In a second round match up Wisconsin Dells was able to eliminate the shooting Reedsburg team. Wisconsin Dells jumped out to the early lead but, Reedsburgs hot three point shooting pulled them back within reach but, the Dells was able to pull back away lead by their star 6'0 senior Jade Royston, who went off for 34 points in the game.
This game started much the same as the Reedsburg verse Portage game. Reedsburg was struggling to make a shot while the opposing team was able to jump out to the early lead, before the Beavers were able to start making the outside shots and pull back into the game. For whatever reason the last two games I've seen the Dells play their opponents decide to play behind 6'9 junior Nate Gibson with a guy that is giving up five plus inches. This allowed Gibson to have a big game as the Dells fed him the ball on almost every possession. Reedsburg tried to stay in the game with the three point shot, which was falling early on.
In the second half the threes for Reedsburg stopped falling and Royston decided to take the game over. Royston was able to drive to the lane and finish at will. Late in the game Royston had two straight steals which led to seven consecutive points. Reedsburg was getting very frustrated late in the game when it seemed every call was going the Dells way and nothing was going right for Reedsburg. In the end Royston finished off the game knocking down the free throws. I believe Royston went about 13-16 from the free throw line or somewhere around there.
Top Players
Jade Royston 6'0 senior Wisconsin Dells- May of had the best game of his career as he scored 34 points. Really looked to penetrate a lot more then he has in the past. Free throws solid as ever.
Nate Gibson 6'9 junior Wisconsin Dells- Keeps looking better and better every time I see him. When he gets his defender on his back he's going to score at will.
Tyler Mazur 6'3 senior Reedsburg- Very quick release and plays as hard as anyone on the court. When he's hot can knock down the three from anywhere.
Jordan Van Cleave 6'2 junior Reedsburg- Goes to the hoop very hard and can finish in a variety of ways. Like always jumps out of the gym and nearly hand the dunk of the year when he bricked a dunk when he tried going over Gibson.
Wisconsin Dells 72- Royston 34 Gibson 19 Michael Morse 7 Justin Ward 7 Jimmy Alvin 4 Kyle Stowers 1 Jake Hall 0 Bobby Blaschke 0 Zach Batchelor 0
Reedsburg 57- T. Mazur 18 VanCleave 15 Chad Mazur 10 Lucas Farber 5 Jon Stolte 4 Matt Kneeland 3 Matt Rockweiler 2 Mike Bindl 0 Jared Park 0 Durrell Naquin 0 Josh Jorandby 0
Right now Wisconsin Dells is looking great and I believe that they will be able to defeat River Valley tomorrow night but, I don't see them being anywhere near a state team. Whoever wins that Regional final game will more then likely be defeated by Monroe. Tomorrow I'm planning on going to the Wisconsin Dells verse River Valley game, then probably Madison Memorial verse Sauk Prairie, and then Waunakee verse Madison Lafollette.
Friday, March 6, 2009
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Reedsburg upsets Portage
Well it's tournament time for the state of Wisconsin, which is the best time of the year. Opening night of the tournament Reedsburg was able to defeat Portage in a mini upset. Portage was the three seed while Reedsburg was the six. Reedsburg made the comeback in the second half to clinch the 60-58 win. The game turned out to be a three on three match up between the top three players from each team.
Portage was able to jump out to the early first quarter lead 15-6 as they looked to their big man on the inside 6'4 senior Darrell Anderson over the smaller Reedsburg defender and 6'0 junior point guard Kevin Hurd was able to knock down the jumpers. Portage made a conscious effort to lock down Reedsburg's top player 6'3 senior Tyler Mazur, which opened the door for brother Chad Mazur, 6'2 sophomore to step up and have a big first half. Chad hit the first two baskets for Reedsburg, a pair of threes, to give Reedsburg their only points in the first quarter. The younger Mazur started off hot and carried Reedsburg through the rest of the first half. The halftime score finished with Portage having the lead 24-20.
In the second half the younger Mazur cooled off and that's when older brother and 6'2 junior Jordan Van Cleave picked up their game. Tyler Mazur and Van Cleave were able to get out in transition and make some easy baskets. On the defensive side Reedsburg made a big switch having a bigger defender in 6'6 junior Jon Stolte guard the Portage big man Anderson. This defense switched worked great as Stolte was able to get a couple blocks and Anderson was limited to mainly a couple free throws in the second half. The other switch Reedsburg made was putting Tyler Mazur on Hurd, which limited Hurd's ability to get a shot off. Portage went to their third scorer in 6'4 senior John Loomans who was able to score from the outside, as well as scoring on the inside. Unfortunately for Portage, Loomans was outshone by Reedsburgs big time scorer Tyler Mazur, who went off in the fourth quarter knocking down the long range three point shots and scoring in the transition.
