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by Published on 03-10-2013 03:16 PM Number of Views: 4227
MADISON - Winning their second straight state championship involved making adjustments on the run. Germantown dealt with foul trouble from their frontcourt players and inconsistency from two of their top three scorers in the Division 1 championship game against Mukwonago to win back-to-back titles in a 57-28 win, Mar. 9, at the Kohl Center.
When Lamonte Bearden and Jake Showalter shot a combined 2-for-16 from the field, the defense cranked it up. They held the Indians scoreless the last 6 minutes 38 seconds of the game. Making only nine shots from 43 attempts didn't get Mukwonago even close to keeping up with Germantown.
"We wanted Lamonte to have a really good game from the field, and he was 1-for-11," Germantown coach Steve Showalter said. "We wanted Jake to light it up from outside. He was 1-for-5. I don't know what happened. We're used to scoring 80 points a game. Our guys were sitting on the bench and not making shots. I can't even explained what happened."
The Warhawks got by with senior Luke Fischer's 17 points. He was named to the all-state tournament team and Mr. Basketball in the state of Wisconsin. The 7-footer got in early foul trouble but managed to stay on the floor and play 27 minutes.
Mukwonago wasn't just happy to be at state. They wanted to make an impact in the title game. They were physically drained from upsetting the powerhouses in Madison Memorial in the sectional finals and King in the state semifinal game in consecutive weeks. Not many people gave them a chance against Germantown to win the game, and their horrible shooting was proof ot that.
"I thought the game was going really well for us," Mukwonago coach Jim Haasser said. "Had we sank some shots, what that would have done for the rest of the game might have been a little intriguing." The Indians shot 21% from the field (9-for-43).
As the game clock wound down to the 3:00 mark, many people headed for the exits. There was no way that Mukwonago could come back from 10 points down with 5:23 left. Germantown ended the game on a 19-0 run.
Showalter said it was a journey to make it through another unbeaten season with a target on their backs. It was his duty to blend a team with only three seniors and lots of juniors after having a majority of seniors on last year's team to bond as a unit. It worked. King and Oshkosh North won back-to-back titles recently, but neither of those teams won consecutive state titles without a loss. The Germantown winning streak now stands at 56.by Published on 03-09-2013 05:47 PM
Vander Blue scores twice in the closing minutes of overtime in Madison Square Garden, including a running layin as time expired as Marquette topped St. John's 69-67.
...by Published on 03-09-2013 08:15 AM
MADISON - Germantown did their part to contend for their second straight gold ball in 2013, but they won't have a ...by Published on 03-09-2013 07:37 AM Number of Views: 4602
MADISON - Going to the boys Division 1 state tournament to bring back the gold ball was a goal that Milwaukee King had in mind, but they returned home empty-handed and embarrassed by an underdog in Mukwonago, Friday, at the Kohl Center in the second semifinal game.
It wasn't that they they suffered a 64-47 setback to the Indians that was disappointing but how they lost. Mukwonago gave the Generals a taste of their own medicine by solving their full-court press and using their big bodies in the post for a 2-1 margin in the paint (32-16 points).
"Mukwonago beat us in every aspect of the game," a dejected King coach Jim Gosz said. "They (beat us to) loose balls. They won it tonight. Sometimes the better team just beat you. We get to the middle (of the lane), and they had those big kids there. That's the way we were winning games.
"This game humbles you real quick. You just feel for your young men who battled all year. I feel for my guys. As someone said a long time ago, 'If you end your season on the Kohl Center floor, it would be fantastic.' When I leave here, I'm going to be very happy. Dejected we lost, but knowing the effort these young men put forward . . . Tonight the better team won."
Gosz admitted that the Indians' size was too much to handle for his undersized team. Besides dealing with being underappreciated, only Mukwonago believed they could run with King. Now their trip to state for the first time since 1996 will include an appearance in the title game, Saturday, against the top team in Germantown. Certainly, confidence is at an all-time high after the Indians overcame huge odds to beat Madison Memorial and King, the usual visitors at state.
"The guys on the team never backed down from anything," Nate Tanguay said. "We love the pressure of the great powerhouses. I guess being the underdog, we don't look at ourselves as an underdog ever. We always think that we are the better team. The only team that can beat us is us."
This was a different King team that gave Germantown all they could handle in last year's title game. Going the last 2 minutes 40 seconds without a basket in the game and a big free-throw discrepancy doomed the Generals. Mukwonago had 35 trips to the free-throw line and made 22 while King converted on 10 of their 14 attempts.
The Generals had their worst shooting percentage from the field (32%) probably in a long time in the state tournament (16-for-50). The margin for team fouls committed (28-9) by King with their aggressive play and no points from two of their starters leaves them with a lot to work on in the offseason, but as Gosz said, they will be back. If the Generals do make it back to state, they vow to be a much-improved squad.
The Indians was in control of the game from beginning to the end. They took a 26-25 lead into the locker room at halftime. The game was out of control at times, and instead of the Generals imposing their will on opponent, they let the deficit grow bigger. Mukwonago made 14 of 21 free-throws in the fourth quarter from 12 King fouls.
It will take some soul-searching for King to reclaim their throne at state and get on top again after two failed attempts in the last two years to bring home the gold ball. Gosz said he will have to take in a Mukwonago football game, perhaps to take a page from the Indians and get some beef from the King football team on his basketball team.by Published on 03-07-2013 07:42 AM
Can Buzz Williams and the Marquette Golden Eagles win the Big East Championship after being picked to finish 7th in the league? Well, it will take a lot.
First Marquette needed to win six of their last seven games. A difficult task with teams like Pittsburgh, Villanova, Syracuse and Notre Dame on ...by Published on 03-04-2013 03:50 PM
Sources have confirmed to PantherU that Amanda Braun will be the next Director of Milwaukee Athletics. An announcement is forthcoming but as yet unscheduled, where Chancellor Mike Lovell and Vice Chancellor for Student ...by Published on 03-04-2013 03:25 PM
Buzz Williams and his Marquette Golden Eagles are flying high after beating two ranked opponents last week. To start the week off on Monday they beat the #12 Syracuse Orange 74-71, behind a strong outing by junior Davante Gardner. Gardner put up 26 points on 7-7 shooting from the field and 12-13 from the free throw line to go along with 8 rebounds. ...
