With the state predictions starting tomorrow might as well do my predictions. For the final four and eight teams of each divisions.
Day One
Racine St. Catherines over Fall Creek- St. Cats has played bigger schools all year long and should have the advantage when they meet Fall Creek. St. Cats defense will be something Fall Creek hasn't seen all year long.
Lacrosse Aquinas over Roncalli- Whitehead is one of the best players in division three and should create match up problems for Roncalli. Roncalli's three point shooting should keep them in the game but, in the end Aquinas's experience and toughness will be too much.
Milwaukee Washington over Oshkosh North- Washington has too much speed and athleticism for North to match up with. Tank Johnson will be a problem for Washington to stop but, just too many weapons for Washington.
Racine Horlick over Eau Claire North- North's defense will keep them in the game but, the strong play of Oliver and Wilson will be too much for North. Horlick will run away with this one in the end.
Madison Memorial over Germantown- For Germantown Averkamp will have a huge game but, I don't think Germantown's guards will be able to handle the Memorial pressure.
Beloit over Bay Port- Bay Port may be undefeated but, they haven't faced a team with Beloit's athleticism. Should be a close game but, Beloit will out last Bay Port.
Day Two
Benton over Blair Taylor- Both teams like to push the tempo but, Benton just has more athletes then BT and seem to be a team of destiny.
Assumption over St. Mary Central- Assumption's full court press will be too much for St. Mary's to handle.
Northwestern over Wisconsin Lutheran- Wisco is a very good team led by a star in Flavian Davis by Northwestern has more good players and have the height advantage.
Xavier over Monroe- Xavier is a very good team that is extremely balanced and Monroe only has a couple guys that due the scoring, so advantage to Xavier who won't be depending on one or two guys.
These games are if I picked the correct winners from Day one...
Milwaukee Washington over Racine Horlick- Oliver and Wilson are great for Horlick but, I give a huge edge to Washington's role players.
Madison Memorial over Beloit- Memorial has taken down Beloit twice in the regular season and this game should be no different.
Championship Day
Benton over Assumption- Another fast paced game where the team of destiny will come out on top.
Northwestern and Xavier- Once again Northwestern's height will help them win out.
Racine St. Catherines over Lacrosse Aquinas- Once again St. Cats defense and abundance of athletes will carry them to victory.
Madison Memorial over Milwaukee Washington- Guards should balance each other out in this game but, Maymon should run wild in the post.
Well there are my predictions for state. For the most part my picks are the same as nearly everyone else has picked who follows high school basketball fairly closely. Tomorrow is the big day and we will see how things play out.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Madison Memorial beats Waunakee to get to state
In a sectional final match up the heavily favored Madison Memorial Spartans took on the Waunakee Warriors, who had just recently beaten a Madison East squad that many people thought could challenge Memorial in getting to state. Madison Memorial is made up of the top senior, top junior, and top freshmen in the state, while Waunakee is made up of almost entirely seniors. Everyone thought that Memorial would win this game easily but, I could of easily seen Waunakee take down the Memorial team.
Early on Waunakee came out very strong and used physical play to keep the game close. The Warriors looked inside to their big man 6'4 senior Jason Paulson who was able to use his size and strength to score in the paint. The thing that doomed Waunakee was their inability to handled the Memorial trap. Waunakee turned the ball over numerous times leading to easy baskets for Memorial. Memorial freshmen 6'4 Junior Lomomba benefited greatly from these fast breaks which led to two big dunks out of the freshmen and the majority of his points in the first half.
The second half continued much the same as Memorial continued to get out an run on the turnovers. Waunakee was unable to continue to go to the inside because Paulson was saddled with foul trouble. It seemed like throughout the entire second half Memorial was scoring four points for every Waunakee two. Memorial 6'4 junior Vander Blue got things going in the first half getting out and running and finishing with some acrobatic lay ups. In the end Memorial cruised to the 20 point victory.
Top Players
Vander Blue 6'4 junior Madison Memorial- Knocking down a three early and was able to get out in transition and finish at the rim.
Junior Lomomba 6'4 freshmen Madison Memorial- Another guy that was running and was finishing at the rim strong.
Tre Creamer 6'4 junior Madison Memorial- Used his athleticism and length to take the ball to the rim and finish.
Eric Helt 6'2 senior Waunkaee- One of the players that benefited from the Memorial trap as he was able to find wide open shots on the baseline and he dropped them.
Jason Paulson 6'4 senior Waunakee- Very strong in the post that the Memorial defenders had a very tough time stopping.
