Still trying to catch up on the rankings. As this point time to move on to the division three rankings.
1. Racine St Catherines- Have the top back court in juniors Kamari McGee and Tyrse Hunter. Both are big time college recruits.
2. East Troy- AJ Vukovich is one of the top players in D3 and they bring back four starters from a team that won 21 games.
3. Oostburg- Five starters back from an 18 win team.
4. Prescott- Parker Nielsen is a four year starter and averaged 26 points a game a year ago and also returning is Jacob Doffing who averaged 16 last year.
5. Brown Deer- Have a ton of talent and early in the year seem to be putting it all together this year. Have had some pretty nice wins early on in the season.
6. Dominican- Alex Antetokounmpo is really having a monster season early on and could carry this team far and be the best player in the division.
7. Wisconsin Dells- 20 win team last year and bring back four starters. Brett Hirst and Bryson Funmaker have been around forever and 6'8 Sam Millard seems to be set to have a huge season.
8. Lake County Lutheran- Four starters back led by double double man Luke Haertle leading the way and this team should have momentum off winning the football title.
9. Wrightstown- Started the year undefeated and have a strong tradition built there.
10. St Johns Military- Have a pair of big time scorers returning in Gerald Gittens and Brandin Podziemski.
Tuesday, December 17, 2019
Sunday, December 15, 2019
Wisconsin Dells dominated Adams
Friday took in the home town team taking on Adams. Unfortunately this wasn't much of a game as Dells cruised to a 42 point victory and honestly there isn't much to say about this game. Dells jumped out early in this one and never looked back.
It was really the Dells defense that set the tone in this game. Adams had a very tough time getting a shot off let alone making the shots. Dells played their typical zone, which has become their standard in recent history and continually trapped the ball which led to turnovers as Adams just didn't seem ready to handle that pressure at this point in the year. I think if Adams could of composed themselves a little bit they would of found some wide open layups under the hoop as all Dells defenders were above the free throw line, allowing two Adams players to be wide open under the hoop. The Dells defenders just assumed that they could cut off the long cross court passes. On the other end of the court Adams was playing zone as well which led to Wisconsin Dells doing nothing but, shooting threes which has become the norm for them in the last few years. Dells didn't shoot great but, they dominated the glass as Adams struggled boxing out of the zone. Well that was basically the entire story of the game.
Top Players
Bryson Funmaker 5'9 senior Wisconsin Dells- Played tremendous in your face defense and had numerous steals in this game which led to run out buckets and also hit some big threes in the game.
Brett Hirst 6'3 senior Wisconsin Dells- Didn't do much offensively but, did a great job of getting in the passing lanes and picking off the long passes.
Silas Greendeer 6'1 junior Wisconsin Dells- Was huge coming off the bench hitting three huge threes in the game.
Box Score
Dells 71- Funmaker 14 Greendeer 13 Sam Millard 9 Jacob Rockwell 8 Dylan Nevar 8 Riley Eck 6 Barrett Witt 4 Jace Knetter 3 Brett Hirst 2 Jack Steinhaus 2 Jake Hale 2 Ben Koenig 0 Brennen Tofson 0 Brett Weiss 0 Colin Kaiser 0
Adams 29- Caleb Hamilton 9 Blaine Wahlen 5 Chrystian Quinnell 5 Ty Roseberry 4 Carson Klause 3 Jonah Van Ert 2 Jordan Jossart 0 Dalton Pollex 0 Dylan Parr 0 Keyvon Holloway 0 Jayme Rubeck 0 Tony Scurto 0 Magnus Moore 0
To be honest I really couldn't say much about this game as Dells dominated so thoroughly there wasn't anything to say. I really don't believe it was because Dells was so good, but really the lack of the talent on Adams.
It was really the Dells defense that set the tone in this game. Adams had a very tough time getting a shot off let alone making the shots. Dells played their typical zone, which has become their standard in recent history and continually trapped the ball which led to turnovers as Adams just didn't seem ready to handle that pressure at this point in the year. I think if Adams could of composed themselves a little bit they would of found some wide open layups under the hoop as all Dells defenders were above the free throw line, allowing two Adams players to be wide open under the hoop. The Dells defenders just assumed that they could cut off the long cross court passes. On the other end of the court Adams was playing zone as well which led to Wisconsin Dells doing nothing but, shooting threes which has become the norm for them in the last few years. Dells didn't shoot great but, they dominated the glass as Adams struggled boxing out of the zone. Well that was basically the entire story of the game.
Top Players
Bryson Funmaker 5'9 senior Wisconsin Dells- Played tremendous in your face defense and had numerous steals in this game which led to run out buckets and also hit some big threes in the game.
Brett Hirst 6'3 senior Wisconsin Dells- Didn't do much offensively but, did a great job of getting in the passing lanes and picking off the long passes.
Silas Greendeer 6'1 junior Wisconsin Dells- Was huge coming off the bench hitting three huge threes in the game.
Box Score
Dells 71- Funmaker 14 Greendeer 13 Sam Millard 9 Jacob Rockwell 8 Dylan Nevar 8 Riley Eck 6 Barrett Witt 4 Jace Knetter 3 Brett Hirst 2 Jack Steinhaus 2 Jake Hale 2 Ben Koenig 0 Brennen Tofson 0 Brett Weiss 0 Colin Kaiser 0
Adams 29- Caleb Hamilton 9 Blaine Wahlen 5 Chrystian Quinnell 5 Ty Roseberry 4 Carson Klause 3 Jonah Van Ert 2 Jordan Jossart 0 Dalton Pollex 0 Dylan Parr 0 Keyvon Holloway 0 Jayme Rubeck 0 Tony Scurto 0 Magnus Moore 0
To be honest I really couldn't say much about this game as Dells dominated so thoroughly there wasn't anything to say. I really don't believe it was because Dells was so good, but really the lack of the talent on Adams.
Wednesday, December 11, 2019
Division Two Rankings
Well today is division two rankings. Unfortunately it appears that I won't be making a game until after Christmas unless some things change. Looking at the rankings it seems like nearly everyone has lost already.
1. La Crosse Central- With the transfers at Nicolet and Milwaukee Washington, Central has become the clear cut #1. The senior 6'5 Davis twins are as good as anyone in the state outside of Patrick Baldwin and 6'7 senior Terrance Thompson is also a D1 college player. Tons of experience here and if they can find a point guard they will be set. Johnny Davis could very well be that point guard.
2. Onalaska- Conference rival with Central they bring back all five starters from a team that won 20 games a year ago. They have three scholarship level players in 6'5 senior Carson Arenz, 6'5 senior Tyrell Stuttley, and 6'11 junior Gavin McGrath.
3. Hortonville- Honestly don't know a ton about them but, the way they handled Kaukauna really opened up my eyes. They have five starters back.
4. Stoughton- Four guys back that have started at times including 6'4 senior Adam Hobson who averaged 17 a game a year ago and 6'1 junior Cael McGee who is an elite athlete and averaged double digits himself.
5. Kaukauna- I really like this team. 6'3 senior Logan Jedwabny can absolutely shoot the lights out, 6'5 senior Jacobd Newhouse controls the inside, and 6'0 senior Keaton Ferris has been there forever and can really control this team.
6. Whitefish Bay- Took down Nicolet already this year and they are a very solid disciplined team. 6'3 junior Jayden Jackson will show he's one of the best in the state.
7. Pewaukee- Have a very good sophomore class that should carry them. 6'3 Josh Terrian, 6'1 Ashton Janowski, and 6'6 Logan Dobberstein.
8. Milwaukee Lutheran- Have a pair of big time senior scorers in 6'2 Jourdan Weddle and 6'0 Javeon Tolliver.
9. Nicolet- Yes they lost a ton in transfers but, they still have some elite talent in 6'5 junior Kobe Johnson and 6'6 junior James Graham.
10. Milwaukee Madison- A very good team that pushed a Nicolet team to the limit last night and that Nicolet team was one of the best teams to ever come through the state of Wisconsin.
HM
River Falls
Reedsburg
1. La Crosse Central- With the transfers at Nicolet and Milwaukee Washington, Central has become the clear cut #1. The senior 6'5 Davis twins are as good as anyone in the state outside of Patrick Baldwin and 6'7 senior Terrance Thompson is also a D1 college player. Tons of experience here and if they can find a point guard they will be set. Johnny Davis could very well be that point guard.
2. Onalaska- Conference rival with Central they bring back all five starters from a team that won 20 games a year ago. They have three scholarship level players in 6'5 senior Carson Arenz, 6'5 senior Tyrell Stuttley, and 6'11 junior Gavin McGrath.
3. Hortonville- Honestly don't know a ton about them but, the way they handled Kaukauna really opened up my eyes. They have five starters back.
4. Stoughton- Four guys back that have started at times including 6'4 senior Adam Hobson who averaged 17 a game a year ago and 6'1 junior Cael McGee who is an elite athlete and averaged double digits himself.
5. Kaukauna- I really like this team. 6'3 senior Logan Jedwabny can absolutely shoot the lights out, 6'5 senior Jacobd Newhouse controls the inside, and 6'0 senior Keaton Ferris has been there forever and can really control this team.
6. Whitefish Bay- Took down Nicolet already this year and they are a very solid disciplined team. 6'3 junior Jayden Jackson will show he's one of the best in the state.
7. Pewaukee- Have a very good sophomore class that should carry them. 6'3 Josh Terrian, 6'1 Ashton Janowski, and 6'6 Logan Dobberstein.
8. Milwaukee Lutheran- Have a pair of big time senior scorers in 6'2 Jourdan Weddle and 6'0 Javeon Tolliver.
9. Nicolet- Yes they lost a ton in transfers but, they still have some elite talent in 6'5 junior Kobe Johnson and 6'6 junior James Graham.
10. Milwaukee Madison- A very good team that pushed a Nicolet team to the limit last night and that Nicolet team was one of the best teams to ever come through the state of Wisconsin.
HM
River Falls
Reedsburg
Tuesday, December 10, 2019
Division One Rankings
I know I'm a little late on this but, since the coaches just came out with their first rankings figured I should come out with my own. Again these rankings mean nothing other then my own thoughts. These aren't preseason rankings but, take into effect all games played up until 12/9.
1. Sussex Hamilton- They have the best player in the state in 6'9 junior Patrick Baldwin Jr and returned four starters from a team that lost only five games a year ago.
2. Madison East- Yes they lost a game already but, to a team from Georgia. Can you really count that? Four starters back from a team that lost only two games including a pair of D1 college guys in 6'3 seniors Anthony Washington and Keonte Jones.
3. Brookfield Central- Defending state champs bring back three starters including a pair of scholarship players in 6'6 junior David Joplin and 6'0 junior Ben Nau. Throw in 6'5 senior Malik Abdul-Wahid who had a huge summer and seems to be much improved.
4. Sun Prairie- State runner ups from last year return their two top players in 6'6 senior Delaware Hale and 6'0 senior Collin Schaefer.
5. Arrowhead- They are led by future Badger 6'7 Carter Gilmore who is poised for a break out season and success has become the norm with Arrowhead.
6. Kimberly- The beat goes on for Kimberly which is led by Jake Buchanan who had a huge summer.
7. Eau Claire North- 6'2 senior Dalton Banks is poised for a break out senior season and should led North to success.
8. Milwaukee King- They've started the year with three huge wins and it seems that King might be back on track.
9. Brookfield East- They've really built something at East and they have three guys back with a ton of experience.
10. Racine Case- A team that's back with a ton of guys returning. Lost to East already this year.
1. Sussex Hamilton- They have the best player in the state in 6'9 junior Patrick Baldwin Jr and returned four starters from a team that lost only five games a year ago.
2. Madison East- Yes they lost a game already but, to a team from Georgia. Can you really count that? Four starters back from a team that lost only two games including a pair of D1 college guys in 6'3 seniors Anthony Washington and Keonte Jones.
3. Brookfield Central- Defending state champs bring back three starters including a pair of scholarship players in 6'6 junior David Joplin and 6'0 junior Ben Nau. Throw in 6'5 senior Malik Abdul-Wahid who had a huge summer and seems to be much improved.
4. Sun Prairie- State runner ups from last year return their two top players in 6'6 senior Delaware Hale and 6'0 senior Collin Schaefer.
5. Arrowhead- They are led by future Badger 6'7 Carter Gilmore who is poised for a break out season and success has become the norm with Arrowhead.
6. Kimberly- The beat goes on for Kimberly which is led by Jake Buchanan who had a huge summer.
7. Eau Claire North- 6'2 senior Dalton Banks is poised for a break out senior season and should led North to success.
8. Milwaukee King- They've started the year with three huge wins and it seems that King might be back on track.
9. Brookfield East- They've really built something at East and they have three guys back with a ton of experience.
10. Racine Case- A team that's back with a ton of guys returning. Lost to East already this year.
Monday, December 9, 2019
La Follette over Vincent to start the year
Well I'm back again for another year. Not sure how much I'll be posting but, I've gotten the itch to start posting again and I find myself sitting at games thinking about posting. There isn't a lot of early season good games this year so I've only been to the one game so far. I took in the upstart La Follette team, which seems to really be building some things behind their coach Curtrel Robinson. An La Follette alum really seems to have this program moving in the right direction and you can usually figure they will bring a good team. On the other side you have Milwaukee Vincent who has been a power team since the mid 90s.
Unfortunately this isn't the 90s for Vincent and there wasn't a lot of positives to say about Vincent in this one. La Follette came out and played an in your face defense and La Follette could never get anything going. 6'3 junior Brionne Williams should some flashes in the first half for Vincent but, in the second half Williams sat much of it with foul trouble. With that being said I'm going to keep this write up to the La Follette side of things.
This La Follette team really reminds me of past Madison East teams that were pretty talented but, just didn't have much size and the same could be said for this La Follette team. La Follette basically plays four guards at all times if not five. There starting five is very good but, I think the question all year will be can they get anything off their bench. They have the Gray twins 6'0 Derek Gray and 6'1 David Gray seem to have really come into their own a seniors. The Gray's do most of the ball handling bringing the ball up the court, are tenacious defenders, and are probably the best athletes on the team. They looked good the last two years of JV and varsity but, just looked out of control at times, this year they seem to really be in full control of their games. 6'0 senior Isaiah Stewart had a big summer and from what I've read is poised for a huge senior year. Stewart isn't a great athlete but, just does everything well and seems to be a very smart guy. Hits the spot up three, plays defense, and pass the ball well. In the post they have 6'3 senior Dakovin Prather who seems to have really worked on his elevation since last year. Prather is a high energy guy that can jump out of the gym and seems to know his roll and his going to have to play big and crash the glass. Last but, not least is 6'1 senor Ben Probst. Probst is not super athletic either and is just smart guy. Probst can really shoot the ball which opens up the rest of his game for him. When he's not hitting the three he can pump fake it which always seems to get the defender of their feet and he drives to the lane where he can hit the mid range jumper or get to the hoop and score. Probst is also a pretty solid kid which will allow him to play against bigger players which he will have to in this lineup. La Follette didn't get much off the bench but, there is some promise in a pair of sophomores in 6'1 K'Shawn Gibbs and 6'6 Juok Riak. Gibbs is a high energy guy that really hustles and showed the ability to hit the spot up three. Riak is very raw at this point but, did show a nice little post game and really likes to play with his back to the basket.
Box Score
La Follette 87- Probst 21 Stewart 12 De Gray 11 Da Gray 11 Prather 11 Gibbs 8 Riak 4 Kavell Sims 3 Cyrus Lashore 2 Jordan Schlough 2 Trevon Cloud 2 Grady Roth 0 George Onyefulumno 0
Vincent 52- Willliams 11 Justin Brunley 11 Elijah Banks 9 Thomas 6 Jordan Lawrence 5 Kymare Johnson 4 Kishon Barnes 2 Raje Woods 2 Patton 2 Dijon Salandich-Jackson 0 Quincy Moore 0
Well La Follette will have a pretty successful season but, will interesting to see how they will handle a team with good size and should be between them, Madison East, and Sun Prairie for the conference title. On the other side Vincent will struggle and there two returning starters are not on the roster as well as a pair of their top two transfers.
Unfortunately this isn't the 90s for Vincent and there wasn't a lot of positives to say about Vincent in this one. La Follette came out and played an in your face defense and La Follette could never get anything going. 6'3 junior Brionne Williams should some flashes in the first half for Vincent but, in the second half Williams sat much of it with foul trouble. With that being said I'm going to keep this write up to the La Follette side of things.
This La Follette team really reminds me of past Madison East teams that were pretty talented but, just didn't have much size and the same could be said for this La Follette team. La Follette basically plays four guards at all times if not five. There starting five is very good but, I think the question all year will be can they get anything off their bench. They have the Gray twins 6'0 Derek Gray and 6'1 David Gray seem to have really come into their own a seniors. The Gray's do most of the ball handling bringing the ball up the court, are tenacious defenders, and are probably the best athletes on the team. They looked good the last two years of JV and varsity but, just looked out of control at times, this year they seem to really be in full control of their games. 6'0 senior Isaiah Stewart had a big summer and from what I've read is poised for a huge senior year. Stewart isn't a great athlete but, just does everything well and seems to be a very smart guy. Hits the spot up three, plays defense, and pass the ball well. In the post they have 6'3 senior Dakovin Prather who seems to have really worked on his elevation since last year. Prather is a high energy guy that can jump out of the gym and seems to know his roll and his going to have to play big and crash the glass. Last but, not least is 6'1 senor Ben Probst. Probst is not super athletic either and is just smart guy. Probst can really shoot the ball which opens up the rest of his game for him. When he's not hitting the three he can pump fake it which always seems to get the defender of their feet and he drives to the lane where he can hit the mid range jumper or get to the hoop and score. Probst is also a pretty solid kid which will allow him to play against bigger players which he will have to in this lineup. La Follette didn't get much off the bench but, there is some promise in a pair of sophomores in 6'1 K'Shawn Gibbs and 6'6 Juok Riak. Gibbs is a high energy guy that really hustles and showed the ability to hit the spot up three. Riak is very raw at this point but, did show a nice little post game and really likes to play with his back to the basket.
Box Score
La Follette 87- Probst 21 Stewart 12 De Gray 11 Da Gray 11 Prather 11 Gibbs 8 Riak 4 Kavell Sims 3 Cyrus Lashore 2 Jordan Schlough 2 Trevon Cloud 2 Grady Roth 0 George Onyefulumno 0
Vincent 52- Willliams 11 Justin Brunley 11 Elijah Banks 9 Thomas 6 Jordan Lawrence 5 Kymare Johnson 4 Kishon Barnes 2 Raje Woods 2 Patton 2 Dijon Salandich-Jackson 0 Quincy Moore 0
Well La Follette will have a pretty successful season but, will interesting to see how they will handle a team with good size and should be between them, Madison East, and Sun Prairie for the conference title. On the other side Vincent will struggle and there two returning starters are not on the roster as well as a pair of their top two transfers.
Wednesday, April 17, 2019
Top Returning Teams
It's been awhile because I just haven't had the chance to post in a while but, thought I would just do a quick run down of the top teams to watch for next year in no particular order.
Division One
Brookfield Central- The defending state champs bring back a pair of D1 college players in 6'1 sophomore Ben Nau and 6'6 sophomore David Joplin.
Sun Prairie- Lost a lot but, bring back 6'0 junior Colin Schaefer and 6'6 Delaware Hale who had seasons that were limited for a variety of reasons. With a full season from those two things should be very much the same as this year.
Madison East- Team that lost only one real rotation player from a team that lost only one guy. 6'3 junior Anthony Washington is a D1 player and I fully believe that 6'3 junior Keonte Jones could get there as well.
Sussex Hamilton- 6'9 sophomore Patrick Baldwin may be the best player in the state and they bring back just about everyone.
Arrowhead- 6'8 Carter Gilmore is one of the best juniors in the state.
Division Two
Nicolet- One of the best teams in the country headlined by two elite 6'9 juniors in Jalen Johnson and Jamari Sibley. Throw in another pair of D1 college players in juniors 6'3 Kobe Johnson and 6'6 James Graham.
La Crosse Central- They have three D1 recruits in the 6'5 junior Davis twins and 6'7 Terrence Thompson.
Milwaukee Washington- 6'9 sophomore Michael Foster is one of the elite players in the state and 6'5 freshmen Tre White is one of the best in his class in the state.
Onalaska-Have a loaded junior class and they bring back everyone and then have 6'9 sophomore Gavin McGrath manning the middle.
Division Three
Racine St. Catherines-Pushed Martin Luther to the limit this past year and they bring back Tyrese Hunter one of the best players in the state.
St Johns Military Academy- Honestly don't know much but, lost only two games this past year and they just seem to load up every year.
Brookfield Academy- Had a very impressive team the past year and Aiden Clary is back and he can go off at any time and get 30 points. They had the size with 6'6 Alex Leach and 6'9 Logan Landers.
