Sports

The gift was wrapped and the ribbon was tied. All that was left was the bow on top.

Riley Kann and Marquise Walker took care of that.

The senior guards on Middleton’s boys basketball team delivered the highlight of the night last Friday, an alley-oop from Kann to Walker off the backboard with a minute-and-a-half left that punctuated the Cardinals’ 86-66, Big Eight Conference victory over visiting Madison La Follette in grand fashion.

“We were coming up the court and I looked at him, he looked at me and he threw it up,” said Walker, who admitted he wasn’t expecting it off the glass.

Kann said he went glass with it because it was a two-on-one and the La Follette defender was far enough into the passing lane that a traditional lob was going to be more difficult.

MADISON — At 7-foot tall with the wingspan of a pterodactyl, Middleton senior forward Will Garlock is an imposing figure on the basketball court and during postgame interviews.

Garlock is arguably the best player on the floor most nights, which was the case last Wednesday when Madison Memorial hosted Middleton in a Big Eight Conference matchup.

While Garlock — a University of Wisconsin recruit — was limited to 75% of his normal minutes as he continues to recover from a foot injury he suffered last spring, Garlock showed off his versatility by finishing with 14 points, seven rebounds, six assists, and two blocked shots.

“Garlock is so good. He gets the ball inside, and he’s going to score every time,” Madison Memorial coach Steve Collins said with a sigh. “It’s like playing Nerf basketball for him. It’s not fair. He’s a legit 7-flooter, not partially, he’s legit.”

Goliath was knocked down — for at least one night anyhow.

Now, Middleton’s boys swimming team will try recovering in its quest for a third straight WIAA Division 1 state championship.

Verona edged the Cardinals, 94-91, last Friday in a Big Eight Conference dual meet that will likely determine the league’s regular season champion.

It marked the first time Middleton has lost a dual meet during coach Wes Lagerhausen’s three years at the helm, although the Cardinals were without standout junior Sam Wolf.

“We swam well, but well does not cut it against a Verona team with their kind of depth,” Lagerhausen said. “We won a fair amount of the events, however we needed to capitalize more on winning the second and even third races that were taking place in the pool. This is a perfect example of how swimming is a team sport and every race, swimmer and detail matters.”

Middleton’s boys hockey team stayed on track for a Big Eight Conference last week.

The Cardinals rolled past Janesville, 6-1, on Jan. 22, and improved to 9-0 in the conference. The Cardinals lead Verona (8-1) by one game, while Sun Prairie (5-4) is a distant third.

Middleton is also 12-8 overall.

Wyatt Ehrhardt had three goals and an assist for Middleton, while Everett Lamp had two goals. Luke Strasia had one goal, while Eli Covey had three assists.

Thomas Sutcliffe added two assists, while Patrick Passini, Ethan Glimme and Matt Sanger both had one assist.

Lamp scored just 1:22 into the game on assists from Ehrhardt and Glimme, then Lamp scored again at 10:53 on an assist from Sutcliffe to give Middleton a 2-0 lead. Ehrhardt then scored with 17 seconds left in the first period on assists from Covey and Sutcliffe to make it 3-0.

Ehrhardt scored at 15:29 in the second period on assists by Sanger and Covey to give MHS a 4-0 lead.

It’s been nearly five years since Middleton’s girls basketball team defeated Verona.

The Cardinals’ fortunes didn’t change on Jan. 23 either.

The Big Eight Conference leading Wildcats won their eighth straight game against Middleton, cruising to a 52-30 victory.

The Wildcats improved to 15-1 overall and 12-0 in the Big Eight, while Middleton fell to 5-12, 4-8.

Verona took a 23-12 halftime lead, then began the second half on a 19-6 run to push its lead to 42-18. The Wildcats extended their lead to as many as 25 and cruised home.

The Cardinals shot just 13-of-37 from the field (35.1%) and 4-of-11 from the free throw line (36.3%).

Emily Utter led Middleton with six points and two steals, while Teagan Kadow added five points, three rebounds, two assists and a steal. Hailey Stroede added four points and five rebounds, while Brooke Michelotti had four points, three rebounds, two steals and an assist.

The postseason is rapidly approaching. And Middleton’s girls gymnastics team is picking the perfect time to peak.

