Swingfam Showcase

Saturday took in the the Swingfam Showcase at the Just a Game field house in the Dells here. I really love the idea of having teams come that have players that play with the Swing AAU, all in one place The only real complaint I have is that there was no roster or program available at the door. It really isn't a big deal but, caused me not to be able to keep my normal scoring and is it really a big deal to get a list of the players from each team and print a bunch of copies on a page? It was a minor thing but, just hurt my keeping score.

Columbus 56 Cuba City 51
Didn't get to this game until after half time so not really sure what happened in the first half. Columbus is always a mystery to me. Every time I see them play they look pretty good and I could see them making a nice playoff run and finishing towards the top of their conference but, when I look at their record later on there like a .500 team and finish down towards the bottom of the conference. Now the last few years the Capital North has been a very good conference but, I really think Columbus could be better. From what I saw in this one Cuba City really pounded the ball inside to use their height advantage and on the defensive end they played a 2-3 zone defense. The zone led to Columbus shooting lots of threes which allowed them take the lead in this one led by 6'2 senior Kevin Hussey who hit three threes in the second half. For Cuba City for whatever reason late in the game they stopped looking inside and when they got down decided to start shooting threes rather then sticking with there game. In the end Columbus hit the free throws while Cuba City missed the threes.

Top Players
Kevin Hussey 6'2 senior Columbus- Really did a nice job hitting the outside shot against the zone defense in this one.
Benjamin Burkholder 6'4 senior Cuba City- Did a nice job of holding off his defender in the post and using his size to score on the inside.

Madison Edgewood 69 Lake Mills 67
This was the reason that I went to the showcase. Two D3 teams that are both ranked in the top five. Early on Lake Mills was hitting the threes and jumped out to the early lead but, Edgewood just hung around all game long. The game went back and forth but, Edgewood really made their move when 6'4 sophomore Mandela Deang came into the game. Deang honestly doesn't look like the greatest athlete or the most talented but, he can really shoot the ball and comes in looking to score. Edgewood had a pretty nice lead late in this one but, Lake Mills made a run late behind the strong play of 6'0 junior guard Alex Ranney who hit the threes, ran the offense, and was able to use his strength to score in paint. At the end of this one Lake Mills had their shot as they missed a pair of threes and a pair of put backs as the ball went out of bounce as time expired.

Top Players
Mandela Deang 6'4 sophomore Edgewood- Pretty much said it all earlier. Just a scorer off the bench and can really shoot the three.
Sam Noyce 6'1 senior Edgewood- Really attacked the rim hard and almost reckless at times. Was able to knock down the spot up three pointer from outside.
Alex Ranney 6'0 junior Lake Mills- Extremely improved over last year. He shot the ball off the dribble extremely well, used his strength on the inside to score in the post, and ran the offense.
Simon Linsmire 6'6 senior Lake Mills- Rebounded extremely well and can be a one man fast break when he grabs those rebounds. Can really handle the ball well in transition and runs like a deer.

Waunakee 63 Beaver Dam 61
After looking at both teams records I thought Waunakee would run away with this one but, was surprised when Beaver Dam made this game and played a really good game. Waunakee didn't do anything extravagant but, just played a solid overall game throughout not turning the ball over and scoring around the rim. Every time Waunakee took a big lead Beaver Dam would storm back with their three point shooting. This game was tied late and I thought for sure I was gonna see a repeat of Waunakee 6'3 sophomore Mitch Listau hitting a game winning shot. Unfortunately Listau did hit a game winner but, it was from the free throw line after a touch foul. With 4.4 seconds left Beaver Dam had a chance and more then I thought as 6'0 junior Garrett Nelson drove the length of the court and had his running layup bounce off the back of the rim and out.

Top Players
Riley Freeman 6'4 senior Waunakee- Just a real calming force in this game rebounding and scoring on the inside.
Mitch Listau 6'3 sophomore Waunakee- Nothing spectacular this game but, did a nice job of controlling things on the perimeter and made his free throws.
Garrett Nelson 5'11 junior Beaver Dam- Doesn't look like much but, was probably the most impressive player in this game. Used his quickness to get to the rim and create space from three point range where he was able to knock the shots down.
Sam Wiersma 6'0 senior Beaver Dam- Did a good job of picking up the scoring burden when Nelson was saddled with foul trouble. Was able to hit the deep threes or get out in transition and score.

