Darby Raffel joined Middleton’s varsity basketball team late in the year two seasons ago.
Raffel, now a senior, remembers being blown away by those Cardinals — a group that eventually reached the state semifinals.
Today, Raffel is starting to get similar feelings about this Middleton team.
“I definitely see a lot of the same characteristics in our team,” Raffel said. “And that gets me really excited.”
Right now, there’s a lot to be excited about.
Middleton cruised past Madison La Follette last Friday, 62-44. One year ago, the Lancers defeated the Cardinals in three straight meetings, and toppled Middleton in the WIAA regional finals.
The Cardinals exacted some revenge Friday night, and maintained their hold on first place in the Big Eight Conference. Middleton improved to 8-0 in the conference and 10-2 overall, and stayed one game ahead of second place Verona (7-1, 11-1).