Dominican- The greek freaks little brother Alex is poised for a monster year and if he can get a little help he might make a deep run.
Division Four
Cuba City- Braden Dailey coming in to a very good team puts them over the top. Throw in the coach and the tradition that they always have.
Mineral Point- Isaac Lindsey is a talented D1 college recruit and they have a very good team and bring back a lot of players from this years team.
Darlington- A very talented team that I don't know a ton about but, they had a very good record this past year.
Division Five When in doubt go with the private schools right?
Sheboygan Lutheran- Not sure anyone will be able to touch them next year as they bring back three starters from the state champion team. Casey Verhagen might be the top point guard in D5 and Jacob Ognacevic is probably the best player in D5.
Mcdonell Central- Have a rich tradition Eion Kressin is a three year starter.
Division One
Brookfield Central- The defending state champs bring back a pair of D1 college players in 6'1 sophomore Ben Nau and 6'6 sophomore David Joplin.
Sun Prairie- Lost a lot but, bring back 6'0 junior Colin Schaefer and 6'6 Delaware Hale who had seasons that were limited for a variety of reasons. With a full season from those two things should be very much the same as this year.
Madison East- Team that lost only one real rotation player from a team that lost only one guy. 6'3 junior Anthony Washington is a D1 player and I fully believe that 6'3 junior Keonte Jones could get there as well.
Sussex Hamilton- 6'9 sophomore Patrick Baldwin may be the best player in the state and they bring back just about everyone.
Arrowhead- 6'8 Carter Gilmore is one of the best juniors in the state.
Division Two
Nicolet- One of the best teams in the country headlined by two elite 6'9 juniors in Jalen Johnson and Jamari Sibley. Throw in another pair of D1 college players in juniors 6'3 Kobe Johnson and 6'6 James Graham.
La Crosse Central- They have three D1 recruits in the 6'5 junior Davis twins and 6'7 Terrence Thompson.
Milwaukee Washington- 6'9 sophomore Michael Foster is one of the elite players in the state and 6'5 freshmen Tre White is one of the best in his class in the state.
Onalaska-Have a loaded junior class and they bring back everyone and then have 6'9 sophomore Gavin McGrath manning the middle.
Division Three
Racine St. Catherines-Pushed Martin Luther to the limit this past year and they bring back Tyrese Hunter one of the best players in the state.
St Johns Military Academy- Honestly don't know much but, lost only two games this past year and they just seem to load up every year.
Brookfield Academy- Had a very impressive team the past year and Aiden Clary is back and he can go off at any time and get 30 points. They had the size with 6'6 Alex Leach and 6'9 Logan Landers.
Dominican- The greek freaks little brother Alex is poised for a monster year and if he can get a little help he might make a deep run.
Division Four
Cuba City- Braden Dailey coming in to a very good team puts them over the top. Throw in the coach and the tradition that they always have.
Mineral Point- Isaac Lindsey is a talented D1 college recruit and they have a very good team and bring back a lot of players from this years team.
Darlington- A very talented team that I don't know a ton about but, they had a very good record this past year.
Division Five When in doubt go with the private schools right?
Sheboygan Lutheran- Not sure anyone will be able to touch them next year as they bring back three starters from the state champion team. Casey Verhagen might be the top point guard in D5 and Jacob Ognacevic is probably the best player in D5.
Mcdonell Central- Have a rich tradition Eion Kressin is a three year starter.
Tuesday, March 26, 2019
Final Top Scorers and Dunks
Well the season has come to an end and I will have just a few final posts to conclude things. It's been awhile but, here are my final top dunks and scorers of the year that I saw.
Top Dunks
1. Jalen Johnson 6'9 junior Nicolet vs Milwaukee Washington March 15
This was at state so that adds to it. I don't recall who through the lob pass but, Johnson went up super high to grab the ally oop one handed and throw down hard on 6'9 Michael Foster who was trying to break up the lob pass and just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. The pass wasn't great but, that added to the impressive play of Johnson.
2. Ace Evans 6'2 senior Martin Luther vs Brookfield Central December 29
This dunk had the entire gym buzzing. The game was late and Central pretty much had the game in hand. Evans drove left and threw down a very angry dunk right on top of poor Central big man 6'6 sophomore David Joplin. All Joplin could do was smile after the dunk.
3. Prince Aligbe 6'5 freshmen Minnehaha Academy vs Onalaska January 26
Yes he missed like three or four dunks in the game but, this was one of the top of the year. After all the missed I think the team was determined to get him a dunk. First play of the second half out of the half court set Jalen Suggs found Aligbe on the weak side and Aligbe skied out jumping the Onalaska defender and then it right down on him.
4. Prince Aligbe 6'5 freshmen Minnehaha Academy vs La Crosse Central January 19
Nice out of bounds play where the in bounder threw the lob pass over the backboard and Aligbe grabbed it one handed and threw down the dunk all in one motion.
5. Nobal Days 6'9 senior Racine Park vs Milwaukee Vincent February 2
Park was on a two on one breakaway. I can't recall who threw Days the ally oop but, days grabbed it with one hand and in one motion threw it down hard.
6. Keonte Jones 6'3 junior Madison East vs Sun Prairie February 9
Off the half court set offense Jones drove baseline and threw it down hard two handed. This was one of the first plays of the game and was kind of a surprise as I think most people thought Jones would just lay it in.
7. Jalen Suggs 6'4 junior Minnehaha Academy vs La Crosse Central January 19
Kind of a transition dunk where Suggs had a defender running side by side and Suggs threw it down on the defender.
8. Johnny Davis 6'5 junior La Crosse Central vs Minnehaha Academy January 19
Very nice out of bounce sideline play. Brother Jordan Davis found brother Johnny Davis cutting to the hoop on the back side and Johnny absolutely skied to the rim to complete the ally oop dunk.
9. Jamari Sibley 6'9 junior Nicolet vs Sussex Hamilton December 15
Nicolet pulled the ball out and went to a four corners. Star Jalen Johnson handled the ball from the left wing and drove the lane. At the same time Sibley cut back door added by a back screen and Johnson found him with the lob and the completed alley oop dunk.
10. Brayden Dailey 6'5 sophomore Mineral Point vs Wisconsin Dells November 30
Point guard Isaac Lindsey drove just left of the free throw line penetrating the Dells zone while Dailey came from the weak side and Lindsey found him with a nice ally oop pass and dunk.
Top Scorers
1. 41 Trequan Carrington Martin Luther vs Northwestern March 13
2. 36 Mayson Hazaert Wrightstown vs Brown Deer December 8
Will Pytleski Green Bay Southwest vs Wisconsin Lutheran December 29
4. 35 Karter Thomas Oshkosh West vs Brown Deer December 29
Jacob Ognacevic Sheboygan Lutheran vs Columbus Catholic March 15
6. 34 Riley LeTourneau Brookfield East vs Apply Valley Mn January 26
7. 33 Armani Jones Milwaukee Academy of Science vs Kettle Moraine Lutheran December 29
8. 32 Jacob Ognacevic Sheboygan Lutheran vs St Thomas More December 30
Trequan Carrington Martin Luther vs Minneapolis North January 19
10. 31 Gabe Madsen Rochester Mayo vs Waupun January 26
Johnny Davis La Crosse Central vs Milwaukee Washington March 14
12. 30 Jalen Johnson Nicolet vs Sussex Hamilton December 15
Reed Gunnick Laconia vs Lake Mills January 5
Larry Canady Racine Park vs Milwaukee Vincent February 2
15. 29 Nolan Dahmen Kettle Moraine vs New Berlin West December 2926
16. 28 Ryan Waddell Homestead vs Brown Deer December 15
Austin Westra DeForest vs Lakeside Lutheran January 8
Riley Eck Wisconsin Dells vs Mauston January 18
Logan Jedwabny Kaukauna vs La Crosse Logan January 19
Brock Voigt Sun Prairie vs Madison LaFollette February 19
21. 27 Riley Murphy Seymour vs Merrill December 8
Cole Nau Brookfield Central vs Martin Luther December 29
Brayden Dailey Mineral Point vs Milwaukee Academy of Science December 30
Reid Gastner Lake City Mn vs Clear Lake January 26
Jalen Suggs Minnehaha Academy Mn vs Onalaska January 26
Top Dunks
1. Jalen Johnson 6'9 junior Nicolet vs Milwaukee Washington March 15
This was at state so that adds to it. I don't recall who through the lob pass but, Johnson went up super high to grab the ally oop one handed and throw down hard on 6'9 Michael Foster who was trying to break up the lob pass and just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. The pass wasn't great but, that added to the impressive play of Johnson.
2. Ace Evans 6'2 senior Martin Luther vs Brookfield Central December 29
This dunk had the entire gym buzzing. The game was late and Central pretty much had the game in hand. Evans drove left and threw down a very angry dunk right on top of poor Central big man 6'6 sophomore David Joplin. All Joplin could do was smile after the dunk.
3. Prince Aligbe 6'5 freshmen Minnehaha Academy vs Onalaska January 26
Yes he missed like three or four dunks in the game but, this was one of the top of the year. After all the missed I think the team was determined to get him a dunk. First play of the second half out of the half court set Jalen Suggs found Aligbe on the weak side and Aligbe skied out jumping the Onalaska defender and then it right down on him.
4. Prince Aligbe 6'5 freshmen Minnehaha Academy vs La Crosse Central January 19
Nice out of bounds play where the in bounder threw the lob pass over the backboard and Aligbe grabbed it one handed and threw down the dunk all in one motion.
5. Nobal Days 6'9 senior Racine Park vs Milwaukee Vincent February 2
Park was on a two on one breakaway. I can't recall who threw Days the ally oop but, days grabbed it with one hand and in one motion threw it down hard.
6. Keonte Jones 6'3 junior Madison East vs Sun Prairie February 9
Off the half court set offense Jones drove baseline and threw it down hard two handed. This was one of the first plays of the game and was kind of a surprise as I think most people thought Jones would just lay it in.
7. Jalen Suggs 6'4 junior Minnehaha Academy vs La Crosse Central January 19
Kind of a transition dunk where Suggs had a defender running side by side and Suggs threw it down on the defender.
8. Johnny Davis 6'5 junior La Crosse Central vs Minnehaha Academy January 19
Very nice out of bounce sideline play. Brother Jordan Davis found brother Johnny Davis cutting to the hoop on the back side and Johnny absolutely skied to the rim to complete the ally oop dunk.
9. Jamari Sibley 6'9 junior Nicolet vs Sussex Hamilton December 15
Nicolet pulled the ball out and went to a four corners. Star Jalen Johnson handled the ball from the left wing and drove the lane. At the same time Sibley cut back door added by a back screen and Johnson found him with the lob and the completed alley oop dunk.
10. Brayden Dailey 6'5 sophomore Mineral Point vs Wisconsin Dells November 30
Point guard Isaac Lindsey drove just left of the free throw line penetrating the Dells zone while Dailey came from the weak side and Lindsey found him with a nice ally oop pass and dunk.
Top Scorers
1. 41 Trequan Carrington Martin Luther vs Northwestern March 13
2. 36 Mayson Hazaert Wrightstown vs Brown Deer December 8
Will Pytleski Green Bay Southwest vs Wisconsin Lutheran December 29
4. 35 Karter Thomas Oshkosh West vs Brown Deer December 29
Jacob Ognacevic Sheboygan Lutheran vs Columbus Catholic March 15
6. 34 Riley LeTourneau Brookfield East vs Apply Valley Mn January 26
7. 33 Armani Jones Milwaukee Academy of Science vs Kettle Moraine Lutheran December 29
8. 32 Jacob Ognacevic Sheboygan Lutheran vs St Thomas More December 30
Trequan Carrington Martin Luther vs Minneapolis North January 19
10. 31 Gabe Madsen Rochester Mayo vs Waupun January 26
Johnny Davis La Crosse Central vs Milwaukee Washington March 14
12. 30 Jalen Johnson Nicolet vs Sussex Hamilton December 15
Reed Gunnick Laconia vs Lake Mills January 5
Larry Canady Racine Park vs Milwaukee Vincent February 2
15. 29 Nolan Dahmen Kettle Moraine vs New Berlin West December 2926
16. 28 Ryan Waddell Homestead vs Brown Deer December 15
Austin Westra DeForest vs Lakeside Lutheran January 8
Riley Eck Wisconsin Dells vs Mauston January 18
Logan Jedwabny Kaukauna vs La Crosse Logan January 19
Brock Voigt Sun Prairie vs Madison LaFollette February 19
21. 27 Riley Murphy Seymour vs Merrill December 8
Cole Nau Brookfield Central vs Martin Luther December 29
Brayden Dailey Mineral Point vs Milwaukee Academy of Science December 30
Reid Gastner Lake City Mn vs Clear Lake January 26
Jalen Suggs Minnehaha Academy Mn vs Onalaska January 26
Sunday, March 17, 2019
State Recap
Was a great three days of high school basketball in the state of Wisconsin. We saw some great games that came down to the wire and we saw some of the best players in the state and country for that matter. A fun three days and I'm exhausted and need to catch up for some much on some much needed sleep.
Division One
Didn't have the elite players on the smaller divisions but, have a pretty good team there. Everyone doubted Brookfield Central after losing their top scorer and point guard in 6'0 Gage Malensek but. 6'3 senior Cole Nau really took his game to another level and carried his team to the title. I don't know how you can't like Nau as a player. He does whatever it takes for his team to win, all the little things whether it's scoring, running the offensive, or just playing great defense. 6'6 sophomore David Joplin and 6'1 sophomore Ben Nau had nice showings of their own at state and will be exciting to watch these two playing together the next two years.
For Sun Prairie hats off to them. Now they may not be the most impressive team that has ever gotten to a title game but, they played their hearts out. All year I've loved 6'5 senior Brock Voigt who didn't play any minutes at state last year and has become the teams leading scorer. Voigt had a rough semi final game getting in foul trouble and then getting poked in the eye but, had a pretty good game in the final. juniors 6'1 Colin Schaefer and 6'6 Delware Hale had a pair of nice games and one has to think what would of been had they been healthy all year but, those two should have everyone on watch next year.
Brookfield Central was my pick at the start of the year and when Malensek went down I switched my pick and they were still able to pull it off.
Division Two
Well it basically went exactly how everyone thought. Nicolet over Milwaukee Washington in the final with La Crosse Central making it to state as well. The forth team in the mix was a mystery as it ended up being Elkhorn who played their best but, they were just over matched by Nicolet. La Crosse Central played a very good game and 6'5 junior Johnny Davis is making a believer out of me and everyone else in the state. Unfortunately he didn't get enough help from his team mates and some questionable decisions late in the game after Washington cost them in over time.
For Washington had it not been for the three point shooting of sophomore 5'10 Chianti Clay they might of lost to Central. Boy 6'9 sophomore Michael Foster has really improved his overall game. He was huge hitting two late shots to win the game against Central and then didn't his best against Nicolet in the final. Foster moves very well for a big man, can shoot the three, and also has a pretty nice post game. No doubt Foster deserves his ranking in the country as a top five player. 6'5 senior Deontay Long needs to get in a little better shape but, when he gets the ball in the post he's tough to stop. Even against the size of the Nicolet 6'9 juniors Jalen Johnson and Jamari Sibley, Long was able to score. If Long was just a little bigger like 6'7 or 6'8 he would be a big time recruit at this point he will be a mid range player. 6'6 freshmen Tre White shows all the ability to be a high major player but, right now he's just not there just the potential.
Nicolet lived up to all the hype. Johnson had some very impressive plays and dunks that brought the Kohl Center to their feet. Now I'm not saying Johnson is anywhere in Lebron James level but, his game at the high school level very much reminds me of James in the NBA. Johnson is a very willing passer and a good passer, prefers to play facing the basket but, can post up, and has an outside shot thats streaky but, he can get hot from out there. Sibley is a very very nice skilled post player. Doesn't handle the ball as well as Johnson but, he can hit the three point shot and can really post up. Sibley also can run like a deer and gets off the court very quick. Player that really stuck out to me was 6'3 sophomore Kobe Johnson. I'll be honest I really thought he just rode on Jalen's coat tales and was a little over rated. Kobe though really came out and played extremely well at state. Kobe was able to hit the three point shot, had a little floater in the lane, and unlike Jalen he was able to hit his free throws.
Division Three
Sadly there isn't much to say about Northwestern and Denmark for that matter. One thing for Denmark is that I did really like 6'8 senior Patrick Suemnik. Siemnik did a very nice job of guarding Mr. Basketball Waupun senior 6'6 Marcus Domask. Suemnik blocked Domask a couple times and was doing a great job on him until Suemnik picked up his fourth foul.
Anyway in the final Martin Luther's guards were just too quick for the Waupun defenders. 5'10 senior Trequan Carrington and 6'2 senior Ace Evans could get their shots any time they wanted with their ball handling and quickness. Carrington looked like the best player in the state this weekend outside of D2. Carrington could do anything he wanted both games at state but, Evans picked up when Carrington struggled a bit. 6'5 senior Xzavier Jones was a no show a bit mostly due to foul trouble.
Domask was Mr Basketball and he is a great player but, honestly the class was a little weak and it showed that he didn't have the athleticism or quickness. Domask struggled to get his shot at times and ended up forcing things late. No one else on Waupun really showed up for Waupun.
Division Four
Just wow. I said last week that I really liked New Glarus but, I didn't see them winning state. 5'10 senior Jaden Kreklow was hands down the best player in D4 at state. He handles the ball so well and can get anywhere he wants at anytime. They rest of the team for New Glarus was just solid and played a very solid game but, Kreklow was the guy that made things go. 6'2 senior Henry Noone for Oshkosh Lourdes is a very good shooter with a very pretty shot but, sometimes those things fail you at state, that along with some turnovers really killed Lourdes in the final. Not much else to play other then Kreklow dominating but, hats off to Osseo Fairchild 6'2 senior Logan Mulhern who had 34 points and 20 rebounds in the semi final game. Mulhern just worked so so hard and every rebound was his and he nearly single handly carried Osseo Fairchild to a victory.
Division Five
Sheboygan Lutheran had the best players so they won. 6'7 junior Jacob Ognacevic is the best player in D5 and 6'0 freshmen Casey Verhagen may very well be on his way to that. Verhagen sets everything up for his team and they don't score without him assisting on the basket and Ognacevic controls the inside. 6'0 senior Devin Barnstable chips in the outside shooting to help out.
Columbus Catholic played their heart out and had a big come back against Bangor to get to the final. 6'3 senior Jarred Mandel is a tremendous shooter from the outside and 6'3 senior Bryce Fuerlinger had 25 rebounds in the semi final game so that says it all for him. Unfortunately the two best players on the court in the final were on Sheboygan Lutheran.
Division One
Didn't have the elite players on the smaller divisions but, have a pretty good team there. Everyone doubted Brookfield Central after losing their top scorer and point guard in 6'0 Gage Malensek but. 6'3 senior Cole Nau really took his game to another level and carried his team to the title. I don't know how you can't like Nau as a player. He does whatever it takes for his team to win, all the little things whether it's scoring, running the offensive, or just playing great defense. 6'6 sophomore David Joplin and 6'1 sophomore Ben Nau had nice showings of their own at state and will be exciting to watch these two playing together the next two years.
For Sun Prairie hats off to them. Now they may not be the most impressive team that has ever gotten to a title game but, they played their hearts out. All year I've loved 6'5 senior Brock Voigt who didn't play any minutes at state last year and has become the teams leading scorer. Voigt had a rough semi final game getting in foul trouble and then getting poked in the eye but, had a pretty good game in the final. juniors 6'1 Colin Schaefer and 6'6 Delware Hale had a pair of nice games and one has to think what would of been had they been healthy all year but, those two should have everyone on watch next year.
Brookfield Central was my pick at the start of the year and when Malensek went down I switched my pick and they were still able to pull it off.
Division Two
Well it basically went exactly how everyone thought. Nicolet over Milwaukee Washington in the final with La Crosse Central making it to state as well. The forth team in the mix was a mystery as it ended up being Elkhorn who played their best but, they were just over matched by Nicolet. La Crosse Central played a very good game and 6'5 junior Johnny Davis is making a believer out of me and everyone else in the state. Unfortunately he didn't get enough help from his team mates and some questionable decisions late in the game after Washington cost them in over time.
For Washington had it not been for the three point shooting of sophomore 5'10 Chianti Clay they might of lost to Central. Boy 6'9 sophomore Michael Foster has really improved his overall game. He was huge hitting two late shots to win the game against Central and then didn't his best against Nicolet in the final. Foster moves very well for a big man, can shoot the three, and also has a pretty nice post game. No doubt Foster deserves his ranking in the country as a top five player. 6'5 senior Deontay Long needs to get in a little better shape but, when he gets the ball in the post he's tough to stop. Even against the size of the Nicolet 6'9 juniors Jalen Johnson and Jamari Sibley, Long was able to score. If Long was just a little bigger like 6'7 or 6'8 he would be a big time recruit at this point he will be a mid range player. 6'6 freshmen Tre White shows all the ability to be a high major player but, right now he's just not there just the potential.