I know I didn't have the greatest write ups here but, I'm alttle worn out from all the basketball this past week. Should be back to normal this week with just games here and there like before.

WBY Shootout

Well I saw a lot of games in the three days that I spent at the WBBY Shootout so I will just do a quick two or three sentences about each game the best I can from memory. With watching so many games you forgot things and games start to blend in together. I nice change this year is that the Shootout has changed their name to the Rick Majerus WBY Shootout, with the family of Rick Majerus making donations to help fund the shootout, donation plaques for MVP of each game, and then giving out eight scholarships to players that are participating in the shootout. Here is my very quick run down of each game I saw and then some of the top players.

Day One

St. Thomas More 69 Living Word Lutheran 45

Living Word just simply seemed to be over their head in this one. St Thomas is just an OK team but, Living Word is a very young team, I liked there point guard 6’2 sophomore Jacob Bolwerk but, there was just no help for him. There was a very long stretch where Living Word didn’t score.

Onalaska 62 Greendale 43

Greendale came out and played absolutely terrible, lead by their star 6’7 senior David Pulizos who really played bad in this one. Onalaska’s two 5’10 junior guards Jalen Zubich and Noah Fredrickson were very impressive handling the ball and knocking down the open shots.

Dominican 58 Kettle Moraine Lutheran 56

Don’t remember a ton about this game but, the difference was the play of Dominican’s sophomore point guard 6’0 Jacoby Jones. Jones was just too quick for the KML guards and 6’9 senior Kostas Antetokounmpo had an OK game but, he was the one that hit the game winning shot a buzzer beater from a mid range baseline shot.

Brookfield Academy 64 Ripon 62

Ripon missing their point guard 6’4 junior Luke Loewe really hurt them but, they battled it out all game. Brookfield Academy seemed poised to run away with this one late but, the outside shooting of Ripon’s 6’3 junior Edward Muench kept them in the game and the solid play throughout and 6’7 junior Bennett Vander Plas had a very good game but, forced things at times late. Ripon had the chance at the buzzer but, got off a very poor shot.

Cedarburg 75 West Allis Hale 53

This game was never really in question as the hot shooting of Cedarburg early was just too much for Hale and they were never in the game. Cedarburg’s 6’3 sophomore Jordan Johnson had 18 first half point and that was really all that was needed in this one as each of Cedarburg’s starters scored in double digits.

Milwaukee Vincent 68 Arrowhead 62

This game surprised me a bit, I really thought Arrowhead would win this one but, the pressure of Vincent was just too much. Arrowhead did have a size advantage but, Vincent’s big man 6’5 junior Jamel White did a good job of neutralizing that by controlling the glass on both ends using his athleticism.   

Milwaukee Riverside 67 Homestead 49

Another game where a city school used their pressure to take over the game and control the tempo. 6’5 junior George Dixon controlled the inside despite not scoring a ton while the guards did most of the scoring spreading it around between their four starting guards. To be honest this Homestead team just isn’t up to pair with the teams of the past.

Kaukauna 85 Milwaukee Washington 77

This was suppose to be a match up of two of the best point guards in the state with 5’11 sophomore Jordan McCabe of Kaukauna verse 6’1 senior Te’Jon Lucas of Washington. Unfortunately Washington showed up extremely late for the game with half their team missing most of the warmups. Washington started extremely slow and Lucas never got things going and Washington was forced to play from behind the entire night but, they were never able to overcome McCabe and company. McCabe came out firing early and often launching deep threes all game long and about midway through the first half he got things going and it was his game from there, leading to 34 points. I feel like the weather really ruined this game forcing Washington behind the eight ball all game.

Day Two

McDonell Central 84 Living Word Lutheran 42

Another game where Living Word was over their head and McDonell Central was extremely impressive and they are now my pick to win Division Five. MC has tremendous size starting three guys at 6’5 or taller and have a very solid guard in 6’1 senior Ben Retzlaff.

St Marys Springs 81 Shoreland Lutheran 51

Unfortunately the reason that Shoreland was in the Shootout was missing in 6’6 senior Lucas Wendt who is out with an injury. Shoreland was unable to get anything going offensively and really looked like they were missing that offensive piece. St. Mary’s is just a very solid balanced team that really doesn’t have a true star. They really did a great job of pounding the ball inside to their big men that had the size advantage.