Box Score
Madison Memorial 72- Blue 21 Creamer 13 Lomomba 13 Jeronne Maymon 10 Xavier Jones 9 Russell Henderson 5 Eric Fruhling 2 Fred Ringhand 0 Erick Blue 0 Karl Klatt 0 Alvin Jones 0 Mathew Laubmeier 0 Ed Kluender 0
Waunakee 49- Helt 12 Paulson 11 Zach Ripley 11 Mitch Roelke 8 Austin Goetsch 0 Jeff Tagarelli 2 Ryan Gilles 0 Paul Fitzpatrick 0 Matt Gorman 0 Chris Braatz 0 Kyle Newhouse 0 Beau Murray 0 Jared Staege 0 Cole Cefalu 0 Austin Prusha 0
Right now Madison Memorial is playing some of their best basketball of the year and look destined to play either Racine Horlick or Milwaukee Washington in the state championship game. With all the athletes Memorial have they are a tough match up for any team in the state.
Early on Waunakee came out very strong and used physical play to keep the game close. The Warriors looked inside to their big man 6'4 senior Jason Paulson who was able to use his size and strength to score in the paint. The thing that doomed Waunakee was their inability to handled the Memorial trap. Waunakee turned the ball over numerous times leading to easy baskets for Memorial. Memorial freshmen 6'4 Junior Lomomba benefited greatly from these fast breaks which led to two big dunks out of the freshmen and the majority of his points in the first half.
The second half continued much the same as Memorial continued to get out an run on the turnovers. Waunakee was unable to continue to go to the inside because Paulson was saddled with foul trouble. It seemed like throughout the entire second half Memorial was scoring four points for every Waunakee two. Memorial 6'4 junior Vander Blue got things going in the first half getting out and running and finishing with some acrobatic lay ups. In the end Memorial cruised to the 20 point victory.
Top Players
Vander Blue 6'4 junior Madison Memorial- Knocking down a three early and was able to get out in transition and finish at the rim.
Junior Lomomba 6'4 freshmen Madison Memorial- Another guy that was running and was finishing at the rim strong.
Tre Creamer 6'4 junior Madison Memorial- Used his athleticism and length to take the ball to the rim and finish.
Eric Helt 6'2 senior Waunkaee- One of the players that benefited from the Memorial trap as he was able to find wide open shots on the baseline and he dropped them.
Jason Paulson 6'4 senior Waunakee- Very strong in the post that the Memorial defenders had a very tough time stopping.
Box Score
Madison Memorial 72- Blue 21 Creamer 13 Lomomba 13 Jeronne Maymon 10 Xavier Jones 9 Russell Henderson 5 Eric Fruhling 2 Fred Ringhand 0 Erick Blue 0 Karl Klatt 0 Alvin Jones 0 Mathew Laubmeier 0 Ed Kluender 0
Waunakee 49- Helt 12 Paulson 11 Zach Ripley 11 Mitch Roelke 8 Austin Goetsch 0 Jeff Tagarelli 2 Ryan Gilles 0 Paul Fitzpatrick 0 Matt Gorman 0 Chris Braatz 0 Kyle Newhouse 0 Beau Murray 0 Jared Staege 0 Cole Cefalu 0 Austin Prusha 0
Right now Madison Memorial is playing some of their best basketball of the year and look destined to play either Racine Horlick or Milwaukee Washington in the state championship game. With all the athletes Memorial have they are a tough match up for any team in the state.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Marshall outguns Cuba City
In a great division three match up in the sectional semi final game Marshall was able to out gun Cuba City in a high scoring game. Marshall is a team that is going to take a lot of shots, some good some bad but, with their height their able to get a lot of rebounds and second chance points. Cuba City looks to their star Evan Richard to do most of the scoring and the rest of the team just plays around him.
Marshall came out gunning early lead by 6'4 senior Max Franklin who came out very aggressive looking to score. Franklin did begin to take some bad shots but, when he did miss 6'6 senior Alex Koeller was down low to get the rebound and the put back. For Cuba City it was the Evan Richard show as the 6'3 junior was knocking everything down. He has a pretty quick release and can create his own shot.
The second half of the game got very physical as Cuba City tried to counter Marshall's height advantage by getting trying to push Marshall around. Marshall's star 6'6 senior Mike Boebel spent a good portion of the second half on the floor but, still was able to control the boards and getting numerous put back buckets. Boebel and Koeller completely controlled the interior throughout the entire game which was the biggest reason Marshall won. Both Boebel and Koeller were able to step outside away from the physical play and knocked down a three as well as a couple outside jumpers. For Cuba City Richard continued to do his thing but, they found another offensive option in 6'4 senior Joe Schweigert was able to score at will on the inside. Schweigert was just to strong on the inside for the Marshall big men. In the end Marshall's depth was just too much for Cuba City as Marshall rolled to victory.