Nicolet lived up to all the hype. Johnson had some very impressive plays and dunks that brought the Kohl Center to their feet. Now I'm not saying Johnson is anywhere in Lebron James level but, his game at the high school level very much reminds me of James in the NBA. Johnson is a very willing passer and a good passer, prefers to play facing the basket but, can post up, and has an outside shot thats streaky but, he can get hot from out there. Sibley is a very very nice skilled post player. Doesn't handle the ball as well as Johnson but, he can hit the three point shot and can really post up. Sibley also can run like a deer and gets off the court very quick. Player that really stuck out to me was 6'3 sophomore Kobe Johnson. I'll be honest I really thought he just rode on Jalen's coat tales and was a little over rated. Kobe though really came out and played extremely well at state. Kobe was able to hit the three point shot, had a little floater in the lane, and unlike Jalen he was able to hit his free throws.
Division Three
Sadly there isn't much to say about Northwestern and Denmark for that matter. One thing for Denmark is that I did really like 6'8 senior Patrick Suemnik. Siemnik did a very nice job of guarding Mr. Basketball Waupun senior 6'6 Marcus Domask. Suemnik blocked Domask a couple times and was doing a great job on him until Suemnik picked up his fourth foul.
Anyway in the final Martin Luther's guards were just too quick for the Waupun defenders. 5'10 senior Trequan Carrington and 6'2 senior Ace Evans could get their shots any time they wanted with their ball handling and quickness. Carrington looked like the best player in the state this weekend outside of D2. Carrington could do anything he wanted both games at state but, Evans picked up when Carrington struggled a bit. 6'5 senior Xzavier Jones was a no show a bit mostly due to foul trouble.
Domask was Mr Basketball and he is a great player but, honestly the class was a little weak and it showed that he didn't have the athleticism or quickness. Domask struggled to get his shot at times and ended up forcing things late. No one else on Waupun really showed up for Waupun.
Division Four
Just wow. I said last week that I really liked New Glarus but, I didn't see them winning state. 5'10 senior Jaden Kreklow was hands down the best player in D4 at state. He handles the ball so well and can get anywhere he wants at anytime. They rest of the team for New Glarus was just solid and played a very solid game but, Kreklow was the guy that made things go. 6'2 senior Henry Noone for Oshkosh Lourdes is a very good shooter with a very pretty shot but, sometimes those things fail you at state, that along with some turnovers really killed Lourdes in the final. Not much else to play other then Kreklow dominating but, hats off to Osseo Fairchild 6'2 senior Logan Mulhern who had 34 points and 20 rebounds in the semi final game. Mulhern just worked so so hard and every rebound was his and he nearly single handly carried Osseo Fairchild to a victory.
Division Five
Sheboygan Lutheran had the best players so they won. 6'7 junior Jacob Ognacevic is the best player in D5 and 6'0 freshmen Casey Verhagen may very well be on his way to that. Verhagen sets everything up for his team and they don't score without him assisting on the basket and Ognacevic controls the inside. 6'0 senior Devin Barnstable chips in the outside shooting to help out.
Columbus Catholic played their heart out and had a big come back against Bangor to get to the final. 6'3 senior Jarred Mandel is a tremendous shooter from the outside and 6'3 senior Bryce Fuerlinger had 25 rebounds in the semi final game so that says it all for him. Unfortunately the two best players on the court in the final were on Sheboygan Lutheran.
Monday, March 11, 2019
Sun Prairie and New Glarus advance to state
Saturday was sectional final day so of course I was at a game and even got two in. Waunakee had the top D1 Madison area teams so that was a given for me and then Middleton wasn't too far away so I took in Belleville verse New Glarus.
Sun Prairie 66 Madison Lafollette 53
They always say how it's so tough to beat a team three times in the same year and this game showed to be no different. It also probably didn't help Lafollette that this was the first time 6'0 junior Colin Schaefer and 6'6 junior Delaware Hale actually both played. To add insult the game had no flow and was a bit of a disaster. Right before both teams were about to come out on the court to warm up both scoreboards went dark and wouldn't come back on. After about 15 minutes they did finally get the boards back working. With six minutes left in the game the one scoreboard quit working and then 30 seconds later the horn quit working and they just gave up on it and grab a scoreboard that just sat on the scorers table. Well after such a long break they gave each team three minutes to warm up again which delayed things again. Thankfully the game never really was that close as Lafollette could never get the game into single digits late.
Honestly Sun Prairie took control of this game from the get go and never relinquished the lead. Size was a huge factor in the game as Sun Prairie always had at least three players 6'5 or taller on the court while Lafollette never played anyone over 6'2. Isn't wasn't rebounding or pounding in the paint that the size caused but, the zone defense Sun Prairie played that kept Lafollette from getting the ball inside. Lafollette was forced to settle for outside shots and the shots just weren't falling tonight. I know for a fact Lafollette was 1-10 from three in the first half and were probably were 3-20 for the game before they hit three threes late in the game. Lafollette senior guards 6'1 Troy Reeves and 5'9 Donneil Gray picked the worst time to have their worst games of the year., 6'1 senior Isaiah Stewart did have a nice game finishing in the lane and hitting three threes. Sun Prairie was able to score inside at will but, they seem content to not completely rely on that and scored a lot in transition. Schaefer was huge in the transition game while Hale and 6'5 senior Alex Voigt was huge in the post. Lafollette did do a tremendous job on the glass which kept them some what in the game. The game was never really in question throughout and as it was a struggle all game long for Lafollette. Honestly Sun Prairie looks like the team I had thought they would be all year and will be a problem with Schaefer and Hale healthy.
New Glarus 65 Belleville 40
This one got away pretty quick but, I did really enjoy watching New Glarus play. New Glarus full court pressed right out of the get go and turned Belleville over all game long. Belleville came out in a box and one on New Glarus senior 5'10 Jaden Kreklow but, the other four players did a great job of playing against it. 6'1 junior Connor Siegenthaler took advantage of the zone right away hitting some big threes which forced Belleville to come out of the zone. Once Belleville went to the man Kreklow was able to go to work driving the ball to the hoop. Kreklow seemed to love playing off the dribble and driving to the rim or pulling up for the mid range jumper. Another player I really like for New Glarus was 6'4 sophomore Mason Martinson. Martinson is really their only height and is a very active athletic player. I'll be curious to watch Martinson progress in the next two years. New Glarus has a very nice team but, unfortunately they got the four seed and will have to see Roncalli at state.
Sun Prairie 66 Madison Lafollette 53
They always say how it's so tough to beat a team three times in the same year and this game showed to be no different. It also probably didn't help Lafollette that this was the first time 6'0 junior Colin Schaefer and 6'6 junior Delaware Hale actually both played. To add insult the game had no flow and was a bit of a disaster. Right before both teams were about to come out on the court to warm up both scoreboards went dark and wouldn't come back on. After about 15 minutes they did finally get the boards back working. With six minutes left in the game the one scoreboard quit working and then 30 seconds later the horn quit working and they just gave up on it and grab a scoreboard that just sat on the scorers table. Well after such a long break they gave each team three minutes to warm up again which delayed things again. Thankfully the game never really was that close as Lafollette could never get the game into single digits late.
Honestly Sun Prairie took control of this game from the get go and never relinquished the lead. Size was a huge factor in the game as Sun Prairie always had at least three players 6'5 or taller on the court while Lafollette never played anyone over 6'2. Isn't wasn't rebounding or pounding in the paint that the size caused but, the zone defense Sun Prairie played that kept Lafollette from getting the ball inside. Lafollette was forced to settle for outside shots and the shots just weren't falling tonight. I know for a fact Lafollette was 1-10 from three in the first half and were probably were 3-20 for the game before they hit three threes late in the game. Lafollette senior guards 6'1 Troy Reeves and 5'9 Donneil Gray picked the worst time to have their worst games of the year., 6'1 senior Isaiah Stewart did have a nice game finishing in the lane and hitting three threes. Sun Prairie was able to score inside at will but, they seem content to not completely rely on that and scored a lot in transition. Schaefer was huge in the transition game while Hale and 6'5 senior Alex Voigt was huge in the post. Lafollette did do a tremendous job on the glass which kept them some what in the game. The game was never really in question throughout and as it was a struggle all game long for Lafollette. Honestly Sun Prairie looks like the team I had thought they would be all year and will be a problem with Schaefer and Hale healthy.
New Glarus 65 Belleville 40
This one got away pretty quick but, I did really enjoy watching New Glarus play. New Glarus full court pressed right out of the get go and turned Belleville over all game long. Belleville came out in a box and one on New Glarus senior 5'10 Jaden Kreklow but, the other four players did a great job of playing against it. 6'1 junior Connor Siegenthaler took advantage of the zone right away hitting some big threes which forced Belleville to come out of the zone. Once Belleville went to the man Kreklow was able to go to work driving the ball to the hoop. Kreklow seemed to love playing off the dribble and driving to the rim or pulling up for the mid range jumper. Another player I really like for New Glarus was 6'4 sophomore Mason Martinson. Martinson is really their only height and is a very active athletic player. I'll be curious to watch Martinson progress in the next two years. New Glarus has a very nice team but, unfortunately they got the four seed and will have to see Roncalli at state.
Thursday, March 7, 2019
Mount Horeb wins Sectional Semi
Took in the D2 sectional semi final as it was four blocks from my house tonight. Pitted conference rivals Mount Horeb and Deforest and I believe both regular season games were fairly close and being that they are rivals should of been another good game.
Early on this game was a battle back and forth. Mount Horeb was bombing threes as they hit 10 threes in the first half. 6'1 Mount Horeb junior Qwen Ziegler led the way knocking down four first half three pointers. Ziegler is just a pure shooter every time I see him play and when he shoots you expect the shot to go down. 6'5 senior Jason Larson hit four threes of his own. Larson doesn't have the prettiest shot but, it is effected none the less. 5'11 senior point guard Dusty Zenz added a pair of his own threes to make it 10 for the half. For Deforest they did just enough to hang with Mount Horeb as they were led by 6'5 senior Jack Bogan in the middle you just did a good job of positioning himself in the post. and his team mates did a great job of finding him. Mount Horeb led at the half 34 to 31.
In the first half Deforest star 6'6 senior Austin Westra had a tough time getting himself going and in the second half that continued early on as Mount Horeb was able to extend their lead. The three point trio each hit another three to give Mount Horeb 13 threes for the game and Zenz and 6'2 senior Gunnar Nortman did a nice job of driving to the rim and scoring. Zenz also did a nice job of knocking down his free throws late to seal the game. Westra did eventually get himself going but, it was so late in the game that the deal was basically sealed. Westra and Bogan early on no one else really got themselves going.
Top Players
Owen Ziegler 6'1 junior Mount Horeb- Like I said earlier he just couldn't miss and thats been all three games I've seen him play. When he shoots you expect it to go in.
Jason Larson 6'5 senior Mount Horeb- To be honest he doesn't look like a great player but, in actuality he is a pretty good player. I was really surprised by his three point shooting in this one and he showed some ability to handle the ball and get to the rim as well.
Dusty Zenz 5'11 senior Mount Horeb- Most aggressive he's been all year long. Really attacked the rim with the ball in his hands and when the threes presented themselves he was able to knock them down.
Austin Westra 6'6 senior Deforest- Tonight the outside shot wasn't falling for Westra but, he did a nice job of getting in the post and scoring with his back to the basket. He also really battled on the glass on both ends.
Jack Bogan 6'5 senior Deforest- Does a very good job of positioning himself in the paint and seeling off the defenders in the post.
Box Score
Moutn Horeb 79- Larson 21 Zenz 21 Ziegler 17 Nortman 8 Bryce Farnsworth 6 Ethan Post 2 Carter Gilkes 0 Torrin Hannah 0 Logan Rasmussen 0 Simeon Smith 0 Gunnar Bagstad 0 Colin KNaurer 0 Anthony Lange 0 Joey Henderson 0 Zach Nelson 0 Trey Ryan 0
Deforest 64- Westra 25 Bogan 14 Trey Schroeder 8 Cade Ludeman 7 Cody Riggs 6 Jaiden Magli 2 Jahyl Bonds 2 Brandon Hunt 1 Joe Scalissi 0 Max Weisbrod 0 Kennedy Wallace 0 Casey Faust 0 Adam White 0
Well the season ends for Deforest after a fairly solid season. Mount Horeb caught a bit of a break as Westosha Central was upset tonight and Mount Horeb should be the favorite to get to state against Elkhorn.
Early on this game was a battle back and forth. Mount Horeb was bombing threes as they hit 10 threes in the first half. 6'1 Mount Horeb junior Qwen Ziegler led the way knocking down four first half three pointers. Ziegler is just a pure shooter every time I see him play and when he shoots you expect the shot to go down. 6'5 senior Jason Larson hit four threes of his own. Larson doesn't have the prettiest shot but, it is effected none the less. 5'11 senior point guard Dusty Zenz added a pair of his own threes to make it 10 for the half. For Deforest they did just enough to hang with Mount Horeb as they were led by 6'5 senior Jack Bogan in the middle you just did a good job of positioning himself in the post. and his team mates did a great job of finding him. Mount Horeb led at the half 34 to 31.
In the first half Deforest star 6'6 senior Austin Westra had a tough time getting himself going and in the second half that continued early on as Mount Horeb was able to extend their lead. The three point trio each hit another three to give Mount Horeb 13 threes for the game and Zenz and 6'2 senior Gunnar Nortman did a nice job of driving to the rim and scoring. Zenz also did a nice job of knocking down his free throws late to seal the game. Westra did eventually get himself going but, it was so late in the game that the deal was basically sealed. Westra and Bogan early on no one else really got themselves going.
Top Players
Owen Ziegler 6'1 junior Mount Horeb- Like I said earlier he just couldn't miss and thats been all three games I've seen him play. When he shoots you expect it to go in.
Jason Larson 6'5 senior Mount Horeb- To be honest he doesn't look like a great player but, in actuality he is a pretty good player. I was really surprised by his three point shooting in this one and he showed some ability to handle the ball and get to the rim as well.
Dusty Zenz 5'11 senior Mount Horeb- Most aggressive he's been all year long. Really attacked the rim with the ball in his hands and when the threes presented themselves he was able to knock them down.
Austin Westra 6'6 senior Deforest- Tonight the outside shot wasn't falling for Westra but, he did a nice job of getting in the post and scoring with his back to the basket. He also really battled on the glass on both ends.
Jack Bogan 6'5 senior Deforest- Does a very good job of positioning himself in the paint and seeling off the defenders in the post.
Box Score
Moutn Horeb 79- Larson 21 Zenz 21 Ziegler 17 Nortman 8 Bryce Farnsworth 6 Ethan Post 2 Carter Gilkes 0 Torrin Hannah 0 Logan Rasmussen 0 Simeon Smith 0 Gunnar Bagstad 0 Colin KNaurer 0 Anthony Lange 0 Joey Henderson 0 Zach Nelson 0 Trey Ryan 0
Deforest 64- Westra 25 Bogan 14 Trey Schroeder 8 Cade Ludeman 7 Cody Riggs 6 Jaiden Magli 2 Jahyl Bonds 2 Brandon Hunt 1 Joe Scalissi 0 Max Weisbrod 0 Kennedy Wallace 0 Casey Faust 0 Adam White 0
Well the season ends for Deforest after a fairly solid season. Mount Horeb caught a bit of a break as Westosha Central was upset tonight and Mount Horeb should be the favorite to get to state against Elkhorn.
Tuesday, March 5, 2019
Sectional Previews - State picks redue
Well sectionals are this week and just wanted to look back at my state predictions and where there sitting. Only doing top three divisions that I truly know about.
Division One
Sectional One
Sticking with Kimberly here as this sectional has held up with chalk here.
Kimberly over Appleton West
Sectional Two
Homestead snuck in to mess things up a bit but, still sticking with Sussex Hamitlon. The two Brookfield schools Central and East still make me nervous in possibly taking Hamilton out.
Sussex Hamilton over Brookfield East
Sectional Three
This ones been shaken up as the top two seeds Madison East and Racine Park have gone down so things have opened up. I'm going with Sun Prairie here and their size over Madison Lafollette but, if I'm being completely honest it's a coin flip.
Sun Prairie over Madison Lafollette
Sectional Four
Held tight with the top four moving on and sticking with Waukesha West.
Waukesha West over West Allis Central
State Picks
Sussex Hamilton over Sun Prairie
Waukesha West over Kimberly
Sussex Hamilton over Waukesha West
Division Two
Same as my original picks as the top four teams in the division are favorites for a reason.
Nicolet over Westosha Central
Milwaukee Washington over La Crosse Central
Nicolet over Milwaukee Washington
Division Three
Sectional One
Interesting one here as the defending champs Prescott have gone down. I see this coming down to the winner of Stratford and Wisconsin Dells to take it. Stratford is undefeated to I'll go with them.
Stratford over Northwestern
Sectional Two
Everything held firm so staying the same.
Wrightstown over Denmark
Sectional Three
Prairie du Chien went down but, they weren't my pick anyway. Martin Luther is still the top team in D3.
Martin Luther over Beloit Turner
Sectional Four
Columbus was a surprise to get here but, that just means an easier game for Waupun. Waupun is still the 1b in D3 with Martin Luther as 1a.
Waupun over Brookfield Academy
Martin Luther over Stratford
Waupun over Wrightstown
Martin Luther over Waupun
Division One
Sectional One
Sticking with Kimberly here as this sectional has held up with chalk here.
Kimberly over Appleton West
Sectional Two
Homestead snuck in to mess things up a bit but, still sticking with Sussex Hamitlon. The two Brookfield schools Central and East still make me nervous in possibly taking Hamilton out.
Sussex Hamilton over Brookfield East
Sectional Three
This ones been shaken up as the top two seeds Madison East and Racine Park have gone down so things have opened up. I'm going with Sun Prairie here and their size over Madison Lafollette but, if I'm being completely honest it's a coin flip.
Sun Prairie over Madison Lafollette
Sectional Four
Held tight with the top four moving on and sticking with Waukesha West.
Waukesha West over West Allis Central
State Picks
Sussex Hamilton over Sun Prairie
Waukesha West over Kimberly
Sussex Hamilton over Waukesha West
Division Two
Same as my original picks as the top four teams in the division are favorites for a reason.
Nicolet over Westosha Central
Milwaukee Washington over La Crosse Central
Nicolet over Milwaukee Washington
Division Three
Sectional One
Interesting one here as the defending champs Prescott have gone down. I see this coming down to the winner of Stratford and Wisconsin Dells to take it. Stratford is undefeated to I'll go with them.
Stratford over Northwestern
Sectional Two
Everything held firm so staying the same.
Wrightstown over Denmark
Sectional Three
Prairie du Chien went down but, they weren't my pick anyway. Martin Luther is still the top team in D3.
Martin Luther over Beloit Turner
Sectional Four
Columbus was a surprise to get here but, that just means an easier game for Waupun. Waupun is still the 1b in D3 with Martin Luther as 1a.
Waupun over Brookfield Academy
Martin Luther over Stratford
Waupun over Wrightstown
Martin Luther over Waupun
Monday, March 4, 2019
Regionals
Playoffs have started and this past weekend was Regionals. Friday night took in the regional semi finals between Racine Case and Waunakee. This was a battle of seven seed and ten seed with two teams with the same record so I figured this game was going to be a good one. I have seen Waunakee in the past and new they were solid game and are disciplined team that will always play very hard. Racine Case on the other side I had never seen play but, knew they were coming from a good conference and were probably a pretty athletic team.
Waunakee 67 Racine Case 60
Early on Waunakee couldn't buy a shot and Racine case came out firing hitting threes right off the bat. 5'11 senior Mylin Duffie was firing early for Case and then 6'0 junior Logan Schmidtmann came off the bench and just couldn't miss from outside. Waunakee struggled from the outside early on and really looked to 6'5 senior Josh Cash in the post who was more aggressive then I've ever seen him in the past. Cash really looked to score in the post and was driving to the rim from the high post. Case was able to take a half time lead of 30-23.
In the second half Case made some questionable decisions. They started three different starters and the biggest question was why Duffie came out on the bench and really didn't play much in the second half. Waunakee seemed to wear Case down and as the game got close Case began to press on the offensive end and rush their shots and take some bad shots. Waunakee began hitting some threes then led by Cash who hit back to back threes and then there leading scorer 6'1 senior Will Knatz got going and hit a pair of his own threes. The moment basically went Waunakee's way for good when 5'10 Case junior Jayvian Farr picked up his fourth flow and then for whatever reason picked up a technical which elimindated Farr from the game and gave Waunakee two free throws and the ball. Honestly I didn't see anything so can only assume Farr said something to get the T but, Case never recovered from this. Case continued to struggle with foul trouble late as four players fouled out and despite Case's best efforts Waunakee just wasn't missing their shots.
