Sports

SUN PRAIRIE — The wait was long, painful, infuriating.

By late Thursday night, revenge had been served — somewhat.

Middleton’s girls basketball team toppled host Sun Prairie, 71-59. Nine months earlier, Sun Prairie has stunned Middleton in a WIAA Division 1 regional final.

So for one night, payback was quite enjoyable.

“We were talking about revenge all week,” Middleton senior forward Cole Jordee said. “It’s really nice to get it.”

Middleton improved to 6-0 overall and stayed tied atop the Big Eight Conference with Janesville Craig at 5-0. Sun Prairie slipped to 4-2, 3-2.

Senior guard Elizabeth Norregaard led Middleton with 15 points, while Jordee had a terrific game on both ends, finishing with 14 points and 12 rebounds. Sophomore guard Bria Lemirande added 11 points, eight rebounds and four steals, and senior sharp-shooter Emily Bergum came off the bench and struck for 11 points, highlighted by three three-pointers.

It may still be early, but Middleton’s girls basketball team showed that its full-court press is already in midseason form.

The Cardinals used their vaunted press to open a big first-half lead and pulled away for an 84-40 victory over Madison La Follette in a Big Eight Conference contest last Friday night.

“It puts constant pressure on people, and if you struggle a little bit ball handling, it can snowball on you,” Middleton coach Jeff Kind said.

With the Lancers struggling to get the ball past midcourt against the press, the Cardinals forced 23 turnovers while allowing just 20 field goal attempts en route to a 26-point halftime lead.

“We work on our press a lot,” said Middleton senior forward Cole Jordee. “That’s our main focus on defense. Pressing is our key.”

Middleton, ranked fourth in the latest WisSports.net Division 1 poll, improved to 5-0 overall and 4-0 in the league. La Follette dropped to 2-4 overall and 2-2 in league.

The WIAA boys state hockey tournament is nearly three months away.

But Middleton made a visit to the host site last Saturday. And the Cardinals are more optimistic than ever they can make a return trip in March.

Middleton edged Brookfield/Catholic Memorial, 4-3, in overtime in a game held at the Alliant Energy Center. Colin Butler notched the game-winner, scoring a shorthanded goal at 3:41 of O.T.

“We were very happy to win in O.T. in that building,” Middleton coach Steffon Walby said. “I think the event was a great success for the boys.”

The win capped another terrific week for the Cardinals.

Middleton also defeated host Sun Prairie, 3-1, last Tuesday. The Cardinals followed that with a 14-1 drubbing of Madison La Follette/East last Thursday, before it won again Saturday.

This wasn’t the ending anyone wanted.

But the beginning itself has been quite satisfying.

Middleton’s boys basketball team — a unique group carrying 18 players with little to no varsity experience — dropped a 57-56 decision to Madison East last Thursday. But these inexperienced Cardinals, who are also playing a completely new style of basketball, have no complaints about the start of their season.

Middleton fell to 3-1 overall and 2-1 in the Big Eight Conference following its loss to East. And you had told Cardinals head coach Kevin Bavery last month he’d open the season 3-1, he’d have signed on the dotted line as fast as possible.

“Absolutely. Absolutely,” Bavery said. “At the same time, we want to maximize every opportunity that’s presented us and I don’t think we did that (Thursday).”

Perhaps.

It was a memorable year for Middleton’s football team.

And the Cardinals were certainly recognized when it came time for postseason honors.

Middleton had 11 players named first-team all-Big Eight Conference, six received second-team honors and five others earned honorable-mention honors.

Middleton’s 22 all-conference selections were a league-high. But after winning the league with an 8-1 mark, that type of recognition seemed well-deserved.

“Of our 22 starters, 20 of them got recognition,” Middleton coach Tim Simon said.

VERONA — When C.J. Fermanich has the basketball in his hands, good things often happen.

So when Middleton’s sophomore point guard attacked the basket in the waning seconds of the first half last Friday night, teammate Tyree Eady knew exactly where he needed to be as well.

Fermanich delivered a beautiful pass in the paint to Eady who sank a layup an instant before the halftime buzzer sounded. Middleton rode that momentum to a 70-61 victory over host Verona in a Big Eight Conference boys basketball game.

“You have two athletic, heady, experienced sophomores,” Middleton coach Kevin Bavery said. “They have grown up playing so much basketball and know each other so well. Most teams would expect C.J. to go all the way to the rim, but he made that extra pass for the easy lay in.

VERONA — The past and present collided for Jeff Kind Thursday night. And in a game dripping with irony, Middleton’s girls basketball coach left with one of the more memorable victories of his stellar career.

Kind notched his 500^th career win when his Cardinals rallied for a thrilling 65-62 win over host Verona in an early-season clash of Big Eight Conference titans.

Middleton senior guard Elizabeth Norregaard put on a shooting clinic, making a remarkable 8-of-11 three-point shots and matching her career-high with 32 points. Interestingly, Norregaard’s performance came against Verona coach Angie Murphy (Halbleib), the finest player in Middleton history who was integral in Kind building the program to where it is today.

It all added up to a win Kind and the Cardinals will remember for a long, long time.

The list of accomplishments is long and impressive.

There have been three straight outright or shared Big Eight Conference titles. Memorable performances at the sectional level. And a handful of state qualifiers.

But Middleton’s wrestlers — who began their season Friday at Madison Memorial at 7 p.m. — have even loftier aspirations this winter.

“It’s that next level that we want,” Cardinals ninth-year coach Kent Weiler said. “We’re here now and we’re going to be stable for a while.

“But we have even higher expectations and these kids have expectations. We’re right on the fringe. Now, I want to see how these kids step up as we try getting to that next level.”

The level Weiler is talking about is the WIAA state team tournament, a place Middleton hasn’t been since 1994.

Middleton’s boys swimming team will have a blast from the past this season.
And what a blast it is.

Sam Niesen, one of the more accomplished swimmers in school history, has returned to be the Cardinals’ head coach. And Middleton — which began its season at the Brookfield East Invitational Tuesday — is expecting a terrific year under its new leader.

“So far, our time together has gone rather smoothly,” Niesen said. “There are a few things we need to work on as a team to improve, both in and out of the pool. But it’s obviously very early in the season and I’m not concerned about the long run.

“There are quite a few guys on the team that I see with a lot of potential, and I’m extremely excited to see what my coaching can do to break that out.”

If Niesen’s coaching skills come close to his swimming ability, the Cardinals will be in good shape.

It didn’t take long for Kari Steck to notice the difference.

Middleton’s girls gymnastics coach was in the gym an hour, maybe two, and the Cardinals’ boss could already see the change.

“The depth and determination this year is unlike any we've seen in a while,” Steck said. “From day one, we as coaches could tell it just felt different in the gym than it ever had before. It’s a special group of girls.”

Middleton opens its season Tuesday with a home meet against Mount Horeb at 6:30 p.m. And the Cardinals are expecting another special season.

Middleton had a memorable winter a year ago, winning Madison Memorial Sectional and finishing fourth at the WIAA Division 1 state meet.

Amazingly, Steck believes this year’s group will be even deeper than a year ago.

“The depth this year is fantastic,” she said.

Sophomore Madeline Pflasterer-Jennerjohn is Middleton’s top returnee.