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Menomonee Falls advanced out of the regional round March 6, as Adam Rubatt converted four free throws in the final 16.4 seconds of play to give Menomonee Falls enough of a margin to win 76-75.
"We got plenty of things to work on, but at this time of the season, we won," Menomonee Falls Coach Ben Siebert said afterward.
The game was physical at times, as three Mukwonago players fouled out and technical fouls were assessed against Mukwonago's Derek Hasanoglu and Menomonee Falls' Max Poeske at the end of the third quarter.
"Mukwonago came in here knowing they were going to have to match us physically, and they were willing to do it, and it really turned into a battle," Siebert said. "They played our pace and they willing to hung with us, which is a credit to their team."
Mukwonago had the advantage throughout the first half, taking a 24-18 lead with 4:50 left in the second quarter. But Menomonee Falls rallied and took over the lead with 57 seconds remaining before halftime on a basket by Rubatt.
Menomonee Falls gradually extended its lead through the third quarter and had a 63-50 lead with 4:52 left in the game after John Cording converted two free throws.
But Mukwonago rallied and trailed by 72-69 after Tyler Bauschek converted a basket with 57 second remaining. The scored stayed that way until Rubatt converted two free throws with 16.4 seconds left. Bauschek converted a three point basket with 7.5 seconds remaining to make the score 74-72. Rubatt then converted his next two free throws with 6.2 seconds left.
Bauschek converted a three point basket with approximately three seconds remaining, but Menomonee Falls let time run out to win the regional bracket.
Siebert credited "great leaders" for lifting the team to the win and allowing them to advance.
After trailing by as much by eight points in the first half against Marquette Jan. 26, Menomonee Falls rallied to force overtime and then converted several free throws to win 63-56.
Menomonee Falls opened with the lead, but Marquette took its first lead of the night on a three point basket by Brett Langer to lead 15-13 with 2:09 left in the first quarter. The teams traded the lead for several minutes until the Hilltoppers took control in the second half. A layup by Mark Haas gave Marquette a 36-28 lead with 27 seconds left before halftime.
Falls the lead in the half by scoring the first two baskets of the second half but Marquette held onto the lead through the third quarter. The Indians took the lead on a three point basket by John Cording with 5:34 left in the game but John Kopriva tied the score for the Hilltoppers a few seconds later and a layup by Marvin Paine gave Marquette a 51-47 lead with 3:35 remaining.
A free throw by J.P. Tokoto tied the game with 27 second remaining to force overtime. In overtime, Marquette scored first on a basket by Quinten Calloway but Jonathan Phillips and Tokoto converted free throws to tie the score. Menomonee Falls took a 57-56 lead on a layup by Tokoto with with 1:46 remaining. Menomonee Falls then converted six straight free throws in the final 50.8 seconds of play.
Menomonee Falls overcame an opening run by Wauwatosa East and held off a late charge by the Red Raiders to win 72-64 Jan. 15.
"Very, very physical, we expected that," Menomonee Falls Coach Ben Siebert said of a game in which both teams combined for 53 fouls. "Wauwatosa East is a great program and we knew they wouldn't go down easily or quietly."
The Red Raiders opened the game with a 6-1 lead. While Menomonee Falls tied the score twice, it wasn't until Max Poeske converted a basket at the end of the second quarter that the Indians had their first lead of the evening, 31-30. Siebert noted that J.P Tokoto was on the bench for most of the second quarter with two fouls and that it and it was important to get the lead at that time.
Menomonee Falls built on the lead throughout the third quarter and had a 49-37 lead after Jalen Ramey converted a three-point basket with 2:45 left in the third quarter. But Wauwatosa East scored the next nine points and a basket by Jake Larson tied the score at 51-51 with 7:37 left in the game.
A layup by John Cording and two free throws by J.P. Tokoto gave Menomonee Falls a four point lead which they held onto for several minutes. Two free throws by Dan Sayles made it a two-point game (61-59) with 2:40 left but the Indians outscored Wauwatosa East 9-6 the rest of the way to secure the win.
With the win, Menomonee Falls stays on the top of the Greater Metro with a 6-0 record and 9-3 overall mark.
"This is a big boost for us. These kids are really believing in each other," Siebert said.
Hamilton 72, West Allis Hale 53 (Jan. 15): Hamilton turned around a seven-point first quarter deficit by outscoring the Huskies 27-7 in the second quarter. Brett Meinecke led Hamilton with 25 points. The Chargers remain in third place in the Greater Metro with a 4-2 and 8-5 overall mark.
