Preps Alcove

A look at the local conference standings and scoring leaders (conference games only) as of games played Jan. 6:

Classic 8 boys

TEAM	W	L	PF	PA
Catholic Memorial	4	0	53.5	44.3
Waukesha North	3	1	48.8	35.5
Arrowhead	2	1	58.7	46.0
Mukwonago	2	1	56.3	56.0
Waukesha South	1	2	44.3	46.0
Kettle Moraine	1	3	45.3	55.3
Waukesha West	1	3	36.8	50.5
Milwaukee Pius	0	3	36.3	46.0

Top scorers:

1. TJ Bray (Catholic Memorial), 20.0 ppg
2. Dan Kelm (Kettle Moraine), 17.8
3. Derek Hasanoglu (Mukwonago), 14.3
4. Ben Mills (Arrowhead), 14.0
5. Ty Bauschek (Mukwonago), 14.0
6. Bryan Washington (Waukesha South), 12.7
7. Russ Finco (Arrowhead), 12.3
8. Matt Becker (Waukesha North), 11.8
9. Charlie Fischer (Arrowhead), 10.3
10. Tim Woodford (Waukesha South), 10.3

Classic 8 girls

TEAM	W	L	PF	PA
Mukwonago	5	0	59.6	39.6
Milwaukee Pius	4	1	55.2	42.6
Kettle Moraine	4	1	55.2	41.6
Waukesha South	2	2	46.3	44.8
Waukesha West	2	2	45.0	44.8
Arrowhead	1	3	47.3	51.5
Catholic Memorial	0	4	34.3	48.0
Waukesha North	0	5	23.2	56.4

1. Katy Allen (Waukesha South), 13.0
2. Kelly Frings (Milwaukee Pius), 11.8
3. Jackie Pasholk (Arrowhead), 11.5
4. Samantha Pfeifer (Kettle Moraine), 11.4
5. Briana Radowicz (Mukwonago), 11.0
6. Michey Karsten (Waukesha South), 10.7
7. Emily Sydnor (Milwaukee Pius), 10.4
8. Katie Switalski (Waukesha West), 10.0
9. Morgan Lamberg (Mukwonago), 10.0
10. Rachel White (Catholic Memorial), 10.0

Greater Metro Boys

TEAM	W	L	PF	PA
Sussex Hamilton	4	0	72.0	57.5
Wauwatosa East	4	0	57.0	44.3
Brookfield Central	3	1	57.0	45.3
Marquette	3	1	56.0	45.3
Menomonee Falls	1	3	54.3	63.0
West Allis Central	1	3	41.5	45.0
West Allis Hale	0	4	41.3	72.0
Brookfield East	0	4	36.3	43.0

1. Kameron Cerroni (Hamilton), 23.0
2. Brett Meinecke (Hamilton), 18.3
3. Garrett Maloney (Marquette), 17.0
4. Eric Williams (Wauwatosa East), 15.3
5. Lee Becker (Menomonee Falls), 13.7
6. JP Tokoto (Menomonee Falls), 12.0
7. Brian Gryszkiewicz (Hamilton), 11.5
8. Daniel Patton (Brookfield East), 11.3
9. Sam Beres (Marquette), 10.0
10. Seth Mortag (Brookfield Central), 10.0

Greater Metro Girls

TEAM	W	L	PF	PA
DSHA	5	0	52.6	28.6
Brookfield Central	5	0	50.8	27.6
West Allis Central	3	2	45.0	43.8
Sussex Hamilton	2	3	41.2	45.2
Brookfield East	2	3	39.4	43.2
Menomonee Falls	2	3	31.8	44.8
Wauwatosa East	1	4	37.8	47.0
West Allis Hale	0	5	36.6	55.0

1. Hannah Weinberg-Kinsey (Wauwatosa East), 15.4
2. Kelly Brandenburg (DSHA), 12.6
3. Emily Grayson (West Allis Hale), 12.2
4. Kennedy Curtis (Brookfield East), 11.6
5. Margaret Panter (Wauwatosa East), 11.2
6. Joana Bielefeld (Brookfield Central), 11.0
7. Iesha Barkley (West Allis Central), 10.8
8. Courtney Lemon (Hamilton), 10.6
9. Stephanie Kirchner (Hamilton), 10.0
10. Jesse Thomas (Brookfield Central), 9.6

Wisconsin Little Ten boys

TEAM	W	L	PF	PA
Wisconsin Lutheran	3	0	58.3	34.3
West Bend West	3	1	48.8	41.8
Oconomowoc	2	1	54.0	45.0
Hartford	2	1	54.0	47.7
Slinger	2	2	40.3	49.5
Beaver Dam	1	2	47.7	51.7
Watertown	1	3	50.8	52.5
West Bend East	0	4	36.5	59.0

