig 61- Payton 17 Negus 15 Anhold 13 Jensen 10 Nick Cramer 2 Robby Hoppe 2 Connor Wright 2 Nick Lynch 0 Zach Gestrich 0
This was really a very well played game over all and both teams went back and forth at each other having their own strong moments. Craig did a nice job of working inside out and East ran everything through Deang. Both of these teams could make some noise come tournament time and I wouldn't be surprised to see either one go deep.
Craig took the first lead in a back and forth game behind the driving of their point guard 5'9 junior SanTrell Payton. Payton used his quickness taking the ball to the rim or moving without the ball to finish at the rim. If was nice to see Payton be aggressive taking the ball to the rim and looking to score. In the two games I have seen Payton he just seems to stand offish and not looking to score and then a light clicks or something and he's able to get to the rim at will and no one can stay with him. I think if he realized that he might be the best player on the court and he has the ability to score at will he's stock and reputation would sky rocket. When Payton wasn't scoring Craig was looking to dump the ball into their two bigs 6'9 junior Adam Anhold and 6'11 senior Riley Jensen. They pretty much switch in for each other and despite Jensen coming off the bench they are both very capable scorers in the post. For East 6'4 senior Deang Deang kept them in the game with his driving and pull up mid range jumper and sprinkling in some sharp shooting from 6'5 sophomore Keshawn Justice. Craig went to a 3-2 zone which allowed Deang and Justice to routinely find open threes. At half Craig led by two.
In the second half Craig continued to play zone which continued to give Justice open threes particularly from the corners and Justice was hitting them. Deang also chipped in with a few threes of his own. In the second half it also seemed that East big man 6'6 junior Steve Wooten figured out that he couldn't use his size against the Craig bigs but, he had the quickness to go around them and used it to score six huge points in the second half. For Craig their offense kind of stalled and it seemed that they all stood around and watch 6'1 junior Jake Negus go one on one and typically get fouled where he would go to the line and make his free throws. Anhold and Payton each hit a three put there wasn't much else from anyone else. In the end Craig just couldn't get the basket they needed and East got the four point win.
Top Players
SanTrell Payton 5'9 junior Janesville Craig- Just flat out quicker then everyone tonight. When he wanted to he could score at will. Also very solid on defense guarding Deang when they weren't in the zone.
Adam Anhold 6'9 junior Janesville Craig- Really solid playing in the post with his back to the basket. Does a great job of getting position on the inside, scoring from the block, and he's a great passer out of the post.
Jake Negus 6'1 junior Janesville Craig- Real solid point guard and could go one on one and get in the lane every time down the court. Think he shot 9-10 from the free throw line.
Deang Deang 6'4 senior Madison East- Used his athleticism and quickness to get to the mid range and knock down the jumpers. Also was able to get to the rim and sore at will.
Keshawn Justice 6'5 sophomore Madison East- Sharpshooter from long range, he can really shoot the three. When he got his shot from the corners it was going to fall.
Steven Wooten 6'6 junior Madison East- Like I had said earlier he used his quickness to go around the bigger slower Craig defenders and had a solid game despite battling foul trouble.
Box Score
East 65- Deang 26 Justice 25 Wooten 10 Cameron Cratic 2 Davion Washington 2 Kenny Jones 0 Tre'vone Irby 0 Chris Warren 0 Courtland Cuevas 0 Oliver Allison 0
Craig 61- Payton 17 Negus 15 Anhold 13 Jensen 10 Nick Cramer 2 Robby Hoppe 2 Connor Wright 2 Nick Lynch 0 Zach Gestrich 0
This was really a very well played game over all and both teams went back and forth at each other having their own strong moments. Craig did a nice job of working inside out and East ran everything through Deang. Both of these teams could make some noise come tournament time and I wouldn't be surprised to see either one go deep.
