Sports

Another exam has been aced.

The winning streak has reached a bakers dozen.

And Middleton’s dominant hockey team has climbed to No. 2 in the latest Wisconsin Prep Hockey poll.

All in all, it was an awfully good holiday for the Cardinals.

Middleton continued its dream season by knocking off No. 8 Onalaska, 6-3, last Saturday. The Cardinals improved to 13-0 and travel to Verona Saturday at 7 p.m. in a Big Eight Conference showdown.

“Onalaska is a great program and a good team,” Cardinals coach Steffon Walby said. “We happened to be better conditioned and had a few more bounces.”

Middleton hadn’t played a game in 11 days and its coaching staff feared the layoff might prove tricky. That’s exactly what happened as visiting Onalaska raced to a 3-1 lead after the first period.

Being Kevin Bavery these days is a pretty good thing.

Middleton led visiting Sheboygan South, 28-19, at halftime last Wednesday. But Bavery, the Cardinals’ head coach, was far from happy.

So despite a sturdy lead, Bavery gave his team an earful, then watched them roll in the second half.

Middleton pushed its lead to 30 and eventually posted a 73-50 win. The Cardinals improved to 8-0 on the year and are ranked No. 3 in the latest wissports.net poll.

“Any time you play against Fox River Valley or Classic Conference teams you can expect it to be physical and hard-nosed, so we expected a good challenge,” Bavery said.

Cardinals junior forward Tyree Eady had a terrific all-around game with 19 points, six steals and five rebounds. Junior guard Storm Murphy added 18 points and five assists, while junior guard C.J. Fermanich added 12 points.

So much for a happy holiday.

Middleton’s girls basketball team went to the Christine Rathke Tournament in Franklin undefeated and ranked No. 1 in the state.

The Cardinals then lost two of three and settled for seventh place at the eight-team tournament.

“We’re a little concerned about our defense and press rotations,” Middleton coach Jeff Kind said. “We got what we wanted by facing very good competition and got a taste of some more physical play.

“Offensively, we didn’t shoot particularly well in any of the games. That may have been partially due to the defense and physical games, but we were getting shots we normally make.”

Middleton opened the tournament with a heartbreaking 73-65 loss to Germantown last Monday. The Cardinals held a 65-60 lead late in the game, but the Warhawks scored the final 13 points of the game to prevail.

Middleton’s boys basketball team has a banner hanging in the north corner of the field house where it lists conference championships.

That banner has been lonely for a while, as the Cardinals haven’t claimed a Big Eight Conference title since the 2000-‘01 season.

It’s early, but that 15-year drought could be ending soon.

Middleton notched the biggest win of its season last Saturday, topping 12-time defending conference champion Madison Memorial, 71-63. Junior guard Storm Murphy scored 20 of his 26 points in the second half, while junior forward Tyree Eady had 12 of his 14 points after halftime.

The Cardinals improved to 6-0 both overall and in the league and lead second-place Sun Prairie (4-1, 5-1) by 1.5 games. Madison Memorial fell to 4-2, 4-2.

“I think this was a huge statement win for us, not just for the Big Eight, but the state,” Eady said. “It shows we can play with anybody and we’re up there with the top teams in the state.”

Middleton’s boys basketball team is smart enough to understand that rankings truly mean little. Especially at this time of the year.

But there is a respect factor involved. And when Middleton was unranked last week — and saw Big Eight rival Sun Prairie jump to No. 6 — MHS felt a little snubbed.

“We didn’t really like that,” Middleton junior forward Tyree Eady said. “We felt we deserved to be up there.”

So Middleton did something about it.

In a showdown of Big Eight unbeatens last Thursday, Middleton raced to an 18-point, first half lead and rolled to a 69-61 victory.

Middleton improved to 5-0 overall and 5-0 in the Big Eight. Sun Prairie slipped to 4-1, 3-1.

“That was a big win for us,” Middleton coach Kevin Bavery said. “Sun Prairie’s really good.”