Kettle Moraine Lutheran 56 Prairie du Chien 49

Battle of two similar teams, without big time stars, that are both very balanced. The play of KML’s guards was the difference headlined by 5’11 senior Colin Biesterfeld who used his quickness to his advantage and knocked down the open shots.

Onalaska 56 Wauwatosa East 36

Once again Onalaska got a team that played a very bad game and just never got things going at all. The shots weren’t falling and they couldn’t get anything going towards the hoop. Once again it was Onalaska’s guards that sealed the game and they got the transition game going behind 6’4 junior Jalen Sample.

Marshall 56 Ripon 44

Without Lowe Ripon really struggled in both of their games. For Ripon Vander Plas was just forced to do too much and just wore down as the game went. Marshall really put forth a team effort as no one could really get going but, everyone did just enough to the win.

Milwaukee Riverside 89 De Pere 55

Riverside once again used their press defense to turn De Pere over time and again and De Pere was just too slow to play with Riverside. Riverside’s star 6’6 junior Terrence Lewis had a huge game knocking down the corner three point shot all game long and getting out in transition. Dixon did his thing on the inside and was able to score in transition.

Dominican 66 Wisconsin Lutheran 56

Once again this isn’t the Wisco of old and honestly this isn’t the Dominican of old. This game was a little hard to watch. Once again Jacoby Jones was dominating scoring 20 points. Lutheran doesn’t have the shooters or the athletes to speed things up like they have in the past.

Oshkosh North 68 Arrowhead 62

1-3-1 defense of North was very tough in this one and Arrowhead’s shooting slowed up late in the game and the shots weren’t falling. North just basically wore them out as the game went on.

Kaukauna 70 Homestead 52

Kaukauna controlled this one from the get go and I actually left this game at half time. Homestead fought early and kept it close but, just worn down as the game went on.

Day Three

St Thomas More 63 University School 62

Got to this game late and not sure what happened but, University was up big and from the moment I got there it was all Thomas More. University led this game all the way until the end of the game went Thomas More hit a runner at the buzzer giving them the win.

McDonell Central 46 Prairie du Chien 44

This was a very good defensive battle back and forth  but, in the end I really think it was MC’s size that won this game. Prairie du Chien could never really get things going on the offensive end.

Greendale 75 Whitefish Bay 68

If Greendale had played the way they played in this game against Onalaska they may of won that game. Greendale looked inside and used their size to score and hit their three point shots as well. On the other side Whitefish Bay was extremely undersized but, really fought tell the end. Greendale blitzed them early but, Bay fought back all game long and they shot the ball extremely well but, the lead they gave Greendale was too much.

Marshall 69 Brookfield Academy 67

Might of been the best game of the entire showcase. This game was back and forth all game long and seemed to be a three point contest. Every time one team would go up by about seven or eight points the other team would claw there way back and take the lead. Marshall loves to shoot the three and BA followed suit shooting the threes of their own. With Marshall up three, Brookfield Academy’s star 6’1 senior Ryan Cleary hit a three from the corner and then Marshall’s star 6’4 senior Adam Link drove the length of the court and hitting a running floater off the backboard and in to get the win.

De Pere 66 Wisconsin Lutheran 63

Despite having the size advantage it was the guards of De Pere that helped them get this win. De Pere jumped out early and Wisco got back into the game actually hitting threes this game but, De Pere was able to beat their pressure behind the strong play of their 6’2 senior guard Jordan Barthels. Barthels hit midrange jumpers all game and was able to seal the game late from the free throw line.

Oshkosh North 77 Milwaukee Vincent 70

This was a great battle between junior point guards, Vincent’s 5’9 Justin Brookens and North’s 5’7 Shane Wissink. Both guards were dropping threes all game long but, Wissink got a little more help and North turned the ball over a lot less then Vincent.

Wauwatosa East 56 Cedarburg 51

Cedarburg had this game completely in hand but, then some selfish play and some poor ball handling allowed Wauwatosa East to get back in this game very late and take the lead.

Stevens Point 77 Germantown 64

Everyone was there to watch Stevens Point and this game was no one near as close as this score appears. Point dominated from the start to finish and Germantown only made it respectable when Point pulled their starters and Germantown’s star 6’0 senior Juwan McCloud hitting three, three pointers late. For Point 6’6 senior Sam Hauser struggled to find his shot but, fellow senior 6’2 Trev Anderson was knocking down threes all game long in route to scoring 31 while Sam’s brother 6’7 sophomore Joey Hauser played very well and seems to be much improved from last year despite being so good a year ago. This game realistically was a 20 to 30 point game throughout.

