Thursday, January 2, 2020

WBBY Shootout

Well I've kind of been slacking on the posting this year. Actually got a few games last week as I got down to the WBBY Shootout which is a must see stop for any high school basketball fans out there. You get non stop games for a solid 12 hours and typically you will see two state champions playing and numerous top 10 teams playing. I did get there a little late and missed the first game.

Lake County Lutheran 88 Milwaukee St Thomas More 35
Lake County was a decent team and St Thomas More didn't have much to offer. Lake County runs and runs and runs and with St Thomas More not making many shots it gave Lake County tons of opportunities. 6'3 sophomore Luke Haertle has really put on some good solid weight after his sensational football season. Haertle can still really shoot the ball like last year and 6'3 senior Joey Braatz has really improved his overall game as last year he seemed like he was purely an athlete now he's a complete player. For St Thomas More 5'7 sophomore Micah Causey is a good player but, his lack of size and help just kills him.

Milwaukee Academy of Science 75 Martin Luther 72
This was a fun game that went back and forth. I felt like the more talented team was Academy and Martin Luther just played so hard and was the most disciplined team but, in the end Academy's top players won out. For Martin Luther 6'1 junior Tre Burris plays so hard and really battled all game long and I really liked him. 5'10 senior Ryan Scholfield doesn't look like much but, he can really really shoot the ball and also had the ability to drive the lane and score. 6'2 senior Joey Immekus the lone returning starter struggled with the athleticism of Academy. 6'3 senior Kaleim Taylor screams high level college player watching him play for Academy. Taylor just looks so smooth at times and can do a little bit of everything offensively. 6'0 junior Donald McHenry is a scoring machine and 6'9 senior Darius Hannah had a tough first half but, took over in the second half scoring in transition and creating havoc on the defensive end.

Cuba City 100 Brookfield Academy 82
Wow Cuba City is a good team for division four. There pair of starting senior guards 6'0 Brady Olson and 5'11 Jackson Noll are tough. They are so quick and strong with the ball and they both can shoot the three. 6'4 junior Jackson Miskey can just flat out score and can make shots from anywhere on the court. 6'6 junior Brayden Dailey is out of this world and will be a D1 college player. Brookfield has a very nice team as well. 6'9 junior Logan Landers can score anywhere on the court and blocked a handful of shots in the game and 6'2 senior Aidan Clarey is a flat out scorer that can really shoot the ball. 6'6 senior Alex Leach really struggled with the speed of Cuba City and was a non factor. I really like 6'3 junior Max Kunnert. Kunnert is not overally athletic or quick or anything that sticks out. Kunnert just does all the little things and just is a guy you want to have on his team.

River Falls 80 Appleton Xavier 76 
This was a battle of size verse quickness and shooting. Xavier really shot the ball well and looked to get out and run. 6'4 senior John Bunks really competed throughout and used his quickness to score in the post. River Falls had the huge height advantage but it was their point guard 6'3 junior Zac Johnson that was the difference. Johnson was able to hit the shots when he was covered and his range seemed limitless.

Brown Deer 58 Mineral Point 55
Mineral Point was without their star 6'4 Isaac Lindsay but, they played extremely hard but, Brown Deer's quickness was just too much. Brown Deer has a nice athletic team with lots of talent but, 5'8 sophomore Armani Jones stood out hitting some huge threes in the game. Jones did struggle late turning the ball over a bit late but, he was still probably the reason that they won.

Onalaska 79 Kaukauna 57
The most entertaining game of the day. Onalaska is probably the second best team in D2, unfortunately for them they are in the same region as La Crosse Central. A pair of 6'5 seniors Carson Arenz and Tyrel Stuttley are extremely good and can do a little bit of everything, 6'11 junior Gavin McGrath is a game charger on the defensive end, and 6'2 junior Sam Kick is a bit underrated but, I really like his game a lot and he's a solid guard. Kaukauna really is a fun team to watch as well. 6'0 senior Keaton Ferris is a a big time scorer that can really shoot the ball as does fellow senior 6'3 Logan Jedwabny who can get hot and take over the game. 6'6 senior Jacob Newhouse is a solid post player and 6'1 sophomore Chris Morgan is just a really solid point guard who apparently has some D1 college offers.


Kimberly 79 Waukesha West 57
I was getting a little tired at this point and it seemed that Kimberly just ran West out of the gym right away. West's 6'5 junior Cam Palesse really struggled and their lone bright spot was the outside shooting of 6'5 senior Peter Skogman who hit six threes in the game. For Kimberly the guards were real tough. 6'0 senior Jake Buchanan loves to push the tempo and get out and score and 6'1 sophomore Jackson Paveletzke can really shoot the ball and is a heading player that can do a little bit of everything.

Oshkosh West 77 Eau Claire Memorial 71
For West 6'0 senior Karter Thomas really struggled in the first half but, in the second half he got himself going hitting threes and getting to the lane and scoring. I also really like 6'3 senior Caleb Fuller who impressive every time I see him play. Fuller can hit threes and moves very well without the ball. For Memorial 6'8 senior Caden Boser could do it all. Boser got out in transition and scored and showed the ability to hit the outside shot. I do worry that Boser might be a little slow for the D1 level which is where he will be next year.

Overall was a pretty good day. It seemed that the talent this year might of been down a bit but, there was some very good talent at Concordia that day.