Top Players
Mike Boebel 6'6 senior Marshall- Really needs to get bigger and stronger to play D2 college ball but, rebounds very well, great free throw shooter, and can step out and hit the three point shot.
Max Franklin 6'4 senior Marshall- Guard with a very large reach that causes problems on the defense. A scoring minded player that is always looking to score. Very good off the dribble and moves well without the ball.
Alex Koeller 6'6 senior Marshall- Very tough rebounder on the inside and can also hit the three point shot.
Evan Richard 6'3 junior Cuba City- Very smooth shooter that can knock down any shot on the court, moves very well without the ball, and can get up, which was highlighted by a nice two handed dunk.
Joe Schweigert 6'4 senior Cuba City- A beast on the inside that loves to battle. Scored at will when he had the defender on his back.
Box Score
Marshall 81- Boebel 26 Franklin 21 Koeller 19 Greg Haag 8 Devron Crews 4 Alex Fry 3 Blake Ward 0 Skyler Myers 0 Zac Hurley 0 Jeremy Liwarz 0
Cuba City 67- Richard 34 Schweigert 21 Jeremy Vaassen 5 Derek Tranel 4 Wells Kaiser 2 24 Alt 1 Kyler Kaiser 0 Tyler Speth 0 Jake Guerin 0 Tanner Oglesby 0 David Ludwig 0 Brandon Stecklan 0
After seeing Marshall play I wouldn't be completely surprised to see Marshall defeat the highly favored Lacrosse Aquinas team. Marshall probably has more depth but, the question mark is can Marshall stay in front of Aquinas star Jimmy Whitehead.
Marshall came out gunning early lead by 6'4 senior Max Franklin who came out very aggressive looking to score. Franklin did begin to take some bad shots but, when he did miss 6'6 senior Alex Koeller was down low to get the rebound and the put back. For Cuba City it was the Evan Richard show as the 6'3 junior was knocking everything down. He has a pretty quick release and can create his own shot.
The second half of the game got very physical as Cuba City tried to counter Marshall's height advantage by getting trying to push Marshall around. Marshall's star 6'6 senior Mike Boebel spent a good portion of the second half on the floor but, still was able to control the boards and getting numerous put back buckets. Boebel and Koeller completely controlled the interior throughout the entire game which was the biggest reason Marshall won. Both Boebel and Koeller were able to step outside away from the physical play and knocked down a three as well as a couple outside jumpers. For Cuba City Richard continued to do his thing but, they found another offensive option in 6'4 senior Joe Schweigert was able to score at will on the inside. Schweigert was just to strong on the inside for the Marshall big men. In the end Marshall's depth was just too much for Cuba City as Marshall rolled to victory.
Top Players
Mike Boebel 6'6 senior Marshall- Really needs to get bigger and stronger to play D2 college ball but, rebounds very well, great free throw shooter, and can step out and hit the three point shot.
Max Franklin 6'4 senior Marshall- Guard with a very large reach that causes problems on the defense. A scoring minded player that is always looking to score. Very good off the dribble and moves well without the ball.
Alex Koeller 6'6 senior Marshall- Very tough rebounder on the inside and can also hit the three point shot.
Evan Richard 6'3 junior Cuba City- Very smooth shooter that can knock down any shot on the court, moves very well without the ball, and can get up, which was highlighted by a nice two handed dunk.
Joe Schweigert 6'4 senior Cuba City- A beast on the inside that loves to battle. Scored at will when he had the defender on his back.
Box Score
Marshall 81- Boebel 26 Franklin 21 Koeller 19 Greg Haag 8 Devron Crews 4 Alex Fry 3 Blake Ward 0 Skyler Myers 0 Zac Hurley 0 Jeremy Liwarz 0
Cuba City 67- Richard 34 Schweigert 21 Jeremy Vaassen 5 Derek Tranel 4 Wells Kaiser 2 24 Alt 1 Kyler Kaiser 0 Tyler Speth 0 Jake Guerin 0 Tanner Oglesby 0 David Ludwig 0 Brandon Stecklan 0
After seeing Marshall play I wouldn't be completely surprised to see Marshall defeat the highly favored Lacrosse Aquinas team. Marshall probably has more depth but, the question mark is can Marshall stay in front of Aquinas star Jimmy Whitehead.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
D1 Sectionals
The final predictions to make are the D1 sectionals. The division may not be as much up for grabs as D2 but, there still are a lot of good games.