Tuesday, February 2, 2016
Border Battle
Finally have a chance to do a quick write up of the Border Battle from this past weekend. Unfortunately the battle went much the way myself and many others have expected with Minnesota winning 5-1. Is Minnesota a better state basketball wise or were the teams that were picked simply better I'm truly not sure but, I'm leaning towards the later. Here's a quick write up of the showcase.
Spring Grove Mn 83 Columbus Catholic 69
Unfortunately Columbus Catholic just couldn't buy a shot through much of this game and Spring Grove was able to jump out to a big first half lead and cruise to victory. Along with missing those shots Spring Grove had a huge height advantage which allowed Spring Grove to dominate on the glass. Matters were made worse that Spring Grove got pretty hot from the outside as 6'3 senior Brady Schuttemier made five straight threes at one point. Spring Grove is a pretty good team and if they were a D5 team in Wisconsin would probably be a title contender no doubt.
Top Scorers
SG- Schuttemier 25 Chase Grinde 25 Alex Folz 10
CC- Tyler Fuerlinger 32 Hunter Schultz 21 Evan Nikolai 6
Lake City Mn 63 Westby 57
Westby was the clear under dog here as they aren't a ranked team and truly aren't a real threat to make a deep playoff run despite a pretty good record while Lake City is a top five ranked team in Minnesota. Westby plays a 1-3-1 which really kept them in the game early on as Lake City seemed to struggle with it. The struggled continued until 5'9 sophomore Marc Kjos came in the game and hit five first half three pointers. The threes caused the zone to open up and allowed Lake City to find some openings in the defense. For Westby I was extremely impressed with 6'3 senior Jesse Solberg. Solberg hit every shot he was given open looks on and despite not being the quickest guy out there he was able to get himself in good positions and he was able to finish over the defenders.
Top Scorers
LC- Kjos 18 Eli Custer 14 Brady Kuschinka 14
W- Solberg 31 Kyle Anderson 14 Ross Stalsberg 7
Tartan Mn 64 Eau Claire Memorial 61 OT
I really thought this game was going to be a blow out in favor of Tartan but, I really underestimated EC Memorial. 6'2 senior Darien Dieckman came out firing early on hitting several big threes to give Memorial the lead. For Tartan their star 6'2 junior Jordan Horn was strapped with early foul trouble and they just couldn't get anything going from until 6'1 junior Jordan Thompson got things going in the second half after struggling in the first half In the second half Horn did get things going a little which led to a nice match up with Memorial senior 6'2 Isaac Appleby. Appleby really showed the ability to score in the game either getting to the rim or his preference a stop and pop 15 footer. Appleby even had a very nice baseline drive and dunk that excited the crowd. In overtime the game was tied and everyone thought it would be Horn driving the ball but, he kicked out to fellow junior 6'2 Kingston Myles who hit his second shot of the game with a deep three that swished through the rim with two seconds left in the game to clinch the win.
Top Scoers
T- Horn 17 Thompson 16 Joevon Walker 11
ECM- Appleby 20 Dieckman 18 Cormac Sampson 8
DeLaSalle Mn 56 La Crosse Central 51
Two big stories in this game. First story was Central playing a triangle and two defense on DeLaSalle's two stars 6'3 sophomore Gabe Kalscheur and 6'7 junior Goanar Mar. Both Kalscheur and Mar were frustrated all game long by the face guarding and really neither one ever got things going and Central forced DeLaSalle's other players to beat them which they eventually did late in the game. The second story was that Central got nothing on the offensive end outside of their 6'4 junior star Kobe King. King scored 32 points and the only other player to score more then two was his running mate 6'0 junior Bailey Kale who score seven of his nine points late in the game. Late in the game it was basically King bringing the ball up the court and then King trying to score on his own. No one else was stepping up and King didn't look to pass to anyone else.