1. Cedquon Holmes (Wisconsin Lutheran), 16.7
2. Randy Paternoster (Hartford), 14.3
3. Tal Diekvoss (Beaver Dam), 14.3
4. Blaine Mueller (Watertown), 13.5
5. Flavien Davis (Wisconsin Lutheran), 12.3
6. Jake Cull (West Bend West), 12.3
7. Dan Docter (Beaver Dam), 11.7
8. Des Smith (Watertown), 11.3
9. Paul Swan (Oconomowoc), 10.3
10. Kegan Schieve (Slinger), 10.0

Wisconsin Little Ten Girls

TEAM	W	L	PF	PA
Wisconsin Lutheran	4	1	51.6	46.4
Oconomowoc	3	1	47.0	45.3
West Bend East	3	2	50.2	47.0
Watertown	3	2	50.0	46.6
Slinger	2	2	57.0	53.3
Beaver Dam	2	3	47.6	46.4
Hartford	2	3	39.0	45.6
West Bend West	0	5	48.8	59.6

1. Lindsay Walter (Slinger), 29.8
2. Brittni Hayes (West Bend West), 21.4
3. Lindsey Gosh (Oconomowoc), 18.8
4. Erienne Lauersdorf (Watertown), 17.2
5. Michelle Rothenhoefer (Slinger), 13.3
6. Leanna Lillge (Watertown), 12.4
7. Jordan Fischer (Wisconsin Lutheran), 12.0
8. Molly Haertle (Oconomowoc), 11.3
9. Abby Gregory (Beaver Dam), 11.2
10. Cheyanne Linde (Beaver Dam), 10.8

Woodland Boys

TEAM (South)	W	L	PF	PA
Greendale	3	2	48.2	52.0
Whitnall	2	2	54.8	47.8
Greenfield	1	3	44.0	52.5
St. Francis	1	4	52.2	68.6
St. Thomas More	0	4	42.3	57.0
Cudahy	0	4	37.8	58.3
TEAM (North)	W	L	PF	PA
NB Eisenhower	4	0	63.8	43.8
Wauwatosa West	4	0	62.5	50.8
Pewaukee	3	1	64.8	44.5
NB West	3	1	46.8	41.3
Brown Deer	2	2	52.3	50.0
Shorewood	2	2	50.8	48.5

1. William Pelkofer (Whitnall), 17.3
2. Alde Selenica (St. Francis), 15.6
3. Geordin Panagopoulos (Pewaukee), 15.0
4. Michael Wasilik (Thomas More), 14.8
5. Patrick Drew (New Berlin Eisenhower), 13.5
6. Bryan Stave (Whitnall), 13.3
7. Marc Mitchell (Shorewood), 13.3
8. Austin Selvick (New Berlin Eisenhower), 13.0
9. Joziah Mallett (Brown Deer), 12.8
10. Andy Minkley (Wauwatosa West), 12.5

Woodland Girls

TEAM (SOUTH)	W	L	PF	PA
Whitnall	4	0	46.8	43.5
Cudahy	3	1	61.8	47.5
Greendale	3	2	47.6	44.2
St. Thomas More	1	3	40.5	47.0
Greenfield	1	3	39.0	48.0
St. Francis	1	4	47.8	48.0
TEAM (NORTH)	W	L	PF	PA
Pewaukee	4	0	51.3	40.8
NB West	3	1	55.0	28.3
NB Eisenhower	3	1	52.8	45.3
Wauwatosa West	2	2	39.3	42.3
Brown Deer	0	4	36.5	51.5
Shorewood	0	4	26.8	59.5

1. Chantel Newman (Thomas More), 16.5
2. Taylor Gradinjan (Cudahy), 16.5
3. Mary Merg (Greendale), 15.6
4. Kelly Wilde (Cudahy), 15.3
5. Keira Al-Mohareb (Whitnall), 14.0
6. Amy Slesar (Pewaukee), 12.8
7. Mel Franken (St. Francis), 12.6
8. Anna Hahn (New Berlin Eisenhower), 12.5
9. Alyssa Manikowski (Cudahy), 12.3
10. Becky Gilbreath (St. Francis), 11.5

Something doesn't look right? E-mail me at jradcliffe@jcpgroup.com.

Scott Otto has been in this position before.

The West Allis Hale football coach said hearing his name associated with the Oconomowoc High School head coaching position is flattering, and also a familiar circumstance, even though he also said he had not communicated with OHS on the matter.

"Last year, I got told I was the leading candidate for the Brookfield East job," Otto said. "I have no idea where that came from. Obviously, it means I'm doing something right, if my name keeps popping up with these jobs. Right now, I'm at Nathan Hale and we'll have a nice team next year and a nice team for the next two years."

Previous published reports floated Otto's candidacy for the position -- vacant since Jim Shea was told his contract would not be renewed Nov. 5.