Top Players
Kevin Hurd 6'0 junior Portage- Knocked down the the jumper all night long and also had a couple nice finishes in the lane.
John Loomans 6'4 senior Portage- Loomans was able to take his defender in the post all game long and knocked down a couple three pointers late in the game.
Darrell Anderson 6'4 senior Portage- Was just a beast on the inside and was very tough to stop. Has very nice free throw shot.
Chad Mazur 6'2 sophomore Reedsburg- When he can set his feet and spot up the shot is falling.
Jordan Van Cleave 6'2 junior Reedsburg- Is at his best when he's out in transition. Best assest he brings to the game is his jumping ability, can flat out jump outta the gym.
Tyler Mazur 6'3 senior Reedsburg- Flat out sharpshooter that needs no time or space to knock down the shots. Came out with extremely high energy level to carry Reedsburg to victory.
Box Score
Portage 58- Loomans 17 Anderson 15 Hurd 14 Greg Koch 6 Michael Bain 5 Tyler Olson 3 Ben Boeck 0 Kasi Schroeder 0
Reedsburg 60- T. Mazur 22 C. Mazur 17 Van Cleave 14 Jon Stolte 4 Matt Kneeland 3 Lucas Farber 0 Matt Rockweiler 0
As a Wisconsin Dells fan this game makes me extremely nervous. Reedsburg was shooting the ball very well and looked very tough to beat right now. Their big three appear to be peaking at the right time and they way they shoot the three they are a very dangerous team.
Portage was able to jump out to the early first quarter lead 15-6 as they looked to their big man on the inside 6'4 senior Darrell Anderson over the smaller Reedsburg defender and 6'0 junior point guard Kevin Hurd was able to knock down the jumpers. Portage made a conscious effort to lock down Reedsburg's top player 6'3 senior Tyler Mazur, which opened the door for brother Chad Mazur, 6'2 sophomore to step up and have a big first half. Chad hit the first two baskets for Reedsburg, a pair of threes, to give Reedsburg their only points in the first quarter. The younger Mazur started off hot and carried Reedsburg through the rest of the first half. The halftime score finished with Portage having the lead 24-20.
In the second half the younger Mazur cooled off and that's when older brother and 6'2 junior Jordan Van Cleave picked up their game. Tyler Mazur and Van Cleave were able to get out in transition and make some easy baskets. On the defensive side Reedsburg made a big switch having a bigger defender in 6'6 junior Jon Stolte guard the Portage big man Anderson. This defense switched worked great as Stolte was able to get a couple blocks and Anderson was limited to mainly a couple free throws in the second half. The other switch Reedsburg made was putting Tyler Mazur on Hurd, which limited Hurd's ability to get a shot off. Portage went to their third scorer in 6'4 senior John Loomans who was able to score from the outside, as well as scoring on the inside. Unfortunately for Portage, Loomans was outshone by Reedsburgs big time scorer Tyler Mazur, who went off in the fourth quarter knocking down the long range three point shots and scoring in the transition.
Top Players
Kevin Hurd 6'0 junior Portage- Knocked down the the jumper all night long and also had a couple nice finishes in the lane.
John Loomans 6'4 senior Portage- Loomans was able to take his defender in the post all game long and knocked down a couple three pointers late in the game.
Darrell Anderson 6'4 senior Portage- Was just a beast on the inside and was very tough to stop. Has very nice free throw shot.
Chad Mazur 6'2 sophomore Reedsburg- When he can set his feet and spot up the shot is falling.
Jordan Van Cleave 6'2 junior Reedsburg- Is at his best when he's out in transition. Best assest he brings to the game is his jumping ability, can flat out jump outta the gym.
Tyler Mazur 6'3 senior Reedsburg- Flat out sharpshooter that needs no time or space to knock down the shots. Came out with extremely high energy level to carry Reedsburg to victory.
Box Score
Portage 58- Loomans 17 Anderson 15 Hurd 14 Greg Koch 6 Michael Bain 5 Tyler Olson 3 Ben Boeck 0 Kasi Schroeder 0
Reedsburg 60- T. Mazur 22 C. Mazur 17 Van Cleave 14 Jon Stolte 4 Matt Kneeland 3 Lucas Farber 0 Matt Rockweiler 0
As a Wisconsin Dells fan this game makes me extremely nervous. Reedsburg was shooting the ball very well and looked very tough to beat right now. Their big three appear to be peaking at the right time and they way they shoot the three they are a very dangerous team.
Monday, March 2, 2009
D1 Waunakee Sectional
The D1 Waunakee sectional is the sectional that I have followed the closes all year long and will probably will follow the closes throughout the playoffs. Madison Memorial is the favorite as usual but, this year Waunakee and Madison East are right there to challenge them and their will probably be a few upsets here and there.