DLS- Sage Booker 15 Sam Jones 14 Kalscheur 8
LCC- King 32 Kale 9 five with 2
Minneapolis North 84 Onalaska 62
This game was much closer then it seems. Onalaska had this game down to five points with about five minutes left in the game. At times this seemed like a dunk contest for North as they had seven dunks in the game but, every time you looked up at the scoreboard Onalaska was crawling back into the game. Onalaska's starters really struggled but, it was 6'2 junior Tyler Hughes that came up huge scoring 19 points off the bench. Apparently Hughes has been out with an injury and this was only his second game of the year so nice to see a kid have a big game after missing half the season. North is another team that would be D5 in Wisconsin and lets just say they would be very scary. North is big and athletic and love to make highlight plays which could cost them against more talented teams.
MN- Tyler Johnson 17 Jamil Jackson 17 Isaac Johnson 15 Patrick Dembley 14
O- Hughes 19 Tyler Turriff 14 Noah Fredrickson 8
Stevens Point 88 Minnetonka Mn 65
You knew that Point would be a given win for Wisconsin as outside of Hopkins Minnesota no one else is going to beat Point. Point was there normal self with 6'2 senior Trev Anderson knocking down threes and taking the ball hard to the rim. 6'7 sophomore Joey Hauser scoring in the paint and 6'6 senior Sam Hauser doing just about everything else from running the point, hitting jumpers, and had a nice back door cut for a dunk. Minnetonka was just out matched but, their senior guards Cedric Boone and Amar Miller really competed extremely hard and each was able to have some big moments shooting. Minnetonka didn't have the heights listed of their players.
SP- Anderson 31 J Hauser 22 S Hauser 20
M- Miller 23 Boone 17 Seth Coatte 9
Top Players
Tyler Fuerlinger 6'1 junior Columbus Catholic- Really a great one on one player that was able to get to the rim and score in a variety of ways around the rim.
Chase Grinde 6'3 junior Spring Grove- Really uses his size as a guard to score against smaller defenders in the post. Has a knack for getting to the line and scoring.
Brady Schuttemier 6'3 senior Spring Grove- Was just money from three point range all game long as he went through a streak where he just couldn't miss.
Jesse Solberg 6'3 junior Westby- I've pretty much said it all above. Just a flat out scorer.
Marc Kjos 5'9 sophomore Lake City-Hit six huge three pointers in the game and was able to break down the Westby zone.
Isaac Appleby 6'2 senior Eau Claire Memorial- Another flat out scorer that can score in bunches and is a big time athlete.
Darian Dieckman 6'2 senior Eau Claire Memorial- Another guy that really lit it up from three point range and carried his team early on.
Kobe King 6'4 junior La Crosse Central- Was unstoppable at times during the game driving the lane and knocking down mid range jumpers. He can just out jump and out athlete anyone on the floor.
Tyler Hughes 6'2 junior Onalaska- Huge scorer off the bench that was able to handle the ball and was able to hit big three after big three to keep Onalaska in the game.
Tyler Johnson 6'2 senior Minneapolis North- Just a superb athlete that can jump out of the gym and can really finish at the rim.
Jamil Jackson 6'6 senior Minneapolis North- Another guy that just wants to dunk everything and had three monster dunks that were as good as any I've seen.
Trev Anerson 6'2 senior Stevens Point- Doesn't miss much from three point range and can get to the rim at will using quickness and strength.
Joey Hauser 6'7 sophomore Stevens Point- Hard to believe he's a sophomore but, he just controls the paint completely on offense and defense.
Sam Hauser 6'6 senior Stevens Point- Love his game in that he does a little bit of everything. Runs the point at times, shoots jumpers, and can score in the post.
Amar Miller 5'9 senior Minnetonka- Lighting quick guard that can score driving to the rim and hit the three point shot.
My final thoughts are that at least this year Minnesota has the better high school basketball. After see a few top teams at the Border Battle and Players Classic there a numerous teams from the Twin Cities area, that probably only Stevens Point would beat.
