In one of the best games that I have ever seen, Madison East was able to take down Madison Memorial at Memorial high school. Memorial has been involved in numerous epic battles throughout the past 10 years or so. This game may of been one of the best of all the games. Had the star power with a hand full of possible D1 recruits in the game, a packed gym, and a game that went to overtime and was won on a last second shot. Despite the outcome I would still argue that Memorial has the better athletes, more potential, and will probably have more players play at the college level but, the difference in this game is that one team is full of seniors while the other has a pair of seniors and a bunch of young inexperienced talent.
The game started out like most games with both teams struggling to get things going before things started rolling and both teams began trading baskets. Throughout the first half East's two stars, 6'4 senior Marquis Mason and 6'0 junior Nimrod Hillard just couldn't get things going but, their unheralded starters got things going behind seniors 6'2 Drew McAdams and 6'4 Jeff Hull. On the other side all of Memorial's starters were struggling to score outside of 6'2 senior Tre Creamer who may of had the best game of his life. Creamer scored 16 of the teams 23 first half points, getting the majority of those from behind the three point line. The hot shooting of Creamer led to a 23-22 halftime lead for Memorial.
In the second half Creamer finally got alittle help when their top player 6'3 senior Vander Blue finally arrived on the offensive end. In the second half Blue had three thunderous dunks which seemed to give Memorial some boost in the game and Memorial had a 39-34 lead after the third quarter. Through the third quarter Creamer continued to remain hot hitting the outside shot. East tried all game long to get the ball inside to Marquis Mason but, I give big props to Memorial sophomore 6'3 Jamar Morris who did a great job on Mason and didn't leave his feet when Mason looked to score. Morris didn't go for the block and didn't let Mason get close to the hoop which led to Mason throwing up numerous wild hook shots. In the end of regulation it was once again East's unknown stars. Memorial went into a run the clock offense which led to them not scoring and East took advantage. A pair of threes by a pair of seniors in 6'2 Marcel Terry and 5'10 DeAndre Galligan brought the game close and a layup by Terry tied the game at 47 and sent the game to OT. I honestly don't remember much about OT but, With about 18 seconds left East was down by three and Hillard hit a three to tied the game and then got a huge steal from Creamer and got the layup and the foul. Hillard hit the free throw to seal the game and East got away with their biggest win of the year.
Top Players
Tre Creamer 6'2 senior Madison Memorial- Was unconscious from the outside as he hit six three pointers and had a game high 25 points. Has really stepped up big this year when his team has needed him the most.
Vander Blue 6'3 senior Madison Memorial- Had a rough first half but, stepped it up in the second half and started hitting some shots including the three big dunks.
Jamar Morris 6'3 sophomore Madison Memorial- Only scored two points in the game but, as I mentioned above played great defense on Mason and really battled tough against Mason on the boards.
Nimrod Hillard 6'0 junior Madison East- Was the star of the night scoring six straight points in the final 18 seconds of the game. Always seems to come up big in these big games.
Marquis Mason 6'4 senior Madison East- As always dominated on the glass and did have some tough and one baskets on the inside.
Marcel Terry 6'2 senior Madison East- Without him this game wouldn't of gone to overtime. Scored five huge points right at the end.
Box Score (starters in italics)
Madison Memorial- Creamer 25 Blue 21 Miles Chamberlain 4 Junior Lomomba 2 Jamar Morris 2 Jordan Fredrick 0 Tre Burnette 0 Eric Fruhling 0 Ed Kluender 0
Madison East- Hillard 16 Mason 13 Terry 10 Hull 9 McAdams 6 Galligan 3 Rudy Bentley 0
One thing to really take note of for Madison Memorial is their lack of scoring outside of the big two in Creamer and Blue. For Memorial to continue their domination of the conference and a return trip to state they will need to have others step up. Help may be in the form of sophomore Junior Lomomba who is only in his first week back and is still looking to work some of the rust off. I will say one thing the rematch between these two teams will be very interesting.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Monday, January 11, 2010
Cold shooting by Sun Prairie gives East the win
In an extremely intense basketball game on the East side of Madison, Madison East was able to take down Sun Prairie 52-45. This game was very hyped up after Sun Prairie was able to knock off top dog Madison Memorial but, came back life with a lose against Middleton. This game was a major measuring stick game for Sun Prairie to see if they are ready to consistently battle with the top teams in the Big Eight. In this game Sun Prairie should they are ready to battle with anyone in the conference but, may be a year away from truly being a conference title contender as they only have two seniors on the team this year and obviously bring back a lot. As every game this year 6'0 junior Nimrod Hilliard showed how great he truly is and 6'4 senior Marquis Mason was a game changer.
Throughout the first half Sun Prairie matched Madison East shot for shot. I had always heard a lot of good things about Sun Prairie senior 6'2 Michael Boos and had never really been that impressed but, in this game he really impressed me. Boos was coming off screens firing and knocking down the shots while big man 6'4 junior Chris Hawkins was doing his thing on the inside. At half time Sun Prairie was up 31-27. Then in the second half Madison East went to a zone and Sun Prairie completely folded. The threes were not falling for SP and Mason and fellow senior 6'4 Jeff Hull were controlling the defensive glass. When East grabbed the rebound they immediately looked to throw the long out lit pass to Nimrod Hillard who got numerous easy buckets which led to the SP student section chanting cherry picker but, honestly in Sun Prairie wanted to stop it the guy on the top of the key has to get back and run with Hillard and not letting him get out in the open. Pairie only scored three points in the third quarter and East jumped out to the 41-34 third quarter lead. In the fourth quarter East basically milked the clock and Prairie couldn't get the ball out of Hillard's hands.
Top Players
Nimrod Hillard 6'0 junior Madison East- Possibly the best ball handler I have seen this year and changes direction so well. Ultimate competitor. What he lacks in size makes up in heart.
Marquis Mason 6'4 senior Madison East- I've said it before and I'll say it again just ultimate game changer without scoring. Controlled the inside and the zone allowed him to stay on the inside and monitor the paint.
Chris Hawkins 6'4 junior Sun Prairie- Had some very nice blocks and was able to score on the inside. Nice big athletic body on the inside.
Michael Boos 6'2 Senior Sun Prairie- Comes off the screens ready to shoot and has a nice quick release that is real smooth.
Box Scores (starters in italics)
Madison East- Hillard 19 Mason 16 Hull 4 Marcel Terry 4 Drew McAdams 4 Rudy Bentley 4 Arthur Adams 0
Sun Prairie- Hawkins 14 Boos 13 Jaron Schaffner 6 Nick Fuller 4 William Thiel 4 Jordan Noskowiak 2 Reggie Williams 2 Daniel Mifflin 0
Well don't have the time tonight to write about the great East verse Memorial game but, tomorrow I'll probably have the time. Hillard once again showed his greatness.
Throughout the first half Sun Prairie matched Madison East shot for shot. I had always heard a lot of good things about Sun Prairie senior 6'2 Michael Boos and had never really been that impressed but, in this game he really impressed me. Boos was coming off screens firing and knocking down the shots while big man 6'4 junior Chris Hawkins was doing his thing on the inside. At half time Sun Prairie was up 31-27. Then in the second half Madison East went to a zone and Sun Prairie completely folded. The threes were not falling for SP and Mason and fellow senior 6'4 Jeff Hull were controlling the defensive glass. When East grabbed the rebound they immediately looked to throw the long out lit pass to Nimrod Hillard who got numerous easy buckets which led to the SP student section chanting cherry picker but, honestly in Sun Prairie wanted to stop it the guy on the top of the key has to get back and run with Hillard and not letting him get out in the open. Pairie only scored three points in the third quarter and East jumped out to the 41-34 third quarter lead. In the fourth quarter East basically milked the clock and Prairie couldn't get the ball out of Hillard's hands.