Wisconsin Dells 73 Mauston 59
Saturday night decided to head to my alma mater to see them take on Mauston. I figured it was a good game to go to because they had split during the regular season and both games were one point wins where the losing team had a chance to win on a last second shot. Unfortunately this game was over before it began. Mauston seemed to have no answer for the Dells zone and on the other end the Dells just couldn't miss a shot. Everything was following for Wisconsin Dells as they hit eight threes in the first half and the mid range jumpers were falling too as they took a 41 to 18 half time lead and never really looked back. Looking at the stats 5'10 Dells junior Bryson Funmaker isn't a big time scorer by any means but, two of the games I've seen him play he's gone off. Funmaker was knocking down all his three point shots and it just seemed that he was always able to find himself wide open. Everyone was hitting the shots not just Funmaker though. 6'0 junior Riley Eck chipped in a pair of threes of his own in the first half on his way to 16 points for the game. Really wasn't much to say in the first half for Mauston.
In the second half Mauston came out with a little more aggression and they brought out the full court press as well which got things going their way. Mauston was able to get a few easy buckets off the press and then 6'4 junior Cade Hall got himself going a little bit. Hall wasn't super aggressive but, when they shots presented themselves he was able to hit them. I thought that Hall's team mates should of looked for him a little more and got him a few more shots. Hall was able to hit the threes and then hit the mid range jumpers as well. I believe Mauston may of cut the lead to nine at one point but, in the end they just weren't able to hit enough threes to come all the way back. Funmaker and company struggle a bit from the free throw line late but, in the end they hit just enough free throws to win. The game really dragged on late as Mauston started the fouling with just over four minutes to go. 6'1 junior Joe Bauer got himself going late but, it was just too late in the game Bauer did finish off a nice dunk late in the game though but, his efforts were for not late. Dells ended up with four players in double figures
Waunakee 67 Racine Case 60
Early on Waunakee couldn't buy a shot and Racine case came out firing hitting threes right off the bat. 5'11 senior Mylin Duffie was firing early for Case and then 6'0 junior Logan Schmidtmann came off the bench and just couldn't miss from outside. Waunakee struggled from the outside early on and really looked to 6'5 senior Josh Cash in the post who was more aggressive then I've ever seen him in the past. Cash really looked to score in the post and was driving to the rim from the high post. Case was able to take a half time lead of 30-23.
In the second half Case made some questionable decisions. They started three different starters and the biggest question was why Duffie came out on the bench and really didn't play much in the second half. Waunakee seemed to wear Case down and as the game got close Case began to press on the offensive end and rush their shots and take some bad shots. Waunakee began hitting some threes then led by Cash who hit back to back threes and then there leading scorer 6'1 senior Will Knatz got going and hit a pair of his own threes. The moment basically went Waunakee's way for good when 5'10 Case junior Jayvian Farr picked up his fourth flow and then for whatever reason picked up a technical which elimindated Farr from the game and gave Waunakee two free throws and the ball. Honestly I didn't see anything so can only assume Farr said something to get the T but, Case never recovered from this. Case continued to struggle with foul trouble late as four players fouled out and despite Case's best efforts Waunakee just wasn't missing their shots.
Wisconsin Dells 73 Mauston 59
Saturday night decided to head to my alma mater to see them take on Mauston. I figured it was a good game to go to because they had split during the regular season and both games were one point wins where the losing team had a chance to win on a last second shot. Unfortunately this game was over before it began. Mauston seemed to have no answer for the Dells zone and on the other end the Dells just couldn't miss a shot. Everything was following for Wisconsin Dells as they hit eight threes in the first half and the mid range jumpers were falling too as they took a 41 to 18 half time lead and never really looked back. Looking at the stats 5'10 Dells junior Bryson Funmaker isn't a big time scorer by any means but, two of the games I've seen him play he's gone off. Funmaker was knocking down all his three point shots and it just seemed that he was always able to find himself wide open. Everyone was hitting the shots not just Funmaker though. 6'0 junior Riley Eck chipped in a pair of threes of his own in the first half on his way to 16 points for the game. Really wasn't much to say in the first half for Mauston.
In the second half Mauston came out with a little more aggression and they brought out the full court press as well which got things going their way. Mauston was able to get a few easy buckets off the press and then 6'4 junior Cade Hall got himself going a little bit. Hall wasn't super aggressive but, when they shots presented themselves he was able to hit them. I thought that Hall's team mates should of looked for him a little more and got him a few more shots. Hall was able to hit the threes and then hit the mid range jumpers as well. I believe Mauston may of cut the lead to nine at one point but, in the end they just weren't able to hit enough threes to come all the way back. Funmaker and company struggle a bit from the free throw line late but, in the end they hit just enough free throws to win. The game really dragged on late as Mauston started the fouling with just over four minutes to go. 6'1 junior Joe Bauer got himself going late but, it was just too late in the game Bauer did finish off a nice dunk late in the game though but, his efforts were for not late. Dells ended up with four players in double figures
Thursday, February 28, 2019
Lodi Regional Win
Playoffs have started which means I'm going to do my best to get to a game each round of the playoffs. Since the five divisions have started its tough to find a good game the opening round because so many teams have byes. Usually I end up going to a smaller school game as D1 typically only has the bottom two seeds play each other in each sectional. I took in the River Valley verse Lodi game as this was a match up of the eight and nine seed and also two teams that played a week ago and Lodi won by six.
The game started off a little rough for River Valley as some how they got their starters marked wrong and ended up with their star 6'4 junior Josh Maier on the bench. Maier checked in after the first dead ball. The game did start out pretty good as both teams were scoring back and forth hitting their outside shots. 5'10 senior Sammy Rosenberg was leading the way for River Valley scoring from the outside including hitting a three just inside the half court line to bring River Valley within five at the half. For Lodi 5'11 senior Jackson Furniss came out hot early hitting three threes in the first half but, it was Lodi's size on the inside that was the difference. 6'5 senior Cole Steinhoff was just too wide and strong on the inside all night. The starting bigs for River Valley were just too skinny to keep Steinhoff away from the hoop. If they fronted him, he was just seal them off if they played behind him he was simply go through them.
In the second off Steinhoff really completely took over. Partially I think this was a poor coaching decision. River Valley kept Maier on Steinhoff who just wasn't strong enough or thick enough to stop Steinhoff while they kept 6'6 senior Connor Mickelson on the bench. Now I know Michelson didn't bring much offensively he was a big body that seemed to give Steinhoff some issues. So I guess it comes down to do you think the defense can counter the lack of offense. Lodi was able to get there lead up to 21 before River Valley finally started to come back. Lodi seemed to forget that they could run the clock and Maier got things going on the offensive end. In the end though River Valley just couldn't hit the three point shot and Lodi shot just good enough from the free throw line.
Top Players
Sammy Rosenberg 5'10 senior River Valley- Used his quickness to get open and was able to knock down the outside shot. Was hindered in the second half as he went down with what appeared to be an ankle injury.
Josh Maier 6'4 junior River Valley- Was so tough to stop in the paint specifically in the second half. Was able to use his quickness and athleticism to score.
Jackson Furniss 5'11 senior Lodi- Really an elite outside shooter that didn't need a lot of room to elevate and get his shot off which was falling early.
Cole Steinhoff 6'5 senior Lodi- Pretty much said it already but, really a big body in the paint that was just too quick and strong to stop.
Box Score
Lodi 64- Steinhoff 24 Furniss 14 Jack Persike 8 Quinn Faust 5 Logan Richards 5 Riley Faust 4 Max Hamilton 2 Dylan Streeter 2 Owen Jelinek 0
River Valley 54- Maier 16 Rosenberg 12 Taylor Knutson 8 Will Jewel 6 Will Bailey 6 Mickelson 4 Taylor Nachreiner 2 Joe Ryan 0 Ben Fortney 0
Was a nice game to start the playoffs with. Lodi will probably be taken out by Prairie du Chien the one seed in the next round but, he it's playoffs anything can happen.
The game started off a little rough for River Valley as some how they got their starters marked wrong and ended up with their star 6'4 junior Josh Maier on the bench. Maier checked in after the first dead ball. The game did start out pretty good as both teams were scoring back and forth hitting their outside shots. 5'10 senior Sammy Rosenberg was leading the way for River Valley scoring from the outside including hitting a three just inside the half court line to bring River Valley within five at the half. For Lodi 5'11 senior Jackson Furniss came out hot early hitting three threes in the first half but, it was Lodi's size on the inside that was the difference. 6'5 senior Cole Steinhoff was just too wide and strong on the inside all night. The starting bigs for River Valley were just too skinny to keep Steinhoff away from the hoop. If they fronted him, he was just seal them off if they played behind him he was simply go through them.
In the second off Steinhoff really completely took over. Partially I think this was a poor coaching decision. River Valley kept Maier on Steinhoff who just wasn't strong enough or thick enough to stop Steinhoff while they kept 6'6 senior Connor Mickelson on the bench. Now I know Michelson didn't bring much offensively he was a big body that seemed to give Steinhoff some issues. So I guess it comes down to do you think the defense can counter the lack of offense. Lodi was able to get there lead up to 21 before River Valley finally started to come back. Lodi seemed to forget that they could run the clock and Maier got things going on the offensive end. In the end though River Valley just couldn't hit the three point shot and Lodi shot just good enough from the free throw line.
Top Players
Sammy Rosenberg 5'10 senior River Valley- Used his quickness to get open and was able to knock down the outside shot. Was hindered in the second half as he went down with what appeared to be an ankle injury.
Josh Maier 6'4 junior River Valley- Was so tough to stop in the paint specifically in the second half. Was able to use his quickness and athleticism to score.
Jackson Furniss 5'11 senior Lodi- Really an elite outside shooter that didn't need a lot of room to elevate and get his shot off which was falling early.
Cole Steinhoff 6'5 senior Lodi- Pretty much said it already but, really a big body in the paint that was just too quick and strong to stop.
Box Score
Lodi 64- Steinhoff 24 Furniss 14 Jack Persike 8 Quinn Faust 5 Logan Richards 5 Riley Faust 4 Max Hamilton 2 Dylan Streeter 2 Owen Jelinek 0
River Valley 54- Maier 16 Rosenberg 12 Taylor Knutson 8 Will Jewel 6 Will Bailey 6 Mickelson 4 Taylor Nachreiner 2 Joe Ryan 0 Ben Fortney 0
Was a nice game to start the playoffs with. Lodi will probably be taken out by Prairie du Chien the one seed in the next round but, he it's playoffs anything can happen.
Monday, February 25, 2019
State Predictions
Just a quick prediction of my picks for state this year. D4 and D5 I'll just being making my state picks because I don't know enough to know much more then that.
Division One
State Picks
Kimberly- Honestly don't know who else to even take for this sectional. The Fox Valley Association teams are always tough but, I think that they are down this year.
Sussex Hamilton- A bit of a hunch here since its such a tough sectional but, it usually comes down to who has the best players and Patrick Baldwin is probably the best there is. Brookfield Central lost their point guard for the year so I count them out. Brookfield East is a tough out as well because their so disciplined and play so well together but, come playoff time I go with talent. Arrowhead is another team that intrigues me because they've beaten some very good teams this year but, not sure they can keep that going for four games to get to state.
Racine Park- This was another tough one for me because Madison East is there but, I could see them losing to the next three teams in the Big Eight Conference Lafollette, Memorial, and Sun Prairie fairly easily. Park has one thing that no one else has and thats 6'9 Nobal Days. No one else has height anywhere near that so I went with them. Park has dropped some games they really should of won during the season so who knows.
Waukesha West- West seems to of struggled a little bit that in the year but, when I saw them I was just so impressed with their size and athleticism. West Allis Central has a great record but, I just don't know enough about them. I've seen Franklin and Marquette and I just wasn't that impressed with them.
Final
Sussex Hamilton over Waukesha West
Division Two
Lacrosse Central- Central is peaking at the right time and there just isn't anyone in the Northwest to challenge them.
Nicolet- There just too too good. Green Bay Southwest and Kaukauna are very good teams but, Nicolet is a once and a life time team.
Westosha Central- Beating Waukesha West the way they did really opened up my eyes to them and their tremendous record says something. Mount Horeb wouldn't shock me one bit here as they've played a very tough schedule and East Troy was at state a year ago in D3.
Milwaukee Washington- Very similar call as the Nicolet one. This sectional is down a bit and Washington has three big time D1 college players.
Final
Nicolet over Milwaukee Washington
Division Three
Prescott- There are some teams with very very good records but, stick with history here. Stratford, Mauston, and Wisconsin Dells are all also possible options here.
Wrightstown- It's either them or Xavier here but, Xavier doesn't have the team they've had in the past and Wrightstown is a very determined disciplined team.
Martin Luther- This is a tough one because St Cats split with them during the season. St Johns has a very good record but, you have to question who they've played this year.
Waupun- Clear cut favorite and they really won't face anyone until the sectional final after the other teams beat up on each other. Brookfield Academy, Milwaukee Golda Meir, Dominican, and Lake County Lutheran wouldn't be completely out of the question but, only one can get to Waupun and they have Marcus Damask.
Final
Martin Luther over Waupun
Division Four
Clear Lake
Lourdes Academy
Darlington
Roncalli
Final
Roncalli over Lourdes Academy
The winner between Roncalli and Milwaukee Academy of Science will take this one.
Division Five
McDonell Catholic Central
Columbus Catholic
Wauzek Steuben
Sheboygan Lutheran
Final
Sheboygan Lutheran over Columbus Catholic
Sheboygan Lutheran has the best player in Jacob Organavic so they win.
Division One
State Picks
Kimberly- Honestly don't know who else to even take for this sectional. The Fox Valley Association teams are always tough but, I think that they are down this year.
Sussex Hamilton- A bit of a hunch here since its such a tough sectional but, it usually comes down to who has the best players and Patrick Baldwin is probably the best there is. Brookfield Central lost their point guard for the year so I count them out. Brookfield East is a tough out as well because their so disciplined and play so well together but, come playoff time I go with talent. Arrowhead is another team that intrigues me because they've beaten some very good teams this year but, not sure they can keep that going for four games to get to state.
Racine Park- This was another tough one for me because Madison East is there but, I could see them losing to the next three teams in the Big Eight Conference Lafollette, Memorial, and Sun Prairie fairly easily. Park has one thing that no one else has and thats 6'9 Nobal Days. No one else has height anywhere near that so I went with them. Park has dropped some games they really should of won during the season so who knows.
Waukesha West- West seems to of struggled a little bit that in the year but, when I saw them I was just so impressed with their size and athleticism. West Allis Central has a great record but, I just don't know enough about them. I've seen Franklin and Marquette and I just wasn't that impressed with them.
Final
Sussex Hamilton over Waukesha West
Division Two
Lacrosse Central- Central is peaking at the right time and there just isn't anyone in the Northwest to challenge them.
Nicolet- There just too too good. Green Bay Southwest and Kaukauna are very good teams but, Nicolet is a once and a life time team.
Westosha Central- Beating Waukesha West the way they did really opened up my eyes to them and their tremendous record says something. Mount Horeb wouldn't shock me one bit here as they've played a very tough schedule and East Troy was at state a year ago in D3.
Milwaukee Washington- Very similar call as the Nicolet one. This sectional is down a bit and Washington has three big time D1 college players.
Final
Nicolet over Milwaukee Washington
Division Three
Prescott- There are some teams with very very good records but, stick with history here. Stratford, Mauston, and Wisconsin Dells are all also possible options here.
Wrightstown- It's either them or Xavier here but, Xavier doesn't have the team they've had in the past and Wrightstown is a very determined disciplined team.
Martin Luther- This is a tough one because St Cats split with them during the season. St Johns has a very good record but, you have to question who they've played this year.
Waupun- Clear cut favorite and they really won't face anyone until the sectional final after the other teams beat up on each other. Brookfield Academy, Milwaukee Golda Meir, Dominican, and Lake County Lutheran wouldn't be completely out of the question but, only one can get to Waupun and they have Marcus Damask.
Final
Martin Luther over Waupun
Division Four
Clear Lake
Lourdes Academy
Darlington
Roncalli
Final
Roncalli over Lourdes Academy
The winner between Roncalli and Milwaukee Academy of Science will take this one.
Division Five
McDonell Catholic Central
Columbus Catholic
Wauzek Steuben
Sheboygan Lutheran
Final
Sheboygan Lutheran over Columbus Catholic
Sheboygan Lutheran has the best player in Jacob Organavic so they win.
Saturday, February 23, 2019
La Crosse Central over Madison Memorial
Last night made the trek up to La Crosse to watch my last high school game of the regular season. This was a chance to see Central play again which is a team that I really don't get much of a chance to see during the season and to play a pretty decent team in Madison Memorial.
I knew Memorial had the size to battle Central but, I questioned if they would have the athleticism. Having seen Memorial play quite a bit this year I was kind of surprised by the way the game went. Central absolutely dominated the glass on both ends which typically Memorial does that and Memorial was shooting a ton of threes and making them. The reasoning for the rebounding advantage for Central was because of their athleticism that I previously mentioned. Early on for Central it was the offensive rebounding getting it done and the quickness of Central point guard 6'1 senior Noah Parcher. Parcher was just to quick for the Memorial defenders and too strong as he has numerous three point plays where he was fouled and still scored. Like I mentioned earlier Memorial was actually dropping the threes early. I'm not sure if it was poor scouting and just no other choice but, Central had their big man 6'7 junior Terrence Thompson guarding Memorials 6'4 senior Dryden Schaefer. Thompson refused to come out on Schaefer early and in my personal opinion Schaefer is probably their best three point shooter and he came out firing tonight and hit a pair of threes to lead the charge early as did everyone on the team tonight. I think Memorial hit ten plus threes in the first half. It took a while for super star 6'5 junior Johnny Davis to get things going for Central but, he did eventually get going with his slashing game attacking the rim. Davis was able to get a few three point plays of his own.
Typically I don't complain much about coaching but, something I can't stand is how Memorial's coach Collins loves to constantly sub his guys. Most of the guys play very limited minutes when they come in and I feel like guys come in afraid to take chances or be aggressive because they are going to get pulled right away. I'm not sure what has happened with 6'5 senior Ian Brown but, he seems to of completely lost it right now. That being said there could very well be things going on that limit his minutes and has caused him to be off his game but, right now he is only playing short minute spurts and seems to timid to me. This was also the case for 6'6 junior Yacouba Traore Jr tonight. Traore was hurt early in the year or at least out so I know he's behind right now. With Memorial being killed on the glass they brought Traore in and he did a solid job on the glass and battling but, his offensive game was clearly lacking. Every time Traore would make a turnover or poor shot selection he was back to the bench. I know he was hurting them offensively but, I think having that big body on the glass would of benefited them so much more. That being said in this game it wasn't going to matter.
Second half left much to be desired for Memorial as the shots just stopped falling and Central continued their strong game. Central finally hit a pair of threes in the second half which they didn't do in the first half and they cruised to a 23 point win.
Top Players
Dryden Schaefer 6'4 senior Madison Memorial- Played the way I thought he would all year. Was really aggressive from three point range and seemed to be looking for his shot a little more then normal.
Johnny Davis 6'5 junior La Crosse Central- Really aggressive driving to the hoop and crashing the glass on both ends. Had some very pretty finish around the rim and a couple nice mid range jumpers hit. Just too strong and athletic in this one.
Noah Parcher 6'1 senior La Crosse Central- Just too too quick tonight. Memorial had a very tough time staying in front of Parcher as he was able to drive to the lane all game long.
Terrance Thompson 6'7 junior La Crosse Central- Big man created so much havoc on the glass tonight. Even when he was getting the boards he was creating rebounds for his team mates.
Box Score
Central 84- Parcher 25 Joh Davis 24 Thompson 16 Jordan Davis 7 David Hayden 7 Clayton Philips 3 Jacob Servais 2 De'Andre Davis 0 Jaiquon Ingram 0 Brecken Austin 0 Devon Fielding 0 CHarlie Maseqicz 0 Payton Fife 0 Porter Pretasky 0
Memorial 61- Schaefer 14 Nick Caropreso 8 Kyle Yu 8 Cade Ellingson 7 Daemiontae Bates 6 Brown 5 Amaree Goodall 4 Kwan Lewis 3 Justin Jackson 3 Logan Younk 2 Traore 1 Drew Collins 0 Kole Kerkhoff 0 JR Mitchell 0
Well it seems that Central may just be peaking at the right time and I would be very surprised if we didn't see them in Madison when the season ends. Now there probably not going to beat Nicolet by any means but, they will be in the final four. Memorial is going to have a very tough time just making it out of regionals let a lone sectionals but, when your battling conference opponents anything can happen.
