Sports

SUN PRAIRIE — Junior forward Jack Smith was stunned at what he saw when host Sun Prairie sank six consecutive 3-pointers and jumped out to an early 18-point lead over Middleton on Thursday night.

But Smith expected the visiting Cardinals to take it in stride.

“It’s just one of those things,” Smith said. “You’ve just got to play through it.”

Much to its chagrin, though, Middleton couldn’t. Sun Prairie rode the early scoring spree and posted a 64-53 victory over No. 4 Middleton in a critical Big Eight Conference game.

Sun Prairie’s win — plus Madison Memorial’s loss to Madison West — created a three-way tie atop the conference.

“Every team is giving us their best,” Smith said. “You’ve just got to expect them to come out and shoot like that. They were excited to play us, so that’s the way we’ve got to play.”

VERONA — When the night began, the large contingent of Middleton students chanted ‘We’re No. 1. We’re No. 1.’

When the night was over, that seemed certain to change.

Middleton’s top-ranked girls basketball team went to No. 3 Verona Tuesday with a Big Eight Conference title and the top seed in the sectional at stake. The Wildcats then proceeded to play like the No. 1 team in the state.

Verona’s trio of senior guard Cheyenne Trilling, and senior forwards Grace Mueller and Kira Opsal combined for 64 points and powered the Wildcats to a 73-56 win.

Verona moved into first place in the Big Eight with a 15-1 mark and improved to 17-2 overall. Middleton slipped to 14-1 and 16-3.

“I told (Verona coach) Angie (Murphy) at the start of the year that you should be the No. 1 team in the state,” Middleton coach Jeff Kind said. “And they probably will be now.”

Middleton’s boys basketball team took care of business last Friday.

Now, the Cardinals must do the same this week to fulfill their dreams of a Big Eight Conference championship.

Middleton rolled past Madison La Follette, 80-58, and snapped its two-game losing streak. The Cardinals now face a week that will likely decide the eventual Big Eight Conference champion.

Middleton, which is tied for the Big Eight lead at 11-2 and sits at 15-2 overall, heads to third place Sun Prairie (13-4, 10-3) Thursday at 7:30 p.m. Middleton is then at Big Eight co-leader Madison Memorial (11-2, 12-4) Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

“Clearly a pivotal week ahead, but we’ll try to win at practice and take it day by day from there,” Middleton coach Kevin Bavery said. “It's really the only mentality you can have. Sun Prairie and Madison Memorial are both playing very well.”

The memory of 2015 still stings.

Middleton’s hockey team was the No. 1 seed in its sectional last winter. But in the sectional finals, the Cardinals were upended by second-seeded Madison Memorial and fell short of a trip to state.

Middleton is determined not to let that happen again in 2016.

The Cardinals received the No. 1 seed in their sectional one again. Middleton earned a first round bye, then hosts the winner of eighth-seeded Monona Grove or ninth-seeded Oregon on Feb. 19 at Capitol Ice Arena at 8 p.m.

The sectional semifinals are Feb. 23 and the sectional finals are Feb. 27 at 7 p.m. at Sun Prairie Ice Arena.

While Middleton was the No. 1 seed in the sectional, its path to state won’t be easy. Madison Edgewood is seeded second, followed by Waunakee, Verona, Sun Prairie, Madison Memorial, Madison West, Monona Grove, Oregon, DeForest, McFarland and Madison La Follette/East.

The postseason is right around the corner.

And one thing has become crystal clear — Middleton’s girls gymnastics team is ready for whatever lies ahead.

Middleton won the 10-team Cardinal Invite last Saturday with a season-best score of 139.9250 and edged runner-up Mukwonago/East Troy/Kettle Moraine (139.8250). West Salem/La Crosse Aquinas (133.10), Sun Prairie (131.9750) and Madison West (128.450) rounded out the top five.

One week earlier, Middleton posted a season-best score of 139.750. The Cardinals then bested that total last Saturday.

“For the girls to put up a 139.9250 team score is huge,” Middleton coach Kari Steck said. “After last week, we know the girls did great and we know they stuck their beam routines. But throughout the state everyone knows a little bit of gymnastics is the subjectivity of the scores.