All Tournament Team

1^st Team

Trev Anderson 6’2 senior Stevens Point- Has really improved his three point shot seems like he shoots about 75% from long range. Ultimate competitor that won’t let his team lose.

Jordan McCabe 5’11 sophomore Kaukauna- Best ball handler in the state. Really shoots the three well off the bounce and yes he shoots a lot but, he sets his team mates up a lot too. He is involved in almost every basket for his team.

Terrence Lewis 6’6 junior Milwaukee Riverside- Runs like a dear and is a real smooth player. He’s money from the corners from three point range doesn’t force things and lets the game come to him.

Joey Hauser 6’7 sophomore Stevens Point- Another very smooth player that lets things come to him and everything he does just looks so smooth and not rushed. Rebounds very well and can score in the post or outside.

John Diener 6’4 sophomore Cedarburg- A tough kid can that can score with the best of them. Shot it well from the outside and had a handful of and one baskets in each game he played.

Gacoby Jones 6’0 sophomore Dominican- Lightning quick point guard and no one could stay in front of him. When he wasn’t scoring he was finding open team mates.

Juwan McCloud 6’0 senior Germantown- Handle the ball extremely well and lit it up from the outside.

George Dixon 6’5 junior Milwaukee Riverside- Dominated the glass on both ends of the court and really showed the ability to handle the ball on the outside.

Ryan Cleary 6’1 senior Brookfield Academy- Big time scorer that can really put points on the board. Also a sharpshooter from the outside.

Bennett Vander Plas 6’7 junior Ripon- Might be a big man but, he can do a little bit of everything. Brings the ball up the court, can shoot the three, and can score in the paint.

2^nd Team

Elijah Moore 6’0 senior Whitefish Bay- Another big time scorer that can really hit the three and was able to get in the paint and score over bigger defenders.

Jalen Zubich 5’10 junior Onalaska- Really impressed me this week. Can really shoot the spot up three and is tough as nails on the court.

Shane Wissink 5’7 junior Oshkosh North- Just the perfect high school point guard in that he can run the offense and knock down the three point shot.

Justin Brookens 5’9 junior Milwaukee Vincent- High energy point guard that can knock down the three from anywhere on the court and can get in the lane and score over bigger defenders.

Brandon Neuberger 6’2 senior Marshall- Three point sharpshooter that doesn’t need a lot of room to get the shot off.

Jordan Johnson 6’3 junior Cedarburg- Big time scorer that can really light it up from the outside.

Edward Muench 6’3 junior Ripon- Another big time three point shooter that really carried his team at times from long range.

Adam Link 6’4 senior Marshall- Had an OK tournament but, put him over the top with a game winning shot.

Ben Retzlaff 6’1 senior McDonell Central- Was the high scorer on a team full of scorers. When he gets it going from down town he’s very tough to stop.

Noah Fredrickson 5’10 junior Onalaska- Another point guard that I really liked and has everything you look for in a high school point guard. Can really score but, also passes to teammates and does a great job of drawing the defense to him and kicking the ball out.

HM

Adam Smith 6’2 junior Kaukauna

Jason Klatt 5’10 junior St Thomas More

Caly Kuajwa 6’8 junior Greendale

Wes Meister 6’0 senior Arrowhead

Kostas Antetokounmpo 6’9 senior Dominican

Joseph Lemon 6’5 senior Brookfield Academy

Jordan Barthels 6’2 senior DePere

20plus Scorers

Jordan McCabe Kaukauna 34, 21

Trev Anderson Stevens Point 31

Terrence Lewis Milwaukee Riverside 30, 22

Ryan Cleary Brookfield Academy 28

Juwan McCloud Germantown 26

Jason Klatt St Thomas More 26

Bennett Vander Plas Ripon 25

Ryan McNeive St Thomas More 23

Jacob Burden Shoreland Lutheran 23

Edward Muench Ripon 23

Clay Kuajwa Greendale 23

John Diener Cedarburg 23

Elijah Moore Whitefish Bay 22

Austin Feyen St Mary’s Springs 22

Joey Hauser Stevens Point 21

Nakell Martin Milwaukee Washington 21

Colin Biesterfeld Kettle Moraine Lutheran 21

Walter Taylor University School 20

Ja’Vionne Green Wauwatosa East 20

Kurt Mueller St Mary’s Springs 20

Shane Wissink Oshkosh North 20

Brandon Neuberger Marshall 20

Adam Smith Kaukauna 20

Jordan Johnson Cedarburg 20

Gacoby Jones Dominican 20

Wes Meister Arrowhead 20

Was a fun but, very long three days and a must see for any basketball junkie. It’s a great time to see the best teams in the state of Wisconsin. After watching all these games it appears that the junior and sophomore class are both extremely talented and are probably more talented than the senior class. I’m alittle basketballed out so I may need a little break for the next few days. 

