Preps Alcove

Hoops stats and standings rundown

JR Radcliffe — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 18:13:43 GMT

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:

TJ Bray (Catholic Memorial), 20.0 ppg
Dan Kelm (Kettle Moraine), 17.8
Derek Hasanoglu (Mukwonago), 14.3
Ben Mills (Arrowhead), 14.0
Ty Bauschek (Mukwonago), 14.0
Bryan Washington (Waukesha South), 12.7
Russ Finco (Arrowhead), 12.3
Matt Becker (Waukesha North), 11.8
Charlie Fischer (Arrowhead), 10.3
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

Katy Allen (Waukesha South), 13.0
Kelly Frings (Milwaukee Pius), 11.8
Jackie Pasholk (Arrowhead), 11.5
Samantha Pfeifer (Kettle Moraine), 11.4
Briana Radowicz (Mukwonago), 11.0
Michey Karsten (Waukesha South), 10.7
Emily Sydnor (Milwaukee Pius), 10.4
Katie Switalski (Waukesha West), 10.0
Morgan Lamberg (Mukwonago), 10.0
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

Kameron Cerroni (Hamilton), 23.0
Brett Meinecke (Hamilton), 18.3
Garrett Maloney (Marquette), 17.0
Eric Williams (Wauwatosa East), 15.3
Lee Becker (Menomonee Falls), 13.7
JP Tokoto (Menomonee Falls), 12.0
Brian Gryszkiewicz (Hamilton), 11.5
Daniel Patton (Brookfield East), 11.3
Sam Beres (Marquette), 10.0
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

Hannah Weinberg-Kinsey (Wauwatosa East), 15.4
Kelly Brandenburg (DSHA), 12.6
Emily Grayson (West Allis Hale), 12.2
Kennedy Curtis (Brookfield East), 11.6
Margaret Panter (Wauwatosa East), 11.2
Joana Bielefeld (Brookfield Central), 11.0
Iesha Barkley (West Allis Central), 10.8
Courtney Lemon (Hamilton), 10.6
Stephanie Kirchner (Hamilton), 10.0
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

Cedquon Holmes (Wisconsin Lutheran), 16.7
Randy Paternoster (Hartford), 14.3
Tal Diekvoss (Beaver Dam), 14.3
Blaine Mueller (Watertown), 13.5
Flavien Davis (Wisconsin Lutheran), 12.3
Jake Cull (West Bend West), 12.3
Dan Docter (Beaver Dam), 11.7
Des Smith (Watertown), 11.3
Paul Swan (Oconomowoc), 10.3
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

Lindsay Walter (Slinger), 29.8
Brittni Hayes (West Bend West), 21.4
Lindsey Gosh (Oconomowoc), 18.8
Erienne Lauersdorf (Watertown), 17.2
Michelle Rothenhoefer (Slinger), 13.3
Leanna Lillge (Watertown), 12.4
Jordan Fischer (Wisconsin Lutheran), 12.0
Molly Haertle (Oconomowoc), 11.3
Abby Gregory (Beaver Dam), 11.2
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

William Pelkofer (Whitnall), 17.3
Alde Selenica (St. Francis), 15.6
Geordin Panagopoulos (Pewaukee), 15.0
Michael Wasilik (Thomas More), 14.8
Patrick Drew (New Berlin Eisenhower), 13.5
Bryan Stave (Whitnall), 13.3
Marc Mitchell (Shorewood), 13.3
Austin Selvick (New Berlin Eisenhower), 13.0
Joziah Mallett (Brown Deer), 12.8
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

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

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

Update on OHS football coach search

JR Radcliffe — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 22:12:00 GMT

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."

A really early look at hoops postseason

JR Radcliffe — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 18:44:42 GMT

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 with only one senior brings a measure of inexperience, and as a result, they could be beatable. Last year, they simply were not.

Top challenger: Mukwonago. It would probably surprise a lot of people if MHS and Vincent did not end up meeting in the sectional final. Ranked fifth in the state, the Indians are loaded with contributing players, led by senior Briana Radowicz, junior Morgan Lamberg and junior Shannon Perez. First-year coach Staci Butalla has a legitimate chance to make the state tournament right away.