Germantown 93, Grafton 32 (Jan. 15): The Warhawks were in third place in the North Shore Conference with a 4-2 record and 10-4 overall mark after scoring their sixth straight win. Zak Showalter led Germantown with 24 points.
Girls results
Germantown 58, Grafton 47 (Jan. 15): Eliza Wortman scored 18 points as Germantown stayed in second place in the North Shore with a 4-2 record and 9-2 overall mark.
Menomonee Falls 47, Wauwatosa East 34: Rachel Defnet scored 12 points and Erin Crownover added 11 points for the Indians, who are sixth in the Greater Metro with a 2-4 record and 4-8 overall mark.
Hamilton 60, West Allis Hale 34: Kerry Sullivan scored 18 points and Courtney Lemon added 17 points for the Chargers, who are now fourth in the Greater Metro with a 2-3 record and 6-5 overall mark.
—Compiled by Thomas J. McKillen, Managing Editor
Menomonee Falls overcame an opening run by Wauwatosa East and held off a late charge by the Red Raiders to win 72-64 Jan. 15.
"Very, very physical, we expected that," Menomonee Falls Coach Ben Siebert said of a game in which both teams combined for 53 fouls. "Wauwatosa East is a great program and we knew they wouldn't go down easily or quietly."
The Red Raiders opened the game with a 6-1 lead. While Menomonee Falls tied the score twice, it wasn't until Max Poeske converted a basket at the end of the second quarter that the Indians had their first lead of the evening, 31-30. Siebert noted that J.P Tokoto was on the bench for most of the second quarter with two fouls and that it and it was important to get the lead at that time.
Menomonee Falls built on the lead throughout the third quarter and had a 49-37 lead after Jalen Ramey converted a three-point basket with 2:45 left in the third quarter. But Wauwatosa East scored the next nine points and a basket by Jake Larson tied the score at 51-51 with 7:37 left in the game.
A layup by John Cording and two free throws by J.P. Tokoto gave Menomonee Falls a four point lead which they held onto for several minutes. Two free throws by Dan Sayles made it a two-point game (61-59) with 2:40 left but the Indians outscored Wauwatosa East 9-6 the rest of the way to secure the win.
WIth the win, Menomonee Falls stays on the top of the Greater Metro with a 6-0 record and 9-3 overall mark.
"This is a big boost for us. These kids are really believing in each other," Siebert said.
By Thomas J. McKillen
Managing Editor
After recording several double-digit victories during the month of December, Menomonee Falls lost twice in two days at the WBBY Shootout held at the Al McGuire Center Dec. 27-28.
After losing to Hartland Arrowhead 67-66 Dec. 27, Menomonee Falls lost to Catholic Memorial 68-63. In the process, the Indians had their first two game losing streak of the season and were swept by teams from the Classic Eight Conference.
"We just didn't have it from the get go. I don't know what else to say," Menomonee Falls Coach Ben Siebert said after the loss to Catholic Memorial. The kids have some thinking to do. Figure out where they want this season to go."
Catholic Memorial scored the first seven points of the game and held a 17-12 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Crusaders extended their lead to 26-14 on a basket by T.J. Bray with 5:22 left in the second quarter. The Indians cut into the lead and were trailing by five points at halftime.
Menomonee Falls scored the first six points of the third quarter and took its first lead of the game on a dunk by J.P. Tokoto at the 5:57 mark. A layup by Tokoto gave Menomonee Falls a 40-36 lead but the Crusaders rallied through the rest of the third quarter. After conceding the lead to Menomonee Falls at the start of the fourth, Catholic Memorial again rallied and took the lead for good on a layup and foul by Bray with 4:45 left in the game.
While Menomonee Falls held a 17-4 edge in offensive rebounds, Catholic Memorial grabbed 37 rebounds on defense compared with 28 for Menomonee Falls. Catholic Memorial took advantage of free throws, converting 29 of 39 opportunities compared with 9 of 23 for Menomonee Falls.
On Dec. 27, a three point basket by C. J. Malone gave Menomonee Falls a 52-43 lead with 7:37 left in regulation against Arrowhead. But Arrowhead slowed the pace and forced Menomonee Falls into a half court game. A close range basket by Ben Mills gave the Warhawks the lead with 1:46 left but Adam Rubatt scored the equalizer on two free throws with 1:32 left.
In overtime, Menomonee Falls missed its first two attempts but Rubatt scored on a layup with 1:59 left. Arrowhead tied the score twice and took a 67-66 lead on a layup by Mills with 15 seconds left. In the scramble in the closing seconds of the game, a short jumper by Conor Cassidy came up short.