Top Players
Nimrod Hillard 6'0 junior Madison East- Possibly the best ball handler I have seen this year and changes direction so well. Ultimate competitor. What he lacks in size makes up in heart.
Marquis Mason 6'4 senior Madison East- I've said it before and I'll say it again just ultimate game changer without scoring. Controlled the inside and the zone allowed him to stay on the inside and monitor the paint.
Chris Hawkins 6'4 junior Sun Prairie- Had some very nice blocks and was able to score on the inside. Nice big athletic body on the inside.
Michael Boos 6'2 Senior Sun Prairie- Comes off the screens ready to shoot and has a nice quick release that is real smooth.
Box Scores (starters in italics)
Madison East- Hillard 19 Mason 16 Hull 4 Marcel Terry 4 Drew McAdams 4 Rudy Bentley 4 Arthur Adams 0
Sun Prairie- Hawkins 14 Boos 13 Jaron Schaffner 6 Nick Fuller 4 William Thiel 4 Jordan Noskowiak 2 Reggie Williams 2 Daniel Mifflin 0
Well don't have the time tonight to write about the great East verse Memorial game but, tomorrow I'll probably have the time. Hillard once again showed his greatness.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Madison East Dominates Early and Clinges to Lead Late
In a game where Madison East completely dominated throughout the first three quarters, numerous turnovers and a crucial technical foul made this game very close in the end. Just like the last East game that I saw big 6'4 senior Marquis Mason was the difference without scoring a ton of points. Whenever Verona would take the ball to the hoop they appeared to be very tentative and missed a ton of bunny shots early on in the game and East control the boards which didn't allow Verona any second chance buckets.
Throughout the entire first quarter Verona was missing the easy shots and seemed to be scarred of something that was never really there as Mason picked up an early foul and seemed to be alittle tentative challenging shots. Despite not being able to make anything on the inside Verona was able to stay in the game by knocking down the three point shot. Midway through the second quarter though the three stopped falling and East took over. Mason was dominating the defensive glass and was able to find room on the inside of the offensive end and score. Meanwhile junior guard 6'0 Nimrod Hillard was able to do whatever he wanted on the outside whether that was penetrating to the rim or knocking down the outside shot.
Second half started much the same as the first half as Verona couldn't buy a basket and Mason was controlling the boards and out letting to teammates which led to some wide open lay ups for Hillard. The game finally started to get closer when Verona's 6'4 seniors Adam Wadzinski and Sam Karls finally got involved in the game. Karls scored all 15 of his points in the second half mostly from the foul line. Verona turned up the pressure in the fourth quarter which led to numerous turnovers for East and Verona was able to make the game respectable. With under four minutes in the game Hillard found Mason on a back door ally oop dunk that appeared to seal the game but, there was one finally momentum swing left in the game. On a play that seemed to officially seal the game Mason threw down a monster dunk over Wadzinski which led to some hanging on the rim by Mason and some chest pounding, which led to the East fans coming out of the stands and onto the court. (Link to the two dunks can be found here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YR0YpWh5m68) These things led to two technical fouls being call on East and four free throws for Verona. Karls connected on all four free throws and brought Verona within four but, they never could get the game any closer as East got the 52-45 win.
Top Players
Nimrod Hillard 6'0 junior Madison East- Has been very impressive both games I have seen him. Handles the ball very well and can get to the rim at will or knock down the outside shot. Never saw the bench and didn't lose a step.
Marquis Mason 6'4 senior Madison East- As I've stated before is a game changer and doesn't have to score. Had a double double and added a hand full of blocks and a pair of monster dunks.
Adam Wadzinski 6'4 senior Verona- Kept his team in the game battling on the glass and hitting some very tough shots. May not always score but, is always a factor in the game.
Sam Karls 6'4 senior Verona- Battled with Mason all game long and really showed up at the end with 15 second half points. Very clutch from the free throw line.
Box Score (starters in italics)
Verona- Karls 15 Wadzinski 14 Kaden Nauman 6 Danny Burns 4 Matt Ropel 3 Taylor Peterson 3 Klayton Brandt 0 Nate Ray 0
Madison East- Hillard 19 Mason 17 Drew McAdams 5 Jeff Hull 4 Arthur Adams 4 DeAndre Galligan 2 Marcel Terry 1 Rudy Bentley 0
Saturday Madison East will be taking on Madison Memorial in what could possibly be the game of the year in Wisconsin as East is currently ranked #1 in the state while Memorial is #3. Tickets have gone on sale ahead of time so hopefully we can make it to this game.
Throughout the entire first quarter Verona was missing the easy shots and seemed to be scarred of something that was never really there as Mason picked up an early foul and seemed to be alittle tentative challenging shots. Despite not being able to make anything on the inside Verona was able to stay in the game by knocking down the three point shot. Midway through the second quarter though the three stopped falling and East took over. Mason was dominating the defensive glass and was able to find room on the inside of the offensive end and score. Meanwhile junior guard 6'0 Nimrod Hillard was able to do whatever he wanted on the outside whether that was penetrating to the rim or knocking down the outside shot.
Second half started much the same as the first half as Verona couldn't buy a basket and Mason was controlling the boards and out letting to teammates which led to some wide open lay ups for Hillard. The game finally started to get closer when Verona's 6'4 seniors Adam Wadzinski and Sam Karls finally got involved in the game. Karls scored all 15 of his points in the second half mostly from the foul line. Verona turned up the pressure in the fourth quarter which led to numerous turnovers for East and Verona was able to make the game respectable. With under four minutes in the game Hillard found Mason on a back door ally oop dunk that appeared to seal the game but, there was one finally momentum swing left in the game. On a play that seemed to officially seal the game Mason threw down a monster dunk over Wadzinski which led to some hanging on the rim by Mason and some chest pounding, which led to the East fans coming out of the stands and onto the court. (Link to the two dunks can be found here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YR0YpWh5m68) These things led to two technical fouls being call on East and four free throws for Verona. Karls connected on all four free throws and brought Verona within four but, they never could get the game any closer as East got the 52-45 win.
Top Players
Nimrod Hillard 6'0 junior Madison East- Has been very impressive both games I have seen him. Handles the ball very well and can get to the rim at will or knock down the outside shot. Never saw the bench and didn't lose a step.
Marquis Mason 6'4 senior Madison East- As I've stated before is a game changer and doesn't have to score. Had a double double and added a hand full of blocks and a pair of monster dunks.
Adam Wadzinski 6'4 senior Verona- Kept his team in the game battling on the glass and hitting some very tough shots. May not always score but, is always a factor in the game.
Sam Karls 6'4 senior Verona- Battled with Mason all game long and really showed up at the end with 15 second half points. Very clutch from the free throw line.