I knew Memorial had the size to battle Central but, I questioned if they would have the athleticism. Having seen Memorial play quite a bit this year I was kind of surprised by the way the game went. Central absolutely dominated the glass on both ends which typically Memorial does that and Memorial was shooting a ton of threes and making them. The reasoning for the rebounding advantage for Central was because of their athleticism that I previously mentioned. Early on for Central it was the offensive rebounding getting it done and the quickness of Central point guard 6'1 senior Noah Parcher. Parcher was just to quick for the Memorial defenders and too strong as he has numerous three point plays where he was fouled and still scored. Like I mentioned earlier Memorial was actually dropping the threes early. I'm not sure if it was poor scouting and just no other choice but, Central had their big man 6'7 junior Terrence Thompson guarding Memorials 6'4 senior Dryden Schaefer. Thompson refused to come out on Schaefer early and in my personal opinion Schaefer is probably their best three point shooter and he came out firing tonight and hit a pair of threes to lead the charge early as did everyone on the team tonight. I think Memorial hit ten plus threes in the first half. It took a while for super star 6'5 junior Johnny Davis to get things going for Central but, he did eventually get going with his slashing game attacking the rim. Davis was able to get a few three point plays of his own.
Typically I don't complain much about coaching but, something I can't stand is how Memorial's coach Collins loves to constantly sub his guys. Most of the guys play very limited minutes when they come in and I feel like guys come in afraid to take chances or be aggressive because they are going to get pulled right away. I'm not sure what has happened with 6'5 senior Ian Brown but, he seems to of completely lost it right now. That being said there could very well be things going on that limit his minutes and has caused him to be off his game but, right now he is only playing short minute spurts and seems to timid to me. This was also the case for 6'6 junior Yacouba Traore Jr tonight. Traore was hurt early in the year or at least out so I know he's behind right now. With Memorial being killed on the glass they brought Traore in and he did a solid job on the glass and battling but, his offensive game was clearly lacking. Every time Traore would make a turnover or poor shot selection he was back to the bench. I know he was hurting them offensively but, I think having that big body on the glass would of benefited them so much more. That being said in this game it wasn't going to matter.
Second half left much to be desired for Memorial as the shots just stopped falling and Central continued their strong game. Central finally hit a pair of threes in the second half which they didn't do in the first half and they cruised to a 23 point win.
Top Players
Dryden Schaefer 6'4 senior Madison Memorial- Played the way I thought he would all year. Was really aggressive from three point range and seemed to be looking for his shot a little more then normal.
Johnny Davis 6'5 junior La Crosse Central- Really aggressive driving to the hoop and crashing the glass on both ends. Had some very pretty finish around the rim and a couple nice mid range jumpers hit. Just too strong and athletic in this one.
Noah Parcher 6'1 senior La Crosse Central- Just too too quick tonight. Memorial had a very tough time staying in front of Parcher as he was able to drive to the lane all game long.
Terrance Thompson 6'7 junior La Crosse Central- Big man created so much havoc on the glass tonight. Even when he was getting the boards he was creating rebounds for his team mates.
Box Score
Central 84- Parcher 25 Joh Davis 24 Thompson 16 Jordan Davis 7 David Hayden 7 Clayton Philips 3 Jacob Servais 2 De'Andre Davis 0 Jaiquon Ingram 0 Brecken Austin 0 Devon Fielding 0 CHarlie Maseqicz 0 Payton Fife 0 Porter Pretasky 0
Memorial 61- Schaefer 14 Nick Caropreso 8 Kyle Yu 8 Cade Ellingson 7 Daemiontae Bates 6 Brown 5 Amaree Goodall 4 Kwan Lewis 3 Justin Jackson 3 Logan Younk 2 Traore 1 Drew Collins 0 Kole Kerkhoff 0 JR Mitchell 0
Well it seems that Central may just be peaking at the right time and I would be very surprised if we didn't see them in Madison when the season ends. Now there probably not going to beat Nicolet by any means but, they will be in the final four. Memorial is going to have a very tough time just making it out of regionals let a lone sectionals but, when your battling conference opponents anything can happen.
Friday, February 22, 2019
Top Scorers and Dunks
Top Dunks
1. Ace Evans 6'2 senior Martin Luther vs Brookfield Central December 29
This dunk had the entire gym buzzing. The game was late and Central pretty much had the game in hand. Evans drove left and threw down a very angry dunk right on top of poor Central big man 6'6 sophomore David Joplin. All Joplin could do was smile after the dunk.
2. Prince Aligbe 6'5 freshmen Minnehaha Academy vs Onalaska January 26
Yes he missed like three or four dunks in the game but, this was one of the top of the year. After all the missed I think the team was determined to get him a dunk. First play of the second half out of the half court set Jalen Suggs found Aligbe on the weak side and Aligbe skied out jumping the Onalaska defender and then it right down on him.
3. Prince Aligbe 6'5 freshmen Minnehaha Academy vs La Crosse Central January 19
Nice out of bounds play where the in bounder threw the lob pass over the backboard and Aligbe grabbed it one handed and threw down the dunk all in one motion.
4. Nobal Days 6'9 senior Racine Park vs Milwaukee Vincent February 2
Park was on a two on one breakaway. I can't recall who threw Days the ally oop but, days grabbed it with one hand and in one motion threw it down hard.
5. Keonte Jones 6'3 junior Madison East vs Sun Prairie February 9
Off the half court set offense Jones drove baseline and threw it down hard two handed. This was one of the first plays of the game and was kind of a surprise as I think most people thought Jones would just lay it in.
6. Jalen Suggs 6'4 junior Minnehaha Academy vs La Crosse Central January 19
Kind of a transition dunk where Suggs had a defender running side by side and Suggs threw it down on the defender.
7. Johnny Davis 6'5 junior La Crosse Central vs Minnehaha Academy January 19
Very nice out of bounce sideline play. Brother Jordan Davis found brother Johnny Davis cutting to the hoop on the back side and Johnny absolutely skied to the rim to complete the ally oop dunk.
8. Jamari Sibley 6'9 junior Nicolet vs Sussex Hamilton December 15
Nicolet pulled the ball out and went to a four corners. Star Jalen Johnson handled the ball from the left wing and drove the lane. At the same time Sibley cut back door added by a back screen and Johnson found him with the lob and the completed alley oop dunk.
9. Brayden Dailey 6'5 sophomore Mineral Point vs Wisconsin Dells November 30
Point guard Isaac Lindsey drove just left of the free throw line penetrating the Dells zone while Dailey came from the weak side and Lindsey found him with a nice ally oop pass and dunk.
10. Amani Glosson 6'5 junior Milwaukee Academy of Science vs Kettle Moraine Lutheran December 29
Can't recall how Glosson got the ball whether it was a steal or long rebound but, as he was getting his steps timed up the defenders caught up to him which allowed Glosson to throw down a monster dunk right on their heads.
Top Scorers
1. 36 Mayson Hazaert Wrightstown vs Brown Deer December 8
Will Pytleski Green Bay Southwest vs Wisconsin Lutheran December 29
3. 35 Karter Thomas Oshkosh West vs Brown Deer December 29
4. 34 Riley LeTourneau Brookfield East vs Apply Valley Mn January 26
5. 33 Armani Jones Milwaukee Academy of Science vs Kettle Moraine Lutheran December 29
6. 32 Jacob Ognacevic Sheboygan Lutheran vs St Thomas More December 30
Trequan Carrington Martin Luther vs Minneapolis North January 19
8. 31 Gabe Madsen Rochester Mayo vs Waupun January 26
9. 30 Jalen Johnson Nicolet vs Sussex Hamilton December 15
Reed Gunnick Laconia vs Lake Mills January 5
Larry Canady Racine Park vs Milwaukee Vincent February 2
12. 29 Nolan Dahmen Kettle Moraine vs New Berlin West December 2926
13. 28 Ryan Waddell Homestead vs Brown Deer December 15
Austin Westra DeForest vs Lakeside Lutheran January 8
Riley Eck Wisconsin Dells vs Mauston January 18
Logan Jedwabny Kaukauna vs La Crosse Logan January 19
Brock Voigt Sun Prairie vs Madison LaFollette February 19
18. 27 Riley Murphy Seymour vs Merrill December 8
Cole Nau Brookfield Central vs Martin Luther December 29
Brayden Dailey Mineral Point vs Milwaukee Academy of Science December 30
Reid Gastner Lake City Mn vs Clear Lake January 26
Jalen Suggs Minnehaha Academy Mn vs Onalaska January 26
23. 26 Brock Voigt Sun Prairie vs Madison Memorial November 29
Justin Steinike Wauwatosa West vs Kaukauna December 8
Ace Evans Marin Luther vs Brookfield Central December 29
Isaac Lindsey Mineral Point vs Milwaukee Academy of Science December 30
Jason Larson Mount Horeb vs Milwaukee Lutheran December 29
Nick Otto Appleton Xavier vs Milwaukee Pius December 30
Zach Longueville St Croix Lutheran Mn vs Whitefish Bay January 26
Ashton Janowski Pewaukee vs Homestead February 2
1. Ace Evans 6'2 senior Martin Luther vs Brookfield Central December 29
This dunk had the entire gym buzzing. The game was late and Central pretty much had the game in hand. Evans drove left and threw down a very angry dunk right on top of poor Central big man 6'6 sophomore David Joplin. All Joplin could do was smile after the dunk.
2. Prince Aligbe 6'5 freshmen Minnehaha Academy vs Onalaska January 26
Yes he missed like three or four dunks in the game but, this was one of the top of the year. After all the missed I think the team was determined to get him a dunk. First play of the second half out of the half court set Jalen Suggs found Aligbe on the weak side and Aligbe skied out jumping the Onalaska defender and then it right down on him.
3. Prince Aligbe 6'5 freshmen Minnehaha Academy vs La Crosse Central January 19
Nice out of bounds play where the in bounder threw the lob pass over the backboard and Aligbe grabbed it one handed and threw down the dunk all in one motion.
4. Nobal Days 6'9 senior Racine Park vs Milwaukee Vincent February 2
Park was on a two on one breakaway. I can't recall who threw Days the ally oop but, days grabbed it with one hand and in one motion threw it down hard.
5. Keonte Jones 6'3 junior Madison East vs Sun Prairie February 9
Off the half court set offense Jones drove baseline and threw it down hard two handed. This was one of the first plays of the game and was kind of a surprise as I think most people thought Jones would just lay it in.
6. Jalen Suggs 6'4 junior Minnehaha Academy vs La Crosse Central January 19
Kind of a transition dunk where Suggs had a defender running side by side and Suggs threw it down on the defender.
7. Johnny Davis 6'5 junior La Crosse Central vs Minnehaha Academy January 19
Very nice out of bounce sideline play. Brother Jordan Davis found brother Johnny Davis cutting to the hoop on the back side and Johnny absolutely skied to the rim to complete the ally oop dunk.
8. Jamari Sibley 6'9 junior Nicolet vs Sussex Hamilton December 15
Nicolet pulled the ball out and went to a four corners. Star Jalen Johnson handled the ball from the left wing and drove the lane. At the same time Sibley cut back door added by a back screen and Johnson found him with the lob and the completed alley oop dunk.
9. Brayden Dailey 6'5 sophomore Mineral Point vs Wisconsin Dells November 30
Point guard Isaac Lindsey drove just left of the free throw line penetrating the Dells zone while Dailey came from the weak side and Lindsey found him with a nice ally oop pass and dunk.
10. Amani Glosson 6'5 junior Milwaukee Academy of Science vs Kettle Moraine Lutheran December 29
Can't recall how Glosson got the ball whether it was a steal or long rebound but, as he was getting his steps timed up the defenders caught up to him which allowed Glosson to throw down a monster dunk right on their heads.
Top Scorers
1. 36 Mayson Hazaert Wrightstown vs Brown Deer December 8
Will Pytleski Green Bay Southwest vs Wisconsin Lutheran December 29
3. 35 Karter Thomas Oshkosh West vs Brown Deer December 29
4. 34 Riley LeTourneau Brookfield East vs Apply Valley Mn January 26
5. 33 Armani Jones Milwaukee Academy of Science vs Kettle Moraine Lutheran December 29
6. 32 Jacob Ognacevic Sheboygan Lutheran vs St Thomas More December 30
Trequan Carrington Martin Luther vs Minneapolis North January 19
8. 31 Gabe Madsen Rochester Mayo vs Waupun January 26
9. 30 Jalen Johnson Nicolet vs Sussex Hamilton December 15
Reed Gunnick Laconia vs Lake Mills January 5
Larry Canady Racine Park vs Milwaukee Vincent February 2
12. 29 Nolan Dahmen Kettle Moraine vs New Berlin West December 2926
13. 28 Ryan Waddell Homestead vs Brown Deer December 15
Austin Westra DeForest vs Lakeside Lutheran January 8
Riley Eck Wisconsin Dells vs Mauston January 18
Logan Jedwabny Kaukauna vs La Crosse Logan January 19
Brock Voigt Sun Prairie vs Madison LaFollette February 19
18. 27 Riley Murphy Seymour vs Merrill December 8
Cole Nau Brookfield Central vs Martin Luther December 29
Brayden Dailey Mineral Point vs Milwaukee Academy of Science December 30
Reid Gastner Lake City Mn vs Clear Lake January 26
Jalen Suggs Minnehaha Academy Mn vs Onalaska January 26
23. 26 Brock Voigt Sun Prairie vs Madison Memorial November 29
Justin Steinike Wauwatosa West vs Kaukauna December 8
Ace Evans Marin Luther vs Brookfield Central December 29
Isaac Lindsey Mineral Point vs Milwaukee Academy of Science December 30
Jason Larson Mount Horeb vs Milwaukee Lutheran December 29
Nick Otto Appleton Xavier vs Milwaukee Pius December 30
Zach Longueville St Croix Lutheran Mn vs Whitefish Bay January 26
Ashton Janowski Pewaukee vs Homestead February 2
Wednesday, February 20, 2019
Francis Howell and La Follette get the Ws
Took in a pair of games in the last two days. Monday night I happened to be down in Missouri visiting my brother so we went over to watch the high school he teaches at to catch a game. He teaches at Francis Howell a team that has only lost two games and are ranked in the top 10 teams in the biggest division in Missouri.
Franics Howell 67 Holt 42
It was fairly obvious from the get go that Howell was a much better team but, took their time blowing Holt out late. It was senior night for Howell so they started their five seniors which I always love to see on senior night. The other big thing was that Missouri still plays the four quarters. I have to say I prefer the two halves of Wisconsin much more as far as a fans prospective. Four quarters allows you to play your starters more minutes and subbing not needing as much. It didn't come into play in this game but, also gives teams two more chances to hold the ball waiting for the last shot of the quarter.
You could almost tell that Howell knew they were the better team as they just looked to jump the passing lanes which led to numerous fast break buckets for Howell and wide open lay ups for Holt. Howell's lack of defense also led to numerous open three point looks for Holt who was able to hit those shots early on. At the half Howell was up 33 to 26. In the second half Holt stopped hitting the threes and those long rebounds led to run outs by Howell. Howell's side was just too much for Hoyt as 6'9 sophomore Sam Thompson controlled the glass and 5'8 senior Daylan Dalton was able to get out and run and lead the team in scoring. Dalton used his quickness just beat the defenders down the court and he was able to hit the spot up threes. For Holt there top guy was 6'2 senior Aaron Henrich who was able to find himself open for three time and time again where he was one of the few guys that could consistently hit the outside shot. I'll be honest that I didn't pay as close attention to this game as I could of so don't have the most detail on the game.
Madison LaFollette 62 Sun Prairie 61
Really a fun game to watch that came right down to the end. Very contrasting teams as Sun Prairie looked to use their size while LaFollette tried to use their quickness. I would say that LaFollette controlled the tempo for much of the game which at times actually helped Sun Prairie. Early on as the game got a little ragged LaFollette was able to hit the three point shots led by 6'1 junior Ben Probst as their usual star 5'9 senior Donneil Gray who just couldn't get things going offensively. On the other side Sun Prairie really looked to pound it inside to their trio of 6'5 senior big men in Brock and Alex Voigt and Cooper Nelson. Alex Voigt is pretty strong in the post while brother Brock is better facing the hoop and loves to get the ball in the high post and go to work. A pair of fast break dunks by Brock Voigt carried Sun Prairie early on as well as a pair of threes from 6'0 senior Anfernee Auston. For LaFollette it was really a team game as nearly everyone that played scored in the game.
For Sun Prairie it was great to see 6'0 junior Colin Schaefer play. This was the first game that I had seen Schaefer play all year due to injury. Schaefer looked a little slower and his shot is way off but, he still brings a lot to the game and helps out Sun Prairie. A foul and technical on LaFollette senior 6'1 Troy Reeves game Sun Prairie a six point swing and tied the game up late and both teams battled it out. A drive and score by 6'0 junior Derrick Gray gave LaFollette a one point lead but, then Sun Prairie came back do and gave it to Brock Voigt who drove from the free throw line to score and give Sun Prairie the one point lead. With six seconds left LaFollette looked to Donneil Gray who was doubled teamed so ended up going to Derrick Gray and as he made his move to the hoop was fouled. Gray made both free throws to give LaFollette the win. The foul was very questionable and obviously angered Sun Prairie immensely as well as the coaching staff. I personally wouldn't of called the foul but, maybe it was. Either way it was a very unsatisfying way to end the game.
Franics Howell 67 Holt 42
It was fairly obvious from the get go that Howell was a much better team but, took their time blowing Holt out late. It was senior night for Howell so they started their five seniors which I always love to see on senior night. The other big thing was that Missouri still plays the four quarters. I have to say I prefer the two halves of Wisconsin much more as far as a fans prospective. Four quarters allows you to play your starters more minutes and subbing not needing as much. It didn't come into play in this game but, also gives teams two more chances to hold the ball waiting for the last shot of the quarter.
You could almost tell that Howell knew they were the better team as they just looked to jump the passing lanes which led to numerous fast break buckets for Howell and wide open lay ups for Holt. Howell's lack of defense also led to numerous open three point looks for Holt who was able to hit those shots early on. At the half Howell was up 33 to 26. In the second half Holt stopped hitting the threes and those long rebounds led to run outs by Howell. Howell's side was just too much for Hoyt as 6'9 sophomore Sam Thompson controlled the glass and 5'8 senior Daylan Dalton was able to get out and run and lead the team in scoring. Dalton used his quickness just beat the defenders down the court and he was able to hit the spot up threes. For Holt there top guy was 6'2 senior Aaron Henrich who was able to find himself open for three time and time again where he was one of the few guys that could consistently hit the outside shot. I'll be honest that I didn't pay as close attention to this game as I could of so don't have the most detail on the game.
Madison LaFollette 62 Sun Prairie 61
Really a fun game to watch that came right down to the end. Very contrasting teams as Sun Prairie looked to use their size while LaFollette tried to use their quickness. I would say that LaFollette controlled the tempo for much of the game which at times actually helped Sun Prairie. Early on as the game got a little ragged LaFollette was able to hit the three point shots led by 6'1 junior Ben Probst as their usual star 5'9 senior Donneil Gray who just couldn't get things going offensively. On the other side Sun Prairie really looked to pound it inside to their trio of 6'5 senior big men in Brock and Alex Voigt and Cooper Nelson. Alex Voigt is pretty strong in the post while brother Brock is better facing the hoop and loves to get the ball in the high post and go to work. A pair of fast break dunks by Brock Voigt carried Sun Prairie early on as well as a pair of threes from 6'0 senior Anfernee Auston. For LaFollette it was really a team game as nearly everyone that played scored in the game.
For Sun Prairie it was great to see 6'0 junior Colin Schaefer play. This was the first game that I had seen Schaefer play all year due to injury. Schaefer looked a little slower and his shot is way off but, he still brings a lot to the game and helps out Sun Prairie. A foul and technical on LaFollette senior 6'1 Troy Reeves game Sun Prairie a six point swing and tied the game up late and both teams battled it out. A drive and score by 6'0 junior Derrick Gray gave LaFollette a one point lead but, then Sun Prairie came back do and gave it to Brock Voigt who drove from the free throw line to score and give Sun Prairie the one point lead. With six seconds left LaFollette looked to Donneil Gray who was doubled teamed so ended up going to Derrick Gray and as he made his move to the hoop was fouled. Gray made both free throws to give LaFollette the win. The foul was very questionable and obviously angered Sun Prairie immensely as well as the coaching staff. I personally wouldn't of called the foul but, maybe it was. Either way it was a very unsatisfying way to end the game.
Tuesday, February 12, 2019
Top Dunks and Scorers
Top Dunks
1. Ace Evans 6'2 senior Martin Luther vs Brookfield Central December 29
This dunk had the entire gym buzzing. The game was late and Central pretty much had the game in hand. Evans drove left and threw down a very angry dunk right on top of poor Central big man 6'6 sophomore David Joplin. All Joplin could do was smile after the dunk.