Marshfield Sectional
Superior over Eau Claire North- I'm really on the bubble with this game. I could go either way on this game but, Superior has already beaten North this year and Superior plays in a much tougher conference.
Wausau East over Antigo- Only going with East because they are a higher seed and everyone says Antigo isn't as good as their record shows.
Superior over Wausau East- Once again Superior has played in a tougher conference and whoever wins between them and North gets the edge over the other sectional.
Green Bay Sectional
Bay Port over Depere- Bay Port is undefeated for a reason and should win this with ease.
Kimberly over Manitowoc Lincoln- Lincoln is hot right now but, Kimberly has been the stronger team all year.
Bay Port over Kimberly- Bay Port is undefeated and has been strong all year while Kimberly had a slump during the year.
Waunakee Sectiona
Madison Memorial over Baraboo- Baraboo is lucky to be in this game and their luck will run out.
Madison East over Waunakee- This was another tough pick as Waunakee is playing great right now but, gotta go with East and their two stars Mason and Hilliard, they just seem to keep pulling games out.
Madison Memorial over Madison East- Memorial just has too many stars for East to compete with but, will be very close.
Oshkosh Sectional
Oshkosh North over Neenah- North has been strong all year and should cruise to victory.
Oshkosh West over Sheboygan South- West has the experience and the size factor in this one.
Oshkosh North over Oshkosh West- North has been the better team all year and this game should be no different.
Milwaukee Sectional 1
Germantown over Hartford- Averkamp is just to strong for anyone in this sectional.
Waukesha North over Menomonee Falls- Falls has been impressive as of late but, North dismantled Milwaukee Vincent and are playing strong.
Germantown over Waukesha North- Germantown is easily the class of this sectional for a reason.
Janesville Sectional
Beloit over Kenosha Tremper- Beloit has more athletes and is more battle tested then Tremper.
Verona over Elkhorn- Verona has played better competition all year long and should pay off in this matchup.
Beloit over Verona- In my brackets I picked Verona but, have changed my mind and I think Beloit is just too athletic for Verona.
Racine Sectional
Racine Horlick over Whitnall- Horlick's size and athleticism is just too much for Whitnall.
Milwaukee Hamiliton over Racine Park- Hamiliton is playing stellar defense and come out of tougher conference.
Racine Horlick over Milwaukee Hamiliton- Hamiliton is probably one year away from a state run and don't have Horlicks experience.
Milwaukee Sectional 2
Milwaukee Washington over Milwaukee Bradley Tech- Tech is a cinderella story but, that stops here against a very good Washington team.
Wauwatosa East over Milwaukee Marquette- Tosa East has been here before and return a large group from their state championship team.
Milwaukee Washington over Wauwatosa East- Washington has their one lose out of the way this year and without the pressure should be able to take Tosa East down this year.
Should be another great weekend of games. Thursday night gonna try and get into the Marshall verse Cuba City game and then hopefully have tickets for the Saturday's Waunakee D1 sectional final.
Marshfield Sectional
Superior over Eau Claire North- I'm really on the bubble with this game. I could go either way on this game but, Superior has already beaten North this year and Superior plays in a much tougher conference.
Wausau East over Antigo- Only going with East because they are a higher seed and everyone says Antigo isn't as good as their record shows.
Superior over Wausau East- Once again Superior has played in a tougher conference and whoever wins between them and North gets the edge over the other sectional.
Green Bay Sectional
Bay Port over Depere- Bay Port is undefeated for a reason and should win this with ease.
Kimberly over Manitowoc Lincoln- Lincoln is hot right now but, Kimberly has been the stronger team all year.
Bay Port over Kimberly- Bay Port is undefeated and has been strong all year while Kimberly had a slump during the year.
Waunakee Sectiona
Madison Memorial over Baraboo- Baraboo is lucky to be in this game and their luck will run out.
Madison East over Waunakee- This was another tough pick as Waunakee is playing great right now but, gotta go with East and their two stars Mason and Hilliard, they just seem to keep pulling games out.
Madison Memorial over Madison East- Memorial just has too many stars for East to compete with but, will be very close.
Oshkosh Sectional
Oshkosh North over Neenah- North has been strong all year and should cruise to victory.
Oshkosh West over Sheboygan South- West has the experience and the size factor in this one.
Oshkosh North over Oshkosh West- North has been the better team all year and this game should be no different.
Milwaukee Sectional 1
Germantown over Hartford- Averkamp is just to strong for anyone in this sectional.
Waukesha North over Menomonee Falls- Falls has been impressive as of late but, North dismantled Milwaukee Vincent and are playing strong.