Regional Quaterfinals
(1) Madison Memorial over (16) Monona Grove- Memorial has one lose while MG has only 4 wins, Memorial is the easy pick.
(8) Lacrosse Logan over (9) Sauk Prairie- Trevor Jorgenson is just too big and strong on the inside and gives Logan the edge.
(5) Lacrosse Central over (12) Watertown- Don't know much about Watertown but, Central is a much higher seed with a better record so I'll give them the win.
(4) Baraboo over (13) Madison West- West always seems to pull a few upsets come playoff time but, they just don't have the athletes or players that they've had in the past.
(2) Madison East over (15) Tomah- East is just way to go for Tomah here.
(10) Middleton over (7) Sun Prairie- Prairie just hasn't impressed me whenever I've seen them and I also give Middleton a coaching edge.
(6) Madison Lafollette over (11) Deforest- Lafollette's underachieved all year so wouldn't be completely surprised to see Deforest win but, I just think Lafollette is too quick for Deforest.
(3) Waunakee over (13) Holmen- Waunakee is playing great and Holmen just isn't very good.
Regional Finals
(1) Madison Memorial over (8) Lacrosse Logan- Mississippi Vally just can't compete with the tops of the Big Eight.
(5) Lacrosse Central over (4) Baraboo- Baraboo has been playing terrible as of late so will give it to Central.
(2) Madison East over (10) Middleton- Middleton will give them a game but, there is a reason why they were on opposite ends of the standings.
(3) Waunakee over (7) Madison Lafollette- If Lafollette shoots well there in this game but, like I said Waunakee is just playing too well right now.
Sectional Semifinals
(1) Madison Memorial over (5) Lacrosse Central- Once again Big Eight better then Mississippi Valley.
(2) Madison East over (3) Waunakee- This was the toughest game for me to pick. With Waunakee playing so well but, East just seems to always be able to pull it off.
Sectional Finals
(1) Madison Memorial over (2) Madison East- Memorial is determined to get to state this year and East won't be any match for this Memorial team.
Well I really didn't do much for predicting in this round since I went with the higher seeded team but, the higher seeded teams are just that much better.
Regional Quaterfinals
(1) Madison Memorial over (16) Monona Grove- Memorial has one lose while MG has only 4 wins, Memorial is the easy pick.
(8) Lacrosse Logan over (9) Sauk Prairie- Trevor Jorgenson is just too big and strong on the inside and gives Logan the edge.
(5) Lacrosse Central over (12) Watertown- Don't know much about Watertown but, Central is a much higher seed with a better record so I'll give them the win.
(4) Baraboo over (13) Madison West- West always seems to pull a few upsets come playoff time but, they just don't have the athletes or players that they've had in the past.
(2) Madison East over (15) Tomah- East is just way to go for Tomah here.
(10) Middleton over (7) Sun Prairie- Prairie just hasn't impressed me whenever I've seen them and I also give Middleton a coaching edge.
(6) Madison Lafollette over (11) Deforest- Lafollette's underachieved all year so wouldn't be completely surprised to see Deforest win but, I just think Lafollette is too quick for Deforest.
(3) Waunakee over (13) Holmen- Waunakee is playing great and Holmen just isn't very good.
Regional Finals
(1) Madison Memorial over (8) Lacrosse Logan- Mississippi Vally just can't compete with the tops of the Big Eight.
(5) Lacrosse Central over (4) Baraboo- Baraboo has been playing terrible as of late so will give it to Central.
(2) Madison East over (10) Middleton- Middleton will give them a game but, there is a reason why they were on opposite ends of the standings.
(3) Waunakee over (7) Madison Lafollette- If Lafollette shoots well there in this game but, like I said Waunakee is just playing too well right now.
Sectional Semifinals
(1) Madison Memorial over (5) Lacrosse Central- Once again Big Eight better then Mississippi Valley.
(2) Madison East over (3) Waunakee- This was the toughest game for me to pick. With Waunakee playing so well but, East just seems to always be able to pull it off.
Sectional Finals
(1) Madison Memorial over (2) Madison East- Memorial is determined to get to state this year and East won't be any match for this Memorial team.
Well I really didn't do much for predicting in this round since I went with the higher seeded team but, the higher seeded teams are just that much better.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Top Region of Sun Prairie Sectional Predictions
With the state tournament just around the corner I figured it was about time to do some predictions for the tournament. I'm going to be focusing on the two areas I follow closely, which is the top region of the D2 Sun Prairie regional which includes teams from the South Central and Badger North and also the D1 Waunakee sectional which is made up primarily of the Big Eight, Badger Conferences, and the Mississippi Valley. Today will be the D2 region and tomorrow will be D1.