Middleton finished second at the Southwestern Invitational last Saturday and posted a season-high point total along the way.

Host Southwestern finished first with 134.30 points, while the Cardinals were second at 133.7250. Platteville/Lancaster/Belmont (133.2750), Jefferson/Cambridge (121.050) and Prairie du Chien/Fennimore (114.4750) rounded out the field.

“My girls went out there today and gave it their all,” Middleton coach Alexis Cairo said. “We may have gotten off to a rocky start on floor, but the girls brushed it off and bounced back for the rest of the competition. I am so incredibly proud of all of them.”

Middleton’s Aspen Goth won the all-around competition with a 35.7250, while teammate Abby Arnold was sixth with a 33.350.

Terrific defense.

An improving offense.

And chemistry that seems to be improving by the week.

Middleton’s boys basketball team checks all the boxes right now, and displayed them in a 73-48 win over Janesville Parker last Saturday during the Martin Luther King Big Eight Conference Showcase at Sun Prairie East High School.

Middleton won its seventh straight game and improved to 7-5 overall, 6-3 in the conference. Parker fell to 2-13, 0-9.

Senior center Will Garlock led four Cardinals in double figures with 16 points and added nine rebounds. Junior guard Jackson Guerrero added 14 points and 10 deflections, senior wing Marquise Walker — who missed the previous six games due to suspension — added 12 points and eight rebounds, while senior forward Drew Cooney had 10 points and eight assists.

Jackson Guerrero isn’t one to toot his own horn.

But Middleton’s terrific two-way guard, who is one of the state’s elite defenders, admits facing a player like him would be a pain in the backside.

“I don’t think I’d be able to score on myself,” said Guerrero, who’s also the Cardinals’ point guard. “I think it’d be pretty annoying.”

Sun Prairie West found Guerrero’s defense downright maddening on Jan. 16.

Guerrero tied a school record with eight steals — many leading to fast break points the other way — and powered Middleton to a 64-55 win over the visiting Wolves. Guerrero was also the primary defender on West standout Tyler Haney, and limited him to 12 points — nearly 11 below his average of 22.7.

The Cardinals won their sixth straight game, improved to 6-5 overall and 5-3 in the Big Eight Conference. West, which defeated league-leading Sun Prairie East just 48 hours later, is 6-6, 4-5.

Middleton’s wrestlers finished in third place at the eight-team Markesan Invitational last Saturday.

Markesan won the team title with 166.0 points, while La Crosse-Hokah (159.0) and Middleton (151.5) rounded out the three.

The Cardinals received first place finishes from Tavish Frank at 126 pounds, Pavil Jones (144), Sam Zanton (157), Finn Grauwels (165) and Reed Falk (190).

Here’s how the Cardinals fared at each weight class.

106 — Maximus Schultz (6-3) placed 4th and scored 11.0 team points.

Round 1 - Malachi Kasuboski (Berlin) 24-8 won by tech fall over Schultz  (TF-1.5 2:46 (15-0)

Round 2 - Sam Rislov (La Crescent-Hokah) 5-12 won by tech fall over Schultz (TF-1.5 2:33 (16-0)

Round 3 - Schultz won by fall over Ayden Wustrack (Markesan) 8-22 (Fall 0:43)

Round 4 - Isaac Kelnhofer (North Fond du Lac/St. Mary`s Sp.) 18-4 won by fall over Schultz (Fall 1:17)

Middleton’s boys swimming and diving team had another terrific week, winning a pair of meets.

The Cardinals defeated Madison Memorial, 111-74, last Friday to remain unbeaten in the Big Eight Conference. Middleton then won the 10-team Cardinal Relays last Saturday.

Here’s a recap of the Cardinals’ week.

CARDINAL RELAYS

Middleton rolled past a talented field at its own invite.

The Cardinals finished with 243 points to easily outdistance runner-up Verona (154). Madison West (151), Madison Memorial (147) and McFarland (108) rounded out the top five.

“This one is a fun meet with different types of relays than you would see in the normal meet lineup,” Middleton coach Wes Lagerhausen said. “The boys really enjoy it and it is a great break from the regular schedule that will take over the rest of the season.”