Box Score (starters in italics)
Verona- Karls 15 Wadzinski 14 Kaden Nauman 6 Danny Burns 4 Matt Ropel 3 Taylor Peterson 3 Klayton Brandt 0 Nate Ray 0
Madison East- Hillard 19 Mason 17 Drew McAdams 5 Jeff Hull 4 Arthur Adams 4 DeAndre Galligan 2 Marcel Terry 1 Rudy Bentley 0
Saturday Madison East will be taking on Madison Memorial in what could possibly be the game of the year in Wisconsin as East is currently ranked #1 in the state while Memorial is #3. Tickets have gone on sale ahead of time so hopefully we can make it to this game.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
First Round Player Rankings
Since I had my team rankings a few days ago it seemed time to do my player rankings as well. I've waited longer then normal to do the player rankings so I'm bound to forget someone I saw play or rank players that I have seen recently higher then the players that I saw earlier in the year. Again my rankings will be based solely on the games that I saw the particular player play despite the fact that I may of seen the player play a year ago. I prefer to rank players on their current performance and not on past. Class rankings will be based solely on the state of Wisconsin but, overall rankings will include out of state players. Well here are my rankings.
Overall Rankings
1. Austin Armga 6'3 senior Waupun- Most impressive scorer I've seen this year. Nearly impossible to stay in front of and when he gets inside the free throw line he's going to score.
2. Nimrod Hillard 6'0 junior Madison East- One of the best ball handlers in the state and can get where ever he wants with the dribble and can finish in a variety of ways at the rim. Doesn't miss free throws and can knock down the three.
3. Tre Edwards 6'1 senior Racine Park- Another guard that finishes at the rim extremely well and in a variety of ways. Also has very very quick hands and uses them effectively to pick off passes.
4. Vander Blue 6'3 senior Madison Memorial- Can absolutely take over a game at any time. Handles the ball exceptionally well, makes the big three point shots, hits his free throws, and can jump out of the gym.
5. Jordan Noskowiak 6'3 junior Sun Prairie- If he gets his feet set the shot is going to go down. Along with his shooting is a great athlete and does a little bit of everything.
6. Marquis Mason 6'4 senior Madison East- One of the few guys on the list that can take over a game without even taking a shot. Great rebounder and dunker and may be the best shot blocker in the state.
7. Keith Sconiers 6'3 senior Oak Lawn Richards IL- Is very good with the ball in his hands. Loves to get out and run and can stop on a dime and hit the jumper or the three point shot.
8. Josh Gasser 6'4 senior Port Washington- Another kid that can do a little bit of everything and can take over a game without scoring. Runs the point, is one of the top rebounders on the team, and does average 20 plus points a game when he does score.
9. Tre Creamer 6'2 senior Madison Memorial- Has really formed a great 1 2 punch with Vander Blue. Can slash to the rim and score anytime he wants and this year he is finally starting to knock down the three point shot. Is the vocal leader for this team.
10. Trevor Jorgenson 6'7 junior Lacrosse Logan- Big man with an extremely soft touch around the rim. Very solid get that uses his size to dominate the boards.
11. Brett Meinecke 6'2 senior Sussex Hamiliton- Very heading point guard that really looks for his teammates and keeps the offense balanced. Knocks down the three and can get to the rim and score.
12. Sam Karls 6'4 senior Verona- Great defender that guards some of the best players in the state night in and night out. Loves to get physical on the inside and battle for rebounds. Good jumper and can knock down the three if given the open look.
13. Ryan Solberg 6'6 senior Waukesha West- Tall long player with a very nice outside shot and runs the court very well.
14. Justin Ward 6'4 senior Wisconsin Dells- Long lanky player that shoots the three very well but, also handles the ball pretty well and can driver to the hoop and score.
15. Johnny Coenen 5'8 junior Appleton East- Ultimate pass first point guard and I love these type of players. Despite his size is able to get his shot at anytime and does a great job of setting up his teammates.
16. Andrew Schwoerer 6'4 senior Valders- Big man that controls the offensive and defensive boards. He runs the court very well and has soft hands and very nice footwork for a big man.
17. Derrick Cook 6'0 senior Milwaukee South- Big time scorer that doesn't dominate the ball and picks his time to score. Despite being only six foot does a great job of battling on the inside with far bigger players.
18. Nate Gibson 6'9 senior Wisconsin Dells- Another big man with a soft touch around the rim and can finish with his left or right hand and shoots free throws very well.
19. Isaih Bridges 5'8 senior Racine Park- Another undersized guard that can get his shot off at any time and is a big time scorer.
20. Adonis Bailey 6'3 senior Oak Lawn Richards- Superior athlete that can jump out of the gym. Was in foul trouble much of the game I saw but, could tell the skills and ability is all there.
21. Matt Ropel 6'2 senior Verona- Great spot up shorter that when given the open look the shot is gonna drop and is automatic from the free throw line.
22. Ian Joyce 6'6 junior Middleton- Gets position on the inside at will and is able to get the easy buckets and score. Also runs the court very well.
23. Brian Krohn 6'2 senior Sussex Hamiliton- Undersized guy that isn't afraid to go to the inside and score and knocked down the three from the outside.
24. Mark Kowalke 6'6 junior Baraboo- Great rebounder and can hit the outside shot when given room.
25. Derek Madson 6'3 senior Valders- Guy that can do it all. Run the point or play of the inside.
Senior Rankings
1. Austin Armga 6'3 Waupun
2. Tre Edwards 6'1 Racine Park
3. Vander Blue 6'3 Madison Memorial
4. Marquis Mason 6'4 Madison East
5. Josh Gasser 6'4 Port Washington
6. Tre Creamer 6'2 Madison Memorial
7. Brett Meinecke 6'2 Sussex Hamiliton
8. Sam Karls 6'4 Verona
9. Ryan Solberg 6'6 Waukesha West
10. Justin Ward 6'4 Wisconsin Dells
HM
Andrew Schroewer 6'4 Valders
Derrick Cook 6'0 Milwaukee South
Nate Gibson 6'9 Wisconsin Dells
Junior Rankings
1. Nimrod Hillard 6'0 Madison East
2. Jordan Noskowiak 6'3 Sun Prairie
3. Trevor Jorgenson 6'7 Lacrosse Logan
4. Johnny Coenen 5'8 Appleton East
5. Ian Joyce 6'6 Middleton
6. Mark Kowalke 6'6 Baraboo
7. Shane Kenndey 6'2 Port Washington- Great defender that does all the little things to make his team go.
8. Caleb Zeegers 6'2 Appleton East- Good three point shooter that is very tough when he gets hot.
9. Chris Hawkins 6'4 Sun Prairie- Athletic big man that rebounds well and can go to the outside and knock down the shots.
10. Tre Burnette 6'4 Madison Memorial- Athletic freak that can really go to the rim and rebound. Handles the ball fairly well and can knock down the three.
Sophomore Rankings
1.Sean McGann 6'3 Baraboo- Great athlete that can get to the rim and score. Also handles the ball very nicely.
2.Sam Mader 6'7 Appleton East- Big man that prefers to play like a guard handling the ball and shooting three but, can go to the inside and rebound.
3. Jamar Morris 6'4 Madison Memorial- Jumps out of the gym and absolutely dominates the inside at times.
4.Taron Edwards 5'10 Racine Park- Very ugly shot but, never seems to miss.
5. Vince Kube 6'2 Lacrosse Logan- Another athletic player that can shoot the mid range jump shot or get to the rim.
6. Sawyer Mosely 5'10 Port Washington- Handles the ball very well and is always looking for his teammates.
7. Rudy Bentley JR 5'7 Madison East- Another guy with great handles that can get anywhere he wants and isn't afraid to go up against bigger defenders.
