Big Eight, senior core propels Verona to state tournament

The Verona Area High School boys’ basketball team is in the WIAA state tournament for the first time since they joined the loaded Big Eight Conference.

Verona went to the state tourney in 2006 and 2007, when they were part of the Badger South. After two years in the Big Eight, the team is back at the Kohl Center and coach Alan Buss attributes part of his team’s late season run to the stiff competition the Big Eight offers.

“Everybody believes their conference is very good, and rightfully so,” Buss said during a state media teleconference. “But I think in the Big Eight you get such a balance of great teams and great athletes that it really tests you and prepares you. And I think we saw that over the weekend. The two teams we played, Burlington and Kenosha Bradford, are very good. … I think playing in the Big Eight, 18 games, really prepared us for what we saw this weekend.”

The Wildcats (18-7 overall, 12-6 conference) finished tied for third in the Big Eight with Middleton. Madison Memorial and Madison East finished first and second respectively. Memorial is also in the state tournament.

Verona received a first round bye and beat Westosha Central, 54-42, to begin their tournament. Verona handled Burlington, 55-43, and topped Bradford, 56-49.

Buss credited solid free-throw shooting and quality all-around play from his group of players, which are led by a solid group of seniors. The coach said his squad got to the stripe 87 times during the playoffs compared to their opponents’ 39 trips.

“Our free-throw shooting has been outstanding and the number of times we’ve gotten to the line,” Buss said. “We shot 74 percent from the free-throw line during this tournament.

“We have four guys averaging double figures the last three games, so our balance has just been outstanding,” the coach added. “I think we played our best basketball these last three games in the tournament.”

The Wildcats will have to continue to play good basketball when they meet Arrowhead (22-3 overall, 12-2 Classic Eight) and 7-footer Ben Mills.

“I’ve seen [Mills] on tape. I haven’t seen him in person,” Buss said. “I think with us, it’s a matter of being physical with him and making sure we get a lot of help.”

The Verona coach said the team will rely on 6’7” forward Scott Christensen to defend Mills and the other four players on the court will need to help out also.

The Wildcats won’t be without experienced players to assist Christensen, as the starting lineup has been altered throughout the year. Buss said his team is realistically nine players deep.

“We had some things happen later in the year and Klayton [Brandt] went from being our back-up point guard to our starting guard and Kaden Nauman, who was our starting point guard became our two-guard because Matt Ropel tore his MCL and he’s out,” the coach explained. “We’ve had to make some changes down the stretch but it hasn’t seem to have affected our chemistry too much.”

Along with guards Brandt and Nauman, Sam Karls handles the wing while Adam Wadzinski and Christensen work down low as forwards. Every member of the starting five is seniors.

Senior Taylor Peterson backs up the forwards and junior Nate Ray subs at guard. Junior Danny Burns is a viable option at wing when Karls needs a breather, according to Buss.

The Wildcats’ coach said Karls accepted the role as leader with this year’s team, but the players have been determined all season after being “spectators” during the school’s last appearances at the state tournament.

“When we need a big player [Karls is] typically in the middle of it … I think he’s really relished that role and done a great job with that,” Buss said.

“They came into the season determined to give themselves the best chance to do [go to state],” he said. “It’s been a pretty special group of kids in terms of their resiliency and ability to bounce back from some tough losses. We’re a predominantly senior team, they take up a lot of the minutes, and they’ve really shown a lot of resiliency.”

The WIAA Division 1 State basketball tournament quarterfinals are today. Verona and Arrowhead are scheduled to tip-off approximately 25 minutes after the completion of the Milwaukee Hamilton and Marquette game, scheduled for 6:35 p.m.

Madison area D-III boys primed to make state run

There are several Madison area boys’ basketball teams hoping to make a deep run in the WIAA playoffs, beginning with regional play March 2. Not all of those schools are large D-I programs. Madison area D-III schools could have success, especially in the Verona sectional.