Spring Grove Mn 83 Columbus Catholic 69
Unfortunately Columbus Catholic just couldn't buy a shot through much of this game and Spring Grove was able to jump out to a big first half lead and cruise to victory. Along with missing those shots Spring Grove had a huge height advantage which allowed Spring Grove to dominate on the glass. Matters were made worse that Spring Grove got pretty hot from the outside as 6'3 senior Brady Schuttemier made five straight threes at one point. Spring Grove is a pretty good team and if they were a D5 team in Wisconsin would probably be a title contender no doubt.
Top Scorers
SG- Schuttemier 25 Chase Grinde 25 Alex Folz 10
CC- Tyler Fuerlinger 32 Hunter Schultz 21 Evan Nikolai 6
Lake City Mn 63 Westby 57
Westby was the clear under dog here as they aren't a ranked team and truly aren't a real threat to make a deep playoff run despite a pretty good record while Lake City is a top five ranked team in Minnesota. Westby plays a 1-3-1 which really kept them in the game early on as Lake City seemed to struggle with it. The struggled continued until 5'9 sophomore Marc Kjos came in the game and hit five first half three pointers. The threes caused the zone to open up and allowed Lake City to find some openings in the defense. For Westby I was extremely impressed with 6'3 senior Jesse Solberg. Solberg hit every shot he was given open looks on and despite not being the quickest guy out there he was able to get himself in good positions and he was able to finish over the defenders.
Top Scorers
LC- Kjos 18 Eli Custer 14 Brady Kuschinka 14
W- Solberg 31 Kyle Anderson 14 Ross Stalsberg 7
Tartan Mn 64 Eau Claire Memorial 61 OT
I really thought this game was going to be a blow out in favor of Tartan but, I really underestimated EC Memorial. 6'2 senior Darien Dieckman came out firing early on hitting several big threes to give Memorial the lead. For Tartan their star 6'2 junior Jordan Horn was strapped with early foul trouble and they just couldn't get anything going from until 6'1 junior Jordan Thompson got things going in the second half after struggling in the first half In the second half Horn did get things going a little which led to a nice match up with Memorial senior 6'2 Isaac Appleby. Appleby really showed the ability to score in the game either getting to the rim or his preference a stop and pop 15 footer. Appleby even had a very nice baseline drive and dunk that excited the crowd. In overtime the game was tied and everyone thought it would be Horn driving the ball but, he kicked out to fellow junior 6'2 Kingston Myles who hit his second shot of the game with a deep three that swished through the rim with two seconds left in the game to clinch the win.
Top Scoers
T- Horn 17 Thompson 16 Joevon Walker 11
ECM- Appleby 20 Dieckman 18 Cormac Sampson 8
DeLaSalle Mn 56 La Crosse Central 51
Two big stories in this game. First story was Central playing a triangle and two defense on DeLaSalle's two stars 6'3 sophomore Gabe Kalscheur and 6'7 junior Goanar Mar. Both Kalscheur and Mar were frustrated all game long by the face guarding and really neither one ever got things going and Central forced DeLaSalle's other players to beat them which they eventually did late in the game. The second story was that Central got nothing on the offensive end outside of their 6'4 junior star Kobe King. King scored 32 points and the only other player to score more then two was his running mate 6'0 junior Bailey Kale who score seven of his nine points late in the game. Late in the game it was basically King bringing the ball up the court and then King trying to score on his own. No one else was stepping up and King didn't look to pass to anyone else.
DLS- Sage Booker 15 Sam Jones 14 Kalscheur 8
LCC- King 32 Kale 9 five with 2
Minneapolis North 84 Onalaska 62
This game was much closer then it seems. Onalaska had this game down to five points with about five minutes left in the game. At times this seemed like a dunk contest for North as they had seven dunks in the game but, every time you looked up at the scoreboard Onalaska was crawling back into the game. Onalaska's starters really struggled but, it was 6'2 junior Tyler Hughes that came up huge scoring 19 points off the bench. Apparently Hughes has been out with an injury and this was only his second game of the year so nice to see a kid have a big game after missing half the season. North is another team that would be D5 in Wisconsin and lets just say they would be very scary. North is big and athletic and love to make highlight plays which could cost them against more talented teams.