2. Prince Aligbe 6'5 freshmen Minnehaha Academy vs Onalaska January 26
Yes he missed like three or four dunks in the game but, this was one of the top of the year. After all the missed I think the team was determined to get him a dunk. First play of the second half out of the half court set Jalen Suggs found Aligbe on the weak side and Aligbe skied out jumping the Onalaska defender and then it right down on him.
3. Prince Aligbe 6'5 freshmen Minnehaha Academy vs La Crosse Central January 19
Nice out of bounds play where the in bounder threw the lob pass over the backboard and Aligbe grabbed it one handed and threw down the dunk all in one motion.
4. Nobal Days 6'9 senior Racine Park vs Milwaukee Vincent February 2
Park was on a two on one breakaway. I can't recall who threw Days the ally oop but, days grabbed it with one hand and in one motion threw it down hard.
5. Keonte Jones 6'3 junior Madison East vs Sun Prairie February 9
Off the half court set offense Jones drove baseline and threw it down hard two handed. This was one of the first plays of the game and was kind of a surprise as I think most people thought Jones would just lay it in.
6. Jalen Suggs 6'4 junior Minnehaha Academy vs La Crosse Central January 19
Kind of a transition dunk where Suggs had a defender running side by side and Suggs threw it down on the defender.
7. Johnny Davis 6'5 junior La Crosse Central vs Minnehaha Academy January 19
Very nice out of bounce sideline play. Brother Jordan Davis found brother Johnny Davis cutting to the hoop on the back side and Johnny absolutely skied to the rim to complete the ally oop dunk.
8. Jamari Sibley 6'9 junior Nicolet vs Sussex Hamilton December 15
Nicolet pulled the ball out and went to a four corners. Star Jalen Johnson handled the ball from the left wing and drove the lane. At the same time Sibley cut back door added by a back screen and Johnson found him with the lob and the completed alley oop dunk.
9. Brayden Dailey 6'5 sophomore Mineral Point vs Wisconsin Dells November 30
Point guard Isaac Lindsey drove just left of the free throw line penetrating the Dells zone while Dailey came from the weak side and Lindsey found him with a nice ally oop pass and dunk.
10. Amani Glosson 6'5 junior Milwaukee Academy of Science vs Kettle Moraine Lutheran December 29
Can't recall how Glosson got the ball whether it was a steal or long rebound but, as he was getting his steps timed up the defenders caught up to him which allowed Glosson to throw down a monster dunk right on their heads.
Top Scorers
1. 36 Mayson Hazaert Wrightstown vs Brown Deer December 8
Will Pytleski Green Bay Southwest vs Wisconsin Lutheran December 29
3. 35 Karter Thomas Oshkosh West vs Brown Deer December 29
4. 34 Riley LeTourneau Brookfield East vs Apply Valley Mn January 26
5. 33 Armani Jones Milwaukee Academy of Science vs Kettle Moraine Lutheran December 29
6. 32 Jacob Ognacevic Sheboygan Lutheran vs St Thomas More December 30
Trequan Carrington Martin Luther vs Minneapolis North January 19
8. 31 Gabe Madsen Rochester Mayo vs Waupun January 26
9. 30 Jalen Johnson Nicolet vs Sussex Hamilton December 15
Reed Gunnick Laconia vs Lake Mills January 5
Larry Canady Racine Park vs Milwaukee Vincent February 2
12. 29 Nolan Dahmen Kettle Moraine vs New Berlin West December 2926
13. 28 Ryan Waddell Homestead vs Brown Deer December 15
Austin Westra DeForest vs Lakeside Lutheran January 8
Riley Eck Wisconsin Dells vs Mauston January 18
Logan Jedwabny Kaukauna vs La Crosse Logan January 19
17. 27 Riley Murphy Seymour vs Merrill December 8
Cole Nau Brookfield Central vs Martin Luther December 29
Brayden Dailey Mineral Point vs Milwaukee Academy of Science December 30
Reid Gastner Lake City Mn vs Clear Lake January 26
Jalen Suggs Minnehaha Academy Mn vs Onalaska January 26
22. 26 Brock Voigt Sun Prairie vs Madison Memorial November 29
Justin Steinike Wauwatosa West vs Kaukauna December 8
Ace Evans Marin Luther vs Brookfield Central December 29
Isaac Lindsey Mineral Point vs Milwaukee Academy of Science December 30
Jason Larson Mount Horeb vs Milwaukee Lutheran December 29
Nick Otto Appleton Xavier vs Milwaukee Pius December 30
Zach Longueville St Croix Lutheran Mn vs Whitefish Bay January 26
Ashton Janowski Pewaukee vs Homestead February 2
1. Ace Evans 6'2 senior Martin Luther vs Brookfield Central December 29
This dunk had the entire gym buzzing. The game was late and Central pretty much had the game in hand. Evans drove left and threw down a very angry dunk right on top of poor Central big man 6'6 sophomore David Joplin. All Joplin could do was smile after the dunk.
2. Prince Aligbe 6'5 freshmen Minnehaha Academy vs Onalaska January 26
Yes he missed like three or four dunks in the game but, this was one of the top of the year. After all the missed I think the team was determined to get him a dunk. First play of the second half out of the half court set Jalen Suggs found Aligbe on the weak side and Aligbe skied out jumping the Onalaska defender and then it right down on him.
3. Prince Aligbe 6'5 freshmen Minnehaha Academy vs La Crosse Central January 19
Nice out of bounds play where the in bounder threw the lob pass over the backboard and Aligbe grabbed it one handed and threw down the dunk all in one motion.
4. Nobal Days 6'9 senior Racine Park vs Milwaukee Vincent February 2
Park was on a two on one breakaway. I can't recall who threw Days the ally oop but, days grabbed it with one hand and in one motion threw it down hard.
5. Keonte Jones 6'3 junior Madison East vs Sun Prairie February 9
Off the half court set offense Jones drove baseline and threw it down hard two handed. This was one of the first plays of the game and was kind of a surprise as I think most people thought Jones would just lay it in.
6. Jalen Suggs 6'4 junior Minnehaha Academy vs La Crosse Central January 19
Kind of a transition dunk where Suggs had a defender running side by side and Suggs threw it down on the defender.
7. Johnny Davis 6'5 junior La Crosse Central vs Minnehaha Academy January 19
Very nice out of bounce sideline play. Brother Jordan Davis found brother Johnny Davis cutting to the hoop on the back side and Johnny absolutely skied to the rim to complete the ally oop dunk.
8. Jamari Sibley 6'9 junior Nicolet vs Sussex Hamilton December 15
Nicolet pulled the ball out and went to a four corners. Star Jalen Johnson handled the ball from the left wing and drove the lane. At the same time Sibley cut back door added by a back screen and Johnson found him with the lob and the completed alley oop dunk.
9. Brayden Dailey 6'5 sophomore Mineral Point vs Wisconsin Dells November 30
Point guard Isaac Lindsey drove just left of the free throw line penetrating the Dells zone while Dailey came from the weak side and Lindsey found him with a nice ally oop pass and dunk.
10. Amani Glosson 6'5 junior Milwaukee Academy of Science vs Kettle Moraine Lutheran December 29
Can't recall how Glosson got the ball whether it was a steal or long rebound but, as he was getting his steps timed up the defenders caught up to him which allowed Glosson to throw down a monster dunk right on their heads.
Top Scorers
1. 36 Mayson Hazaert Wrightstown vs Brown Deer December 8
Will Pytleski Green Bay Southwest vs Wisconsin Lutheran December 29
3. 35 Karter Thomas Oshkosh West vs Brown Deer December 29
4. 34 Riley LeTourneau Brookfield East vs Apply Valley Mn January 26
5. 33 Armani Jones Milwaukee Academy of Science vs Kettle Moraine Lutheran December 29
6. 32 Jacob Ognacevic Sheboygan Lutheran vs St Thomas More December 30
Trequan Carrington Martin Luther vs Minneapolis North January 19
8. 31 Gabe Madsen Rochester Mayo vs Waupun January 26
9. 30 Jalen Johnson Nicolet vs Sussex Hamilton December 15
Reed Gunnick Laconia vs Lake Mills January 5
Larry Canady Racine Park vs Milwaukee Vincent February 2
12. 29 Nolan Dahmen Kettle Moraine vs New Berlin West December 2926
13. 28 Ryan Waddell Homestead vs Brown Deer December 15
Austin Westra DeForest vs Lakeside Lutheran January 8
Riley Eck Wisconsin Dells vs Mauston January 18
Logan Jedwabny Kaukauna vs La Crosse Logan January 19
17. 27 Riley Murphy Seymour vs Merrill December 8
Cole Nau Brookfield Central vs Martin Luther December 29
Brayden Dailey Mineral Point vs Milwaukee Academy of Science December 30
Reid Gastner Lake City Mn vs Clear Lake January 26
Jalen Suggs Minnehaha Academy Mn vs Onalaska January 26
22. 26 Brock Voigt Sun Prairie vs Madison Memorial November 29
Justin Steinike Wauwatosa West vs Kaukauna December 8
Ace Evans Marin Luther vs Brookfield Central December 29
Isaac Lindsey Mineral Point vs Milwaukee Academy of Science December 30
Jason Larson Mount Horeb vs Milwaukee Lutheran December 29
Nick Otto Appleton Xavier vs Milwaukee Pius December 30
Zach Longueville St Croix Lutheran Mn vs Whitefish Bay January 26
Ashton Janowski Pewaukee vs Homestead February 2
Monday, February 11, 2019
Madison gets a pair of wins
Saturday I took in a pair of games down in Madison. In the afternoon I took in Madison Memorial verse Dekalb Illinois who I actually knew nothing about obviously but, they were a solid team that gave a good game. The night cap I saw Sun Prairie verse Madison East which was one of the better games of the year I've seen this year. Overall I would say that it was a successful day of basketball in Madison.
Madison Memorial 55 Dekalb Il 52
This game was very obvious that these two teams were not familiar with each other as it felt that they were feeling each other out the entire time and neither team really seemed to fall into their normal flows. Early on Dekalb really struggled from the outside but, they were able to find the opening in the Memorial zone. Typically it was 6'3 Dekalb senior Michael Newman that was finding himself right in the middle of the zone with the ball where he was able to score. Things got a little sloppy at times which seemed to favor Dekalb in this one. Madison Memorial couldn't get anything going on the offensive end throughout the first half but, they were able to control the glass on both ends. At half time Dekalb was up four points.
In the second half Memorial was able to force the pressure and force Deklab into turnovers which allowed Memorial to take the lead. Memorial was also able to start hitting threes which combined with the defense allowed them to take a big lead. 6'4 Memorial senior Dryden Schaefer was the offensive leader hitting the threes from the outside. Memorial got up double figures before Dekalb started getting things going offensively as the threes began to fall for them. 5'10 junior Zach Russell came off the bench to make four three point shots all in the second half while 5'11 sophomore Trenton Kyle hit four of his own in leading Dekalb. Some poor Memorial free throw shooting let Dekalb back into the game. In the end Dekalb had the chance to tie the game at the buzzer but, a three point shot with a questionable non foul call fell just short.
Madison Eat 65 Sun Prairie 59
This was an intense game from the get go. The fans were into it and the players were in to it. When you watch Madison East everything starts and ends with 6'3 junior Keonte Jones. Jones seems to love when the crowd gets on him and he can give it back to the crowd. I really think he loves the back and forth and being a bit of enemy number one of the opposing fans. During warm ups the Sun Prairie students were giving it to Jones and Jones was doing some talking back. Right off the bat Jones drove baseline out of the half court set and through down the job and gave it right to the Sun Prairie students. That was one of the few highlights for East in the first half as the shots just weren't falling from the outside and they struggled with the size of Sun Prairie. Sun Prairie's size combined with the foul trouble of 5'10 East senior Damontae Thompson allowed Sun Prairie to jump out to the first half lead. Jones did his best driving to the lane and scoring but, they just couldn't stop Sun Prairie from scoring in the paint. 6'5 Sun Prairie twins Brock and Alex Voigt both had big nights scoring in the post throughout the entire game. At half Sun Prairie led by nine and threatened to blow the game out.
In the second half Madison East showed why they were one of the best teams in the state and took it too Sun Prairie. Sun Prairie fans will probably blame this on the reffing and East being allowed to play very physical with Sun Prairie. Easts stars came to play in the second half as well. Thompson came out in the second half very fresh gunning as he nailed a pair of threes right out of the gate. The last couple games Thompson has been the most consistent offensive player for East and despite his height he can get his shot off at any time. 6'4 big man Marcus Justice was really able to use his size and strength in the post to score over the longer defenders in the post. Jones continued to be his tough self slashing to the lane and scoring or finding his open team mates on the week side. Jones hit a pair of monster back to back threes mid way through the second to give East the lead for good. Late the pressure got to Sun Prairie which allowed East to get out and run and that's when their top guy 6'3 junior Anthony Washington is at his best. Washington sealed the deal with a monster two handed dunk.
I truly think that Keonte Jones has nearly caught Washington as top player on East and could very well be playing himself into a D1 scholarship player. Washington is a better athlete, leaper, and rebounder but, I think Jones handles the ball better and shoots it better at this point. Both can play very good defense when they want to which is a huge thing. Typically Jones takes the better offensive player but, Washington might actually be the better defender. In conclusion East may of finally made me a believer. that they can get to state and maybe even challenge for a title.
Madison Memorial 55 Dekalb Il 52
This game was very obvious that these two teams were not familiar with each other as it felt that they were feeling each other out the entire time and neither team really seemed to fall into their normal flows. Early on Dekalb really struggled from the outside but, they were able to find the opening in the Memorial zone. Typically it was 6'3 Dekalb senior Michael Newman that was finding himself right in the middle of the zone with the ball where he was able to score. Things got a little sloppy at times which seemed to favor Dekalb in this one. Madison Memorial couldn't get anything going on the offensive end throughout the first half but, they were able to control the glass on both ends. At half time Dekalb was up four points.
In the second half Memorial was able to force the pressure and force Deklab into turnovers which allowed Memorial to take the lead. Memorial was also able to start hitting threes which combined with the defense allowed them to take a big lead. 6'4 Memorial senior Dryden Schaefer was the offensive leader hitting the threes from the outside. Memorial got up double figures before Dekalb started getting things going offensively as the threes began to fall for them. 5'10 junior Zach Russell came off the bench to make four three point shots all in the second half while 5'11 sophomore Trenton Kyle hit four of his own in leading Dekalb. Some poor Memorial free throw shooting let Dekalb back into the game. In the end Dekalb had the chance to tie the game at the buzzer but, a three point shot with a questionable non foul call fell just short.
Madison Eat 65 Sun Prairie 59
This was an intense game from the get go. The fans were into it and the players were in to it. When you watch Madison East everything starts and ends with 6'3 junior Keonte Jones. Jones seems to love when the crowd gets on him and he can give it back to the crowd. I really think he loves the back and forth and being a bit of enemy number one of the opposing fans. During warm ups the Sun Prairie students were giving it to Jones and Jones was doing some talking back. Right off the bat Jones drove baseline out of the half court set and through down the job and gave it right to the Sun Prairie students. That was one of the few highlights for East in the first half as the shots just weren't falling from the outside and they struggled with the size of Sun Prairie. Sun Prairie's size combined with the foul trouble of 5'10 East senior Damontae Thompson allowed Sun Prairie to jump out to the first half lead. Jones did his best driving to the lane and scoring but, they just couldn't stop Sun Prairie from scoring in the paint. 6'5 Sun Prairie twins Brock and Alex Voigt both had big nights scoring in the post throughout the entire game. At half Sun Prairie led by nine and threatened to blow the game out.
In the second half Madison East showed why they were one of the best teams in the state and took it too Sun Prairie. Sun Prairie fans will probably blame this on the reffing and East being allowed to play very physical with Sun Prairie. Easts stars came to play in the second half as well. Thompson came out in the second half very fresh gunning as he nailed a pair of threes right out of the gate. The last couple games Thompson has been the most consistent offensive player for East and despite his height he can get his shot off at any time. 6'4 big man Marcus Justice was really able to use his size and strength in the post to score over the longer defenders in the post. Jones continued to be his tough self slashing to the lane and scoring or finding his open team mates on the week side. Jones hit a pair of monster back to back threes mid way through the second to give East the lead for good. Late the pressure got to Sun Prairie which allowed East to get out and run and that's when their top guy 6'3 junior Anthony Washington is at his best. Washington sealed the deal with a monster two handed dunk.
I truly think that Keonte Jones has nearly caught Washington as top player on East and could very well be playing himself into a D1 scholarship player. Washington is a better athlete, leaper, and rebounder but, I think Jones handles the ball better and shoots it better at this point. Both can play very good defense when they want to which is a huge thing. Typically Jones takes the better offensive player but, Washington might actually be the better defender. In conclusion East may of finally made me a believer. that they can get to state and maybe even challenge for a title.
Tuesday, February 5, 2019
Chekouras Classic
Saturday I went down to Homestead to take in the Chekouras Classic. I know it wasn't the greatest teams playing but, a day of basketball is a day of basketball. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised with the out come of the day though. I have to say with the exception of a couple games most of the games were entertaining either by fun teams to watch or games that were close throughout.
Milwaukee Golda Meir 76 Beloit Turner 67
Got to this game just slightly late so I wasn't able to keep track of the scoring but, I came away pretty impressed with Golda Meir and Turner isn't too bad either. Golda Meir is super athletic and a very long team that is also senior dominated. Golda Meir was the more talented team with their pair of 6'6 twin big men in Mario Williams and Brandon Harmon. Both are long and athletic and pound the glass on both ends. Both can really elevate to get to the rim and finish at the rim. Other notable players was 6'2 senior Kai Parham who came off the bench and hit four three point shot if my memory serves me. Probably the top player of the game was 5'9 senior Marvin Jones. Jones can really handle the ball and used his ball handling skills and strength to get to the rim and score or kick it to one of his previous players mentioned. Despite Golda Meir being the more talented player Turner did their best to keep things close led by 5'11 junior Jordan Majeed who is a flat out scorer and really carried his team until his team mate 6'4 senior Steve Dillard got going late to claw back into the game. In the end Golda Meir had more talent and they were able to use their quickness to push the tempo and take control forcing Turner into poor shots and turning the ball over.
Lake County Lutheran 70 Sturgeon Bay 51
This game really shocked me. Lake County Lutheran really only played one player over 6'0 while Sturgeon Bay played five players 6'3 or taller in their eight man rotation. Lake County jumped out to an 18-2 lead and never looked back. 6'0 sophomore Luke Haertle led the charge early on with four threes in route to 16 first half points. The entire team outside of Haertle was really shooting the three point shots and knock them down. In the second half 6'3 junior Joey Braatz came alive using his jumping ability to score at the time and grabbing offensive rebounds. Nothing was going right for Sturgeon Bay as they were missing everything and couldn't seem to stop LCL's outside shooting. 6'7 senior Carson Talbert was very solid in the post but, unfortunately most of his points came late in the game. You could really tell that LCL is used to being the undersized team as they did a great job of playing against the bigger Sturgeon Bay players and did a nice job of swatting at the ball when the Sturgeon Bay big men brought the ball down.
Grafton 63 Stoughton 40
This game was kind of an ugly game to watch. Early on the game was very physical and a slow pace and in the second half Grafton started hitting the threes. Grafton was led by 6'3 junior Alex Huibregtse who is a very smooth outside shooter and did a great job of getting into the passing lanes leading to steals and easy buckets. This was a battle of 6'7 big man Grafton's sophomore JP Benzschawel and Stoughton's junior Jack Nelson. The two big men kind of cancelled each other out and the outside shooting and transition game came alive in the second half to lead Grafton to the victory.
Racine Park 84 Milwaukee Vincent 56
Vincent played right into Park's hands as the pushed the tempo and took quick shots. Park wants to run run run. Every time I see Park the try to push things led by 6'9 senior Nobal Days who gets every rebound or block shots which starts the fast break. 6'2 senior Larry Canady was the go to man as he is able to score at will whether in the transition or pulling up for the long range jumper. Canady really runs the court so well and loves to play in transition. Late in the game 6'0 senior Zyiere Carey starting hitting the threes to salt the game away as Vincent ran out of gas late. Personally feel like Vincent just rested there starters too long in this one.
Monroe 54 Milwaukee Academy of Science 52
Monroe had a huge height advantage but, it as Academy that led the game late and ended up giving it away late. Academy only played one player over 6'0 who got in foul trouble so they decided to just basically play street ball allowing their players to go one on one and see if they could score on their own. 6'0 sophomore Donald McHenry took full advantage of this where he was able to finish with floaters time and time again. When McHenry wasn't scoring it was 5'10 junior Brandon Wilder bombing from the outside. Wilder hit six three point shots in this game to lead Academy. Late in the game Academy had the lead but, they didn't slow the tempo and decided to continue to attack the rim. This allowed Monroe to claw back into it late and finally finish the game off as they hit the shot at the buzzer to get the win. Monroe's three bigs really killed throughout in 6'6 senior Kade King, 6'7 sophomore Cade Meyer, and 6'5 freshmen JT Seagreaves. King was particular good is this one as he had the size and strength to score at any time he wanted.