Serious contenders: Homestead, Arrowhead, Kettle Moraine. The latter two Classic 8 programs will be battling for second or third place in the league after Mukwonago and Pius. Arrowhead has nowhere near the offensive firepower it boasted last year, but it still brings a trademark brand of defense that can cause teams lots of problems. With almost an entirely new starting cast, they could gel in time. KM has a good mix of experience and contributing youth. Homestead has jumped out to a fast start in the North Shore and will probably be a favorite to make the sectional final four.

Don't count out: Oconomowoc and Hartford. Both teams are jockeying for position atop the Wisconsin Little Ten and have a chance to make some noise all year long. Sussex Hamilton might be a complete project by the end of the season, as well.

The Pewaukee outlook:

Down in Division 2, Pewaukee's boys and girls teams have a legitimate shot to make the state field as well. The girls are 6-0 and the highest ranked team in their bracket. The boys, meanwhile, will have to battle the toughest road in Division 2 if they get to Madison. On the girls half:

Regional challenges: New Berlin Eisenhower and New Berlin West. Both are upper-tier teams in the Woodland Conference, and West ruined Pewaukee's postseason last year with a first-round playoff upset. PHS gets its first look at Eisenhower in a makeup game Jan. 10, and neither New Berlin team has the firepower of last year's teams.

Regional final challenge?: Ripon. Leading scorer Taylor Wurtz is headed to the University of Wisconsin, and the Tigers have started the season 7-1. They're currently ranked No. 10 in the state, which makes them one of the sectional's toughest foes.

Sectional final challenge?: Grafton or Cudahy. The Black Hawks aren't the same without Rachael Hencke, but they're still a two-time state qualifier looking for a return appearance behind highly-regarded senior Sarah Eichler. Cudahy also carries a state ranking for the time being despite two losses -- both to strong programs.

On the boys side:

Regional challenges: St. John's, New Berlin Eisenhower, Port Washington. There's really no secret about Eisenhower -- last year's state champs are hungry for more, and they're ranked No. 2 in the state. Pewaukee can hang with them, but everyone paying attention to D2 hoops will be curious when the two teams meet Feb. 6 (or in the postponed Dec. 19 game, whenever that happens). PHS is currently ranked eighth in the state -- which makes them the THIRD highest-ranked team in the regional division of seven teams. It also makes the Pirates the SIXTH highest-ranked team in the sectional. Ridiculous. Port Washington is No. 3 currently, undefeated behind Josh Gasser, who is scoring close to 30 points per game. St. John's is merely an afterthought, despite being undefeated with an extremely exciting triumvirate of sophomore Kevin Mays, senior Carlos Toussaint and freshman Isaiah Gray.

Regional final challenge?: Plymouth. With three players averaging double figures, 6-1 Plymouth is ranked seventh in the state

Sectional final challenge?: Wisconsin Lutheran or Whitefish Bay. We might as well have the No. 1-ranked team in the state on board as well. The Vikings have all-state caliber junior Flavien Davis and senior Cedquon Holmes running the show, which has led to double-digit wins over most everyone they play. Fifth-ranked Bay has started the year 7-1 behind Jimmy Sherburne. Their only loss has come against aforementioned Germantown. So Port Washington, Germantown and Bay all play in the same league, with teams like Homestead hardly a pushover. Is there any question whether or not the North Shore is the toughest boys basketball conference in the area? I didn't even mention Milwaukee Lutheran, with Division 1 recruit Chim Kadima on the floor.

To review: four of the top five and six of the top-ranked eight schools in Division 2 come out of sectional No. 4 -- one-fourth of the Division 2 field. One of those teams will reach state.

Cooney boys make most of holiday tourneys

JR Radcliffe — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 20:00:24 GMT

I love intense basketball games that come down to the wire, though I do my best to not care strongly about who comes out ahead. It's bad journalistic practice, after all, to be partial. But I couldn't help myself over the past few days when I watched the Oconomowoc boys basketball team taking on a couple of bullies from the Greater Metro Conference -- Marquette and Brookfield Central. In the latter game, OHS scored a big upset over an undefeated and state-ranked team.

I like to watch OHS play, and it's not hard to root for them. They have very little height to speak of, with most of their scoring leaders standing 6-foot-1 or shorter. At 6-foot-4, reserve post Alex Kellerman is the tallest player on the roster, period, and junior Paul Williams (liberally listed at 5-foot-10) is a hustling, acrobatic guard who has about 50 different ways to maneuver the ball around a defender en route to the rim. After a couple down years, the program has hit an upswing, with every significant contributor from last year's team back this season.