In the top half of the bracket is No. 1 Cuba City, who should have little problem getting past Mineral Point in its opening round game. If the Cubans (21-0) make it to the second round they would face either Belleville or Orfordville-Parkview.

Parkview tied atop the Rock Valley-South Conference with a 10-5 record. The Vikings (15-6 overall) faced tougher competition this season and came out with a better record than Belleville (14-7) did in the Capitol-South. Whichever team wins, will have a difficult time with Cuba City.

The Cuban’s biggest test could come in the regional final when they may meet up with Capitol-South champ Wisconsin Heights. The No. 2 Vanguards (18-2 overall) ran the table in their conference finishing 10-0. The one-two punch of Dustin Helmenstine and Bryce Barsness could give CCHS a run for its money.

If Wisc. Heights does not make it to the regional final, No. 3 Darlington is likely responsible.

Darlington (18-3 overall) lost just one conference game - it came at the hands of rival Cuba City. If Darlington meets up with the Cubans in the regional final, the rivalry factor comes into play. At that point, flipping a coin could be the most accurate way to predict a winner.

The bottom bracket in the sectional pits local rivals against each other immediately. No. 4 Deerfield hosts No. 5 Cambridge. Though the schools play in separate conferences now, they used to face off regularly. The schools met in a non-conference game Jan. 2 and Cambridge held off a late Demon run to win 59-57.

The Demon’s (14-7) will be looking for payback when Cambridge (8-13) returns.

In the second rivalry game, Waterloo will look to beat nearby Marshall for the third time this year. Waterloo (10-11) won 49-43 and 58-36 in the team’s two Capitol-South matchups. Marshall (2-19) has a young squad and can pin their ears back and play with a ‘nothing-to-lose’ attitude. In a rivalry setting, the Pirates will have to come ready to play.

Whichever teams come out of the rivalry parings in the middle of the bracket could make a deep run as the top two seeds – No. 1 Poynette and No. 2 Beloit-Turner – do not have as strong of resume as the top bracket’s 1 and 2 teams.

Poynette (13-8) Struggled at times in the Capitol-North finishing 6-4 in conference play. Senior Cody Odegaard has the ability to take over a game and the Pumas will need that leadership to reach the sectional tournament.

Turner (13-8 overall) finished fifth in the Rock Valley-South. The only team it ranked ahead of was Palmyra-Eagle (1-20). Luckily for them, the Trojans play P-E to start regional play.

The early favorite to claim the sectional crown is Cuba City. However, if the Cubans fall, look for whoever claims the top regional to claim the sectional title. The top bracket is more loaded than the bottom.

Lead(holm)ing the team to victory

Cambridge’s Shane Leadholm demonstrated the value that four years of varsity experience gives a basketball player during a Capitol-South Conference matchup versus the Marshall Cardinals Tuesday night. The game was an exciting one with 12 lead changes and was decided by a mere two points. The tight game was no surprise considering the team’s battled through two overtime periods before Marshall won the first meeting.

Leadholm, a dangerous guard, who can control the ball and shoot from anywhere on the floor, was shut down by Marshall’s speedy Luis Acosta for the entire first half and did not score a point. However, the 5’11” senior did not let a frustrating first half deter him.

Trailing by five at halftime, he sparked the Blue Jay’s (6-11 overall, 2-6 conference) in the second half, scoring 12 points including the game winner with 29 seconds on the clock.

Leadholm scored six of his 12 during a crucial 11-2 run to end the third quarter, bringing the Jays within two points going into the fourth. His next big shot gave his team its first lead since early on in the second quarter, connecting on a jumper with 4:11 to play. Leadholm’s reverse layup with less than three minutes to play knotted the game at 52 apiece.

Leadholm’s final two points proved to be the difference in the game when he drove the lane, pulled up and shot over a pair of Cardinal (2-14, 1-6) defenders. He got the shooter’s roll off the front of the rim and gave the Blue Jays a 56-54 lead – the eventual final score.

Granted, Leadholm has certainly played better overall games during his high school career. And on Tuesday other players on his team out performed him – sophomore Nic Bowe scored a game-high 20 points, 12 in second half, and junior guard Adam Gobel scored 12 points including a pair of 3s.