"We had a lot of opportunities to win that game," Siebert said after the loss to Arrowhead. He later added: " We just didn't hit some shots when it really mattered."
Following the loss to Catholic Memorial, Siebert was direct when asked if he thought the results of the shootout were a reality check for his team.
"I hope so," he said.
Kettle Moraine Lutheran 0-2 at Shootout
Kettle Moraine Lutheran was unable to finish off Merrill twice at the WBBY Shootout Dec. 28. The Blue Jays took advantage of its opportunity in the second overtime to win 49-48.
"We had opportunities, we didn't take advantage of them," Chargers Coach Todd Jahns said afterward.
The Chargers were leading 40--38 when Pascal Paul converted a layup for Merrill to force the first overtime. Merrill’s Paul Jesperson converted a basket with 21 seconds in the first overtime to tie the score at 44-44. A basket by Jesperson with 6 seconds left in the second overtime was the difference.
During the second half and overtime, neither team had a lead greater than three points.
"They put themselves in a position to control the basketball game. They were down, they came back. They were up, they kept fighting — they left everything they had on the floor,"Jahns said. "That's all you can ask for."
Blake Basse and Dylan Rusch both scored 14 points while Jesperson led Merrill with 22 points.
The previous afternoon Kettle Moraine Lutheran lost to Racine St. Catherine's 54-49. Basse led the Chargers with 13 points while Zach Jahns and Rusch added 12 points.
Jahns said he was happy with his team's effort at the shootout despite the losses.
Other results:
•Germantown snapped a two game losing streak with a 64-62 win over Milwaukee Marquette at the Kettle Moraine Holiday Tournament Dec. 29. Germantown's Zak Showalter led all scorers with 26 points
•Hamilton beat Neenah 45-36 Dec. 29.
For the second night in a row at the WBY Shootout, Menomonee Falls fell behind early and was unable to build upon a second half lead.
After losing to Hartland Arrowhead 67-66 Dec. 27, Menomonee Falls lost to Catholic Memorial 68-63 Dec. 28. In the process, the Indians had their first two game losing streak of the season and were swept by teams from the Classic Eight Conference.
"We just didn't have it from the get go. I don't know what else to say," Menomonee Falls Coach Ben Siebert said afterward. The kids have some thinking to do. Figure out where they want this season to go."
Catholic Memorial scored the first seven points of the game and held a 17-12 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Crusaders extended their lead to 26-14 ona basket by T.J. Bray with 5:22 left in the second quarter. The Indians cut into the lead and were trailing by five points at halftime.
Menomonee Falls scored the first six points of the third quarter and took its first lead of the game on a dunk by J.P. Tokoto at the 5:57 mark. A layup by Tokoto gave Menomonee Falls a 40-36 lead but the Crusaders rallied through the rest of the third quarter. After conceding the lead to Menomonee Falls at the start of the fourth, Catholic Memorial again rallied and took the lead for good on a layup and foul by Bray with 4:45 left in the game.
While Menomonee Falls held a 17-4 edge in offensive rebounds, Catholic Memorial grabbed 37 rebounds on defense compared with 28 for Menomonee Falls. Catholic Memorial took advantage of free throws, converting 29 of 39 opportunities compared with 9 of 23 for Menomonee Falls.
Siebert was direct when asked if he thought the results of the shootout were a reality check for his team.
"I hope so," he said.
After taking a nine point lead against Hartland Arrowhead at the start of the fourth quarter, Menomonee Falls was slowed down by the Warhawks, who rallied to win 67-66 in overtime at the WBY Shootout Dec. 28.
A three point basket by C. J. Malone gave Menomonee Falls a 52-43 lead with 7:37 left in regulation. But Arrowhead slowed the pace and forced Menomonee Falls into a half court game. A close range basket by Ben Mills gave the Warhawks the lead with 1:46 left but Adam Rubatt scored the equalizers with two free throws with 1:32 left.
In overtime, Menomonee Falls missed its first two attempts but Adam Rubatt scored on a layup with 1:59 left. But Arrowhead tied the score twice and took the lead on a layup by Mills with 15 seconds left. In the scramble in the closing seconds of the game, a short jumper by Conor Cassidy came up short.
Menomonee Falls will play Catholic Memorial at the shootout at 9:30 p.m. Dec. 29. The shootout is being held at the Al McGuire Center on the Marquette University campus.
The trademark third quarter burst for Menomonee Falls didn't happen until the very end of its game against Germantown Dec. 19.