First Round
(5) Prairie du Chien over (4) Mauston- Prairie is playing great right now, they just recently beat a top team from Iowa and also just beat River Valley who is the number one seed in the region.
(3) Portage over (6) Reedsburg- Portage has their leading scorer back and Reedsburg has been underachieving all year long.
(2) Wisconsin Dells over (7) Richland Center- Richland Center doesn't have a win yet this year and I don't think they will get it against the Dells.
Regional Semi Final
(1) River Valley over (5) Prairie du Chien- Yes Prairie did just defeat River Vally but, I don't think they will lose to them a second time within a week period.
(3) Portage over (2) Wisconsin Dells- Dells beat Portage this year but, that was without Portage's best player who is back now. The game was close the first time so with their top guy back Portage should have the edge.
Regional Final
(3) Portage over (1) River Valley- River Valley has been struggling a bit as of late and Portage comes out of tough conference in the Badger North which has a couple pretty good D1 teams.
Well there are my predictions for the Wisconsin Dells regional and will probably get some criticism for choosing Portage over WD but, I just think Portage is peaking at the right time.
First Round
(5) Prairie du Chien over (4) Mauston- Prairie is playing great right now, they just recently beat a top team from Iowa and also just beat River Valley who is the number one seed in the region.
(3) Portage over (6) Reedsburg- Portage has their leading scorer back and Reedsburg has been underachieving all year long.
(2) Wisconsin Dells over (7) Richland Center- Richland Center doesn't have a win yet this year and I don't think they will get it against the Dells.
Regional Semi Final
(1) River Valley over (5) Prairie du Chien- Yes Prairie did just defeat River Vally but, I don't think they will lose to them a second time within a week period.
(3) Portage over (2) Wisconsin Dells- Dells beat Portage this year but, that was without Portage's best player who is back now. The game was close the first time so with their top guy back Portage should have the edge.
Regional Final
(3) Portage over (1) River Valley- River Valley has been struggling a bit as of late and Portage comes out of tough conference in the Badger North which has a couple pretty good D1 teams.
Well there are my predictions for the Wisconsin Dells regional and will probably get some criticism for choosing Portage over WD but, I just think Portage is peaking at the right time.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Waunakee outlasts Monroe
In a Badger Challenge match up between the top teams from the North and the South in Waunakee and Monroe. Waunakee controlled most of this game but, Monroe's great three point shooting brought them back into the game before Waunakee squeaked out the win. Final score was 63-60 Waunakee.
Waunakee started the game out looking to use their depth advantage and trying to tire out Monroe by putting on a full court press. The press worked very good early on as Waunakee forced Monroe into numerous turnovers whether it was Monroe just throwing the ball away or Waunakee just simply stealing the ball. Waunakee was able to completely control the boards both on the offensive and defensive side which led to a 28-22 half time lead. Offensively Waunakee was led by their senior point guard 6'0 Mitch Roelke who hit a couple floaters on the base line and knocked down a pair of three point shots. Roelke really stepped up big as he has all year long when their big man 6'8 Zach Ripley is struggling. Ripley ended up finishing the game with only one point. On the defensive side Waunakee was able to hold Monroe's star 6'0 senior Mitch Tordoff to only two first half points. Brother 6'0 sophomore Bryan Tordoff did his best to keep Monroe in striking distance by knocking down a pair of three point shots.
In the second half the older Tordoff finally got things going and finished with 21 points for the game. The three point shots allowed Monroe to close the gap to 41-38 after three. Late in the game Monroe was fouling and shooting threes and they were able to come back due to the fact that Waunakee was missing their free throws. With time running down Monroe was able to force Waunakee into a turnover and then get an easy lay up which gave them a 60-59 lead. For whatever reason a Monroe player was not paying attention to the score and appeared to intentionally foul Roelke with five seconds remaining in the game and calming knocked down both free throws to give Waunakee the one point lead and then stole the ball from Mitch Tordoff and get a lay up to seal the game at 63-60.
Top Players
Mitch Roelke 6'0 senior Waunakee- All year long this kids been stepping up big and this game was no difference. Roelke was knocking down the threes, scoring in the lane, and had numerous steals, not to mention he was running the offense.
Jeff Tagarelli 6'0 senior Waunakee- Came off the bench looking to score and no one on Monroe could stay in front of him.
Bryan Tordoff 6'0 sophomore Monroe- Kept Monroe in the game early with his outside shooting then in the second half did a great job of moving without the ball and scoring in the post.
Mitch Tordoff 6'0 senior Monroe- Had a slow first half but, came out gunning in the second half knocking down threes and was the games leading scorer with 21 points.