8. Deion Jackson Body 5'8 Shorewood- Is a pretty solid outside shooter and handles the ball fairly well.
9.Brandon Hagenow 5'10 Sussex Hamiliton- Just a solid all around player that doesn't do much wrong and is a pretty good shooter.
10. Ryan Gerritson 6'3 Waupun- Long kid that can shoot and battle for the boards on the inside.
HM
Deonte Tidmore 5'2 Milwaukee South
Freshmen Rankings
1. Brendan Ortiz 5'11 Madison Memorial- Heady point guard that runs the Spartans offensive really well and has a very nice shooting touch from the outside.
2. Nick Fuller 6'4 Sun Prairie- Guy that rebounds really well for a freshmen and shoots the spot up three pointer very well.
3. Austin Malone-Mitchell 5'8 Shorewood- Plays with lots of confidence and has a nice midrange game and can really put the ball in the hoop.
4. Shane Wimann 6'2 Wisconsin Dells- Looks like an upper classmen and plays like one too. Great rebounder and shoots the three well.
5. MJ Delmore 5'8 Wisconsin Dells- Very good point guard that does a nice job running the show, really looks to set teammates up, and shoots the three real well.
6. Alex Najeib 5'9 Shorewood- Really athletic kid that can do what he wants on the court. Does take some bad shots at times.
7. Brad Kenote 6'0 Rhinelander- Right now a hustler that doesn't look to shoot much but, has a nice shot and some pretty good ball handling.
There are my rankings about a third of the way through the season. They will probably change a bit before the end of the year and I can guarantee that a few of those guys will be moving up the more that I see them play.
Overall Rankings
1. Austin Armga 6'3 senior Waupun- Most impressive scorer I've seen this year. Nearly impossible to stay in front of and when he gets inside the free throw line he's going to score.
2. Nimrod Hillard 6'0 junior Madison East- One of the best ball handlers in the state and can get where ever he wants with the dribble and can finish in a variety of ways at the rim. Doesn't miss free throws and can knock down the three.
3. Tre Edwards 6'1 senior Racine Park- Another guard that finishes at the rim extremely well and in a variety of ways. Also has very very quick hands and uses them effectively to pick off passes.
4. Vander Blue 6'3 senior Madison Memorial- Can absolutely take over a game at any time. Handles the ball exceptionally well, makes the big three point shots, hits his free throws, and can jump out of the gym.
5. Jordan Noskowiak 6'3 junior Sun Prairie- If he gets his feet set the shot is going to go down. Along with his shooting is a great athlete and does a little bit of everything.
6. Marquis Mason 6'4 senior Madison East- One of the few guys on the list that can take over a game without even taking a shot. Great rebounder and dunker and may be the best shot blocker in the state.
7. Keith Sconiers 6'3 senior Oak Lawn Richards IL- Is very good with the ball in his hands. Loves to get out and run and can stop on a dime and hit the jumper or the three point shot.
8. Josh Gasser 6'4 senior Port Washington- Another kid that can do a little bit of everything and can take over a game without scoring. Runs the point, is one of the top rebounders on the team, and does average 20 plus points a game when he does score.
9. Tre Creamer 6'2 senior Madison Memorial- Has really formed a great 1 2 punch with Vander Blue. Can slash to the rim and score anytime he wants and this year he is finally starting to knock down the three point shot. Is the vocal leader for this team.
10. Trevor Jorgenson 6'7 junior Lacrosse Logan- Big man with an extremely soft touch around the rim. Very solid get that uses his size to dominate the boards.
11. Brett Meinecke 6'2 senior Sussex Hamiliton- Very heading point guard that really looks for his teammates and keeps the offense balanced. Knocks down the three and can get to the rim and score.
12. Sam Karls 6'4 senior Verona- Great defender that guards some of the best players in the state night in and night out. Loves to get physical on the inside and battle for rebounds. Good jumper and can knock down the three if given the open look.
13. Ryan Solberg 6'6 senior Waukesha West- Tall long player with a very nice outside shot and runs the court very well.
14. Justin Ward 6'4 senior Wisconsin Dells- Long lanky player that shoots the three very well but, also handles the ball pretty well and can driver to the hoop and score.
15. Johnny Coenen 5'8 junior Appleton East- Ultimate pass first point guard and I love these type of players. Despite his size is able to get his shot at anytime and does a great job of setting up his teammates.
16. Andrew Schwoerer 6'4 senior Valders- Big man that controls the offensive and defensive boards. He runs the court very well and has soft hands and very nice footwork for a big man.
17. Derrick Cook 6'0 senior Milwaukee South- Big time scorer that doesn't dominate the ball and picks his time to score. Despite being only six foot does a great job of battling on the inside with far bigger players.
18. Nate Gibson 6'9 senior Wisconsin Dells- Another big man with a soft touch around the rim and can finish with his left or right hand and shoots free throws very well.
19. Isaih Bridges 5'8 senior Racine Park- Another undersized guard that can get his shot off at any time and is a big time scorer.
20. Adonis Bailey 6'3 senior Oak Lawn Richards- Superior athlete that can jump out of the gym. Was in foul trouble much of the game I saw but, could tell the skills and ability is all there.
21. Matt Ropel 6'2 senior Verona- Great spot up shorter that when given the open look the shot is gonna drop and is automatic from the free throw line.
22. Ian Joyce 6'6 junior Middleton- Gets position on the inside at will and is able to get the easy buckets and score. Also runs the court very well.
23. Brian Krohn 6'2 senior Sussex Hamiliton- Undersized guy that isn't afraid to go to the inside and score and knocked down the three from the outside.
24. Mark Kowalke 6'6 junior Baraboo- Great rebounder and can hit the outside shot when given room.
25. Derek Madson 6'3 senior Valders- Guy that can do it all. Run the point or play of the inside.
Senior Rankings
1. Austin Armga 6'3 Waupun
2. Tre Edwards 6'1 Racine Park
3. Vander Blue 6'3 Madison Memorial
4. Marquis Mason 6'4 Madison East
5. Josh Gasser 6'4 Port Washington
6. Tre Creamer 6'2 Madison Memorial
7. Brett Meinecke 6'2 Sussex Hamiliton
8. Sam Karls 6'4 Verona
9. Ryan Solberg 6'6 Waukesha West
10. Justin Ward 6'4 Wisconsin Dells
HM
Andrew Schroewer 6'4 Valders
Derrick Cook 6'0 Milwaukee South
Nate Gibson 6'9 Wisconsin Dells
Junior Rankings
1. Nimrod Hillard 6'0 Madison East
2. Jordan Noskowiak 6'3 Sun Prairie
3. Trevor Jorgenson 6'7 Lacrosse Logan
4. Johnny Coenen 5'8 Appleton East
5. Ian Joyce 6'6 Middleton
6. Mark Kowalke 6'6 Baraboo
7. Shane Kenndey 6'2 Port Washington- Great defender that does all the little things to make his team go.
8. Caleb Zeegers 6'2 Appleton East- Good three point shooter that is very tough when he gets hot.
9. Chris Hawkins 6'4 Sun Prairie- Athletic big man that rebounds well and can go to the outside and knock down the shots.
10. Tre Burnette 6'4 Madison Memorial- Athletic freak that can really go to the rim and rebound. Handles the ball fairly well and can knock down the three.
Sophomore Rankings
1.Sean McGann 6'3 Baraboo- Great athlete that can get to the rim and score. Also handles the ball very nicely.