Eady finished with a team-high 20 points and added two steals, while junior guard C.J. Fermanich had 19 points, four rebounds and two steals.

The process started more than a year ago.

Videos sent to schools throughout the country. Talks with coaches from all corners. Making campus visits whenever possible.

Last week, Middleton softball standout Rachel Everson finally saw all of her hard work — both on the field and on the recruiting trail — pay off.

Everson accepted a full scholarship to Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne. Everson, a junior at MHS, will be a freshman at IPFW in the fall of 2017.

“The recruitment process didn’t come easy,” Everson said. “I started a year ago having my hitting coach email my skills video to schools throughout the country. We got a fair amount of interest, and from that some coaches came to watch me play on my travel team and/or I attended their camp.

Bria Lemirande was tired. Alexis Thomas was drained.

But the most fatigued person at Middleton High School Tuesday night just might have been the home scorekeeper.

Middleton’s high-powered, run-and-gun girls basketball team survived a track meet against upstart Sun Prairie. Middleton put five players in double figures and toppled Sun Prairie, 99-87, in an early-season Big Eight Conference showdown.

Middleton, the state’s No. 1 team in the latest wissports.net poll, improved to 6-0 and 5-0 in the conference. Sun Prairie fell to 5-2, 4-1.

“That was a lot of fun,” said Middleton junior standout guard Bria Lemirande. “It’s awesome. I love the fast paced games. I like pushing the ball. That’s kind of our team’s thing, so those kind of games always work in our favor.”

Their start has turned heads across the Big Eight Conference — and the state, for that matter.

Now, Middleton’s boys basketball team gets a pair of big-time tests this week.

The Cardinals improved to 4-0 overall and in the league last Friday with an 81-39 destruction of Madison La Follette. Now, things intensify this week when Middleton hosts Sun Prairie (3-0, 4-0) Thursday at 7:30 p.m. and Madison Memorial (3-1, 3-1) Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

“Sun Prairie and Madison Memorial were my top preseason picks in the Big Eight Conference, along with Madison East,” Middleton coach Kevin Bavery said.

Middleton has entered that discussion now, thanks to its impressive start. And the Cardinals continued to roll with a strong showing against the Lancers.

Junior forward Tyree Eady, the Big Eight’s leading scorer at 25.2 points per game, led the Cardinals with 23 points and six steals. Junior guard Storm Murphy added 19 points and six assists.

Middleton’s hockey team has jumped to No. 4 in the latest Wisconsin Prep Hockey poll. And the way the Cardinals have performed this season, their upward climb hasn’t ended.

Middleton rolled to three more wins last week and improved to 9-0 on the season.

The Cardinals toppled Sun Prairie, 3-1, last Tuesday. Middleton then blanked Madison La Follette/East, 13-0, last Thursday and downed Madison Memorial, 6-1, last Saturday.

Middleton’s win over the Spartans was especially sweet after Memorial defeated the Cardinals in a sectional final last year.

“That game was a good measuring tool for us as coaches to see and get a sense of where we are as a team,” Middleton coach Steffon Walby said of the Memorial game. “I felt that we didn't have any passengers, and that everyone brought their ‘A’ game.”

Sun Prairie certainly brought its ‘A’ game to Middleton last Tuesday.

Sam Niesen is quick to admit he had some doubts.

Niesen, Middleton’s boys swimming coach, watched his team struggle in their season-opener two weeks ago.

Since then, though, the Cardinals have made immense strides. And Middleton continued its upward trend last week.

Middleton bested Sun Prairie, 111.50-58.50, and toppled Janesville Parker, 130-40 at its own triangular. The Cardinals also finished second to Madison West at the Janesville Parker Relays last Saturday.

“We had a rough start in our first meet,” Niesen said. “But it has been a solid uphill climb ever since.

“A lot of the boys that don’t swim year-round are starting to get into shape, and they're really starting to impress me with how quickly they’re dropping time. We've got a good group of talent to work with, and I can tell that they're getting excited about their capabilities in the pool.”