Box Score
Waunakee 63- Roelke 19 Ryan Gilles 9 Eric Helt 9 Jason Paulson 7 Austin Goetsch 7 Jeff Tagarelli 7 Beau Murray 4 Ripley 1 Matt Gorman 0 Jared Stege 0 Cole Cefalu 0
Monroe 60- M. Tordoff 21 B. Tordoff 17 Mitch McArdle 8 Michael Barret 6 Kevin Frint 4 Cullen Sampson 2 Zach Rast 2 John Buol 0
Waunakee reminds me a lot of Beloit in that they are always looking to push the tempo and can go very deep on their bench without losing a thing. The other thing that I like and reminds me of Beloit is that they are very balanced in scoring and any player in their top five or six can go off and get 15 plus. I'm still struggling on who to take in a match up of Waunakee and Madison East in the playoffs but, would for sure take Madison Memorial over Waunakee even if they did get past East. Monroe will be a dangerous team come playoff time because of their three point shooting but, they rely too much on the Tordoff brothers to carry them and when the threes aren't falling Monroe isn't a very good team.
Waunakee started the game out looking to use their depth advantage and trying to tire out Monroe by putting on a full court press. The press worked very good early on as Waunakee forced Monroe into numerous turnovers whether it was Monroe just throwing the ball away or Waunakee just simply stealing the ball. Waunakee was able to completely control the boards both on the offensive and defensive side which led to a 28-22 half time lead. Offensively Waunakee was led by their senior point guard 6'0 Mitch Roelke who hit a couple floaters on the base line and knocked down a pair of three point shots. Roelke really stepped up big as he has all year long when their big man 6'8 Zach Ripley is struggling. Ripley ended up finishing the game with only one point. On the defensive side Waunakee was able to hold Monroe's star 6'0 senior Mitch Tordoff to only two first half points. Brother 6'0 sophomore Bryan Tordoff did his best to keep Monroe in striking distance by knocking down a pair of three point shots.
In the second half the older Tordoff finally got things going and finished with 21 points for the game. The three point shots allowed Monroe to close the gap to 41-38 after three. Late in the game Monroe was fouling and shooting threes and they were able to come back due to the fact that Waunakee was missing their free throws. With time running down Monroe was able to force Waunakee into a turnover and then get an easy lay up which gave them a 60-59 lead. For whatever reason a Monroe player was not paying attention to the score and appeared to intentionally foul Roelke with five seconds remaining in the game and calming knocked down both free throws to give Waunakee the one point lead and then stole the ball from Mitch Tordoff and get a lay up to seal the game at 63-60.
Top Players
Mitch Roelke 6'0 senior Waunakee- All year long this kids been stepping up big and this game was no difference. Roelke was knocking down the threes, scoring in the lane, and had numerous steals, not to mention he was running the offense.
Jeff Tagarelli 6'0 senior Waunakee- Came off the bench looking to score and no one on Monroe could stay in front of him.
Bryan Tordoff 6'0 sophomore Monroe- Kept Monroe in the game early with his outside shooting then in the second half did a great job of moving without the ball and scoring in the post.
Mitch Tordoff 6'0 senior Monroe- Had a slow first half but, came out gunning in the second half knocking down threes and was the games leading scorer with 21 points.
Box Score
Waunakee 63- Roelke 19 Ryan Gilles 9 Eric Helt 9 Jason Paulson 7 Austin Goetsch 7 Jeff Tagarelli 7 Beau Murray 4 Ripley 1 Matt Gorman 0 Jared Stege 0 Cole Cefalu 0
Monroe 60- M. Tordoff 21 B. Tordoff 17 Mitch McArdle 8 Michael Barret 6 Kevin Frint 4 Cullen Sampson 2 Zach Rast 2 John Buol 0
Waunakee reminds me a lot of Beloit in that they are always looking to push the tempo and can go very deep on their bench without losing a thing. The other thing that I like and reminds me of Beloit is that they are very balanced in scoring and any player in their top five or six can go off and get 15 plus. I'm still struggling on who to take in a match up of Waunakee and Madison East in the playoffs but, would for sure take Madison Memorial over Waunakee even if they did get past East. Monroe will be a dangerous team come playoff time because of their three point shooting but, they rely too much on the Tordoff brothers to carry them and when the threes aren't falling Monroe isn't a very good team.
Beloit Outruns Sun Prairie
Originally I had planned on attending the Madison East verse Madison Memorial but, unfortunately we were unable to get in to the game. Normally you would think getting to a game by 6pm would be plenty early enough for a 7:30 game but, in this case it wasn't and found out later that you basically had to be to the game by 4:30. Three hours early for a high school game! That is just crazy but, that's how big of a game it was and how talent loaded both teams are. Once we found out that we weren't getting into the big game we had to settle for the Sun Prairie game who had a pretty good Beloit team coming to town.