Waunakee and Middleton get the Ws

A couple games I took in last week and didn't have a chance to talk about. Watched Waunakee defeat Monona Grove on a buzzer shot between the elite of the Badger North and South. In the other game saw Middleton take sole possession of the Big Eight conference defeating Madison Memorial. Had Memorial won it would of been a three way tie and very interesting conference race. Also just noticed as I write this that the two teams played each other tonight which I didn't even notice.

Waunakee 62 Monona Grove 59
Didn't know much about either team coming in and came away thinking both teams are very solid not great teams but, they are very good teams. This game was back and forth throughout and many times I thought one team was pulling away and I would look up at the scoreboard and the other team was actually leading. Early on Monona Grove was hitting from the outside which allowed them to get ahead early but, in the second half they really cooled down. 6'0 senior Myles Thomas tried to carry MG but, he just wasn't getting enough help. For Waunakee they were just solid throughout going about their business and I was really impressed by their two starting sophomore guards 6'3 Mitch Listau and 6'2 Mason Steffen. Listau is the big scorer and gets most of the headlines but, Steffen did a nice job of running the point and showed some really nice moves but, just couldn't get the shots to fall. Listau was able to knock down the mid range jumpers all game long and in the end it was Listau hitting his only three of the game at the buzzer to give Waunakee the three point win.

Top Players
Myles Thomas 6'0 senior Monona Grove- Really quick guard that really slashed to the rim driving around defenders and getting contact going to the line in the first half but, finished those drives in the second half.

Mitch Listau 6'3 sophomore Waunkee- Really smooth player that seems to get open without really looking like he's trying that hard. His mid range jumper is money and plays with a ton of confidence.

Mason Steffen 6'2 sophomore Waunkee- Over shadowed by his back court running mate but, I really like Steffen's game. He runs the point and controlled the game completely. Showed a nice game driving and then stopping and popping, unfortunately only one of these fell for him I believe. Might be a little quicker then Listau too.

Top Scorers
MG
Thomas 16 Peyton Mueller 15 Michael Thome 8
Waunakee
Listau 25 Steffen 10 Tyler Ronk 7


Middleton 71 Madison Memorial 63
I really thought Middleton could blow this game out but, it was Memorial that took the early lead using the superior height to control the offensive and defensive glass. Middleton who rely heavily on their outside shooting came out ice cold from three point range. In the early minutes it nearly looked like Memorial might run away with this one. Wasn't a pretty game early on but, just seemed like every loose ball was going Memorial's way and their height was just such a huge factor. Late in the first half though Middleton applied the pressure and like I had expected Memorial turned the ball over allowing Middleton to get back in the game. In the second half Middleton continued with the pressure and Memorial struggled throughout the second half and when Middleton started hitting their threes late the game was over.

Top Players
Jake Ferguson 6'5 junior Madison Memorial- This was finally the game where Feruson broke out a bit and played like the player I thought I would see all year. Did a great job of moving without the ball and grabbing offensive rebounds which led to easy buckets. It was the Ferguson show early on. He also knocked down some mid range jumpers with his back to the basket.

Chris Knight 6'8 junior Madison Memorial- Didn't have a great night but, made a big impression on the defensive end blocking shots. In the second half he did do a good job of catching the ball in the high post and using his quickness to score at the rim.

Storm Murphy 5'11 junior Middleton- Took a lot of bad shots in this one but, there really wasn't anyone on Memorial's team that could stay in front of him. He was able to get to the rim and finish or get fouled and was missing the threes early but, hit a couple big threes late.

Tyree Eady 6'4 junior Middleton- Another guy that was cold early but, was hitting the shots late in the game. Eady hit a pair of monster threes late that sealed the game.