Middleton’s boys swimming and diving team finished in third place at last Saturday’s Big Eight Conference meet held at Beloit Memorial.

Madison Memorial won the meet with 627.5 points, while Madison West was second (524.5). Middleton (418.5), Verona-Mount Horeb (275) and Sun Prairie (192) rounded out the top five.

“We had another fantastic meet, and I can't be more happy with our times,” Middleton coach Sam Niesen said. “We placed a very solid third behind Memorial and West again.

“A lot of the older boys swam well, the juniors and seniors, and I think it rubbed off on the younger boys because they started swimming out of their minds as well. We've got a lot of young talent on this team with a huge amount of potential, and they've done well this year.”

Cardinals’ sophomore Michael Draves won the 500-yard freestyle and junior John Virnig was 10^th.

Middleton senior golfer Emmet Herb signed a national letter of intent last week to play for The University of St. Thomas (Minn.). Herb is shown here with his parents, Annie and Pete.

St. Thomas, an NCAA Division 3 school, is currently ranked No. 1 in the country.

Herb has been a first-team all-Big Eight Conference selection each of the past two seasons. Last year, Herb had a 77.1 average and finished third in the conference’s Player of the Year voting.

Herb was also named honorable-mention all-state in 2015 by the Wisconsin Golf Coaches Association of Wisconsin.

Herb, a three-year varsity player, helped the Cardinals finish fourth at state as a team in 2014 and fifth in 2015.

“Emmet played with some of the best players in the state and played very well against those players,” Middleton coach Tom Cabalka said at the end of the 2015 season.

For months and months, Grace Douglas thought she’d be spending the next four years out of state.

Maybe the east coast, where several colleges were interested in the Middleton girls soccer standout.

The state of Illinois also seemed like a viable option, as both Northwestern and the University of Illinois were banging on Douglas’ door.

But in a minor upset, Douglas chose to attend college just 10 minutes from home. And on Wednesday, Douglas signed her national letter of intent to play soccer at the University of Wisconsin.

“I was originally very interested in leaving home, and so I started emailing and going to different camps for schools on the east coast,” said Douglas, a defender. “Originally I was sure that I wanted to at least leave the state. I was surprised when I suddenly became interested in Wisconsin.

“The academic and athletic possibilities offered at Madison are nearly unbeatable. It just so happens that it's down the street.”

Sun Prairie — Alexis Thomas isn’t one to seek out attention. But when the spotlight was thrust on Middleton’s standout junior guard Thursday night, she was ready with a virtuoso performance.

Thomas and her Cardinals were deadlocked, 67-67, with host Sun Prairie in a Big Eight Conference thriller. But Thomas changed that with a cold-blooded, 21-foot three-pointer with just 5.4 seconds left.

Thomas’ heroics gave Middleton a 70-67 win and allowed it to stay perfect in conference play. Middleton improved to 15-2 overall, 13-0 in the Big Eight and maintained a ½-game lead over second place Verona (13-1, 15-2).

Middleton, ranked No. 1 in the latest Associated Press poll, travels to No. 3 Verona Tuesday night.

“You try not to make it seem like a really big deal when that shot goes in,” Thomas said. “But it’s a great feeling. It really is.”

Their goal sheet is extremely lengthy.

Sectional titles. A state tournament appearance. Perhaps even a state title when all is said and done.

But the first objective for Middleton’s hockey team is — and always will be — a Big Eight Conference title. And the Cardinals accomplished that last week with a pair of league wins.

The Cardinals defeated Madison La Follette/East, 7-1, last Thursday. Middleton also toppled Madison West, 10-1, last Saturday.

The Cardinals improved to 18-3 overall and 11-2 in the Big Eight. Middleton now has 22 points in the conference standings with one league game remaining against Verona on Feb. 11.

Both Sun Prairie and Verona (8-3 in the league) still could tie Middleton for the conference’s top spot. But those teams would have to win out and Middleton would have to lose its final league game for any sharing to be involved.