Middleton plummets to 0-5

MADISON — It’s a strange dichotomy, really.

On one hand, Middleton’s boys basketball team has one of the worst records in the state at 0-5.

On the other, the Cardinals remain a remarkably optimistic bunch.

Middleton lost all three of its games last week, falling to 0-3 in the ultra-competitive Big Eight Conference and 0-5 overall.

The Cardinals dropped an 85-69 decision to conference favorite Verona on Dec. 10. Middleton then lost two games at the 60Eight Tournament last weekend — first a 69-54 setback to Romeoville (Ill.) last Friday, then a 74-64 defeat to Oshkosh North last Saturday.

The 0-5 start is the worst of the 19-year Kevin Bavery-era. Still, the Cardinals believe big things are possible once 7-foot center Will Garlock, a University of Wisconsin recruit, returns from an ankle injury.

“I think most of us are pretty frustrated just being 0-5 like most teams would be,” said junior guard Jackson Guerrero, who’s been Middleton’s best player to date. “But I think we all have a lot of confidence once we get our full team back we can still be really good. And I think we’ve kept improving throughout the games, so it should be fun once we get everyone back.”

Senior forward Brennan Mauer agreed.

“I don’t think we’re getting frustrated because I still think we can be very, very good,” Mauer said. “Once everybody’s fully healthy, I think we have very special capabilities.”

Middleton is still cautiously optimistic it will get Garlock back for its Jan. 4 game at Oak Creek.

Garlock recently returned to practice, but is limited to half court work for the time being. Garlock, who broke his ankle in April and had a setback this fall, will likely play just half the minutes early in his return, but his presence figures to be a huge help.

The problem between then and now is the Cardinals are falling into a rather large hole they’ll be trying to climb out of in January and February.

“Will looks good and he feels good,” Bavery said. “But that’s not our reality now.

“We all understand there’s a bigger picture down the road for this team when we have Will back. But we’ve got a find a way to win some games without him. Wins kind of solve everything, so we need some.”

Middleton never had much of a chance to break into the win column against an Oshkosh North team featuring Iowa State recruit Xzavion Mitchell.

Mitchell poured in 38 points on 12-of-17 shooting, grabbed nine rebounds, and made key baskets any time the Spartans needed one.

“He’s a great player,” Guerrero said of Mitchell. “He’s one of the best guys I’ve ever played against. Every time they needed something he got it for them.”

Guerrero led Middleton with 18 points and six steals, while junior guard John Grimes added 12 points, senior forward Drew Cooney had 10 points and six rebounds, and Mauer scored nine points. The Cardinals played without senior wing Riley Kann, who sprained his ankle the previous night against Romeoville.

“Jackson has been great for us,” Bavery said of Guerrero. “The biggest surprise with Jackson is he’s still doing the same thing defensively and he’s playing heavy minutes.

“But offensively, he’s been shooting it great from 3-point range, he has the ability to go to the rim and draw fouls, and he’s also shown the ability to attack the close out. And what he does is he doesn't do things recklessly. He’s always under control. He’s the real deal.”

So is the 6-foot-8 Mitchell, who’s built like an NFL outside linebacker. Mitchell made his first five shots as North raced to an 18-7 lead.

Middleton tried slowing the Spartans down with an aggressive zone and by double teaming Mitchell every time he touched the ball. But North — and Mitchell — kept finding holes in the defense and got countless easy looks at the rim.

“We’ve played all zone so far without Will,” Bavery said. “It won't be like this when he gets back.”

North’s lead grew to as many as 19 late in the first half and the Spartans carried a 42-26 advantage to the locker room. Mitchell had 20 points at the break, while sharp-shooting teammate Stefan Stojilovic had 10 of his 16 in the opening half.

North shot a blistering 15-of-21 from the floor in the first half (71.4%) and made five of its nine 3-point attempts (55.6%). Middleton shot a respectable 52.4% in the first half, but killed itself with 14 turnovers.

“I think the first half we came out really slow,” Guerrero said. “We just didn't play with the energy we needed to have.”

To Middleton’s credit, that changed in the second half.

After falling behind by as many as 20, the Cardinals went on a 16-3 run and pulled within 55-49 with 7:55 left.

Grimes drilled a pair of 3-pointers in that stretch, and Guerrero added five points. Mauer also hit a 3-pointer and Cooney banked in a 5-footer as Middleton crept closer than it had been since the opening minutes.

“It was a much better second half,” Bavery said. “But where was that energy at the start of the game?”

Mitchell quickly responded with a traditional 3-point play and five straight points overall, jump-starting a 12-4 North run that pushed its lead back to 67-53 with 3 ½ minutes remaining.

The Cardinals refused to go quietly, though, countering with a 9-1 burst and pulling back within 68-62 with 2:12 left.