DeForest 51 Milwaukee Marquette 50
Another ugly game that went back and forth. Early one Marquette couldn't get anything to fall while Deforest senior 6'5 Jack Bogan had his way in the inside. Early in the second half Marquette big man 6'5 junior Aiden Flynn got things going. Flynn was able to use his quickness facing the basket and scoring from 15 feet and in. This game was physical throughout and got a little chippy late. Some poor foul shooting let Deforest hang around and take the lead and when Flynn couldn't score no one else really could for Deforest.
Pewaukee 74 Homestead 65
Really the game of the day with lots of crowd involvement and some great play. This game also got very very chippy. Pewaukee came out gunning early and jumped out to a huge lead hitting the threes early on. Late in the second half Pewaukee kind of went on cruise control which allowed Homestead to make this a game. The score really doesn't show how big of a lead that Pewaukee had throughout the game. The future is bright for Pewaukee as they had three freshmen make huge impacts in 5'11 Ashton Janowski who had 26 points inclouding four threes, 6'5 Logan Dobbertein who blocked shots and scored in the post, and then 6'3 Josh Terrian who didn't score a bunch but, was still a big contributor.
Milwaukee Golda Meir 76 Beloit Turner 67
Got to this game just slightly late so I wasn't able to keep track of the scoring but, I came away pretty impressed with Golda Meir and Turner isn't too bad either. Golda Meir is super athletic and a very long team that is also senior dominated. Golda Meir was the more talented team with their pair of 6'6 twin big men in Mario Williams and Brandon Harmon. Both are long and athletic and pound the glass on both ends. Both can really elevate to get to the rim and finish at the rim. Other notable players was 6'2 senior Kai Parham who came off the bench and hit four three point shot if my memory serves me. Probably the top player of the game was 5'9 senior Marvin Jones. Jones can really handle the ball and used his ball handling skills and strength to get to the rim and score or kick it to one of his previous players mentioned. Despite Golda Meir being the more talented player Turner did their best to keep things close led by 5'11 junior Jordan Majeed who is a flat out scorer and really carried his team until his team mate 6'4 senior Steve Dillard got going late to claw back into the game. In the end Golda Meir had more talent and they were able to use their quickness to push the tempo and take control forcing Turner into poor shots and turning the ball over.
Lake County Lutheran 70 Sturgeon Bay 51
This game really shocked me. Lake County Lutheran really only played one player over 6'0 while Sturgeon Bay played five players 6'3 or taller in their eight man rotation. Lake County jumped out to an 18-2 lead and never looked back. 6'0 sophomore Luke Haertle led the charge early on with four threes in route to 16 first half points. The entire team outside of Haertle was really shooting the three point shots and knock them down. In the second half 6'3 junior Joey Braatz came alive using his jumping ability to score at the time and grabbing offensive rebounds. Nothing was going right for Sturgeon Bay as they were missing everything and couldn't seem to stop LCL's outside shooting. 6'7 senior Carson Talbert was very solid in the post but, unfortunately most of his points came late in the game. You could really tell that LCL is used to being the undersized team as they did a great job of playing against the bigger Sturgeon Bay players and did a nice job of swatting at the ball when the Sturgeon Bay big men brought the ball down.
Grafton 63 Stoughton 40
This game was kind of an ugly game to watch. Early on the game was very physical and a slow pace and in the second half Grafton started hitting the threes. Grafton was led by 6'3 junior Alex Huibregtse who is a very smooth outside shooter and did a great job of getting into the passing lanes leading to steals and easy buckets. This was a battle of 6'7 big man Grafton's sophomore JP Benzschawel and Stoughton's junior Jack Nelson. The two big men kind of cancelled each other out and the outside shooting and transition game came alive in the second half to lead Grafton to the victory.
Racine Park 84 Milwaukee Vincent 56
Vincent played right into Park's hands as the pushed the tempo and took quick shots. Park wants to run run run. Every time I see Park the try to push things led by 6'9 senior Nobal Days who gets every rebound or block shots which starts the fast break. 6'2 senior Larry Canady was the go to man as he is able to score at will whether in the transition or pulling up for the long range jumper. Canady really runs the court so well and loves to play in transition. Late in the game 6'0 senior Zyiere Carey starting hitting the threes to salt the game away as Vincent ran out of gas late. Personally feel like Vincent just rested there starters too long in this one.
Monroe 54 Milwaukee Academy of Science 52
Monroe had a huge height advantage but, it as Academy that led the game late and ended up giving it away late. Academy only played one player over 6'0 who got in foul trouble so they decided to just basically play street ball allowing their players to go one on one and see if they could score on their own. 6'0 sophomore Donald McHenry took full advantage of this where he was able to finish with floaters time and time again. When McHenry wasn't scoring it was 5'10 junior Brandon Wilder bombing from the outside. Wilder hit six three point shots in this game to lead Academy. Late in the game Academy had the lead but, they didn't slow the tempo and decided to continue to attack the rim. This allowed Monroe to claw back into it late and finally finish the game off as they hit the shot at the buzzer to get the win. Monroe's three bigs really killed throughout in 6'6 senior Kade King, 6'7 sophomore Cade Meyer, and 6'5 freshmen JT Seagreaves. King was particular good is this one as he had the size and strength to score at any time he wanted.
DeForest 51 Milwaukee Marquette 50
Another ugly game that went back and forth. Early one Marquette couldn't get anything to fall while Deforest senior 6'5 Jack Bogan had his way in the inside. Early in the second half Marquette big man 6'5 junior Aiden Flynn got things going. Flynn was able to use his quickness facing the basket and scoring from 15 feet and in. This game was physical throughout and got a little chippy late. Some poor foul shooting let Deforest hang around and take the lead and when Flynn couldn't score no one else really could for Deforest.
Pewaukee 74 Homestead 65
Really the game of the day with lots of crowd involvement and some great play. This game also got very very chippy. Pewaukee came out gunning early and jumped out to a huge lead hitting the threes early on. Late in the second half Pewaukee kind of went on cruise control which allowed Homestead to make this a game. The score really doesn't show how big of a lead that Pewaukee had throughout the game. The future is bright for Pewaukee as they had three freshmen make huge impacts in 5'11 Ashton Janowski who had 26 points inclouding four threes, 6'5 Logan Dobbertein who blocked shots and scored in the post, and then 6'3 Josh Terrian who didn't score a bunch but, was still a big contributor.
Monday, February 4, 2019
Third Round Player Rankings
Just a quick note with all the Minnesota teams that I've now seen. Out of state teams players will be included in the overall rankings but, then when I break down by class I only include Wisconsin players.
Overall Rankings
1. Jalen Johnson 6'9 junior Nicolet- Has NBA written all over him. There's only been a handful of kids I have said that about. Johnson and Baldwin are two of those. Can hit the three off the bounce, can handle the ball, has that NBA step back shot, plays like a wing despite being 6'9, and can also play a little D guarding on the wing or blocking shots.
2. Patrick Baldwin 6'9 sophomore Sussex Hamilton- Repeat everything I just said for Johnson. Might be a slightly better ball handler and a little quicker. Doesn't have Johnson's strength or explosion yet.
3. Jalen Suggs 6'4 junior Minnehaha Academy- Suggs is an elite athlete and everything just screams college player. Can sky to the rim, can shoot the three, handles the ball, and passes. Basically everything you think of with a big time point guard Suggs fills that.
4. Gabe Madsen 6'5 junior Rochestor Mayo- Another elite athlete. Offensively he's as good as anyone at least in the scoring department. Off the bounce he can get his shot at anytime and it doesn't matter if someone is in his face or not he can get the shot off and good chance its going in.
5. Jamari Sibley 6'9 junior Nicolet- An elite athlete. Can guard anyone on the court and is a big time shot blocker. Can also jump out of the gym and runs the court like a deer. Has the ability to shoot the jumper but, wasn't falling in the game I saw.
6. Tyrell Terry 6'3 senior Minneapolis De La Salle- A very smooth shooter that does a solid job running the show. Also showed some bounce in being able to get up and throw down the dunk. Not super quick but, everything he does is so smooth.
7. Johnny Davis 6'5 junior La Crosse Central- Another elite athlete. Really attacks the rim and can finish in a variety of ways around the rim. Has also showed the ability to step out and hit the three point shot. Can get up and block some shots and can rebound pretty well as well.Second time I saw him really showed the ability to elevate at the rim and showed that he can handle the ball as well.
8. Nobal Days 6'9 senior Racine Park- Doesn't score much but, really controls the game without scoring. Probably the best shot blocker in the state and is a very good rebounder. Moves extremely well for 6'9 high school player.
9. Larry Canady 6'3 senior Racine Park- Flat out scorer that has a little bit of a James Harden game. Shoots the ball extremely well off the dribble and has a nice little step back shot.
10. Quentin Winterfeldt 6'4 senior Waupun- Really impressed me with the way he moved without the ball to get himself open. Also able to drive the lane and score as well. I very solid good defender as well on the other side.
11. Xzavier Jones 6'5 senior Martin Luther- Just watching him warm up you can tell he's an elite athlete, can just jump out of the rim. When he gets the ball 15 feet and in he's going to score if he wants to. With his leaping ability he's a great rebounder and shot blocker as well.
12. Isaac Lindsey 6'4 junior Mineral Point- Really a true point guard that can score when he needs to. When he is able to spot up can knock down the three or has the ability to penetrate to the middle of the defense and finish. Really controls the offense as a point guard.
13. Marcus Domask 6'6 senior Waupun- Just strong disciplined player that does all the little things. Has the athletic ability to throw it down at the rim or over a defender. A strong rebounder as well., Can kncoked down the spot up three when the shot is there.
14. Mason Madsen 6'3 junior Rochestor Mayo- Not quite as athletic as his brother but, another flat out scorer. Can shoot and hit the three off the bounce or spotting up.
15. Ryan Waddell 6'2 senior Homestead- Really attacks the basket. Can elevate and finish through contact and bigger defenders. When his feet are set he can also hit the three point shot. Big time competitor.
16. Justin Steinike 6'1 junior Wauwatosa West- Really like this kid, he's a shooter. Comes off the screen and can set his feet very quick and knock the shot down. When you give him space and the time to set his feet that shot is going to fall. Has the three point shot as well as the mid range shot and can also handle the ball a little bit.
17. Brayden Dailey 6'5 sophomore Mineral Point- Long lanky kid that is a very good shooter. Just seems to have a high basketball IQ. Can real get up and finish when he attacks the rim and that same leaping ability allows him to be a strong rebounder.
18. Trequan Carrington 5'10 senior Martin Luther- Might be the best ball handler in the state right now and his shot off the dribble is just so pure. Lightning quick player as well with the ball in this hand.
19. Kendall Brown 6'7 sophomore East Ridge Mn- Just a smooth lanky big man that can hit the outside shot and has the ability to drive to the rim. Plays more like a wing player and moves extremely well for a long guy.
20. Reed Gunnink 6'4 junior Laconia- Just a super super smooth player. Has a very nice outside shot with the nice arc and all. Also has the ability to drive the lane and finish over small defenders.
21. Ben Carlson 6'10 East Ridge Mn- A big man that moves extremely well and can really run the court. Can step back and hit the outside shot and does a tremendous job crashing the glass on both ends.
22. Ace Evans 6'2 senior Martin Luther- Could be the best athlete in the state. Goes to his left a bit too much but, man can this kid finish. Can slam it down or can finish in a variety of ways around the rim.
23. Anthony Washington 6'3 junior Madison East- Tremendous athlete that can jump out of the gym. That ability allows him to be able to attack the rim and finish. When he wants to he can really control the glass on both ends.
24. Donneil Gray 5'9 senior Madison La Follette- Another tremendous point guard. Despite his height can get his shot off at any time and can drive it to the rim and finish over and around the big men. Has a very nice shot off the dribble.
25. Chet Holmgen 7'0 sophomore Minnehaha Academy- Another big man that can really move. Blocks a ton of shots and can hit the three point shot. I'm not sure that I've seen a seven footer move as well as he does. Needs to put a little muscle on though.
Seniors
1. Nobal Days 6'9 senior Racine Park
2. Larry Canady 6'3 senior Racine Park
3. Quentin Winterfeldt 6'4 Waupun
4. Xzavier Jones 6'5 senior Martin Luther
5. Marcus Domask 6'6 senior Waupun
6. Ryan Waddell 6'2 Homestead
7. Trequan Carrington 5'10 senior Martin Luther
8. Ace Evans 6'2 senior Martin Luther
9. Gage Malensek 6'0 Brookfield Central- A heady lead guard that really leads his team. Can hit the outside shot and can get to the rim and finish over and around bigger defenders.
10. Donovan Ivory 6'5 Kaukauna- Feel like I'm using the word athlete a lot but, it's trust. There's a lot of athletes in the elite players. Tenacious rebounder and plays some very good defense where he can guard anyone on the court whether in the post or on the wing.
Juniors
1. Jalen Johnson 6'9 Nicolet
2. Jamari Sibley 6'9 Nicolet
3. Johnny Davis 6'5 La Crosse Central
4. Isaac Lindsey 6'4 Mineral Point
5. Justin Steinike 6'1 Wauwatosa West
6. Reed Gunnink 6'4 junior Laconia-
7. Anthony Washington 6'3 Madison East
8. Riley Murphy 5'11 Seymour- A shooter that really hunts his shot and moves with out the ball. Showed the ability to hit the spot up three, off the dribble, or coming off the screen. Another big time competitor.
9. Jacob Ognacevic 6'7 junior Sheboygan Lutheran- More of a traditional big man but, he runs the court very very well and can hit the three when he spots up. Just knows how to make space in the post.
10. Karter Thomas 6'0 junior Oshkosh West- Shooting is his game and he's pretty good at it. Has a quick release and doesn't need a ton of space.
Sophomores
1. Patrick Baldwin 6'9 Sussex Hamilton
2. Brayden Dailey 6'5 Mineral Point
3. Ben Nau 6'1 Brookfield Central- Shooter shooter shooter. Can hit the three spotted up, off the screen, or off the dribble. Just seems like a very smart kid.
4. David Joplin 6'6 Brookfield Central- Big man with a very soft tough around the rim. Battles on the glass and another big that can really move and run the court.
5. Jayden Jackson 6'3 Whitefish Bay- Very strong lead guard that can hit the three or use his strength to drive to the rim. Solid defender as well.
6. Cam Palesse 6'4 Waukesha West- Long lanky guard that can drive to the lane or hit the mid range shot.
7. Tanner Resch 6'0 Sussex Hamilton- Tremendous three point shooter but, also has the ability to score off the dribble with a nice little floater.
8. Liam Stumpf 6'0 Mineral Point- Very very good three point shooter that can also really handle that ball as well.
9. Gavin McGrath 6'9 Onalaska- Big man with a very soft touch around the rim. Rebounds well and blocks shots as well.
10. Mason Dorn 5'10 Seymour- Sharpshooter from the outside that can really light it up.
Freshmen
1. Armani Jones 5'7 Milwaukee Academy of Science- Very tough ball handler, that gets buckets in a hurry, and can get his shot at any time. Can hit the three as well.
2. Casey Verhagen 5'11 Sheboygan Lutheran- Just a strong heady player, that can be the point guard or play off the ball. Goes to the hoop very strong and can hit the three.
3. Tyson Blanchard 6'2 Clear Lake- Can hit the three or get to the rim and score. Really just an offensive player right now.
4. Aaron Rhode 6'0 Brookfield Central- A shooter off the bench that can really shoot the three.
5. Josh Riegler 6'0 New Berlin West- A very athletic player that can do a bit of everything but, not a great shooter right now.
6. Riley Peterson 6'4 Clear Lake- A lanky player that can get to the rim and score and shoot the outside shot.
7. Austin Wagner 6'2 Kettle Moraine Lutheran- Had five points in the game but, don't remember them.
8. Max Weisbrod 5'10 Deforest- Starts for Deforest.
Overall Rankings
1. Jalen Johnson 6'9 junior Nicolet- Has NBA written all over him. There's only been a handful of kids I have said that about. Johnson and Baldwin are two of those. Can hit the three off the bounce, can handle the ball, has that NBA step back shot, plays like a wing despite being 6'9, and can also play a little D guarding on the wing or blocking shots.
2. Patrick Baldwin 6'9 sophomore Sussex Hamilton- Repeat everything I just said for Johnson. Might be a slightly better ball handler and a little quicker. Doesn't have Johnson's strength or explosion yet.
3. Jalen Suggs 6'4 junior Minnehaha Academy- Suggs is an elite athlete and everything just screams college player. Can sky to the rim, can shoot the three, handles the ball, and passes. Basically everything you think of with a big time point guard Suggs fills that.
4. Gabe Madsen 6'5 junior Rochestor Mayo- Another elite athlete. Offensively he's as good as anyone at least in the scoring department. Off the bounce he can get his shot at anytime and it doesn't matter if someone is in his face or not he can get the shot off and good chance its going in.
5. Jamari Sibley 6'9 junior Nicolet- An elite athlete. Can guard anyone on the court and is a big time shot blocker. Can also jump out of the gym and runs the court like a deer. Has the ability to shoot the jumper but, wasn't falling in the game I saw.
6. Tyrell Terry 6'3 senior Minneapolis De La Salle- A very smooth shooter that does a solid job running the show. Also showed some bounce in being able to get up and throw down the dunk. Not super quick but, everything he does is so smooth.
7. Johnny Davis 6'5 junior La Crosse Central- Another elite athlete. Really attacks the rim and can finish in a variety of ways around the rim. Has also showed the ability to step out and hit the three point shot. Can get up and block some shots and can rebound pretty well as well.Second time I saw him really showed the ability to elevate at the rim and showed that he can handle the ball as well.
8. Nobal Days 6'9 senior Racine Park- Doesn't score much but, really controls the game without scoring. Probably the best shot blocker in the state and is a very good rebounder. Moves extremely well for 6'9 high school player.
9. Larry Canady 6'3 senior Racine Park- Flat out scorer that has a little bit of a James Harden game. Shoots the ball extremely well off the dribble and has a nice little step back shot.
10. Quentin Winterfeldt 6'4 senior Waupun- Really impressed me with the way he moved without the ball to get himself open. Also able to drive the lane and score as well. I very solid good defender as well on the other side.
11. Xzavier Jones 6'5 senior Martin Luther- Just watching him warm up you can tell he's an elite athlete, can just jump out of the rim. When he gets the ball 15 feet and in he's going to score if he wants to. With his leaping ability he's a great rebounder and shot blocker as well.
12. Isaac Lindsey 6'4 junior Mineral Point- Really a true point guard that can score when he needs to. When he is able to spot up can knock down the three or has the ability to penetrate to the middle of the defense and finish. Really controls the offense as a point guard.
13. Marcus Domask 6'6 senior Waupun- Just strong disciplined player that does all the little things. Has the athletic ability to throw it down at the rim or over a defender. A strong rebounder as well., Can kncoked down the spot up three when the shot is there.
14. Mason Madsen 6'3 junior Rochestor Mayo- Not quite as athletic as his brother but, another flat out scorer. Can shoot and hit the three off the bounce or spotting up.
15. Ryan Waddell 6'2 senior Homestead- Really attacks the basket. Can elevate and finish through contact and bigger defenders. When his feet are set he can also hit the three point shot. Big time competitor.
16. Justin Steinike 6'1 junior Wauwatosa West- Really like this kid, he's a shooter. Comes off the screen and can set his feet very quick and knock the shot down. When you give him space and the time to set his feet that shot is going to fall. Has the three point shot as well as the mid range shot and can also handle the ball a little bit.
17. Brayden Dailey 6'5 sophomore Mineral Point- Long lanky kid that is a very good shooter. Just seems to have a high basketball IQ. Can real get up and finish when he attacks the rim and that same leaping ability allows him to be a strong rebounder.
18. Trequan Carrington 5'10 senior Martin Luther- Might be the best ball handler in the state right now and his shot off the dribble is just so pure. Lightning quick player as well with the ball in this hand.
19. Kendall Brown 6'7 sophomore East Ridge Mn- Just a smooth lanky big man that can hit the outside shot and has the ability to drive to the rim. Plays more like a wing player and moves extremely well for a long guy.
20. Reed Gunnink 6'4 junior Laconia- Just a super super smooth player. Has a very nice outside shot with the nice arc and all. Also has the ability to drive the lane and finish over small defenders.
21. Ben Carlson 6'10 East Ridge Mn- A big man that moves extremely well and can really run the court. Can step back and hit the outside shot and does a tremendous job crashing the glass on both ends.
