Home Talent Update: Many games washed out

A handful of Home Talent League baseball games were rained out in the South Central portion of the state. Among those was matchup between Division leaders Fort Atkinson and Utica.

Fort Atkinson, who leads the East Division of the Southeast Section, was scheduled to travel to Utica, the Southeast Section West Division leaders. However, wet weather Saturday night left Utica Park’s field unplayable. A make-up date has yet to be scheduled.

Jefferson was scheduled to travel to Stoughton, but that too was called off. Jefferson was the Consolation champion during the 30^th Annual Fort Atkinson Generals’ Tournament and the Merchants took first place. Their game will be made up at a later time.

McFarland and Whitewater as well as Orfordville and Lake Mills were also rained out in the Southeast Section.

Albion blanked Deerfield, 10-0, to get back to .500 in the standings while Evansville held off Cambridge, 2-1.

In the Eastern Section, only one game was able to be played.

With an opportunity to stay in first place, Cottage Grove lost a high scoring affair to Rio. The Firemen topped Cottage Grove, 12-7, bumping CG down to 7-2 – half a game back of DeForest and Sun Prairie.

As the weather dries up, many of these make up games will have strong affects on the final standings.

Standings June 28

Southeast

East Division

Fort Atkinson 8-1

Lake Mills 4-5

Cambridge 3-6

Jefferson 3-6

Whitewater 3-6

Deerfield 2-7

West Division

Utica 7-1

McFarland 6-3

Stoughton 6-3

Albion 5-5

Evansville 4-5

Orfordville 3-6

Eastern

DeForest 8-2

Sun Prairie 8-2

Cottage Grove 7-2

Monona 7-2

Lodi 7-4

Rio 5-5

Marshall 3-7

Waterloo 3-8

Poynette 2-8

Columbus 0-10

Western

Verona 9-1

Wiota 7-1

Monroe 8-2

Argyle 5-3

Platteville 5-4

Ridgeway 4-6

Dodgeville 4-6

Hollandale 3-8

New Glarus 1-7

Blanchardville 0-8

Northern

East Division

Middleton 8-2

Cross Plaines 7-2

Ashton 6-3

Black Earth 6-3

Waunakee 4-6

Pine Bluff 1-8

West Division

Sauk Prairie 8-2

Reedsburg 7-2

Plain 4-6

Cazenovia 2-7

Mazomanie 2-7

Richland Center 2-8

Stoughton primed to make run at state title in boy's hockey

Stoughton advanced to the WIAA quarterfinals in boy’s hockey with a 6-3 win over Waukesha North. They have cruised through the playoffs; except for an overtime win over Milwaukee Marquette. Stoughton made it to the quarters last year, but they couldn’t get past Superior. This year should be different. Stoughton is ranked No. 3 on wisconsinprephockey.net, and they have had one of the best offenses in the WIAA this season. Junior forwards Trevor Hoth and Eric Howell have seven and five goals respectively in three playoff games. Stoughton only has one loss all season, and they were held to three goals. If the University School/Cedarburg winner wants to win, they will need great defense and even better goal keeping.

If Stoughton can continue the offensive barrage, look for a huge semi-final matchup against No. 2 Notre Dame Academy or another local school, No. 7 Madison Edgewood. Edgewood just knocked off Middleton 4-3 after scoring three goals in the third period and getting 42 saves from senior Brad Jerzewski. He has 81 saves in the last two games, and the bloated opposing team’s shots on goal doesn’t bode well against an offensive machine like Notre Dame Academy. Edgewood is trying to get back to the WIAA state championship for the first time since 2008, but the matchup doesn’t fit their style. Look for a Notre Dame/Stoughton semi-final.

If Stoughton and Notre Dame Academy meet in a semi-final, it will be an amazing game; two offensive-minded teams battling for a chance at a title. Either team can win, and the team who strikes first may not be the team that celebrates at the end. The game can go either way, and these two teams have the best chance at beating No. 1 Wausau West, a team that has had two tough games so far in the tournament. As it looks now, the winner of a Stoughton/Notre Dame Academy game is going to win the title, unless they beat each other up of course.

Southern Badger far from decided in boy's basketball.

The Southern Badger boy’s basketball season is heating up as it comes down to the final few games. Monroe crushed Fort Atkinson to move a half game in first at 9-2 ahead of Madison Edgewood, who was upset by Oregon to fall to 9-3. The loss by Edgewood did more than drop them out of first, however. It opened the door for another school to sneak into the race, Stoughton.

In what turned into one of the most entertaining games of the night, Stoughton edged Monona Grove 50-48 to move to 8-3 in the conference. However, the Silver Eagles believe Stoughton survived. The Vikings led by 16 points midway through the third quarter, and they were cruising to a win.

When it comes to closing basketball games, the free throw-line becomes important. Stoughton let the Silver Eagles get back into the game by only shooting seven of 19 from the line in the fourth quarter. On the other end, Monona Grove hit 11 of 13 from the line. The Vikings were now in a battle, and even though they led the entire game, the Silver Eagles had the ball with less than five seconds to go and were down two.

Jake Retzlaff drove the lane and came to within five-feet of the basket. He put the shot up, but something was wrong. Tom Speth, who led the team with 13 points, put his hands up and blocked the shot to end the game. A sigh of relief from the Viking faithful followed.

The way they won becomes irrelevant. They won, and they closed the gap in the conference with the season winding down. They have a slim chance of earning a share of the title, but it is a chance nonetheless. The Vikings will play on, and the conference has to wait a few more days to see what team will be the champion.