Germantown over Waukesha North- Germantown is easily the class of this sectional for a reason.
Janesville Sectional
Beloit over Kenosha Tremper- Beloit has more athletes and is more battle tested then Tremper.
Verona over Elkhorn- Verona has played better competition all year long and should pay off in this matchup.
Beloit over Verona- In my brackets I picked Verona but, have changed my mind and I think Beloit is just too athletic for Verona.
Racine Sectional
Racine Horlick over Whitnall- Horlick's size and athleticism is just too much for Whitnall.
Milwaukee Hamiliton over Racine Park- Hamiliton is playing stellar defense and come out of tougher conference.
Racine Horlick over Milwaukee Hamiliton- Hamiliton is probably one year away from a state run and don't have Horlicks experience.
Milwaukee Sectional 2
Milwaukee Washington over Milwaukee Bradley Tech- Tech is a cinderella story but, that stops here against a very good Washington team.
Wauwatosa East over Milwaukee Marquette- Tosa East has been here before and return a large group from their state championship team.
Milwaukee Washington over Wauwatosa East- Washington has their one lose out of the way this year and without the pressure should be able to take Tosa East down this year.
Should be another great weekend of games. Thursday night gonna try and get into the Marshall verse Cuba City game and then hopefully have tickets for the Saturday's Waunakee D1 sectional final.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
D2 Sectionals
Division two probably has the best games for sectionals of the four divisions. In each sectional there are at least two teams that have legitimate shots to make it to state.
Menomonie Sectional
Northwestern over Osceola- Northwestern just has too much talent for Osceola. There is a reason their undefeated.
Adams Friendship over Onalaska- Adams has already beaten two of the top teams from Onalaska's conference and are playing their best basketball right now.
Northwestern over Adams Friendship- I wanna go with Adams but, I just think Northwesterns height and talent will be too much.
Green Bay Sectional
Seymour over West DePere- Seymour has a great coach and has played some tough competition to prepare themselves for this game.
Xavier over New London- New London is coming off the huge win but, Xavier is just too deep of a team.
Xavier over Seymour- Experience and depth give Xavier the advantage.
Sun Prairie Sectional
Monroe over Wisconsin Dells- Two good guards in the Tordoff brothers out way Dells Mr. Everything Jade Royston.
Catholic Memorial over Madison Edgewood- Memorials overall height will be too much for Edgewood along with the fact they have no one to guard TJ Brey.
Catholic Memorial over Monroe- Memorial size will once again carry them past Monroe.
Milwaukee Sectional
Pewaukee over Sheboygan Falls- Pewaukee has been very impressive coming out of the states top D2 region.
Whitefish Bay over Wisconsin Lutheran- Coming out of the toughest conference gives Whitefish Bay the advantage.
Whitefish Bay over Pewaukee- Bay has been beating D1 teams all year so this game should be easy.
So my final four are Northwestern, Xavier, Catholic Memorial, and Whitefish Bay, which happen to be the final four I picked at the beginning of the playoffs. From here its anyones title to win.
Menomonie Sectional
Northwestern over Osceola- Northwestern just has too much talent for Osceola. There is a reason their undefeated.
Adams Friendship over Onalaska- Adams has already beaten two of the top teams from Onalaska's conference and are playing their best basketball right now.
Northwestern over Adams Friendship- I wanna go with Adams but, I just think Northwesterns height and talent will be too much.
Green Bay Sectional
Seymour over West DePere- Seymour has a great coach and has played some tough competition to prepare themselves for this game.
Xavier over New London- New London is coming off the huge win but, Xavier is just too deep of a team.
Xavier over Seymour- Experience and depth give Xavier the advantage.
Sun Prairie Sectional
Monroe over Wisconsin Dells- Two good guards in the Tordoff brothers out way Dells Mr. Everything Jade Royston.
Catholic Memorial over Madison Edgewood- Memorials overall height will be too much for Edgewood along with the fact they have no one to guard TJ Brey.
Catholic Memorial over Monroe- Memorial size will once again carry them past Monroe.
Milwaukee Sectional
Pewaukee over Sheboygan Falls- Pewaukee has been very impressive coming out of the states top D2 region.
Whitefish Bay over Wisconsin Lutheran- Coming out of the toughest conference gives Whitefish Bay the advantage.
Whitefish Bay over Pewaukee- Bay has been beating D1 teams all year so this game should be easy.
So my final four are Northwestern, Xavier, Catholic Memorial, and Whitefish Bay, which happen to be the final four I picked at the beginning of the playoffs. From here its anyones title to win.