2.Sam Mader 6'7 Appleton East- Big man that prefers to play like a guard handling the ball and shooting three but, can go to the inside and rebound.
3. Jamar Morris 6'4 Madison Memorial- Jumps out of the gym and absolutely dominates the inside at times.
4.Taron Edwards 5'10 Racine Park- Very ugly shot but, never seems to miss.
5. Vince Kube 6'2 Lacrosse Logan- Another athletic player that can shoot the mid range jump shot or get to the rim.
6. Sawyer Mosely 5'10 Port Washington- Handles the ball very well and is always looking for his teammates.
7. Rudy Bentley JR 5'7 Madison East- Another guy with great handles that can get anywhere he wants and isn't afraid to go up against bigger defenders.
8. Deion Jackson Body 5'8 Shorewood- Is a pretty solid outside shooter and handles the ball fairly well.
9.Brandon Hagenow 5'10 Sussex Hamiliton- Just a solid all around player that doesn't do much wrong and is a pretty good shooter.
10. Ryan Gerritson 6'3 Waupun- Long kid that can shoot and battle for the boards on the inside.
HM
Deonte Tidmore 5'2 Milwaukee South
Freshmen Rankings
1. Brendan Ortiz 5'11 Madison Memorial- Heady point guard that runs the Spartans offensive really well and has a very nice shooting touch from the outside.
2. Nick Fuller 6'4 Sun Prairie- Guy that rebounds really well for a freshmen and shoots the spot up three pointer very well.
3. Austin Malone-Mitchell 5'8 Shorewood- Plays with lots of confidence and has a nice midrange game and can really put the ball in the hoop.
4. Shane Wimann 6'2 Wisconsin Dells- Looks like an upper classmen and plays like one too. Great rebounder and shoots the three well.
5. MJ Delmore 5'8 Wisconsin Dells- Very good point guard that does a nice job running the show, really looks to set teammates up, and shoots the three real well.
6. Alex Najeib 5'9 Shorewood- Really athletic kid that can do what he wants on the court. Does take some bad shots at times.
7. Brad Kenote 6'0 Rhinelander- Right now a hustler that doesn't look to shoot much but, has a nice shot and some pretty good ball handling.
There are my rankings about a third of the way through the season. They will probably change a bit before the end of the year and I can guarantee that a few of those guys will be moving up the more that I see them play.
Friday, December 25, 2009
First Round Team Rankings
I haven't had the opportunity to get to as many games as I have in the past but, still have seen about 25 teams play this year which lays a pretty good foundation for my first round of team rankings. As in the past I rank only teams that I have seen play and only rank teams based on the game that I have actually seen them play in. I feel it unfair to base a teams rankings based on here say or stats alone. I understand that a team may have a bad game when I see them play or be missing a player but, I still feel it is better to base my assessments on what I see not on what I have heard or read. Head to head match ups are taken in to account the most even though a team may lose to a team that they may beat 8 of 10 match ups but, lose the one game I'm at I'm still placing the team that won in the match up because I can not understand ranking a team ahead of another second team, when the second team has defeated the first team. I will rank teams on a whole and then will break down each by division and leaving out of state teams out of the division rankings. Well here are my first rankings.......
1. Madison East- Run the court extremely well and have a solid starting five that is as good as anyones in the state. Big man Marquis Mason is a difference maker on the inside whether he's scoring or not. Mason and Nimrod Hillard are one of the top combos in the state.
2. Racine Park- Another team that runs the court very well. There top five guards really carry this team have seven guys that could probably average double figures.
3. Sun Prairie- Have a lot of guys that can knock down the three point shot and handle themselves very well and have a lot of experience.
4. Madison Memorial- Probably have more talent then any team in the state. The question mark is whether then can "click" by the end of the year.
5. Milwaukee King- Another team with loads of talent that can go 12 deep and not lose a thing. Probably a year away from doing real damage.
6. Oak Lawn Richards Ill- Run the court very very well and can score in a hurry. Knock down the three very well in transition.
7. Port Washington- Very disciplined team that has a star in Josh Gasser but, they don't need to rely on him every game to get the win.
8. Waupun- Solid team overall that has the most impressive scorer that I've seen in Austin Armga.
9. Hamiliton Sussex- Another team that is extremely deep. Can go 12 deep with out losing much and every guy on the deep can hit the three point shot.
10. Verona- Fundamentally sound team that plays great defense and rebounds very well.
11. Appleton East- Live and die by the three and they shoot the three very well. Have some nice size with the 6'7 Mader brothers down low.
12. Valders- Great rebounding team that looks like a bunch of football players playing basketball, which is a good thing in this case. Pound the glass and run their offense very well.
13. Lacrosse Logan- Big man Trevor Jorgenson is the thing that makes this team good. Very soft touch on the inside.
14. Middleton- Great height and when they don't turn the ball over they do a good job of getting the ball to the inside.
15. Wisconsin Dells- Shoot the three very well and big man Nate Gibson is a difference maker.
16. Baraboo- Have a couple stars but, just don't have the ball handlers to compete with the tough teams.
17. Waukesha West- Big man Ryan Solberg is a good player but, the rest of the team is a year away from really doing something.
18. Milwauke South- Very athletic team but, doesn't shoot real great and don't run much of an offense.
19. West DePere- Very nice high low game but, lack overall athletic ability.
20. Shorewood- Lots of problems with this team. Take bad shots and don't rebound very well.
21. Rhinelander- Take lots of bad shots and don't have the size to compete with a lot of shots.
22. New Lisbon- Not much to say about this team. Not a good team.
I've decided to not due the rankings for each division since the 22 teams that I have ranked are the only 22 teams that I've seen. I figure most people can figure out where each team would be ranked in their individual divisions.
1. Madison East- Run the court extremely well and have a solid starting five that is as good as anyones in the state. Big man Marquis Mason is a difference maker on the inside whether he's scoring or not. Mason and Nimrod Hillard are one of the top combos in the state.
2. Racine Park- Another team that runs the court very well. There top five guards really carry this team have seven guys that could probably average double figures.
3. Sun Prairie- Have a lot of guys that can knock down the three point shot and handle themselves very well and have a lot of experience.
4. Madison Memorial- Probably have more talent then any team in the state. The question mark is whether then can "click" by the end of the year.
5. Milwaukee King- Another team with loads of talent that can go 12 deep and not lose a thing. Probably a year away from doing real damage.
6. Oak Lawn Richards Ill- Run the court very very well and can score in a hurry. Knock down the three very well in transition.
7. Port Washington- Very disciplined team that has a star in Josh Gasser but, they don't need to rely on him every game to get the win.
8. Waupun- Solid team overall that has the most impressive scorer that I've seen in Austin Armga.
9. Hamiliton Sussex- Another team that is extremely deep. Can go 12 deep with out losing much and every guy on the deep can hit the three point shot.
10. Verona- Fundamentally sound team that plays great defense and rebounds very well.
11. Appleton East- Live and die by the three and they shoot the three very well. Have some nice size with the 6'7 Mader brothers down low.
12. Valders- Great rebounding team that looks like a bunch of football players playing basketball, which is a good thing in this case. Pound the glass and run their offense very well.
13. Lacrosse Logan- Big man Trevor Jorgenson is the thing that makes this team good. Very soft touch on the inside.
14. Middleton- Great height and when they don't turn the ball over they do a good job of getting the ball to the inside.
15. Wisconsin Dells- Shoot the three very well and big man Nate Gibson is a difference maker.
16. Baraboo- Have a couple stars but, just don't have the ball handlers to compete with the tough teams.
17. Waukesha West- Big man Ryan Solberg is a good player but, the rest of the team is a year away from really doing something.
