Sports

In many ways, this was the best of both worlds.

Middleton’s boys basketball team edged host Beloit Memorial, 58-56, in a Big Eight Conference game last Saturday. The Cardinals improved to 3-3 overall and 2-2 in the league.

After a frenetic finish, though, in which Middleton nearly let a 12-point lead slip away in the final minutes, Cardinals coach Kevin Bavery had several teachable moments to bring back with him to practice this week.

“The tape doesn’t lie,” Bavery said. “We left the gym feeling good about the win, yet a little empty trying to figure out why we couldn’t close the game out in solid fashion.

Janesville Craig can be a tough place for opposing girls’ basketball teams to play.

The Cougars typically field a high-level team. The crowd can get rowdy and there’s a definite homecourt advantage.

None of that bothered Middleton last Friday, though.

The Cardinals got 19 points from University of Loyola recruit Sitori Tanin and four other players scored at least nine points during a 73-54 rout of the host Cougars. Senior forward Kendall Roquet added 13 points, senior forward Karina Bursac scored 11, while senior guards Josie Lemirande and Evie Coleman both had nine points.

Middleton, ranked fifth in Division 1 by the Associated Press, improved to 10-1 overall and is 6-1 in the Big Eight Conference. Craig slipped to 8-3, 5-2.

“They came in and played like the (fifth)-ranked team in the state,” Craig coach Kerry Storbakken said. “Their length gave us trouble on both ends.

The Milwaukee Marquette boys swimming invite is the closest thing there is to the state meet during the regular season.

There are 32 teams that descend on Marquette in a meet packed with many of the state’s elite swimmers.

So Middleton didn't feel too bad after finishing fifth among the 32 teams last Saturday. The Cardinals brought just 12 swimmers to the meet and hung with many of the state’s top performers.

Sun Prairie won the meet with 226 points, while Waukesha South’s co-op (224), Madison West (212), Greenfield’s co-op (184) and Middleton (178) rounded out the top five.

“This was one of the fastest meets of the season for us, and there were some new teams which made it one of the fastest years for the invite,” Middleton coach Danny Lynam said. “It was the first and only time until state that we swam (against) both Waukesha South and Sun Prairie, who are the other two top ranked teams in the state.”

It’s probable that the best is yet to come for Middleton’s girls gymnastics team.

For now, the present isn't too bad whatsoever.

The Cardinals are currently without two injured varsity performers — and hope to get them back later this month.

In the meantime, Middleton is hanging tough.

The Cardinals went to the Mount Horeb Invite last Saturday and finished second in the division for larger schools.

Whitefish Bay won the team title with 138.375 points, while Middleton 131.1, Sun Prairie 129.775, Verona/Madison Edgewood 128.8 and  Waunakee/DeForest 126.425 rounded out the top five at the seven-team invite.

“Two of our varsity gymnasts (Lucy Hellenbrand and Jayden Mathias) are out with injuries hoping to return in January,” Middleton coach Kari Steck said. “So that will definitely make a big difference in our team score.

With a slim lead and time ticking down, Evie Coleman knew what she had to do.

Coleman sank two free throws with 6.2 seconds to play to help Middleton hold off Hartland Arrowhead for a 47-43 victory at the Middleton Cardinal Holiday Shootout last Saturday.

Coleman, a senior guard, said she had added motivation to help her team at the charity stripe.

“Free throws have been really huge for me since I only went 1-for-4 at the state championship game last year,” Coleman said. “That’s something I’ve been really working since last summer.

“I have a new routine, and I always take a big breath before I shoot the ball to calm my nerves. I don’t really hear anything. I don’t think about anything, just picture the ball going through the net.”

Senior forward Sitori Tanin finished with a game-high 18 points, and senior forward Karina Bursac finished with 10 points to help the Cardinals earn a sweep of the two-day tourney.

The holiday break came at a perfect time for Middleton’s boys basketball team.

Cardinals’ 6-foot-6 senior forward Logan Schultz certainly agreed.

Coming on the heels of a 41-point loss at Madison Memorial on Dec. 20, Middleton was looking to rebound when it hosted the Cardinal Holiday Showcase last Friday and Saturday.

Schultz set a school-record with seven 3-pointers and scored a game-high and career-best 25 points to power Middleton to a 71-61 victory over Badger North Conference defending champion Mount Horeb last Friday afternoon.

“That was pretty fun launching them,” said Schultz, who was 7-of-8 from behind the arc and 8-of-10 overall. “I was just letting them go and feeling good.

“We really needed that win. We had a few good practices and just came together as a team. It was a good game and felt pretty good.”

Thrilling victories. Magnificent individual performances. Memories to last a lifetime.

These are the norm inside the remarkably successful sports programs at Middleton High School.

And 2019 was certainly no different.

MHS provided area sports fans with a bevy of highlights this past year. Here’s one person’s view of the top-10.

Stories 6-10 ran last week, while the top five stories are listed here.

1. Boys cross country team captures gold

Brian Finnel’s message was simple. Executing it was far more challenging.

Finnel, Middleton’s boys cross country coach, told his team before the WIAA Division 1 state meet on Nov. 2 that everyone had to try performing like they were the Cardinals’ No. 1 runner. Finnel stressed that if they all ran to that level, Middleton could surprise and win a state championship.

Amazingly, that’s exactly what happened.

Middleton boys basketball coach Kevin Bavery tried to find the word that best described his team’s most recent game. 

Humbled came to mind. So did embarrassed.

Both were fitting after Bavery watched his Cardinals get routed by Madison Memorial, 88-47, in a lopsided Big Eight Conference game last Friday. 

Middleton fell to 1-2 overall and 1-2 in the Big Eight Conference. The Spartans improved to 2-3 overall, 1-3 in Big Eight.

“It’s hard to say you’re at a crossroads after three games into the season, but that’s where we are,” Bavery said. “Whenever we get beat, we should get beat walking with our heads up, saying ‘you know, that team was just better.’ Memorial was definitely better than we were tonight. Are they 40 points better? We let them be 40 points better.”

MADISON — The pressure came in waves. And like a migraine headache, it never subsided.

Full court traps. Intense ball pressure. And a deep and athletic roster that kept throwing new bodies into the fray.

Madison Memorial’s girls basketball team — ranked No. 2 in the latest wissports.net poll — put the clamps on No. 4 Middleton last Friday. The Spartans forced 27 Middleton turnovers, held the visiting Cardinals to 26.3% shooting and rolled to a 67-51 win in an early-season Big Eight Conference showdown.

Middleton, the defending WIAA Division 1 state runners-up, fell to 5-1 overall and 3-1 in the league. The Spartans, who lost to the Cardinals in the sectional finals last year, improved to 4-0, 4-0.

“They play really hard and fast and try getting you to play their pace,” Middleton coach Jeff Kind said. “We just need to be stronger with the ball. That was a huge problem for us.”

Cardinals senior point guard Josie Lemirande agreed.

Win No. 1 is officially in the books.

But it wasn’t easy.

Middleton boys' basketball team entered last Saturday’s game against Madison West seeking their first victory of the year after losing a nailbiter to Verona two nights earlier.

West used a 9-0 run in the second half to get within one possession, but the Cardinals were able to pull away late and beat the Regents, 67-53, in a Big Eight conference game at Middleton.

The Cardinals improved to 1-1, 1-1 in the Big Eight. West fell to 0-4, 0-3 in the Big Eight.

“Thursday was a close one for us, but it feels really good to get that first win under our belt,” Middleton senior Cole Deptula said.

Middleton head coach Kevin Bavery knew that even though West entered the game winless, they couldn’t be overlooked.