But it did happen, as Menomonee Falls beat their border rivals 88-67. Menomonee Falls opened a 15-8 lead after Jonathan Phillips converted a free throw with 3:35 left in the first quarter. Germantown slowly cut into the lead and three point basket by Zak Showalter tied the score at 25-25 at the 5:21 mark of the second quarter.
“We kept telling the kids: Germantown is not going to quit, they’re not to stop playing hard. That a testament to (Germantown Coach Steve Showalter) obviously: His kids will never stop playing hard,” Menomonee Falls Coach Ben Siebert said.
Menomonee Falls answered by outscoring Germantown 15-2 over the next four minutes.
Menomonee Falls maintained a 12-15 point lead during the third quarter and started to open it up further in the fourth quarter. A dunk by J.P. Tokoto with 1:38 left in the game gave Menomonee Falls an 84-64 lead.
Tokoto led all scorers with 29 points while Zak Showalter scored 21 points for Germantown.
Showalter said the length of the Menomonee Falls press throughout the game tired his team in the latter stages of the game.
“ They do what we want to strive to do: Take teams out of what they want to do. They really bothered our offense,” Showalter said.
Showalter noted the game was still in reach in the fourth quarter.
“They put so much pressure on you, you almost have to have three units to combat their two units,” Showalter said.
Among those in attendance in the packed gym was University of Wisconsin Coach Bo Ryan, who attended the Indians game against Milwaukee King earlier this season and also attended an open gym in the fall where Tokoto was practicing.
Germantown followed up the game with a 65-58 loss to Middleton.
The Warhawks will be playing Marquette in the Kettle Moraine Tournament at Kettle Moraine High School Dec. 29. Menomonee Falls will be playing in the WBY Shootout at the Al McGuire Center Dec. 27-28. Menomonee Falls will play Arrowhead at 8 p.m. Dec. 27 and Catholic Memorial at 9:30 p.m. Dec. 28.
Hamilton basketball
Brett Meinecke scored 20 points while Brian Gryzkiewicz added 12 points as Hamilton beat Oak Creek Dec. 22, 60-53.
On Dec. 19, Meinecke scored 22 points and Brian Krohn scored 20 points in a 70-61 loss to Oak Lawn Richards in the East Bay/Converse Classic at the Al McGuire Center.
The Chargers are third in the Greater Metro Conference with a 2-1 conference record and 4-4 overall mark. They will be playing in the Shawano Sundrop Classic at at the Kress Center in Neenah Dec. 29-30.
—By Thomas J. McKillen, Managing Editor
A 10-point scoring run by Menomonee Falls erased an early third quarter deficit as the Indians pulled away from Hamilton to win 65-46 Dec. 12.
Layups by Mitch Swirth and Brian Gryszkiewicz gave Hamilton a 22-19 lead over their Greater Metro Conference rivals. The Chargers extended the lead to 29-25 with 5:05 left in the third quarter. But J.P. Tokoto scored 10 of his 21 points during the remainder of the third quarter as Menomonee Falls held a 10-point lead heading into the third quarter. Menomonee Falls then outscored Hamilton 23-13 in the fourth quarter to win its third straight conference game.
"We really challenged our kids at halftime. I think Hamilton was the team that wanted it more in the first half," Menomonee Falls Coach Ben Siebert said afterward. "They played a great half of basketball, but we knew if we picked it up on the defensive end we could do pretty special things - I think we showed that."
Two familiar patterns emerged for Menomonee Falls during the game: A third quarter rally, which also occurred in the Falls games against Plymouth and Marquette, and the liberal use of the bench. At one point in the second quarter only two of the starters were on the floor.
"That will our always be our goal every game: To play a lot of kids so we push teams to the brink of exhaustion," Siebert said. "They don't make shots, they get a little slow on passes and we make runs like we did tonight."
Siebert added that by using his bench early and often at the start of the season, it make his team better as "we will be confident in all our kids."
Hamilton Coach Andy Cerroni cited Menomonee Falls' depth as a key to the game.
"What feared me most is their depth and their ability to wear you down - and they wore us down," Cerroni said. "We went to toe-to-toe with them for 16 minutes and part of the third quarter. They keep it on and keep it on."
Cerroni expalined that his team was able to limit Menomonee Falls to one shot on each possession and limit transition baskets in the first half. He said the contest "was a a measuring stick game for us and now we get back to work and hopefully we get better."