Tuesday, though, each of Leadholm’s six field goals came at a significant point in the game and he was the largest contributor to Cambridge’s comeback win.

Surely, it feels particularly sweet for Leadholm considering he was at the free-throw line with 7.2 seconds left in regulation when the teams played last. He missed both free throws in a tie game. The contest went into double-overtime and the Cardinals eventually won 66-58.

Leadholm didn’t miss when the game was on the line Tuesday. He kept his composure and showed the Cambridge home crowd why he has been a member of the varsity squad the last four years.

Game of the Night

The day began cold and snowy. The morning rush hour dragged through sloppy roads. People marched to work on a Tuesday. The expression on their melancholy faces told the entire story. Why isn’t it spring yet? Why is the winter still dragging on? How can we make it through another month of freezing nights and sloppy conditions? On my lunch break from my other job close to the Monona Terrace, I walked across the street towards the capitol building and a river of slop, much like the river of slime in Ghostbusters two, was rushing under my feet. I think it caused a few people to fight as well (another attribute associated with the river of slime). The day seemed like it was never going to end.

Then something happened: a flash, an answer as to why we should enjoy the month of February. The reason flashed before my eyes of why we can make it through the month and build an even larger appreciation for March. Did somebody guess what it is? No, it isn’t because February is only 28 days long. The answer is the final stretch of the winter preps sports season, and tonight the showcase was on boy’s and girl’s basketball. But out of the 80 plus games in the area and all the conference showdowns, there was one non-conference game that stood out to make the winter much more enjoyable.

It was the Delafield St. John’s Northwest Military Academy at Watertown Luther Prep boy’s basketball game. St. John’s won 71-68. Here is a link to the Madison.com box score: http://prepstats.madison.com/?sport_id=1&view=boxscore&view_id=54360.

Although you can see the game was close, there is much hidden from your view. Let’s break down the first half. Kevin Mays, a junior forward, scored 11 points in the first for St. John’s and helped them build a 15-point cushion. They took advantage of a flat-footed Luther Prep team that didn’t seem ready to play. Now, it seemed like Luther Prep was in trouble and St. John’s had them right where they wanted. Wrong. Instead, Luther Prep’s Dante Kuehl, Andrew Nottling and Jake Ziel each had six points in the second quarter to help cut the lead to five at the half. Suddenly, the game wasn’t so clear-cut anymore.

The second half proved to be the true entertainment after an exciting flip-flop first half. Luther Prep would grab a one-point lead at 41-40 with four and a half minutes to play before losing it as soon afterwards. They continued to put the pressure on St. John’s and took another one-point lead at 59-58 with six minutes left in the fourth. The feeling was that the game would be decided on a last second shot. The back and forth contest had to end that way. It couldn’t be decided earlier. And, my wish came true. With 23 seconds to go, Josh Schroeder nailed two free throws, making him four of four from the line for the game, to tie it at 68.

Here we go. St. John’s had the ball with a chance to win the game. A miss would send it into overtime, but a basket would make a hero. Sure enough, with five seconds to go, the ball found the open man in the corner. Chris McFarlane, who scored 20 points for St. John’s, nailed a 3-pointer with two seconds to go to win the game. The last seconds weren’t enough for Luther Prep, and they shot a miracle ball from half court with opposing players in their face. It was over. St. John’s had survived the wild night.

The impressive part about the victory was coming into the home court of a Northern Capitol conference power and out lasting the crowd to get a huge win. Watertown Luther Prep is 12-3 and 6-1 in the conference, standing alone in first place. Delafield St. John’s is 9-5 and 4-2 in the Central Midwest Classic conference. But the records don’t matter on this night. On this night, the Lancers are the victors; the Lancers are the ones who hold their heads high; the Lancers and Phoenix gave me a reason to look forward to the next cold winter day. We are in the final stretch of the prep basketball season, and we will have many more games of the night like this one. Enjoy.