Central, which carries one of the state's strongest traditions, was ninth-ranked in the state according to the WBCA heading into its own tournament. Last year, Cooney lost to Wauwatosa West in the semifinal of this event, and I got the feeling the tourney was designed to give Central a crack at state power Milwaukee Washington in Tuesday's title match. Instead, Cooney gets a crack at Washington after an impressive defensive display, which included constant 1-3-1 traps.

The win is one that should put Kurt Melton's team on the map, if they're not already there at 5-1. It didn't strike me that this was as impressive a Central team as it has been in years past, and I was really surprised that they came unraveled with two technical fouls in the crucial fourth-quarter moments, but a win over Brookfield Central is a win to be proud of. OHS won 6 games last year, and I think they could win as many as 16 this year.

OHS was disappointed after a 3-point loss against Marquette at the Wisconsin Basketball Yearbook Shootout on Friday, with stretches of sloppy play contributing to the loss. Marquette won only 7 games last year, so it's also turning itself around, but Marquette is another program with strong tradition and some very talented players, including 6-5 post Garrett Maloney. Melton said the loss could be one of the most helpful games of the season if Cooney gains what he expected they should, and the Raccoons obviously learned something when earning a victory against a more heralded opponent three days later.

Just being in the WBY Shootout is a big deal, and it's a first for Cooney. Held at the Al McGuire Center in Milwaukee, the awesome two-day event attracts some of the state's premier programs, largely from the Milwaukee area but also beyond. Several out-of-state teams have visited as well, with many notable Division 1 recruits. I won't pretend to know the circumstances of how those teams become aligned for the tourney, but the showcase usually features front-line teams and players. Cooney's participation at the upstanding facility is perhaps a coincidence, but you can also read into it as a sign of the program's forward progress.

So forgive me if, while covering an area basketball team, I find myself secretly rooting. They're in a tough sectional and still have to deal with Wisconsin Lutheran, so I think it's safe to say that a conference title or sectional final appearance would remain monumental accomplishments. But it's almost a lock that they're going to finish above .500 for the first time since 2003 and push for some pretty exciting things.

Winter sports notes:

Too early for "undefeated watch?" Coaches hate it when people think in such presumptuous terms, but there are a couple unbeatens on the girls basketball scene worth noting. Pewaukee (6-0) plays in a Woodland Conference that doesn't offer all that much resistance, and this a similar team to the one that went 19-0 last year before falling in the final game of the regular season (and first game of the tourney season) to New Berlin West. Mukwonago (8-0) has presented itself as the class of the Classic 8 after slashing through Arrowhead and Milwaukee Pius. A perfect season, as anyone can figure, is a challenging measure, but these teams have truly legitimate opportunities. Both are ranked fifth in their respective divisions by the WBCA.
Two area wrestlers maintain No. 1 rankings in their respective weight classes. Arrowhead's Al Yde (160 pounds) and Oconomowoc's Zach Mommaerts (112) are both undefeated thus far and will contend for Division 1 state titles. Pewaukee's Josh Mohr is No. 2 in D2 at 189, and David Phillips is No. 3 at 160, so they will also be grapplers to watch, as will Jake Sueflohn of Arrowhead (No. 2, 125, D1) and James Clark of Arrowhead (No. 3, 135, D1).
Arrowhead's Ryan Hansen has shown incredible diversity in the pool, with the top area time in all four freestyle events -- the 50, 100, 200 and 500. What a weapon, but he won't be swimming all four in the postseason. The defending state champion in the 500 and runner-up in the 200 will be a big component of Arrowhead's state title defense. The Warhawks lost several seniors from last year's team, but they'll still be in a dogfight with Madison Memorial and Marquette for state supremacy.
Seeing Geordin Panagopoulos as the early scoring leader in the Woodland Conference surprises me a little bit. The senior guard is a valuable commodity to a very sound PHS team, but I expected teammates Ben Landry or Dave Czerwinski -- both all-area picks last winter -- to have that honor over the guard. The depth Pewaukee has will pay off in a Woodland that once again features some evenly-matched teams in the North Division -- New Berlin Eisenhower and Tosa West, primarily. They enter the week ranked eighth in Division 2, though my guess is they would be higher if they could have played second-ranked Eisenhower on a snowed-out Dec. 19 game and won.