18. Milwauke South- Very athletic team but, doesn't shoot real great and don't run much of an offense.
19. West DePere- Very nice high low game but, lack overall athletic ability.
20. Shorewood- Lots of problems with this team. Take bad shots and don't rebound very well.
21. Rhinelander- Take lots of bad shots and don't have the size to compete with a lot of shots.
22. New Lisbon- Not much to say about this team. Not a good team.
I've decided to not due the rankings for each division since the 22 teams that I have ranked are the only 22 teams that I've seen. I figure most people can figure out where each team would be ranked in their individual divisions.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Converse Eastbay Classic
The Converse Eastbay Classic is slowly becoming one of the most popular in season tournaments in Wisconsin High School Basketball. While the WBBY tournament is still the number one tournament in the state the Converse Eastbay Classic is right there with the WBBY. Both tournaments have been able to attract teams outside of the state of Wisconsin which has brought in not only fans of the schools that are participating in the tournament but, fans that are just fans of basketball as a whole. After attending the WBBY a year ago and the Converse Eastbay Classic this year, there are more fans in attendance of the WBBY then the Converse but, the games are just as good. Typically about half the games end up being good games and you get a wide array of teams from throughout the state.
Valders 69 Shorewood 44
In the opening game of the tournament Valders was able to take down Shorewood in dominating fashion. Valders was the much more disciplined team and ran their offense much better and it showed. The Valders players appeared to be thicker then the Shorewood players which allowed Valders to completely dominate the game. Shorewood on the other hand didn't appear to be running an offense at all and relied on going one on one which didn't seem to work. These things all led to an easy Valders win.
Top Scorers
Shorewood- Austin Malone-Mitchell 14 Chase Miller 10
Valders- Andrew Schwoerer 19 Derek Madson 13 Derek Buck 11 Steven Baur 10
Waukesha West 42 Milwaukee South 41
This game may of been an extremely close game but, it didn't feel like it with the lack of fan support in this game. South was similar to Shorewood in that South didn't run much of an offense and seemed to pass the ball once and shoot and didn't look to get the ball on the inside at all and for the most part the threes were not falling. This may of been because Waukesha West had superior size at nearly every position. Waukesha West wasn't that impressive but, South was even less impressive.
Top Scorers
West- Ryan Solberg 23
South- Derrick Cook 13
Appleton East 49 LaCrosse Logan 37
In a battle of inside verse outside game Appleton East took down Lacrosse Logan using their superior three point shooting which led to the victory. Logan looked to get the ball inside to their big man 6'7 senior Trevor Jorgenson but, East did a very good job of defending the post though. On the other side East was knocking down the threes in the first half and took a huge lead but, in the second half they did go cold from the outside which allowed Logan to at least make the game some what close in the end.
Top Scorers
East- Caleb Zeegers 13 Johnny Coenen 11
Logan- Jorgenson 15
Oak Lawn Richards 70 Sussex Hamiliton 61
This game really started out the way that I expected as Oak Lawn looked to pressure Hamiliton into turning the ball over and allowing Oak Lawn to push the tempo. Like I expected Hamiliton handled the pressure very well and were able to get wide open jump shots and they dropped them. Throughout the first three quarters Hamiliton completely controlled the game but, in the fourth quarter things completely changed. For whatever reason Hamiliton begain turning the ball over and Oak Lawn really got things going with the up tempo game and were able to knock down the threes in the transition game. Some huge calls went against Hamiliton at the end and a technical which gave Oak Lawn a cushion and a nice win in the end.
Top Scorers
Hamiliton- Brett Meinecke 22 Brian Krohn 20
No box score available for Oak Lawn.
Port Washington 73 Waupun 67
This game lived up to the hype as the number one and two ranked teams in division two went head to head. The biggest difference in this game was Port Washington's height and that they had a team effort while Waupun relied too much on one player. That one player was 6'3 senior Austin Armga who was nearly unstoppable in the first half and in the second half just seemed to run out of gas as he played nearly the entire game.
Top Scorers
PW- Josh Gasser 25 Shane Kennedy 14 Cory Steinmetz 11 Zach Schultz 11
Waupun- Austin Armga 31 Cory Nickel 14
Madison Memorial 56 Milwaukee King 43
In the markee match up of the tournament Madison Memorial was able to take down Milwaukee King. The game went back and forth throughout much of the first three and a half quarters before Memorial finally grabbed the lead for good and hung on for the win. Early on King did a great job of taking Memorial star 6'4 senior Vander Blue out of the game. With Blue struggling 6'2 senior Tre Creamer took over and carried Memorial through the first half. King on the other side just couldn't get any going at all offensively, the only time they could was when they were able to get Memorial to turn the ball over and getting easy transition buckets. For as much as I dissed 6'5 senior Ed Kluender in my last post he really showed me something in this game and I take back nearly everything I said. Kluender ended up with a handful of rebounds and blocks, had 12 points, and dove on a couple loose balls on the floor. Kluender was the biggest reason that Memorial won this game. In the end Blue finally found himself hitting a couple threes and knocking down the free throws to help complete the win.
Top Scorers
Memorial- Vander Blue 22 Tre Creamer 21 Ed Kluender 12
King- Courtilin Scott-Johnson 14
Top Players of the Tournament
Ander Schwoerer 6'4 junior Valders- Completely controlled the inside in this game and showed some very good foot work and soft hands on the fast break.
Derek Madson 6'3 senior Valders- Does a little bit of everything from grabbing rebounds to helping bring the ball up the court.
Austin Malone-Mitchell 5'8 freshmen Shorewood- Probably the most impressive player for a not so impressive team but, was able to free himself and knock down some shots.
Derrick Cook 6'0 senior Milwaukee South- Did a nice job of letting the game come to him and was able to go inside and score against bigger defenders.
Ryan Solberg 6'6 senior Waukesha West- Runs the court very well for a big man and has a nice mid range jump shot.
Trevor Jorgenson 6'7 junior Lacrosse Logan- Very soft touch around the rim. Very solid in the post on both ends of the court.
Johnny Coenen 5'8 junior Appleton East- Really liked his game running the point for East and despite his size can get his shot off at any time. Has a wide array of moves and can knock down the three.
Dean Danos 6'0 sophomore Oak Lawn Richards- Another point guard that I really liked. Has great handles and shoots the three very well.
Keith Sconiers 6'3 senior Oak Lawn Richards- Really took the game over in the second half. Rebound extremely well and was great in transition knocking down threes or getting to the hoop.
Brett Meinecke 6'2 senior Hamiliton Sussex- Does a nice job of running the team and for the most part handled the pressure defense really well. Knocks down the outside shot when its there and can get to the rim.
Brian Krohn 6'2 senior Hamiliton Sussex- Guy that is not afraid to go inside and battle for the rebounds and can hit the spot up three point shot.
Austin Armga 6'3 senior Waupun- Probably the most impressive player of the entire tournament. Armga could get anywhere he wanted at any time. Nearly impossible to stop until he got tired.
Josh Gasser 6'4 senior Port Washington- Another guy that does a little bit of everything from running the point to grabbing rebounds and was the teams leading scorer.
Zach Schultz 6'7 senior Port Washington- Big man that controlled the inside with his scoring and rebounding.