MN- Tyler Johnson 17 Jamil Jackson 17 Isaac Johnson 15 Patrick Dembley 14
O- Hughes 19 Tyler Turriff 14 Noah Fredrickson 8
Stevens Point 88 Minnetonka Mn 65
You knew that Point would be a given win for Wisconsin as outside of Hopkins Minnesota no one else is going to beat Point. Point was there normal self with 6'2 senior Trev Anderson knocking down threes and taking the ball hard to the rim. 6'7 sophomore Joey Hauser scoring in the paint and 6'6 senior Sam Hauser doing just about everything else from running the point, hitting jumpers, and had a nice back door cut for a dunk. Minnetonka was just out matched but, their senior guards Cedric Boone and Amar Miller really competed extremely hard and each was able to have some big moments shooting. Minnetonka didn't have the heights listed of their players.
SP- Anderson 31 J Hauser 22 S Hauser 20
M- Miller 23 Boone 17 Seth Coatte 9
Top Players
Tyler Fuerlinger 6'1 junior Columbus Catholic- Really a great one on one player that was able to get to the rim and score in a variety of ways around the rim.
Chase Grinde 6'3 junior Spring Grove- Really uses his size as a guard to score against smaller defenders in the post. Has a knack for getting to the line and scoring.
Brady Schuttemier 6'3 senior Spring Grove- Was just money from three point range all game long as he went through a streak where he just couldn't miss.
Jesse Solberg 6'3 junior Westby- I've pretty much said it all above. Just a flat out scorer.
Marc Kjos 5'9 sophomore Lake City-Hit six huge three pointers in the game and was able to break down the Westby zone.
Isaac Appleby 6'2 senior Eau Claire Memorial- Another flat out scorer that can score in bunches and is a big time athlete.
Darian Dieckman 6'2 senior Eau Claire Memorial- Another guy that really lit it up from three point range and carried his team early on.
Kobe King 6'4 junior La Crosse Central- Was unstoppable at times during the game driving the lane and knocking down mid range jumpers. He can just out jump and out athlete anyone on the floor.
Tyler Hughes 6'2 junior Onalaska- Huge scorer off the bench that was able to handle the ball and was able to hit big three after big three to keep Onalaska in the game.
Tyler Johnson 6'2 senior Minneapolis North- Just a superb athlete that can jump out of the gym and can really finish at the rim.
Jamil Jackson 6'6 senior Minneapolis North- Another guy that just wants to dunk everything and had three monster dunks that were as good as any I've seen.
Trev Anerson 6'2 senior Stevens Point- Doesn't miss much from three point range and can get to the rim at will using quickness and strength.
Joey Hauser 6'7 sophomore Stevens Point- Hard to believe he's a sophomore but, he just controls the paint completely on offense and defense.
Sam Hauser 6'6 senior Stevens Point- Love his game in that he does a little bit of everything. Runs the point at times, shoots jumpers, and can score in the post.
Amar Miller 5'9 senior Minnetonka- Lighting quick guard that can score driving to the rim and hit the three point shot.
My final thoughts are that at least this year Minnesota has the better high school basketball. After see a few top teams at the Border Battle and Players Classic there a numerous teams from the Twin Cities area, that probably only Stevens Point would beat.
Monday, February 1, 2016
Week 9 Rankings
Another week has come and time for new rankings.
Division One
Middleton lost a pair of games to Verona and Madison East and drop to five. Just couldn't drop them behind Madison Memorial who they beat head to head. Milwaukee Marquette lost to Brookfield Central but, with everyone right behind them losing there was no where to drop them. Sun Prairie lost to Madison Memorial and falls to 11. Muskego lost to Arrowhead who in turn lost to Waukesha North dropping Arrowhead to 12 and Muskego to 13. Neenah lost to Appleton West and Kimberly and fall from the rankings allow Eau Claire Memorial into the rankings with Appleton West and Kimberly right on their heels.