Cooney scored to start the run and Mauer drilled a 3-pointer. Then Middleton’s full court pressure — which gave North fits in the second half — led to consecutive turnovers and lay-ups on the other end from junior guard Andrew Qastin (five points).

The unstoppable Mitchell countered with four straight points, though, ending any hopes of a Middleton comeback.

“I think the encouraging thing is the second half was just much better and less frustrating,” Mauer said. “We showed signs of hope for this upcoming week. I still think we can be very good.”

Middleton shot a respectable 24-of-51 from the floor (47.1%) and finished with fewer turnovers than the Spartans (22-20). The Cardinals also had assists on 16 of their 24 baskets (66.7%) and finished with 14 steals.

North finished shooting a blistering 62.2% from the floor, though (23-of-37).

While there were positives for the Cardinals, it was another loss.

“Between conference and non-conference games, this is the toughest schedule we’ve ever had right out of the gate,” Bavery said. “In a lot of ways we’ve answered the bell. In others we haven’t.

“We told the guys after the game, this is our reality now. We’ve got find a way to win some games before Will gets back. We’ve got a lot to clean up, but at the same time we’ve got a lot to work with.”

• Romeoville (Ill.) 69, Middleton 54 — The Cardinals never led and dropped their first game at the 60Eight Tournament last Friday.

Guerrero led Middleton with 19 points, three steals and four 3-pointers. Senior forward Marquis Walked added 13 points and five rebounds, while junior guard John Grimes had eight points.

Romeoville put three players in double figures and held a 39-26 rebounding advantage. Middleton also had 20 turnovers that led to 28 Romeoville points.

• Verona 84, Middleton 69 — The Cardinals fell to 0-3 in the Big Eight with a home loss to the Wildcats (5-1).

Senior forward Drew Murphy led Verona with 32 points, and senior guard Cameron Williams added 28.

• On deck: Middleton hosts Madison West (1-4, 0-3) Thursday at 7:15 p.m., then travels to Madison East (1-6, 0-4) Saturday at 2:30 p.m.

“Those are two games we need to get,” Bavery said of this week’s competition.

Guerrero agreed.

“We’ve been playing pretty good competition here, and I think (this) week we can get two wins for sure,” he said. “And I think those two wins would help us a lot.”

Dec. 14

OSHKOSH NORTH 74, MIDDLETON 64

Oshkosh North …….... 42 32 — 74

Middleton ……….…... 26 38 — 64

OSHKOSH NORTH (fg-fga ft-fta pts) — Xzavion Mitchell 12-17 14-16 38, Dalton Clark 1-2 0-2 2, Jackson Anderson 0-2 4-6 4, Jon Coleman 1-4 0-0 2, Stefan Stojilovic 6-8 2-3 16, Owen Weber 1-2 1-2 4, Tylan Lister 2-2 2-4. Totals 23-37 23-33 74.

MIDDLETON — Marquise Walker 1-2 0-2 2, Jackson Guerrero 5-16 4-4 18, John Grimes 5-12 0-0 12, Drew Cooney 4-6 2-2 10, Brennan Mauer 3-6 0-0 9, Josh Tsipis 2-3 0-0 6, Andrew Qastin 3-4 0-0 6, Owen Ostreng 1-2 0-0 3. Totals 24-51 6-9 64.

3-point goals:  ON 5 (Lister 2, Stojilovic 2, Weber), Midd 10 (Guerrero 4, Mauer 3, Grimes 2, Ostreng 1). Total fouls: ON 11, Midd 24.

Dec. 13

ROMEOVILLE (ILL.) 69, MIDDLETON 54

Romeoville …….... 34 35 — 69

Middleton ……….…... 29 25 — 54

ROMEOVILLE (fg-fga ft-fta pts) — Danny Thompson 4-6 0-1 9, Jacob Miloch 4-9 0-0 12, Dayln Porter 2-4 3-4 7, DJ Hampton 5-8 5-9 15, DJ Porter Jr. 6-12 1-2 15, Kristian Flowers 0-1 0-0 0, Jamarri Fears 3-9 0-0 6, AJ Ivy 1-3 0-0 2, Noah Harris 0-1 2-2 2, Nathan Hayes 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 25-54 11-18 69.

MIDDLETON — Marquise Walker 5-10 2-4 13, Jackson Guerrero 6-13 3-5 19, Riley Kann 1-2 2-2 4, John Grimes 3-7 1-2 8, Drew Cooney 3-5 0-1 6, Brennan Mauer 0-2 0-1 0, Josh Tsipis 1-3 0-0 2, Andrew Qastin 0-1 0-0 0, Owen Ostreng 0-1 0-0 0, Jonathan Schwartz 1-1 0-0 2, Dane Krachey 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 20-46 8-15 54.

3-point goals:  R 8 (Miloch 4, Porter Jr. 2, Ivy 1, Thompson 1), Midd 6 (Guerrero 4, Grimes 1, Walker 1). Total fouls: R 18, Midd 17.