Courtlin Scott-Johnson 5'11 senior Milwaukee King- Only King player that could get things going has a very nice outside shot.
Ed Kluender 6'5 senior Madison Memorial- Pretty much said it all earlier in the post. Was the reason that Memorial won the game.
Vander Blue 6'3 senior Madison Memorial- Didn't have a great game but, really stepped up when the game was on the line. Showed some great handles with the ball and hit a pair of threes late in the game.
Tre Creamer 6'2 senior Madison Memorial- Completely carried this team in the first half of the game by knocking down the outside shot and hitting the floaters.
This was a great tournament to attend and I would recommend making a trip to this tournament if your a fan of high school basketball or even just a fan of basketball.
Valders 69 Shorewood 44
In the opening game of the tournament Valders was able to take down Shorewood in dominating fashion. Valders was the much more disciplined team and ran their offense much better and it showed. The Valders players appeared to be thicker then the Shorewood players which allowed Valders to completely dominate the game. Shorewood on the other hand didn't appear to be running an offense at all and relied on going one on one which didn't seem to work. These things all led to an easy Valders win.
Top Scorers
Shorewood- Austin Malone-Mitchell 14 Chase Miller 10
Valders- Andrew Schwoerer 19 Derek Madson 13 Derek Buck 11 Steven Baur 10
Waukesha West 42 Milwaukee South 41
This game may of been an extremely close game but, it didn't feel like it with the lack of fan support in this game. South was similar to Shorewood in that South didn't run much of an offense and seemed to pass the ball once and shoot and didn't look to get the ball on the inside at all and for the most part the threes were not falling. This may of been because Waukesha West had superior size at nearly every position. Waukesha West wasn't that impressive but, South was even less impressive.
Top Scorers
West- Ryan Solberg 23
South- Derrick Cook 13
Appleton East 49 LaCrosse Logan 37
In a battle of inside verse outside game Appleton East took down Lacrosse Logan using their superior three point shooting which led to the victory. Logan looked to get the ball inside to their big man 6'7 senior Trevor Jorgenson but, East did a very good job of defending the post though. On the other side East was knocking down the threes in the first half and took a huge lead but, in the second half they did go cold from the outside which allowed Logan to at least make the game some what close in the end.
Top Scorers
East- Caleb Zeegers 13 Johnny Coenen 11
Logan- Jorgenson 15
Oak Lawn Richards 70 Sussex Hamiliton 61
This game really started out the way that I expected as Oak Lawn looked to pressure Hamiliton into turning the ball over and allowing Oak Lawn to push the tempo. Like I expected Hamiliton handled the pressure very well and were able to get wide open jump shots and they dropped them. Throughout the first three quarters Hamiliton completely controlled the game but, in the fourth quarter things completely changed. For whatever reason Hamiliton begain turning the ball over and Oak Lawn really got things going with the up tempo game and were able to knock down the threes in the transition game. Some huge calls went against Hamiliton at the end and a technical which gave Oak Lawn a cushion and a nice win in the end.
Top Scorers
Hamiliton- Brett Meinecke 22 Brian Krohn 20
No box score available for Oak Lawn.
Port Washington 73 Waupun 67
This game lived up to the hype as the number one and two ranked teams in division two went head to head. The biggest difference in this game was Port Washington's height and that they had a team effort while Waupun relied too much on one player. That one player was 6'3 senior Austin Armga who was nearly unstoppable in the first half and in the second half just seemed to run out of gas as he played nearly the entire game.
Top Scorers
PW- Josh Gasser 25 Shane Kennedy 14 Cory Steinmetz 11 Zach Schultz 11
Waupun- Austin Armga 31 Cory Nickel 14
Madison Memorial 56 Milwaukee King 43
In the markee match up of the tournament Madison Memorial was able to take down Milwaukee King. The game went back and forth throughout much of the first three and a half quarters before Memorial finally grabbed the lead for good and hung on for the win. Early on King did a great job of taking Memorial star 6'4 senior Vander Blue out of the game. With Blue struggling 6'2 senior Tre Creamer took over and carried Memorial through the first half. King on the other side just couldn't get any going at all offensively, the only time they could was when they were able to get Memorial to turn the ball over and getting easy transition buckets. For as much as I dissed 6'5 senior Ed Kluender in my last post he really showed me something in this game and I take back nearly everything I said. Kluender ended up with a handful of rebounds and blocks, had 12 points, and dove on a couple loose balls on the floor. Kluender was the biggest reason that Memorial won this game. In the end Blue finally found himself hitting a couple threes and knocking down the free throws to help complete the win.
Top Scorers
Memorial- Vander Blue 22 Tre Creamer 21 Ed Kluender 12
King- Courtilin Scott-Johnson 14
Top Players of the Tournament
Ander Schwoerer 6'4 junior Valders- Completely controlled the inside in this game and showed some very good foot work and soft hands on the fast break.
Derek Madson 6'3 senior Valders- Does a little bit of everything from grabbing rebounds to helping bring the ball up the court.
Austin Malone-Mitchell 5'8 freshmen Shorewood- Probably the most impressive player for a not so impressive team but, was able to free himself and knock down some shots.
Derrick Cook 6'0 senior Milwaukee South- Did a nice job of letting the game come to him and was able to go inside and score against bigger defenders.
Ryan Solberg 6'6 senior Waukesha West- Runs the court very well for a big man and has a nice mid range jump shot.
Trevor Jorgenson 6'7 junior Lacrosse Logan- Very soft touch around the rim. Very solid in the post on both ends of the court.
Johnny Coenen 5'8 junior Appleton East- Really liked his game running the point for East and despite his size can get his shot off at any time. Has a wide array of moves and can knock down the three.
Dean Danos 6'0 sophomore Oak Lawn Richards- Another point guard that I really liked. Has great handles and shoots the three very well.
Keith Sconiers 6'3 senior Oak Lawn Richards- Really took the game over in the second half. Rebound extremely well and was great in transition knocking down threes or getting to the hoop.
Brett Meinecke 6'2 senior Hamiliton Sussex- Does a nice job of running the team and for the most part handled the pressure defense really well. Knocks down the outside shot when its there and can get to the rim.
Brian Krohn 6'2 senior Hamiliton Sussex- Guy that is not afraid to go inside and battle for the rebounds and can hit the spot up three point shot.
Austin Armga 6'3 senior Waupun- Probably the most impressive player of the entire tournament. Armga could get anywhere he wanted at any time. Nearly impossible to stop until he got tired.
Josh Gasser 6'4 senior Port Washington- Another guy that does a little bit of everything from running the point to grabbing rebounds and was the teams leading scorer.
Zach Schultz 6'7 senior Port Washington- Big man that controlled the inside with his scoring and rebounding.
Courtlin Scott-Johnson 5'11 senior Milwaukee King- Only King player that could get things going has a very nice outside shot.
Ed Kluender 6'5 senior Madison Memorial- Pretty much said it all earlier in the post. Was the reason that Memorial won the game.
Vander Blue 6'3 senior Madison Memorial- Didn't have a great game but, really stepped up when the game was on the line. Showed some great handles with the ball and hit a pair of threes late in the game.
Tre Creamer 6'2 senior Madison Memorial- Completely carried this team in the first half of the game by knocking down the outside shot and hitting the floaters.