1. Stevens Point
2. Milwaukee Riverside
3. Racine Park
4. Sheboygan North
5. Middleton
6. Madison Memorial
7. Milwaukee Marquette
8. Oshkosh North
9. De Pere
10. Germantown
11. Sun Prairie
12. Arrowhead
13. Muskego
14. Superior
15. Eau Claire Memorial
Division Two
Eisenhower lost to a very good Brown Deer team in triple overtime and drop a spot to two. Central lost to a Delasalle team from Minnesota and Washington lost to Chicago Simeon from Illinois and neither team drops due to the out of state teams. Onalaska lost to La Crosse Logan and Minneapolis North which dropped them from the rankings and allowed Morse Marshall to jump to eight being that they were the only other team not to lose. Whitnall lost to Eisenhower but, they did beat Greendale, Cedarburg lost to Whitefish Bay, Pulaski lost to Sheboygan North, Wausau East lost to Wisconsin Rapids and Hortonville lost to Kaukauna. La Crosse Logan is the new team into the rankings with Onalaska falling out.
1. Kaukauna
2. New Berlin Eisenhower
3. La Crosse Central
4. Pewaukee
5. Waunakee
6. Milwaukee Washington
7. Monona Grove
8. Milwaukee Morse Marshall
9. Whitnall
10. Greendale
11. Cedarburg
12. Pulaski
13. Wausau East
14. Hortonville
15. La Crosse Logan
Division Three
Wrightstown lost to Luxemburg Casco, which dropped Wrightstown to four and jumped Luxemburg Casco into the rankings at eight. Prescott lost to GET which was expected so they dropped a spot to seven. Southern Door lost to Oconto and is the odd man out and fall from the rankings.
1. GET
2. Waupun
3. Lake Mills
4. Wrightstown
5. Xavier
6. Evansville
7. Prescott
8. Luxemburg Casco
9. Marshall
10. Brookfield Academy
11. Brown Deer
12. Madison Edgewood
13. Lakeside Lutheran
14. Kettle Moraine Lutheran
15. Valders
Division Four
Unity lost to Cameron which is a tough game so they dropped a few spots to eight. Darlington lost to Shullsburg a very very good D5 team so they hang on to the rankings at 15.
1. Melrose Mindoro
2. Dominican
3. Cameron
4. Amherst
5. Destiny
6. Deerfield
7. Markesan
8. Unity
9. Iowa Grant
10. Eau Claire Regis
11. Wabeno/Laona
12. Edgar
13. Marathon
14. Cochrane-Fountain City
15. Darlington
Division Five
Columbus Catholic lost to a very good Spring Grove team from Minnesota so they don't move from three. De Soto lost to Kickapoo and fall from the rankings allowing Barneveld to get back in the rankings. Young Coggs Prep lost to Milwaukee Academy of Science and drop a spot to 15.
1. Hillsboro
2. McDonnell Central
3. Port Edwards
4. Columbus Catholic
5. Solon Springs
6. Gresham
7. Almond Bancroft
8. Clayton
9. Seneca
10. Washburn
11. Bangor
12. Hustisford
13. Shullsburg
14. Barneveld
15. Young Coggs Prep
Dunks of the Year
Well after the Border Battle weekend I have four dunks to add in. Minneapolis North put on a show as they had seven dunks in there game and all of which could of been a top ten list.
1. Jamil Jackson 6'6 senior Minneapolis North vs Onalaska January 30
Ally oop dunk that I swear he never caught with his hand but, only with his forearm. This was also over an unfortunate Onalaska defender and thought it may of been a foul as well that wasn't called.
