Sports

OAK CREEK — Just 90 seconds had elapsed from Middleton’s boys basketball game at Oak Creek last Saturday.

Cardinals 7-foot senior center Will Garlock — who was playing his first game following offseason ankle surgery — spun baseline and threw home a monster dunk over two much smaller Knights.

Garlock was called for traveling on the play, but the tone had been set.

And when someone from the crowd yelled, “He’s back”, they were spot on.

Garlock was indeed back, finishing with 14 points and 14 rebounds in just 16 minutes to power Middleton to an impressive 63-55 win.

The Cardinals, who were 2-5 without Garlock, are now 3-5 overall and 2-3 in the Big Eight Conference. Oak Creek, which was off to a terrific start, fell to 6-2.

OAK CREEK — Rashard Griffith was befuddled.

Middleton’s girls basketball coach had watched his team play a terrific final 9 minutes in their game at Oak Creek last Saturday. The problem is the Cardinals did very little right the first 27 minutes.

The result was a 52-38 setback that left Griffith wondering how he could get his team to play with the consistency they showed down the stretch.

“I’m trying to figure that out,” Griffith said afterwards. “I just talked to them about it. It’s not like they can’t do it. It’s not that they aren't a good team. But we came out slow, we came out sluggish. I told ‘em it’s like you’re all still at home in your bed asleep. .

“Because we came out slow and dug a hole for ourselves, that’s what happened. And we couldn’t get out of it.”

Middleton fell to 4-9 overall and is 3-5 in the Big Eight Conference. Oak Creek improved to 4-5.

Middleton’s hockey team stayed atop the Big Eight Conference with a 6-1 win over Madison Memorial last Saturday.

The Cardinals improved to 7-0 in the conference and are 10-4 overall.

Michael Garbuz led the Cardinals with two goals and an assist against the Spartans, while Patrick Passini had a goal and two assists.

Thomas Sutcliffe, Kaden Ruedebusch and Luke Strasia all had goals for the Cardinals, as well. Wyatt Ehrhardt, Everett Lamp, Taylor Park and Matt Sanger all added assists.

Heuer Stutz had 17 saves in goal and picked up the win.

Middleton scored the first six goals of the game and was never challenged.

Middleton’s girls gymnastics team had a long wait for their first meet of the season. That wait finally ended last Saturday, and the Cardinals gave an impressive performance.

Middleton finished in second place of the seven-team Red Division of the Mount Horeb Invitational.

Verona won the meet with a 143.0750 score. Middleton was second at 130.500 and Monona Grove was third (130.3250).

“For our first invite of the season, I am so incredibly proud of how my girls did,” Middleton coach Alexis Cairo said. “Of the six girls that competed, four of my girls competed in all four events … and we had eight PRs at this competition.”

Middleton sophomore Aspen Goth was fourth in the all-around competition with a 34.425, while junior Abby Arnold was eighth (32.60). Junior Ana Bollig was 15^th (31.225) and senior Anja Schmidt Voils was 23^rd (28.125).

Middleton’s wrestlers finished in seventh place at the 24-team Ripon Invite on Dec. 30

Waukesha West won the meet with 585.0 points. Middleton finished with 235.0 points.

Middleton’s Sam Zanton finished first at 157 pounds, while Aiden Bell (138) and Pavil Jones (144) both placed third.

Here’s a recap of the Cardinals’ performance.

113 — Kyle Mock (6-6) placed 9th and scored 17.0 team points.

Round 2 - Sam Peterson (Lena) 12-3 won by fall over Mock (Fall 0:57)

Round 3 - Baron Dowland (N. Fond du Lac/St. Mary`s Sp.) 9-6 won by medical forfeit over Mock

Round 4 - Desmond Thomas (Fond du Lac) 1-4 won by medical forfeit over Mock

Round 5 - Alex Hayes (Portage) 3-5 won by medical forfeit over Mock

9th Place Match - Mock received a bye

126 — Tavish Frank (7-5) placed 13th and scored 10.0 team points.

Round 1 - Frank received a bye

Middleton’s boys swimming and diving team went three weeks between competitions during their holiday break.

You would never known it, though, by watching them at the Marquette Invitational last Saturday.

Middleton won the star-studded, 28-team event with 323.5 points, while Brookfield’s co-op was a distant second with 226.5. McFarland (219), Waukesha South’s co-op (212) and Madison West (163.5) rounded out the top five.

“We did an incredible job,” Middleton coach Wes Lagerhausen said. “It was an extremely fast meet and we were fortunate enough to contribute to that in a big way alongside other teams after winter break training.”

Middleton junior Sam Wolf set two new meet records — in the 200-freestyle and the 100-breaststroke. In all, six meet records were broken.

Middleton’s swimmers also posted season-best times across the board.

Back-to-back state championships in boys and girls swimming and boys soccer.

A state title in boys lacrosse.

Conference championships everywhere you turn.

And several individuals that earned trips to state tournaments.

All of those were achieved during another banner year for Middleton sports in 2024.

Here is the Times-Tribune's rankings of the top-12 stories of 2024.

1) Boys soccer repeats

Eight returning starters.

A sensational 16-person senior class.

And a state championship already in tow.

Résumés like these don't appear often.

So from the time Middleton’s boys soccer team assembled for its first practice on Aug. 19, there was one — and only one — thing the Cardinals believed would make their season a true success.

“Back to back,” dynamic senior midfielder Jimmy Murphy said. “That was really the only goal.”

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.

Many of the state’s elite teams descended on Brookfield Central High School last Saturday.

And what they learned is that two-time defending WIAA Division 1 state champion Middleton will be awfully hard to dethrone this winter.

The Cardinals won the nine-team Barracuda Invitational with 634 points, easily outdistancing runner-up Brookfield co-op (424). Hartland Arrowhead (358), Madison Memorial (333) and Sun Prairie West (310) rounded out the top five.

Middleton also cruised past Janesville Parker, 140-30, last Friday.

“The two meets went really well,” Middleton coach Wes Lagerhausen said.

Here’s a recap of the Cardinals’ week.

BARRACUDA INVITATIONAL

Middleton junior standout Max Carter won all three of his individual events and the Cardinals won nine of 15 events overall and rolled to the team title.

Middleton’s hockey team won two of three games last week.

Middleton edged Sun Prairie, 2-1, in two overtimes on Dec. 10. The Cardinals slipped by Janesville, 4-3, on Dec. 12.

And Middleton fell to No. 1-ranked Stevens Point, 6-2, last Saturday.

The Cardinals are now 6-1 overall and 4-0 on the Big Eight Conference.

Here’s a recap of Middleton’s week:

• Middleton 2, Sun Prairie 1 — Ethan Glimme scored in the second overtime and lifted Middleton past Sun Prairie. Patrick Passini and Thomas Sutcliffe assisted on the play.

Sun Prairie took a 1-0 lead just 7 minutes into the game. Middleton tied things just 2 minutes later when Passini scored on assists from Ehrhardt and Covey.

Neither team scored in the second or third periods, as well as the first overtime. Glimme then finally notched the game-winner at the 6:28 mark of the second overtime.