Coming into the game I expected Beloit to run away with the game but, I got to the game and saw that one of Beloit's top players 6'7 senior Terrell Parks wasn't suited up so I thought Sun Prairie might have a chance as Beloit was without their biggest height advantage. Height was not a factor in this game as Beloit was able to outrun and out shoot Sun Prairie all night long in route to a 70-50 victory. This was the third time I've seen Beloit and this was by far their best game.
Beloit came out looking to run early and often and this allowed them to find some wide open shooters and transition and they were knocking down the outside shots. Beloit just looked faster and quicker in every aspect of the game. Beloit was moving the ball exceptionally well, were penetrating and dishing to wide open teammates, and were grabbing all the loose balls. Sun Prairie on the other hand looked lost on offense and unsure of what they wanted to do. Beloit started settling into their offense and looking to their big man 6'5 senior Marshall Davis who was able to score with ease on the inside so Sun Prairie went to a zone defense to defend him but, that just opened up more three balls for Beloit as the extended their lead. Sun Prairie began to get their offense going as they looked to their big guy 6'4 senior Sam Marshall and went Davis for Beloit was benched for foul trouble Marshall really got things going. It appeared that Sun Prairie was going to make a game of it late in the second quarter when Beloit was able to bank in two three point shots and extend their halftime lead to 40-24.
The second half continued the same way, with both teams looking to their big men to lead them. For Beloit Marshall Davis was once again went to the bench with foul trouble and then the threes weren't dropping and that's when their vocal leader 6'2 junior K.J. Evans took it upon himself to maintain the lead and looked to drive to the inside where he used his strength to score. Sam Marshall did all he could for Sun Prairie but, in the end Beloit's speed and early hot shooting were too much as Beloit cruised to the 20 point victory.
Top Players
Marshall Davis 6'5 senior Beloit- Has a really nice touch around the rim and is very difficult to stop. Had a nice put back dunk.
K.J. Evans 6'2 junior Beloit- Did a great job of using his strength to drive to the inside and score. Had nice floater going tonight.
Robert Douglas 6'3 junior Beloit- Came off the bench and provided a lot of energy specifically in the transition game and gave them double digit points off the bench.
Jordan Young 5'9 senior Beloit- Didn't score a ton but, did a real nice job of penetrating and finding wide open teammates. Very good passer and unselfish player.
Sam Marshall 6'4 senior Sun Prairie- I've seen SP three times and Marshall has always looked good. Very solid from 15 foot and in.
Box Score
Beloit 70- Davis 14 Evans 12 Jahlil Smith 11 Douglas 11 Sharod Stone 7 Joey Fields 6 Eric Sims 3 Young 2 Keenan Anderson Collins 2 Marcus Tyler 2 Hal Kerr 0 Marty Hyler 0
Sun Prairie 50- Marshall 17 Jordan Noskowiak 8 Terrence Porter 8 Jason Davis 4 Tyler Cobb 4 Korey Enstad 4 Michael Boos 2 Chet Pohlman 2 Trevor Opps 1 William Thiel 0 Michael Handel 0 Anthony Burchette 0 Andrew Peters 0 Jacob Baker 0 Eric Wilberding 0
I had been thinking that Verona would come out of the Janesville sectional but, after seeing Beloit tonight I'm second thinking that pick as Beloit looked very very good tonight and arguably their best player was out. Sun Prairie looked the exact opposite and I would not be surprised if they were to lose to conference rival Middleton in the first round.
Coming into the game I expected Beloit to run away with the game but, I got to the game and saw that one of Beloit's top players 6'7 senior Terrell Parks wasn't suited up so I thought Sun Prairie might have a chance as Beloit was without their biggest height advantage. Height was not a factor in this game as Beloit was able to outrun and out shoot Sun Prairie all night long in route to a 70-50 victory. This was the third time I've seen Beloit and this was by far their best game.
Beloit came out looking to run early and often and this allowed them to find some wide open shooters and transition and they were knocking down the outside shots. Beloit just looked faster and quicker in every aspect of the game. Beloit was moving the ball exceptionally well, were penetrating and dishing to wide open teammates, and were grabbing all the loose balls. Sun Prairie on the other hand looked lost on offense and unsure of what they wanted to do. Beloit started settling into their offense and looking to their big man 6'5 senior Marshall Davis who was able to score with ease on the inside so Sun Prairie went to a zone defense to defend him but, that just opened up more three balls for Beloit as the extended their lead. Sun Prairie began to get their offense going as they looked to their big guy 6'4 senior Sam Marshall and went Davis for Beloit was benched for foul trouble Marshall really got things going. It appeared that Sun Prairie was going to make a game of it late in the second quarter when Beloit was able to bank in two three point shots and extend their halftime lead to 40-24.