2. Tyler Johnson 6'2 senior Minneapolis North vs Onalaska January 30
Tip in dunk and I love tip in dunks. Johnson came from no where and had a very impressive one handed put back dunk. Through in the next time down the court he had a nice ally oop dunk to follow it up as part of a four dunk game.
3. Jamil Jackson 6'6 senior Minneapolis North vs Onalaska January 30
Jackson just tried to dunk everything and many times he did as he had three in the game. Jackson caught the ball on the low block, faced the hoop, took one power dribble and threw it down on 6'5 Jalen Sample for a powerful and one dunk.
4. Isaac Appleby 6'2 senior Eau Claire Memorial vs Tartan Minn January 30
I think this dunk really surprised everyone as Appleby drove baseline and it appeared he was just gonna lay it in when he decided to flush it down hard with one hand.
5. George Dixon 6'5 junior Milwaukee Riverside vs De Pere December 29
A real impressive play. Dixon grabbed the defensive rebound and drove the length of the court and threw it down with two hands between two De Pere defenders.
6. Chris Knight 6'8 junior Madison Memorial vs Janesville Craig January 8
Complete play here. Had the steal jumping the passing lane took the ball and length of the court and then crossed over to get around the defender and had the one handed dunk.
7. Kwam Clements 6'3 senior Verona vs Madison Memorial January 5
Probably have some disagreements here but, I liked this dunk. It was quick with a steal from Clements and two steps and a nice right handed dunk. This got the crowd going and I was kind of surprised as I thought he was going to just lay it up off the glass.
8. Caleb Johnson 6'3 senior Wisconsin Lutheran vs De Pere December 30
A dunk I really liked. Johnson cut to the middle of the lane where a team mate found him and threw down a nice one handed dunk in the paint. Liked it because of size and kind of unexpected.
9. 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.
10. 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.
1. Jamil Jackson 6'6 senior Minneapolis North vs Onalaska January 30
Ally oop dunk that I swear he never caught with his hand but, only with his forearm. This was also over an unfortunate Onalaska defender and thought it may of been a foul as well that wasn't called.
2. Tyler Johnson 6'2 senior Minneapolis North vs Onalaska January 30
Tip in dunk and I love tip in dunks. Johnson came from no where and had a very impressive one handed put back dunk. Through in the next time down the court he had a nice ally oop dunk to follow it up as part of a four dunk game.
3. Jamil Jackson 6'6 senior Minneapolis North vs Onalaska January 30
Jackson just tried to dunk everything and many times he did as he had three in the game. Jackson caught the ball on the low block, faced the hoop, took one power dribble and threw it down on 6'5 Jalen Sample for a powerful and one dunk.
4. Isaac Appleby 6'2 senior Eau Claire Memorial vs Tartan Minn January 30
I think this dunk really surprised everyone as Appleby drove baseline and it appeared he was just gonna lay it in when he decided to flush it down hard with one hand.
5. George Dixon 6'5 junior Milwaukee Riverside vs De Pere December 29
A real impressive play. Dixon grabbed the defensive rebound and drove the length of the court and threw it down with two hands between two De Pere defenders.
6. Chris Knight 6'8 junior Madison Memorial vs Janesville Craig January 8
Complete play here. Had the steal jumping the passing lane took the ball and length of the court and then crossed over to get around the defender and had the one handed dunk.
7. Kwam Clements 6'3 senior Verona vs Madison Memorial January 5
Probably have some disagreements here but, I liked this dunk. It was quick with a steal from Clements and two steps and a nice right handed dunk. This got the crowd going and I was kind of surprised as I thought he was going to just lay it up off the glass.
8. Caleb Johnson 6'3 senior Wisconsin Lutheran vs De Pere December 30
A dunk I really liked. Johnson cut to the middle of the lane where a team mate found him and threw down a nice one handed dunk in the paint. Liked it because of size and kind of unexpected.
9. 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.
10. 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.
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