Top Scorers
Memorial
Ferguson 15 Knight 14 Billy Wilson 12

Middleton 
Murphy 26 Eady 14 CJ Fermanich 10

Well there's my quick catch up from last week. Might do a player ranking later this week and then next week will be the start of showcase tournaments with the WBBY Shootout and three days of all the basketball you could possibly want. If you want to catch some of the best teams in the state play one place then the shootout at Concordia is the place to be.

Week 3 Rankings

It's Sunday again so another round of rankings. Again these rankings mean absolutely nothing but, are purely for my enjoyment and to give an idea what my rankings would be like if I had a vote.

Division One
Arrowhead lost to Mukwonago which was kind of a bad lose, dropping them to 12. Sun Prairie lost to Middleton but, beat Madison Memorial who also lost to Middleton which allowed Sun Prairie to stay put at nine and Memorial dropped to 13. Neenah was destroyed by Oshkosh North as was De Pere by Stevens Point, who fell to 15 and 14.

1. Stevens Point
2. Germantown
3. Milwaukee King
4. Milwaukee Riverside
5. Middleton
6. Sheboygan North
7. Racine Park
8. Muskego 
9. Sun Prairie
10. Kimberly
11. Oshkosh North
12. Arrowhead
13. Madison Memorial
14. De Pere
15. Neenah

Division Two
Onalaska lost to a very good D3 team in GET and fall just a couple spots to five. Monona Grove lost to Waunakee, so they fell just behind them at 11. Greendale lost to Eisenhower and team they should of lost to so only fall a spot to six. Whitnall lost to Brown Deer another good D3 team and drop to 13. Wauwatosa East lost to Sussex Hamilton and fall out of the rankings and are replaced by Wausau East at 14. Whitefish Bay went down to a very good Germantown team and hang on to the 15 spot.

1. Kaukauna
2. La Crosse Central
3. New Berlin Eisenhower
4. Pewaukee
5. Onalaska
6. Greendale
7. Milwaukee Washington
8. Cedarburg
9. Seymour
10. Waunakee
11. Monona Grove
12. Hortonville
13. Whitnall
14. Wausau East
15. Whitefish Bay

Division Three
Ripon went down to a so so D1 team in Milwaukee Vincent and drop a couple spots to three. Evansville lost to Lakeside Lutheran who lost to Marshall, I felt I had to put Evansville behind Lakeside to put them at 12 with Lakeside 10. Brown Deer dropped a game to a very good D2 team in Milwaukee Washington a fall a few spots to 11. Southern Door lost to Algoma and dropped to 15.

1. GET
2. Lake Mills
3. Ripon
4. Marshall
5. Brookfield Academy
6. Xavier
7. Wrightstown
8. Waupun
9. Prescott
10. Lakeside Lutheran
11. Brown Deer
12. Evansville
13. Madison Edgewood
14. Watertown Luther Prep
15. Southern Door

Division Four
Eau Claire Regis lost to a very good McDonnel Central team and drop a couple spots to 11. Racine Luteran lost to St. Joes and Dominican which shouldn't be much of shocks but, they were crushed so they do fall to 15.

1. Amherst
2. Destiny
3. Melrose-Mindoro
4. Kenosha St Joes
5. Dominican
6. Cameron 
7. Unity
8. Deerfield
9. La Crosse Aquinas
10. Markesan
11. Eau Claire Regis
12. Darlington
13. Marathon
14. Iowa Grant
15. Racine Lutheran

Division Five
Shullsburg lost to Southerwestern and drop all the way to 12 because no one else lost. Newman lost to Pittsville and fall to 15. Blair Taylor lost to Arcadia and Melrose-Mindoro and fall from the rankings and are replaed at 14 by Solon Springs. .

1. Hillsboro
2. Washburn
3. McDonnell Central
4. Seneca
5. Port Edwards
6. Gresham
7. Columbus Catholic
8. Bangor
9. Almond Bancroft
10. Clayton
11. Pecatonica
12. Shullsburg
13. Hustisford
14. Solon Springs
15. Wausau Newman 

It will be two weeks until my next rankings because of the holiday's so both weeks are basically cut in half to I will combine the next two weeks for my rankings. Should be some shake ups and the picture should be more clear after the great holiday tournaments that there are every year.

Middleton over Sun Prairie

Tonight took in the top two teams record wise in the Big Eight conference. I had seen Sun Prairie once before and this was my first time seeing Middleton play but, have seen them a lot in the past so I knew what to expect and didn't disappoint. Middleton subbed constantly throughout the game, shot a lot of threes, and played extremely hard.