The second half continued the same way, with both teams looking to their big men to lead them. For Beloit Marshall Davis was once again went to the bench with foul trouble and then the threes weren't dropping and that's when their vocal leader 6'2 junior K.J. Evans took it upon himself to maintain the lead and looked to drive to the inside where he used his strength to score. Sam Marshall did all he could for Sun Prairie but, in the end Beloit's speed and early hot shooting were too much as Beloit cruised to the 20 point victory.
Top Players
Marshall Davis 6'5 senior Beloit- Has a really nice touch around the rim and is very difficult to stop. Had a nice put back dunk.
K.J. Evans 6'2 junior Beloit- Did a great job of using his strength to drive to the inside and score. Had nice floater going tonight.
Robert Douglas 6'3 junior Beloit- Came off the bench and provided a lot of energy specifically in the transition game and gave them double digit points off the bench.
Jordan Young 5'9 senior Beloit- Didn't score a ton but, did a real nice job of penetrating and finding wide open teammates. Very good passer and unselfish player.
Sam Marshall 6'4 senior Sun Prairie- I've seen SP three times and Marshall has always looked good. Very solid from 15 foot and in.
Box Score
Beloit 70- Davis 14 Evans 12 Jahlil Smith 11 Douglas 11 Sharod Stone 7 Joey Fields 6 Eric Sims 3 Young 2 Keenan Anderson Collins 2 Marcus Tyler 2 Hal Kerr 0 Marty Hyler 0
Sun Prairie 50- Marshall 17 Jordan Noskowiak 8 Terrence Porter 8 Jason Davis 4 Tyler Cobb 4 Korey Enstad 4 Michael Boos 2 Chet Pohlman 2 Trevor Opps 1 William Thiel 0 Michael Handel 0 Anthony Burchette 0 Andrew Peters 0 Jacob Baker 0 Eric Wilberding 0
I had been thinking that Verona would come out of the Janesville sectional but, after seeing Beloit tonight I'm second thinking that pick as Beloit looked very very good tonight and arguably their best player was out. Sun Prairie looked the exact opposite and I would not be surprised if they were to lose to conference rival Middleton in the first round.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
River Valley over Wisconsin Dells
This game provided a little preview into regional play as River Valley is the one seed in the regional while Wisconsin Dells is the two seed in the same regional, their is a very good chance that these two teams could meet again. River Valley came into the game with only one lose while the Chiefs had only three losses and had won 13 games in a row.
This was senior night for the Chiefs so they started their five seniors, two of which don't see much court time. This may of hindered the Chiefs a bit as they came out of the box very slow as they were down 7-0 before the Dells coach brought in their normal starters. The River Valley lead grew to 17-4 after the first quarter as Dells still continued to struggle and they weren't able to get things going until they were down 22-4. Throughout the River Valley big run they were led by their sophomore point guard 6'0 Noah Baryenbruch who was knocking down the floaters the entire first half and back court teammate 5'9 senior Craig Johnson seemed too quick for the Dells defenders and were able to get in the lane with ease. In the second quarter Wisconsin Dells finally got themselves going by looking to their big man 6'9 junior Nate Gibson. Gibson probably had one of his best games of the year as River Valley decided to play behind him which allowed Gibson to catch the ball in a great position and just turn and shoot over the smaller defenders. Gibson teamed with the Dells usual star 6'0 senior Jade Royston to score the balk of the Dells first half points.
In the third quarter Wisconsin Dells turned up the defensive pressure led by Royston by getting numerous steals and limiting River Valley's shot attempts. In the second half River Valley was looking to senior 6'4 Justin Bindl to score on the inside, where he used his quickness to score. The game plan of going to Bindl was working well until he picked up his fourth fouled which landed him on the bench and River Valley's offense sputtered. Wisconsin Dells was able to take the lead late in the game and River Valley came back to tie it at 46 a piece setting up a great ending. With 18 seconds left Wisconsin Dells had the ball and they went to their main man Royston and he got fouled shooting with 4.6 seconds left. Royston knocked down the first but, missed the second and River Valley sophomore 6'4 Alex Richard got the rebound and drove the length of the court. Richard pulled up for a runner about a foot inside the three point line where he was fouled by a Dells defender. Richard calmly went to the line and knocked down both free throws with no time left to give River Valley the lead.
Top Players
Jade Royston 6'0 senior Wisconsin Dells- As always Royston was the leader scoring 19 points. This was one of the first games where I've seen Royston playing some great defense and had a handful of big steals.