This was a great tournament to attend and I would recommend making a trip to this tournament if your a fan of high school basketball or even just a fan of basketball.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Madison Memorial narrowly avoids second straight loss
In a fairly ugly game verse Verona, Madison Memorial was able to avoid their second straight loss of the young season. After seeing Memorial struggle in two straight games it has become very evident that this Memorial team is no where near as good as the teams as previous years and lack that Memorial swagger that past teams have had. In recent years Memorial has always been able to step up the pressure a notch and basically take total control of the game and put the other team away. This year and Memorial looks to apply the pressure it just results in easy baskets for their opponents and put themselves into foul trouble. Whats the difference in this years team? No true dominate big man. In the past they have had Jeronne Maymon, Keaton Nankivil, and Kori Vernon and a slew of college athletes on that team that have been able to sit back and protect the hoop while their teammates were applying the pressure. With all due respect to 6'6 senior Ed Kluender he seems more suited to be a football player then basketball player. He is a very big body that disrupts things on the inside but, doesn't block shots or move well and opponents have no fear of him and take the ball right to the rim. This may be a small problem in the end once the team gels together and figures out their identity that may be slightly different then the former Memorial teams.
Verona was able to get the early first quarter lead of 14-13 behind their ability to get to the rim and draw fouls on the over aggressive Memorial defenders. 6'2 senior Matt Ropel was able to benefit from this the most as he seemed to always be open around the rim and then get fouled and I believe the guy shot 100% from the foul line in the first quarter. In the second quarter Memorial was finally able to push the tempo a little bit in the second quarter and were able to get their main guy 6'4 senior Vander Blue going, which lead to a Memorial lead of 31-28 at half.
In the third quarter Blue kept it going as he scored on three consecutive trips down the court to really get the Memorial fans going but, Verona always counter punched him with wide open lay ups that were a result of Memorials pressing defense. Memorial continued to lead after three quarters with a score of 50-42. In the final quarter a Verona player finally stepped up to challenge Blue and this player was 6'4 senior Sam Karls. Karls had been battling Blue all night long and through most of the game Blue had gotten the better of him but, in the fourth quarter this changed. Karls was able to out hustle Blue, who seemed extremely tired in the fourth quarter, and get lots of second chance buckets while on the other end he seemed to frustrate Blue which led to a push off foul on Blue late in the game. With Blue struggling a bit 6'3 senior Tre Creamer emerged as a fourth quarter hero again and was able to get to the rim and score at will. In the end though Blue was the biggest hero as he was able to draw an offensive foul on Karls which basically sealed the game. Big props to both Creamer and Blue who combined on 7-8 shooting from the foul line in the final minute of the game. Memorial got the 66-60 win.
Top Players
Vadner Blue 6'4 senior Madison Memorial- Blue was his normal solid self a had a good overall game despite seemed extremely fatigued at the end and apparently battling some stomach cramps according to two different sources.
Tre Creamer 6'3 senior Madison Memorial- Like expected Creamer and Blue have stepped up to be Memorial's top go to players and Creamer has seemed ready to meet the expectations and more.
Tre Burnette 6'4 junior Madison Memorial- A superior athlete that needs to be more aggressive when he's in the game and showed some aggression in the game. Burnette was a terror on the boards and that is something Memorial will need all year long.
Matt Ropel 6'2 senior Verona- Unorthodox looking shot but, he can really drop the shots if he's left open.
Sam Karls 6'4 senior Verona- One of the best defenders in the Big Eight and always comes to battle no matter who the opponent is.
Taylor Peterson 6'5 senior Verona- Did a great job of patrolling the offensive baseline which led to easy baskets when his teammates found him.
Box Score (starters in italics)
Madison Memorial- Blue 27 Creamer 20 Burnette 11 Jamar Morris 3 Brendan Ortiz 3 Eric Fruhling 2 Kluender 0 Jordan Fredrick 0 Brian Nkemnji 0 Miles Chamberlain 0
Verona- Ropel 20 Karls 16 Peterson 12 Kaden Nauman 8 Danny Burns 2 Klayton Brandt 2 Adam Wadzinski 0 Nvida Malafa 0 Nate Ray 0
Well Memorial got the win no matter how ugly it was and despite what everyone says that they've lost their luster, including me earlier in this post, they will probably find their way by tournament time. They will probably finish the season with about five losses due to the fact that the Big Eight is that tough and that they are playing in a very tough tournament in Detroit over Christmas break.
Verona was able to get the early first quarter lead of 14-13 behind their ability to get to the rim and draw fouls on the over aggressive Memorial defenders. 6'2 senior Matt Ropel was able to benefit from this the most as he seemed to always be open around the rim and then get fouled and I believe the guy shot 100% from the foul line in the first quarter. In the second quarter Memorial was finally able to push the tempo a little bit in the second quarter and were able to get their main guy 6'4 senior Vander Blue going, which lead to a Memorial lead of 31-28 at half.
In the third quarter Blue kept it going as he scored on three consecutive trips down the court to really get the Memorial fans going but, Verona always counter punched him with wide open lay ups that were a result of Memorials pressing defense. Memorial continued to lead after three quarters with a score of 50-42. In the final quarter a Verona player finally stepped up to challenge Blue and this player was 6'4 senior Sam Karls. Karls had been battling Blue all night long and through most of the game Blue had gotten the better of him but, in the fourth quarter this changed. Karls was able to out hustle Blue, who seemed extremely tired in the fourth quarter, and get lots of second chance buckets while on the other end he seemed to frustrate Blue which led to a push off foul on Blue late in the game. With Blue struggling a bit 6'3 senior Tre Creamer emerged as a fourth quarter hero again and was able to get to the rim and score at will. In the end though Blue was the biggest hero as he was able to draw an offensive foul on Karls which basically sealed the game. Big props to both Creamer and Blue who combined on 7-8 shooting from the foul line in the final minute of the game. Memorial got the 66-60 win.
Top Players
Vadner Blue 6'4 senior Madison Memorial- Blue was his normal solid self a had a good overall game despite seemed extremely fatigued at the end and apparently battling some stomach cramps according to two different sources.
Tre Creamer 6'3 senior Madison Memorial- Like expected Creamer and Blue have stepped up to be Memorial's top go to players and Creamer has seemed ready to meet the expectations and more.
Tre Burnette 6'4 junior Madison Memorial- A superior athlete that needs to be more aggressive when he's in the game and showed some aggression in the game. Burnette was a terror on the boards and that is something Memorial will need all year long.
Matt Ropel 6'2 senior Verona- Unorthodox looking shot but, he can really drop the shots if he's left open.
Sam Karls 6'4 senior Verona- One of the best defenders in the Big Eight and always comes to battle no matter who the opponent is.
Taylor Peterson 6'5 senior Verona- Did a great job of patrolling the offensive baseline which led to easy baskets when his teammates found him.
Box Score (starters in italics)
Madison Memorial- Blue 27 Creamer 20 Burnette 11 Jamar Morris 3 Brendan Ortiz 3 Eric Fruhling 2 Kluender 0 Jordan Fredrick 0 Brian Nkemnji 0 Miles Chamberlain 0
Verona- Ropel 20 Karls 16 Peterson 12 Kaden Nauman 8 Danny Burns 2 Klayton Brandt 2 Adam Wadzinski 0 Nvida Malafa 0 Nate Ray 0
Well Memorial got the win no matter how ugly it was and despite what everyone says that they've lost their luster, including me earlier in this post, they will probably find their way by tournament time. They will probably finish the season with about five losses due to the fact that the Big Eight is that tough and that they are playing in a very tough tournament in Detroit over Christmas break.
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