Monday, March 9, 2009
D3 and D4 Sectional Predictions
With sectionals coming up the end of the week figured I could do my sectional predictions. Today will be division three and four with division one and two following in the next couple days.
D4
Spooner Sectional
Prentice over South Shore- South Shore is a seven seed that has gotten hot and I think their cinderella story stops here.
Blair Taylor over Mcdonell Central- Blair Taylor has been one of the top teams in D4 all year long and have a much better record.
Blair Taylor over Prentice- BT has been the pick all year long and will prove it here.
Fort Atkinson Sectional
Benton over Catholic Central- Benton just has too many weapons for Catholic Central to contend with.
Randolph over Sheboygan County Christian- Just too much Tillema and Kelm here.
Randolph over Benton- Kelm and Tillema are the two best players in D4 and Benton doesn't have the size to stop them.
Appleton Sectional
Conserve School over Rosholt- Honestly no real reason for this pick over then the fact that Conserve is a one seed and should win.
Suring over St Mary Central- Suring is a high scoring team with a strong tradition.
Suring over Conserve School- Picking Suring because I know they can score with the best teams around.
Onalaska Sectional
Assumption over Gilmanton- Assumptions defense and speed will be too much for Gilmanton.
Hillsboro over Potosi- Hillsboro's size will just be too much.
Assumption over Hillsboro- Once again Assumption speed and athleticism too much.
D3
Eau Claire Sectional
Eau Claire Regis over Prescott- Regis has played a much tougher schedule all year long and are battle testerd.
Fall Creek over Ladysmith- Fall Creek similar to Regis in schedule and battle tested.
Eau Claire Regis over Fall Creek- I picked Fall Creek over Regis in my brackets but, changing it to Regis due to the fact that Regis has finished the season very strong, while Creek struggled a little bit at the end.
West Allis Sectional
Cedar Grover Belgium over Cambridge- Don't know much about either team so I go with my guy and CDB.
Racine St Catherines over Dominican- St. Cats has beaten Dominican twice already this year and I think their height is just too much for Dominican.
St. Cats over Cedar Grove Belgium- St. Cats is practically a D1 team and CDB will be no match.
Ashwaubenon Sectional
Marathon over Three Lakes- Just going with a guy feeling with this one again.
Laconia over Roncalli- Laconia's experience is just too much for the young Roncalli team.
Laconia over Marathon- Semenas and company will be too much for Marathon.
Baraboo Sectional
Lacrosse Aquinas over Aburndale- Jimmy Whitehead is too much for anyone in D3 to stop.
Marshall over Cuba City- Marshall just has to many weapons for the Cubans and I wasn't that impressed with Cuba City last year.
Aquinas over Marshall- No one to stay with White head once again.
Well there are my picks for D3 and D4. As you can probably tell I know a lot more about division three then I do about division four. Well should be a great next couple days of games.
D4
Spooner Sectional
Prentice over South Shore- South Shore is a seven seed that has gotten hot and I think their cinderella story stops here.
Blair Taylor over Mcdonell Central- Blair Taylor has been one of the top teams in D4 all year long and have a much better record.
Blair Taylor over Prentice- BT has been the pick all year long and will prove it here.
Fort Atkinson Sectional
Benton over Catholic Central- Benton just has too many weapons for Catholic Central to contend with.
Randolph over Sheboygan County Christian- Just too much Tillema and Kelm here.
Randolph over Benton- Kelm and Tillema are the two best players in D4 and Benton doesn't have the size to stop them.
Appleton Sectional
Conserve School over Rosholt- Honestly no real reason for this pick over then the fact that Conserve is a one seed and should win.
Suring over St Mary Central- Suring is a high scoring team with a strong tradition.
Suring over Conserve School- Picking Suring because I know they can score with the best teams around.
Onalaska Sectional
Assumption over Gilmanton- Assumptions defense and speed will be too much for Gilmanton.
Hillsboro over Potosi- Hillsboro's size will just be too much.
Assumption over Hillsboro- Once again Assumption speed and athleticism too much.
D3
Eau Claire Sectional
Eau Claire Regis over Prescott- Regis has played a much tougher schedule all year long and are battle testerd.
Fall Creek over Ladysmith- Fall Creek similar to Regis in schedule and battle tested.
Eau Claire Regis over Fall Creek- I picked Fall Creek over Regis in my brackets but, changing it to Regis due to the fact that Regis has finished the season very strong, while Creek struggled a little bit at the end.
West Allis Sectional
Cedar Grover Belgium over Cambridge- Don't know much about either team so I go with my guy and CDB.