Middleton came out and blitzed Sun Prairie with a full court press and Sun Prairie simply couldn't handle it. This really exposed the fact that Sun Prairie doesn't have a great ball handler outside of their point guard 6'1 senior Sam Kerr. The pressure forced the ball out of Kerr's hands and resulted in turnover after turnover. The turnovers combined with 6'5 senior Rod Johnson inability to score and Kerr suffering from a hip injury and foul trouble, led to a near 20 point lead midway through the first half. With Kerr on the bench Johnson had to run the point which seemed to settle things down and Sun Prairie was able to crawl back into the game behind some scrappy play. At half Middleton was up 35 to 27.

For Middleton it was the three headed junior monster all night. Early on it was 6'0 CJ Fermanich scoring in transition and knocking down the open jumpers. Then later in the game it was 6'4 Tyree Eady hitting the threes and sealing the game from the free throw line. Throughout the entire game the strong guard play of 5'11 Storm Murphy controlled the game throughout beating his defenders off the dribble and finding open team mates or provided the defensive pressure on the ball handler on the defensive end.

Sun Prairie battled throughout and were able to get the game down to five points at one time but, Eady and company were always there to push the lead to 10. Johnson couldn't miss from three late in the game and was hitting free throws but, it just seemed like anyone else wanted to take a shot. In the end Sun Prairie's lack of ball handlers did them in and Middleton was able to throw too many players at them. Middleton won 69 to 61.

Top Players
Rod Johnson 6'5 senior Sun Prairie- Johnson did a nice job of running the point when there just wasn't anyone else to do it. Johnson also was hitting the three in the second half which got Sun Prairie back in the game. He was also money from the free throw line all game long as well as being the teams emotional leader all game. I can see him playing at the next level when he posts up a defender and knocks down the fade away, hitting the step back three, or just the deep three, three feet behind the line.

Storm Murphy 5'11 junior Middleton- Didn't have the scoring numbers of the other two big time players but, Murphy was probably my MVP. Murphy completely controlled this game both on offense and defense with his quickness and I don't think anyone could stay in front of him. He also hand his hands on numerous passes on the defense end. Despite his lack of size I really like this kid.

CJ Fermanich 6'0 junior Middleton- Really a heady player that finished around the hoop very well and knocked down the outside shot. Always does a lot but, never seems like he's working hard but, always seems to be in the right spot at the right time.

Tyree Eady 6'4 junior Middleton- Probably the best overall athlete on the team. Does a little bit of everything from shooting the three, to rebounding, and can also handle the ball. Eady was huge in this one hitting two late threes and going 8 of 10 from the free throw line.

Box Score 
Sun Prairie 61- Johnson 23 Nate Verstegen 10 Kerr 8 Marlon Ruffin 8 Deshawn Black 6 Ben Hauser 3 Sean Suchomel 3 DJ Jones 0 Taylor Jansen 0 Marty Schroeder 0
Middleton 69- Eady 20 Fermanich 19 Murphy 11 Brogan Brunker 5 Mitch Bacon 3 Kevin Ripp 3 Daydrian Spears 3 Cody Markel 3 Jack Smith 2 Travis Raffel 0 Brady Thomas 0 Myron Ashford Jr 0

Middleton really looks like a conference contender and having seen East and Memorial as well I don't see anyone beating Middleton unless the go completely cold. Sun Prairie on the other hand will need to find some ball handling to help Kerr out otherwise you will just be able to press them all game long.

Dunks of the Year

Every year I get to the end of the season and start thinking back to all the dunks I saw and wonder what dunk truly was the best or what were some of the best. I've decided this year to keep a running list of the top 10 dunks I've seen throughout the year to help me remember some of the best. In my mind a good dunk is one that gets the crow excited, maybe wasn't expected, or something that makes you get out of your seat. Some of the best that come to mind from the past 10 years I've been watching is Justin Dahmen throwing one off the glass to Wes Mathews who was trailing the play. Duane Wilson's put back dunk off the glass at the WBBYShootout and the multiple break away dunks. Marquis Mason with to many to count but, the tops are a one power dribble and throwing it down over the defender and the windmill to seal the game against Verona. Last years may of been the put back dunk by Kobe King at the Midwest Classic last year. So far I've only seen three dunks but, we have to start somewhere.