"Obviously, it would have to take a great situation (for me to leave), because we have a great situation at Nathan Hale," Otto said.

Otto said he has great respect for the OHS program, which has fallen on hard times with six wins in the last three years. He immediately identified the tradition that the program nonetheless maintains.

"Oconomowoc is a football community," Otto said. "Eighteen state tournament appearances, it's obviously a very attractive situation because it's a one-high school town, competing with Arrowhead a little bit. It's got a lot of nice things -- with the field house now -- and I've seen the value of their sports and things that they can do. I think it is an attractive position to a lot of people out there. They do have that tradition. With that brings pressure too, and that might scare off some people."

Otto is no stranger to rebuilding a program. He joined Hale in 2005, when the Huskies had won just four games in the preceding four years. Otto paid immediate dividends, guiding Hale to a 5-5 record and playoff appearance. For his efforts, he was named All-Suburban Coach of the Year by CNI Newspapers. The Huskies have not missed the playoffs since, falling last year to eventual state champion Homestead in the opening round.

"Whether it's right or wrong, you need to win," Otto said. "Some people say that's not what sports is about, and to an extent, that's true. But all I know is winning is better than losing. Expectations were high at Hale when I took the job, and they remain high. I try to win, and if that's wrong, then it is. I'm not sure what they're looking for (at OHS), but Jim Shea had a lot of very good coaches on his staff. Most of the time because of the teaching situation in Wisconsin, (schools) hire from within. If you wait to hire a coach in March or April, that coach is behind the 8-ball a little bit, and it's hard to bring in a teacher."

Otto's son, Brian, who will play football on scholarship next season at North Dakota, worked with his fellow linebacker Paul Swan from Oconomowoc at various camps.

"They became pretty good friends," Scott said. "I know (OHS) has talent, because nobody was more talented than Swan at that camp. (Brian Otto and Swan) are two of the better linebackers in the state."

Shea is the former head coach at Hale, resigning two years before Otto took the helm. Otto met Shea when the two taught in the same building.

"I didn't coach with Jim, but he was a fantastic science teacher," Otto said. "As far as a person, he's fantastic."

Now that Jan. 1 has arrived, it's no longer too early to start thinking about glorious March, when basketball tournaments will pepper the landscape both locally and nationally.

Many of the Lake Country Publications teams are crammed into one corner of the Division 1 hoops bracket -- Sectional No. 5. Last year, Germantown emerged as the top team from the boys field, defeating Milwaukee Vincent in the sectional final. Two teams that were on the rise -- Sussex Hamilton and Kettle Moraine -- reached the semifinals of that field and will aim to take it a step further this time around.

On the girls side, two-time defending champion Milwaukee Vincent won that bracket last year, defeating Arrowhead in the sectional final. Mukwonago and Cedarburg were semifinalists.

A look at the sectional, starting with the boys:

Team to beat: Germantown. Loyola (Ill.) recruit Ben Averkamp has been a handful for the Warhawks' foes this year, and even though Germantown lost several starters from the state-bound crew last season, they're still 6-0 with a couple close wins in the books.

Top challengers: Milwaukee Vincent and Sussex Hamilton. The Vikings are 1-3, with all three losses coming against out-of-state programs, which is really difficult to put in perspective. They still have a wealth of returning talent and figure into the sectional picture prominently. Hamilton has made steady progress with its talented 2010 class, and their 60-41 dismantling of Bay View over the holiday season is a good indicator of where they stand.

Serious contenders: Arrowhead, Oconomowoc, Mukwonago, Menomonee Falls. The fact that these teams aren't listed higher is a testament to how skilled this bracket it. Arrowhead is laden with juniors, but they've had some dominant performances as they improve steadily. Plus, they have a 6-11 big man and superb guards. Cooney is having its best season in a long time. So is Mukwonago, which defeated Arrowhead in league play earlier this year. Falls has some close losses, but they took out an undefeated and highly-ranked Oshkosh North team at the Wisconsin Basketball Yearbook Shootout, then followed up with a dominant effort against state powerhouse Monroe. Clearly, the Indians are a team on the rise.

Don't count out: Kettle Moraine and Hartford. They haven't had the start they hoped for with some talent back from last year's sectional qualifier -- including sharp-shooting senior Dan Kelm. But the Lasers have an opportunity to right the ship as the season progresses, and they will still be a factor in this bracket. Hartford is a team that will contend for a top-three finish in the Wisconsin Little Ten.

A shift over to the girls:

Team to beat: Milwaukee Vincent. Two-time defending state champs are still the top squad until somebody else says so. Ranked No. 1 in the state, the Vikings are 7-0, but not at the same experience level as last year. Junior Nicole Griffin, the state's tallest player, leads the squad in scoring, followed by another strong junior post in Ashley Birts. But any team w