Racine St Catherines over Dominican- St. Cats has beaten Dominican twice already this year and I think their height is just too much for Dominican.
St. Cats over Cedar Grove Belgium- St. Cats is practically a D1 team and CDB will be no match.
Ashwaubenon Sectional
Marathon over Three Lakes- Just going with a guy feeling with this one again.
Laconia over Roncalli- Laconia's experience is just too much for the young Roncalli team.
Laconia over Marathon- Semenas and company will be too much for Marathon.
Baraboo Sectional
Lacrosse Aquinas over Aburndale- Jimmy Whitehead is too much for anyone in D3 to stop.
Marshall over Cuba City- Marshall just has to many weapons for the Cubans and I wasn't that impressed with Cuba City last year.
Aquinas over Marshall- No one to stay with White head once again.
Well there are my picks for D3 and D4. As you can probably tell I know a lot more about division three then I do about division four. Well should be a great next couple days of games.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Regional Final Day
Yesterday I was able to take in three regional final games. Started the day off in Baraboo watching Wisconsin Dells verse River Vally, then headed to Madison to watch Memorial and Sauk Prairie, and ended the night in Waunakee with their match up against Madison Lafollette. Division one regional finals can hardly be called regional finals because it's still only a second round match up and in some cases it may be that D1s first game of the playoffs, either way all teams have two games left after Saturdays games. Since I saw three games in one day I'm only go to do a short summary of each game.
Wisconsin Dells 59 River Valley 56
This was an extremely physical game which is the way Wisconsin Dells likes to play. Dells was led by their star 6'0 senior Jade Royston who is playing out of his mind right now in the playoffs. Royston was unstoppable for the first three quarters before Dells decided to just hang on to the lead and not extend it at the end. Wisconsin Dells was up 12 points with about 2:30 left in the game and that's when Wisconsin Dells stopped playing and let River Valley back into the game. The Dells weren't hitting their free throws and a couple three point shots and drives to the basket and River Valley had tied the game at 56 with four seconds remaining and were looking towards overtime when Royston took the inbounds pass and pulled up from half court to bank in the game winning shot.
Top Players
Jade Royston 6'0 senior Wisconsin Dells- Mr. Everything for the Dells right now, can score at will, whether he's in the post, shooting the three, penetrating, or apparently from half court.
Jimmy Alvin 6'0 senior Wisconsin Dells- Very good spot up shooter that knocked down three, three pointers, as well as adding five free throws.
Noah Baryenburch 6'0 sophomore River Valley- Leader of the team goes to his left very strong and has a nice floater that he uses to score most of his points and can knock down the three.
Alex Richard 6'4 sophomore River Valley- Very tough player that scores on the inside and knocked down a pair of big three pointers late in the game.
Top Scorers
WD- Royston 28 Alvin 14 Nate Gibson 7
RV- Baryenburch 20 Richard 17 Craig Johnson 6
Madison Memorial 47 Sauk Prairie 38
Madison Memorial came out extremely flat and missed a lot of easy shots and then got into foul trouble which kept the game much closer then most people thought. The strong play of Madison Memorial 6'7 senior Jeronne Maymon was just too much for the undersized Sauk team. The most impressive player of the game though was Sauk Prairie's 6'2 senior Garret Schwarz who was unstoppable in this game. Memorial did not have a defender that could stay infront of Schwarz as he was able to score at will or get fouled where he would convert from the line.
Top Players
Jeronne Maymon 6'7 senior Madison Memorial- Didn't have a great game but, kept playing hard getting offensive rebounds and getting second chance points.
Russell Henderson 6'0 senior Madison Memorial- Came off the bench and had another big game. When Memorial was struggling against Sauk's zone Henderson had two three pointers and penetrated and found Maymon for a basket.
Garrett Schwarz 6'2 senior Sauk Prairie- Pretty much said it all just unstoppable today.
Top Scorers
MM- Maymon 15 Henderson 8 Junior Lomomba 8
SP- Schwarz 24 Drew Carden 6 Chad Pings 4
Waunakee 67 Madison Lafollette 56
Lafollette came out as usual, really looking to push the ball which led to them being a bit out of control and taking some wild shots that weren't falling for them. Waunakee on the other hand looked very solid and handled the Lafollette intensity very well which led to a big early lead for Waunakee. Lafollette continued to push the ball which eventually led to some open shots and when Waunakee began missing shots and turning the ball over Lafollette began dropping the threes. In the end though Lafollette's shooting went cold and Waunakee was able to hold on to the win.