1. Jake Ferguson 6'5 junior Madison Memorial vs Sun Prairie December 8.
Ferguson drove the baseline and threw down a powerful two handed dunk. This one was kind of unexpected as I expected him just to lay it in but, he just went up and put it down.

2. Chris Knight 6'8 junior Madison Memorial vs Madison East December 3
Knight caught the ball just past half court and took it to the hoop in transition and threw it down one handed between three East defenders. This play got the crowd pumped up and wasn't a great dunk but, was a tremendous play overall.

3. Chris Knight 6'8 junior Madison Memorial vs Sun Prairie December 8
Typical steal and break away dunk that resulted in a nice little two handed dunk. Almost looked too easy though.

Well there are the first three but, I'm sure not the last.

Week 2 Rankings

It's Sunday which means it's time for another week of my personal rankings. Had a few teams lose this week but, nothing that jumps out to me right off hand. Madison East has started the season 0-3 after started the year ranked fifth in my rankings and a state appearance year ago. Defending D2 champion Mount Horeb is also 1-3.

Division One
A pair of top teams lost to a pair of lower rankings teams with De Pere losing to Kimberly and Madison Memorial going down to Sun Prairie.Madison East lost to Middleton and Janesville Craig. and fall from the rankings. Kimberly lost to Neenah which really made things tough at the bottom. Kimberly has already beaten De Pere and Oshkosh North so they had to stay ahead of them with matching records and Appleton West had already lost to Neenah so they hang on at 15b. Muskego is new to the rankings at 10.

1. Stevens Point
2. Germantown
3. Milwaukee King
4. Milwaukee Riverside
5. Middleton
6. Arrowhead
7. Sheboygan North
8. Racine Park
9. Sun Prairie
10. Muskego
11. Madison Memorial
12. Neenah
13. Kimberly
14. De Pere
15. Oshkosh North
15b. Appleton West

Division Two
Whitnall went down to Pewaukee, who seems to be beating everything and Whitnall falls to 10. Waunakee lost to Sauk Prairie, Wauwatosa East lost to Brookfield Central, Whitefish Bay lost to Milwaukee Marquette, and Hortonville lost to Kaukauna all very tough games so no one falls from the rankings but, fall into 12, 13, 14, and 15.

1. Kaukauna
2. La Crosse Central
3. New Berlin Eisenhower
4. Onalaska
5. Monona Grove
6. Greendale
7. Pewaukee
8. Milwaukee Washington
9. Cedarburg
10. Whitnall
11. Seymour
12. Waunakee
13. Wauwatosa East
14. Whitefish Bay
15. Hortonville

Division Three
Brookfield Academy lost to Milwaukee Morse-Marshall and Brown Deer lost to Milwaukee Pius both very tough teams and they drop only a couple spots to six and seven. WLP lost to Lakeside Lutheran and drop just a spot to 15. East Troy lost to two very tough teams in Milwaukee Washington and Destiny but, fall out of the rankings and are replaced by Madison Edgewood who is new to D3 this year having played D2 always in the past.

1. Ripon
2. GET 
3. Lake Mills
4. Evansville
5. Marshall
6. Brookfield Academy
7. Brown Deer
8. Xavier
9. Lakeside Lutheran
10. Wrightstown
11. Southern Door
12. Waupun
13. Prescott
14. Madison Edgewood
15. Watertown Luther Prep

Division Four
Only one team in the top 15 lost as Aquinas lost to Regis who was to be expected and Aquinas drops two spots this week. .

1. Amherst
2. Destiny
3. Melrose-Mindoro
4. Kenosha St Joes
5. Dominican
6. Cameron
7. Unity
8. Eau Claire Regis
9. Deerfield 
10. Racine Lutheran
11. La Crosse Aquinas
12. Markesan
13. Darlington
14. Marathon 
15. Iowa Grant

Division Five
Almond-Bancroft lost to Port Edwards dropping to 10 followed by Clayton who lost to Cameron. Always a tough team to judge with the competition they play but, Young Coggs Prep lost to Milwaukee Hamilton and fall from the rankings.

1. Hillsboro
2. Shullsburg
3. Washburn
4. McDonnell Central
5. Seneca
6. Port Edwards
7. Gresham
8. Columbus Catholic
9. Bangor
10. Almond-Bancroft
11. Clayton
12. Pecatonica
13. Newman Catholic
14. Blair Taylor
15. Hustisford