22. Ace Evans 6'2 senior Martin Luther- Could be the best athlete in the state. Goes to his left a bit too much but, man can this kid finish. Can slam it down or can finish in a variety of ways around the rim.
23. Anthony Washington 6'3 junior Madison East- Tremendous athlete that can jump out of the gym. That ability allows him to be able to attack the rim and finish. When he wants to he can really control the glass on both ends.
24. Donneil Gray 5'9 senior Madison La Follette- Another tremendous point guard. Despite his height can get his shot off at any time and can drive it to the rim and finish over and around the big men. Has a very nice shot off the dribble.
25. Chet Holmgen 7'0 sophomore Minnehaha Academy- Another big man that can really move. Blocks a ton of shots and can hit the three point shot. I'm not sure that I've seen a seven footer move as well as he does. Needs to put a little muscle on though.
Seniors
1. Nobal Days 6'9 senior Racine Park
2. Larry Canady 6'3 senior Racine Park
3. Quentin Winterfeldt 6'4 Waupun
4. Xzavier Jones 6'5 senior Martin Luther
5. Marcus Domask 6'6 senior Waupun
6. Ryan Waddell 6'2 Homestead
7. Trequan Carrington 5'10 senior Martin Luther
8. Ace Evans 6'2 senior Martin Luther
9. Gage Malensek 6'0 Brookfield Central- A heady lead guard that really leads his team. Can hit the outside shot and can get to the rim and finish over and around bigger defenders.
10. Donovan Ivory 6'5 Kaukauna- Feel like I'm using the word athlete a lot but, it's trust. There's a lot of athletes in the elite players. Tenacious rebounder and plays some very good defense where he can guard anyone on the court whether in the post or on the wing.
Juniors
1. Jalen Johnson 6'9 Nicolet
2. Jamari Sibley 6'9 Nicolet
3. Johnny Davis 6'5 La Crosse Central
4. Isaac Lindsey 6'4 Mineral Point
5. Justin Steinike 6'1 Wauwatosa West
6. Reed Gunnink 6'4 junior Laconia-
7. Anthony Washington 6'3 Madison East
8. Riley Murphy 5'11 Seymour- A shooter that really hunts his shot and moves with out the ball. Showed the ability to hit the spot up three, off the dribble, or coming off the screen. Another big time competitor.
9. Jacob Ognacevic 6'7 junior Sheboygan Lutheran- More of a traditional big man but, he runs the court very very well and can hit the three when he spots up. Just knows how to make space in the post.
10. Karter Thomas 6'0 junior Oshkosh West- Shooting is his game and he's pretty good at it. Has a quick release and doesn't need a ton of space.
Sophomores
1. Patrick Baldwin 6'9 Sussex Hamilton
2. Brayden Dailey 6'5 Mineral Point
3. Ben Nau 6'1 Brookfield Central- Shooter shooter shooter. Can hit the three spotted up, off the screen, or off the dribble. Just seems like a very smart kid.
4. David Joplin 6'6 Brookfield Central- Big man with a very soft tough around the rim. Battles on the glass and another big that can really move and run the court.
5. Jayden Jackson 6'3 Whitefish Bay- Very strong lead guard that can hit the three or use his strength to drive to the rim. Solid defender as well.
6. Cam Palesse 6'4 Waukesha West- Long lanky guard that can drive to the lane or hit the mid range shot.
7. Tanner Resch 6'0 Sussex Hamilton- Tremendous three point shooter but, also has the ability to score off the dribble with a nice little floater.
8. Liam Stumpf 6'0 Mineral Point- Very very good three point shooter that can also really handle that ball as well.
9. Gavin McGrath 6'9 Onalaska- Big man with a very soft touch around the rim. Rebounds well and blocks shots as well.
10. Mason Dorn 5'10 Seymour- Sharpshooter from the outside that can really light it up.
Freshmen
1. Armani Jones 5'7 Milwaukee Academy of Science- Very tough ball handler, that gets buckets in a hurry, and can get his shot at any time. Can hit the three as well.
2. Casey Verhagen 5'11 Sheboygan Lutheran- Just a strong heady player, that can be the point guard or play off the ball. Goes to the hoop very strong and can hit the three.
3. Tyson Blanchard 6'2 Clear Lake- Can hit the three or get to the rim and score. Really just an offensive player right now.
4. Aaron Rhode 6'0 Brookfield Central- A shooter off the bench that can really shoot the three.
5. Josh Riegler 6'0 New Berlin West- A very athletic player that can do a bit of everything but, not a great shooter right now.
6. Riley Peterson 6'4 Clear Lake- A lanky player that can get to the rim and score and shoot the outside shot.
7. Austin Wagner 6'2 Kettle Moraine Lutheran- Had five points in the game but, don't remember them.
8. Max Weisbrod 5'10 Deforest- Starts for Deforest.
Wednesday, January 30, 2019
Third Round Team Rankings
Wow I didn't realize how long it had been since I had done my last rankings but, it was for sure time to update them. With how many games I go to sometimes there just isn't time to do the updated rankings. Fortunately the weather and a weak schedule this week I've gotten the time.
Overall
1. Nicolet (1)- I don't think anyone in the state can beat Nicolet. They have a pair of high level D1 college players in Jalen Johnson and Jamari Sibley and they can go eight deep and not lose much. A ton of height on this team and they can shoot the three as well.
2. East Ridge Mn (1)- Have three D1 players 6'10 junior Ben Carlson, 6'6 senior Courtney Brown, and 6'7 sophomore Kendall Brown. Outside of the big three they have a ton of height overall. Can shoot the three, play in transition, and got obviously control the paint as the big three are all super athletic. The way they took care of Brookfield Central really impressed me.
3. Minnehaha Academy Mn (2)- Ultra athletic and talented team led by a top player in the nation in 6'4 junior Jalen Suggs. 7'0 sophomore big man Chet Holgrem is always ranked nationally and really changes the game with his shot blocking and overall offensive game. 6'5 freshmen Prince Aligbe is an athletic freak that hasn't come into his own yet.
4. Sussex Hamilton (1)- The game I saw they played out of their minds but, they can really shoot the three and they move the ball extremely well. One could argue that Patrick Baldwin is the best player in the state.
5. Brookfield Central (3)- Another team that plays as a team so well together. They can really shoot the three as well and have four guys that could go off at any time scoring the ball. Their trio of guards with the Nau brothers and Gage Malensek is as good as any in the state. East Ridge really took it to them but, I don't think anyone was beating East Ridge besides Nicolet.
6. Waukesha West (1)- Very big team that controls the tempo and they aren't afraid to play fast or slow. Start no one under 6'4 and this team probably has four or five scholarship level players in my mind.
7. Madison East (4)- Really like this team that plays with a ton of energy. One of the quickest teams I've seen and have a pair of legit big time players in Anthony Washington and Keonte Jones. Also have some nice size as a team.They continue to grow on me every time I see them play.
8. Martin Luther (2)- Their top three are as good as any in the state and could probably all play at the highest level. I question the rest of their team and lack of depth though after the top five and foul trouble could doom them at some point.
9. Brookfield East (1)- Not super talented but, they just play so well together. They really run their offense and move so well without the ball.
10. La Crosse Central (2)- Have a lot of talent and athletes that can go pretty deep. Now they had a terrible game when I saw them but, I think Brookfield Central is just that good. Central played much better against Minnehaha and really showed some of the talent of their big three in the Davis twins and Terrence Thompson.
11. Madison La Follette (2)- Probably the quickest team that I've seen all year. They are loaded with a ton of talented guards and they play harder then any team that I've seen this year.
12. Racine Park (1)- A team full of a ton of athletes that love to get up and run and when you have Nobal Days protecting the rim it makes a world of difference. Days is easily best defender in the state. Larry Canady really seems to be coming into his own as their go to scorer.
13. Waupun (1)- Another team that is extremely disciplined and play some very tough defense. Quintin Winterfield and Marcus Domask might be the best combo in the state.
14. Onalaska (2)- Might take some heat on this one having them above Lax Central but, Onalaska played really well in their game with Waukesha West. They have a very deep nice team with size. Tyrell Suttley might be the best player you've never heard of. Carson Arenz is also a very solid player.
15. Madison Memorial (3)- Very smart disciplined team. Probably one of the best rebounding teams in the state. Play very good defense and they have good over all team size.
16. Kaukauna (2)- Pretty athletic team that relies on the three point shot a little too much. Have a handful of guys that can jump out of the gym which allows them to be a very good rebounding team. Have the ability to play slow or quick whatever is necessary.
17. Rochestor Mayo Mn (1)- The Madsen twins are super super good and athletic and really carry this teams. Gabe is probably as good as anyone I've seen in the state and Mason is pretty talented too.
18. Homestead (1)- A very solid disciplined team that have just enough talent in the scoring column to get them through. Ryan Waddell is that big time scorer and they have some nice size.
19. Minneapolis North (1)- Super quick athletic team with a ton of talent and enough shooters to really carry them at times.
20 Wauwatosa West (1)- Another very quick team that loves to get up and down to the court. I question their overall shooting but, they have a guy that can really shoot it in Justin Steinike. The potential is there if they can play disciplined.
21. Green Bay Southwest (2)- Not an overally impressive team but, they play hard and are just solid is all I can say. Their defense is pretty tough and they have some very nice players that can score when needed in Will Pytleski and Lucas Steiber.
22. Wrightstown (1)- Just an overall solid and disciplined team. Don't rush things and always seem to be playing under control. Play good defense which allows them to get out and run in transition.
23. Sun Prairie (2)- They played without their top three players so I give them a little leeway. The way they played Memorial in the second half was very impressive and I like there size up front and have some athletes. Beating De La Salle was an eye opener and Delware Hale really seems to be coming into his own and this young team seems to be finding their way.
24. Oshkosh West (2)- Very similar to Southwest. Everyone can shoot the three ball on this team and they have a go to scorer in Karter Thomas. They also have nice size and I didn't see 6'10 Luke Haasl play.
25. Milwaukee Lutheran (1)- An athletic team that knows how to play under control and not press.
D1
1. Sussex Hamilton
2. Brookfield Central
3. Waukesha West
4. Madison East
5. Brookfield East
6. Madison LaFollette
7. Racine Park
8. Madison Memorial
9. Homestead
10. Sun Prairie
D2
1. Nicolet
3. La Crosse Central
2. Onalaska
4. Kaukauna
5. Wauwatosa West
6. Green Bay Southwest
7. Milwaukee Lutheran
8. Merrill (1)- Really look to pound the ball inside which is their strength as they have a pair of solid post players and their guards play off of them. Another real solid team.
9. Mount Horeb (3)- Feel like I'm repeating but, they are a solid disciplined team that plays great defense and rebound well. Always seem to be under control.
10. Seymour (1)- Can really shoot the ball which allows them to beat anyone. A heady team that knows their strengths and have a pretty solid starting five.
D3
1. Martin Luther
2. Waupun
3. Wrightstown
4. Brookfield Academy (1)- Really really liked this team for D3. Have three very good guards led by high scoring Aidan Cleary and have a pair of very good big men in Alex Leach and Logan Landers.
5. Appleton Xavier (1)- Team that loves to get up and run. They also love to shoot the three ball and everyone on their team can shoot it.
6. Lakeside Lutheran (1)- A ton of experience on this team and they have the talent to go with it with four starters that have been on varsity three or four years already.
6. Brown Deer (3)- Extremely athletic team that wants to get out and run. Shooting is a little rough but, have a pair of guards that can drive the lane and get their shot at any time.
7. Lake Mills (2)- A little undersized but, play good defense and rebound as a team. Can really shoot the three as well.
8. Wisconsin Dells (3)- Speed and defense is their calling card. Showed the ability to shoot the three as well.
9. Kettle Moraine Lutheran (1)- No go to scorers on this team but, just a solid team over all.
10. Milwaukee Messmer (1)- Very talented team with some real athletes but, lack discipline.
D4
1. Laconia (1)- Reed Gunnick is a star and he's a guy that could go off for 30 points at any time. The rest of the team is very solid as well.
2. Mineral Point (3)- Just didn't play with energy in the game I saw them. Have a pair of very talented individuals but, need to play tougher and with more energy. Played much better the second time I saw as Braden Dailey and Isaac Lindsey are showing they are D1 level players. They were hit hard with Dailey quitting the team now.
3. Milwaukee Academy of Science (2)- Super athletic team with a ton of talented guards. Have a big man that can jump out of the gym which is huge in D4.
4. Eau Claire Regis (1)- Very hard playing team and their very disciplined.
5. Clear Lake (1)- I saw them without their star Blanchard but, lets say they weren't too impressive.
6. La Crosse Aquinas (1)- Merfeld is tough but, the rest of the team leaves something to be desired.
7. Platteville (1)- Not a lot to say about them as they played pretty bad in the game that I saw them.
D5
1. Sheboygan Lutheran (1)- Have an elite player in Jacob Ognacevic and have some guys that can really light it up from the outside.
2. Manitowoc Lutheran (1)- Not much to say here. Their star as out and they looked terrible.
Overall
1. Nicolet (1)- I don't think anyone in the state can beat Nicolet. They have a pair of high level D1 college players in Jalen Johnson and Jamari Sibley and they can go eight deep and not lose much. A ton of height on this team and they can shoot the three as well.
2. East Ridge Mn (1)- Have three D1 players 6'10 junior Ben Carlson, 6'6 senior Courtney Brown, and 6'7 sophomore Kendall Brown. Outside of the big three they have a ton of height overall. Can shoot the three, play in transition, and got obviously control the paint as the big three are all super athletic. The way they took care of Brookfield Central really impressed me.
3. Minnehaha Academy Mn (2)- Ultra athletic and talented team led by a top player in the nation in 6'4 junior Jalen Suggs. 7'0 sophomore big man Chet Holgrem is always ranked nationally and really changes the game with his shot blocking and overall offensive game. 6'5 freshmen Prince Aligbe is an athletic freak that hasn't come into his own yet.
4. Sussex Hamilton (1)- The game I saw they played out of their minds but, they can really shoot the three and they move the ball extremely well. One could argue that Patrick Baldwin is the best player in the state.
5. Brookfield Central (3)- Another team that plays as a team so well together. They can really shoot the three as well and have four guys that could go off at any time scoring the ball. Their trio of guards with the Nau brothers and Gage Malensek is as good as any in the state. East Ridge really took it to them but, I don't think anyone was beating East Ridge besides Nicolet.
6. Waukesha West (1)- Very big team that controls the tempo and they aren't afraid to play fast or slow. Start no one under 6'4 and this team probably has four or five scholarship level players in my mind.
7. Madison East (4)- Really like this team that plays with a ton of energy. One of the quickest teams I've seen and have a pair of legit big time players in Anthony Washington and Keonte Jones. Also have some nice size as a team.They continue to grow on me every time I see them play.
8. Martin Luther (2)- Their top three are as good as any in the state and could probably all play at the highest level. I question the rest of their team and lack of depth though after the top five and foul trouble could doom them at some point.
9. Brookfield East (1)- Not super talented but, they just play so well together. They really run their offense and move so well without the ball.
10. La Crosse Central (2)- Have a lot of talent and athletes that can go pretty deep. Now they had a terrible game when I saw them but, I think Brookfield Central is just that good. Central played much better against Minnehaha and really showed some of the talent of their big three in the Davis twins and Terrence Thompson.
11. Madison La Follette (2)- Probably the quickest team that I've seen all year. They are loaded with a ton of talented guards and they play harder then any team that I've seen this year.
12. Racine Park (1)- A team full of a ton of athletes that love to get up and run and when you have Nobal Days protecting the rim it makes a world of difference. Days is easily best defender in the state. Larry Canady really seems to be coming into his own as their go to scorer.
13. Waupun (1)- Another team that is extremely disciplined and play some very tough defense. Quintin Winterfield and Marcus Domask might be the best combo in the state.
14. Onalaska (2)- Might take some heat on this one having them above Lax Central but, Onalaska played really well in their game with Waukesha West. They have a very deep nice team with size. Tyrell Suttley might be the best player you've never heard of. Carson Arenz is also a very solid player.
16. Kaukauna (2)- Pretty athletic team that relies on the three point shot a little too much. Have a handful of guys that can jump out of the gym which allows them to be a very good rebounding team. Have the ability to play slow or quick whatever is necessary.
17. Rochestor Mayo Mn (1)- The Madsen twins are super super good and athletic and really carry this teams. Gabe is probably as good as anyone I've seen in the state and Mason is pretty talented too.
18. Homestead (1)- A very solid disciplined team that have just enough talent in the scoring column to get them through. Ryan Waddell is that big time scorer and they have some nice size.
19. Minneapolis North (1)- Super quick athletic team with a ton of talent and enough shooters to really carry them at times.
20 Wauwatosa West (1)- Another very quick team that loves to get up and down to the court. I question their overall shooting but, they have a guy that can really shoot it in Justin Steinike. The potential is there if they can play disciplined.
21. Green Bay Southwest (2)- Not an overally impressive team but, they play hard and are just solid is all I can say. Their defense is pretty tough and they have some very nice players that can score when needed in Will Pytleski and Lucas Steiber.
22. Wrightstown (1)- Just an overall solid and disciplined team. Don't rush things and always seem to be playing under control. Play good defense which allows them to get out and run in transition.
23. Sun Prairie (2)- They played without their top three players so I give them a little leeway. The way they played Memorial in the second half was very impressive and I like there size up front and have some athletes. Beating De La Salle was an eye opener and Delware Hale really seems to be coming into his own and this young team seems to be finding their way.
24. Oshkosh West (2)- Very similar to Southwest. Everyone can shoot the three ball on this team and they have a go to scorer in Karter Thomas. They also have nice size and I didn't see 6'10 Luke Haasl play.
25. Milwaukee Lutheran (1)- An athletic team that knows how to play under control and not press.
D1
1. Sussex Hamilton
2. Brookfield Central
3. Waukesha West
4. Madison East
5. Brookfield East
6. Madison LaFollette
7. Racine Park
8. Madison Memorial
9. Homestead
10. Sun Prairie
D2
1. Nicolet
3. La Crosse Central
2. Onalaska
4. Kaukauna
5. Wauwatosa West
6. Green Bay Southwest
7. Milwaukee Lutheran
8. Merrill (1)- Really look to pound the ball inside which is their strength as they have a pair of solid post players and their guards play off of them. Another real solid team.
9. Mount Horeb (3)- Feel like I'm repeating but, they are a solid disciplined team that plays great defense and rebound well. Always seem to be under control.
10. Seymour (1)- Can really shoot the ball which allows them to beat anyone. A heady team that knows their strengths and have a pretty solid starting five.
1. Martin Luther
2. Waupun
3. Wrightstown
4. Brookfield Academy (1)- Really really liked this team for D3. Have three very good guards led by high scoring Aidan Cleary and have a pair of very good big men in Alex Leach and Logan Landers.
5. Appleton Xavier (1)- Team that loves to get up and run. They also love to shoot the three ball and everyone on their team can shoot it.
6. Lakeside Lutheran (1)- A ton of experience on this team and they have the talent to go with it with four starters that have been on varsity three or four years already.
6. Brown Deer (3)- Extremely athletic team that wants to get out and run. Shooting is a little rough but, have a pair of guards that can drive the lane and get their shot at any time.
7. Lake Mills (2)- A little undersized but, play good defense and rebound as a team. Can really shoot the three as well.
8. Wisconsin Dells (3)- Speed and defense is their calling card. Showed the ability to shoot the three as well.
9. Kettle Moraine Lutheran (1)- No go to scorers on this team but, just a solid team over all.
10. Milwaukee Messmer (1)- Very talented team with some real athletes but, lack discipline.
D4
1. Laconia (1)- Reed Gunnick is a star and he's a guy that could go off for 30 points at any time. The rest of the team is very solid as well.
2. Mineral Point (3)- Just didn't play with energy in the game I saw them. Have a pair of very talented individuals but, need to play tougher and with more energy. Played much better the second time I saw as Braden Dailey and Isaac Lindsey are showing they are D1 level players. They were hit hard with Dailey quitting the team now.
3. Milwaukee Academy of Science (2)- Super athletic team with a ton of talented guards. Have a big man that can jump out of the gym which is huge in D4.
4. Eau Claire Regis (1)- Very hard playing team and their very disciplined.
5. Clear Lake (1)- I saw them without their star Blanchard but, lets say they weren't too impressive.
6. La Crosse Aquinas (1)- Merfeld is tough but, the rest of the team leaves something to be desired.
7. Platteville (1)- Not a lot to say about them as they played pretty bad in the game that I saw them.
D5
1. Sheboygan Lutheran (1)- Have an elite player in Jacob Ognacevic and have some guys that can really light it up from the outside.
2. Manitowoc Lutheran (1)- Not much to say here. Their star as out and they looked terrible.
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