Nate Gibson 6'9 junior Wisconsin Dells- Best game I've seen him play was able to score at will on the inside.
Noah Baryenbruch 6'0 sophomore River Valley- Did a nice job of running the team and had a very nice floater going tonight.
Justin Bindl 6'4 senior River Valley- Did a great job of battling with Gibson on the inside, had a very good game on the offensive side.
Alex Richard 6'4 sophomore River Valley- Had the game winning free throws and added 10 points what more can you say.
Box Score
Wisconsin Dells 47- Royston 19 Gibson 15 Jimmy Alvin 5 Michael Morse 3 Bobby Blaschke 2 Jake Hall 0 Zach Batchelor 0 Kyle Stowers 0
River Valley 48- Bindl 13 Baryenbruch 11 Richard 10 Johnson 10 Lucas Bauer 4 Joel Benson 0 Nick Radlinger 0
This was a great game and I believe if these two teams match up again it will be a great game but, these two playing again isn't a guarantee as this regional is very evenly matched and six of the seven teams are pretty solid teams. River Valley, Wisconsin Dells, Portage, Reedsburg, Prairie Du Chien, and Mauston all have legitimate chances to win the regional. Tomorrow night I have Madison East verse Madison Memorial and then not sure what game I'll be at Friday and then after that it's state tournament time.
This was senior night for the Chiefs so they started their five seniors, two of which don't see much court time. This may of hindered the Chiefs a bit as they came out of the box very slow as they were down 7-0 before the Dells coach brought in their normal starters. The River Valley lead grew to 17-4 after the first quarter as Dells still continued to struggle and they weren't able to get things going until they were down 22-4. Throughout the River Valley big run they were led by their sophomore point guard 6'0 Noah Baryenbruch who was knocking down the floaters the entire first half and back court teammate 5'9 senior Craig Johnson seemed too quick for the Dells defenders and were able to get in the lane with ease. In the second quarter Wisconsin Dells finally got themselves going by looking to their big man 6'9 junior Nate Gibson. Gibson probably had one of his best games of the year as River Valley decided to play behind him which allowed Gibson to catch the ball in a great position and just turn and shoot over the smaller defenders. Gibson teamed with the Dells usual star 6'0 senior Jade Royston to score the balk of the Dells first half points.
In the third quarter Wisconsin Dells turned up the defensive pressure led by Royston by getting numerous steals and limiting River Valley's shot attempts. In the second half River Valley was looking to senior 6'4 Justin Bindl to score on the inside, where he used his quickness to score. The game plan of going to Bindl was working well until he picked up his fourth fouled which landed him on the bench and River Valley's offense sputtered. Wisconsin Dells was able to take the lead late in the game and River Valley came back to tie it at 46 a piece setting up a great ending. With 18 seconds left Wisconsin Dells had the ball and they went to their main man Royston and he got fouled shooting with 4.6 seconds left. Royston knocked down the first but, missed the second and River Valley sophomore 6'4 Alex Richard got the rebound and drove the length of the court. Richard pulled up for a runner about a foot inside the three point line where he was fouled by a Dells defender. Richard calmly went to the line and knocked down both free throws with no time left to give River Valley the lead.
Top Players
Jade Royston 6'0 senior Wisconsin Dells- As always Royston was the leader scoring 19 points. This was one of the first games where I've seen Royston playing some great defense and had a handful of big steals.
Nate Gibson 6'9 junior Wisconsin Dells- Best game I've seen him play was able to score at will on the inside.
Noah Baryenbruch 6'0 sophomore River Valley- Did a nice job of running the team and had a very nice floater going tonight.
Justin Bindl 6'4 senior River Valley- Did a great job of battling with Gibson on the inside, had a very good game on the offensive side.
Alex Richard 6'4 sophomore River Valley- Had the game winning free throws and added 10 points what more can you say.
Box Score
Wisconsin Dells 47- Royston 19 Gibson 15 Jimmy Alvin 5 Michael Morse 3 Bobby Blaschke 2 Jake Hall 0 Zach Batchelor 0 Kyle Stowers 0
River Valley 48- Bindl 13 Baryenbruch 11 Richard 10 Johnson 10 Lucas Bauer 4 Joel Benson 0 Nick Radlinger 0
This was a great game and I believe if these two teams match up again it will be a great game but, these two playing again isn't a guarantee as this regional is very evenly matched and six of the seven teams are pretty solid teams. River Valley, Wisconsin Dells, Portage, Reedsburg, Prairie Du Chien, and Mauston all have legitimate chances to win the regional. Tomorrow night I have Madison East verse Madison Memorial and then not sure what game I'll be at Friday and then after that it's state tournament time.
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