Top Players
Mitch Roelke 6'0 senior Waunakee- I love this kid as a point guard. Handled the Lafollette pressure pretty well, had a couple of very nice no look passes, and pounds the glass pretty well for a guard.
Jason Paulson 6'4 senior Waunakee- Size really gave Lafollette a lot of problems on the offensive end and hit two big threes that were unexpected.
Chris Redman 6'3 senior Madison Lafollette- Does a great job of grabbing the rebounds and was main reason Lafollette crawled back into the game with some big threes.
Top Scorers
W- Roelke 13 Zach Ripley 13 Paulson 10 Eric Helt 10
ML- Redman 16 Marcus Henley 11 DJ Fuller 9
In the next couple days I'll be doing my predictions for sectionals for next weekend as there are only two rounds left until state starts.
Wisconsin Dells 59 River Valley 56
This was an extremely physical game which is the way Wisconsin Dells likes to play. Dells was led by their star 6'0 senior Jade Royston who is playing out of his mind right now in the playoffs. Royston was unstoppable for the first three quarters before Dells decided to just hang on to the lead and not extend it at the end. Wisconsin Dells was up 12 points with about 2:30 left in the game and that's when Wisconsin Dells stopped playing and let River Valley back into the game. The Dells weren't hitting their free throws and a couple three point shots and drives to the basket and River Valley had tied the game at 56 with four seconds remaining and were looking towards overtime when Royston took the inbounds pass and pulled up from half court to bank in the game winning shot.
Top Players
Jade Royston 6'0 senior Wisconsin Dells- Mr. Everything for the Dells right now, can score at will, whether he's in the post, shooting the three, penetrating, or apparently from half court.
Jimmy Alvin 6'0 senior Wisconsin Dells- Very good spot up shooter that knocked down three, three pointers, as well as adding five free throws.
Noah Baryenburch 6'0 sophomore River Valley- Leader of the team goes to his left very strong and has a nice floater that he uses to score most of his points and can knock down the three.
Alex Richard 6'4 sophomore River Valley- Very tough player that scores on the inside and knocked down a pair of big three pointers late in the game.
Top Scorers
WD- Royston 28 Alvin 14 Nate Gibson 7
RV- Baryenburch 20 Richard 17 Craig Johnson 6
Madison Memorial 47 Sauk Prairie 38
Madison Memorial came out extremely flat and missed a lot of easy shots and then got into foul trouble which kept the game much closer then most people thought. The strong play of Madison Memorial 6'7 senior Jeronne Maymon was just too much for the undersized Sauk team. The most impressive player of the game though was Sauk Prairie's 6'2 senior Garret Schwarz who was unstoppable in this game. Memorial did not have a defender that could stay infront of Schwarz as he was able to score at will or get fouled where he would convert from the line.
Top Players
Jeronne Maymon 6'7 senior Madison Memorial- Didn't have a great game but, kept playing hard getting offensive rebounds and getting second chance points.
Russell Henderson 6'0 senior Madison Memorial- Came off the bench and had another big game. When Memorial was struggling against Sauk's zone Henderson had two three pointers and penetrated and found Maymon for a basket.
Garrett Schwarz 6'2 senior Sauk Prairie- Pretty much said it all just unstoppable today.
Top Scorers
MM- Maymon 15 Henderson 8 Junior Lomomba 8
SP- Schwarz 24 Drew Carden 6 Chad Pings 4
Waunakee 67 Madison Lafollette 56
Lafollette came out as usual, really looking to push the ball which led to them being a bit out of control and taking some wild shots that weren't falling for them. Waunakee on the other hand looked very solid and handled the Lafollette intensity very well which led to a big early lead for Waunakee. Lafollette continued to push the ball which eventually led to some open shots and when Waunakee began missing shots and turning the ball over Lafollette began dropping the threes. In the end though Lafollette's shooting went cold and Waunakee was able to hold on to the win.
Top Players
Mitch Roelke 6'0 senior Waunakee- I love this kid as a point guard. Handled the Lafollette pressure pretty well, had a couple of very nice no look passes, and pounds the glass pretty well for a guard.
Jason Paulson 6'4 senior Waunakee- Size really gave Lafollette a lot of problems on the offensive end and hit two big threes that were unexpected.
Chris Redman 6'3 senior Madison Lafollette- Does a great job of grabbing the rebounds and was main reason Lafollette crawled back into the game with some big threes.
Top Scorers
W- Roelke 13 Zach Ripley 13 Paulson 10 Eric Helt 10
ML- Redman 16 Marcus Henley 11 DJ Fuller 9
In the next couple days I'll be doing my predictions for sectionals for next weekend as there are only two rounds left until state starts.
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