The game featured the debut of Brian Gryszkiewicz for Hamilton, who had been out with an injury sustained during football season. Cerroni conceded his team was a work in progress as Gryszkiewicz is worked into the rotation while other player have had extended time during his absence.
After grinding out a nine point lead against Plymouth through the latter stages of the third quarter, Menomonee Falls scored 20 straight points to secure a 73-48 victory over the Panthers.
Plymouth trailed Menomonee Falls 53-45 after John Critter converted free throws with 1:58 remaining in the third quarter. Menomonee Falls finished the quarter with a free throw by Jean-Pierre Tokoto and a layup by John Cording to start the run. Plymouth did not score until Brad Hanson converted a three point basket with 2:02 left in the game.
“I think we did it the way we’re going to do it all year: That’s with our depth, with pushing the ball and pressing. Other teams are going to get tired and we’re not: We’re just going to bringing new kids in,” Menomonee Falls Coach Ben Siebert said afterward.
Menomonee Falls opened limited leads over the Panthers during the first half. A three point basket by C. J. Malone gave the Indians a 17-14 lead over Plymouth with 1:04 left in the first quarter. While a layup by Ian Murray with 3:10 left in the second quarter put the Panthers within four points of Menomonee Falls, the Indians opened up a 40-31 lead by halftime. The Panthers were able to stay near the nine-point deficit until Menomonee Falls went on its late game scoring outburst.
Siebert praised Plymouth for playing hard and staying in the game.
“We knew it was going to take some time and hopefully we’re going to wear them out a little bit,” Siebert said.
Menomonee Falls followed up the win over Plymouth with a 56-36 victory at defending Greater Metro Conference champion Marquette Dec. 8. Tokoto led Menomonee Falls with 19 points. Menomonee Falls outscored Marquette 15-2 in the third quarter.
Kettle Moraine Lutheran boys basketball: After getting off to a slow start, Kettle Moraine Lutheran played even at Lomira before pulling away in the final minutes to win 53-45 Dec. 4.
Lomira opened up a 12-6 lead after the first quarter following a layup by Alex Zangl. Kettle Moraine Lutheran's Dylan Rusch answered by opening the second quarter with eight straight points - including two three point baskets - to make the score 15-14 with 5:17 left. The teams exchanged the lead for the rest of the quarter, with Zach Jahns converting a layup and free throw as the Chargers held a 27-24 lead at halftime.
After trading the lead throughout the third quarter, a short range basket by Blake Basse gave the Chargers 37-36 lead with 1:34 left, and the Chargers never trailed again. The Chargers converted six free throws within the final two minutes to seal the victory.
Hamilton boys basketball: The Chargers held a 2-2 record after defeating Brookfield East Dec. 8, 35-25. Brian Krohn, Brett Meinecke and Eric Reimer all scored eight points for Hamilton. The previous Friday Hamilton lost to Waukesha Catholic Memorial 59-44. Meinecke led Hamilton with 19 points.
Girls results
•Germantown recorded three wins in five days. The Chargers beat Kettle Moraine Lutheran 51-29 Dec. 1, Hartford 59-49 Dec. 4 and West Bend East 73-47 Dec. 5.
•Menomonee Falls lost at Waukesha Catholic Memorial 60-49 Dec. 8. Rachel Defnet led Menomonee Falls with 17 points.
•Kettle Moraine Lutheran rebounded from a loss at Germantown with a 45-32 win over Cedarburg Dec. 5. Samantha Hoerchner led the Chargers with 12 points.
—By Thomas J. McKillen, Managing Editor
Menomonee Falls opened up a 40-20 lead over Oconomowoc by halftime and never looked back, opening the 2009-10 season with a 88-39 victory.
J.P. Tokoto and Adam Rubatt were the leading scorers for Menomonee Falls with 12 points while John Cording and Joe Henningsen added 11 points. Paul Williams was the leading scorer for Oconomowoc with 16 points.
“We were pretty excited about tonight,” Menomonee Falls Coach Ben Siebert said.
With four players scoring in double digits, Siebert indicated that the team has depth to an advantage.
“It showed we can go 13 deep and not have much dropoff,” Siebert said.
Five of Menomonee Falls players — Cording, Henningsen, Conor Cassidy, Max Poeske and Kevin Scroggins — were part of the Menomonee Falls football team that played in the state Division I title game Nov. 20.
“It’s been great,” Siebert said of the football team journey to the state title game. He noted that the five players were at practice the day after the game.
Menomonee Falls was scheduled to take on Milwaukee King at the City/Suburban Challenge at Wisconsin Lutheran College Nov. 28.
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