Sports

The lead, once as great as nine points, was gone now.

The scoring drought had reached nearly 10 minutes.

And things looked extremely bleak for Middleton’s boys basketball team last Friday.

That’s when T.J. Bauer flashed the skill set that made him an all-conference defensive back on the gridiron last fall and a lockdown defender on the hardwood today.

With Middleton trailing Wauwatosa East, 40-39, in a WIAA Division 1 regional semifinal, Bauer intercepted a Red Raiders’ pass on the perimeter. Bauer raced the other way, beat everyone to the basket and gave Middleton a lead it wouldn't relinquish.

The Cardinals went on to post a thrilling 45-40 win and advanced to a regional final Saturday night against Hartland Arrowhead.

It was ‘Senior Night’ for Middleton’s boys basketball team on Feb. 24.

But with an unfortunate twist.

When the Cardinals’ senior class was introduced before their final regular season game against Madison La Follette, senior Logan Raffel wasn’t in uniform.

Raffel’s absence played a key role in the visiting Lancers’ 72-45 victory over Middleton, which actually was closer than the final score indicated.

Raffel, a 5-foot-11 sharpshooting guard — who leads Middleton in 3-pointers made and attempted and is its second-leading scorer — had an appendicitis attack earlier in the week and had his appendix removed, which was expected to sideline him for the rest of the season.

They made gains every time they met.

In the end, though, there was no charm in the third meeting.

Middleton’s girls basketball team gave a gritty, gutty effort against Sun Prairie in a WIAA Division 1 regional semifinal last Saturday. But third-seeded Sun Prairie had too many weapons and defeated 14^th-seeded Middleton, 52-36.

Middleton finished the year 9-16. Sun Prairie improved to 21-4, then defeated Watertown the next night and advanced to sectional play this weekend.

This marked the third time the two Cardinals met this season and was the closest of those encounters.

Sun Prairie won the first game by 45 points and the second meeting by 22. This game was much closer, but Middleton couldn't get over the hump.

Middleton trailed just 28-21 at half and had hope heading to the second half.

Middleton’s girls gymnastics team finished fourth at the WIAA Division 1 Sun Prairie Sectional last Saturday.

The Cardinals failed to qualify any gymnasts — or as a team — for the state tournament.

Verona/Edgewood won the team title with a 145.450 score. Sun Prairie was second (137.450), while Madison Memorial (134.7250), Middleton (131.650) and Waunakee/DeForest (121.1750) rounded out the top five.

Middleton senior Megg Weiler was 13th in the all-around (32.975), while junior Jayden Mathias was 15^th (32.025).

Junior Lucy Hellenbrand was 13^th on the beam (8.60), Weiler was 18^th (8.150), freshman Zoe Gurtner was 20^th (8.125) and freshman Buna Karanezi was 24^th (7.80).

Senior Laney Seffrood was 14th on the floor (8.875), Hellenbrand was 24^th (8.40), Weiler was 27^th (8.20) and Mathias was 29^th (8.150).

Middleton girls snowboarding team recently finished second at the state meet.

Junior Chloe Larson took first place as an overall individual competitor, was second in the giant slalom, and third in both the Boardercross and Slalom.

Senior Emma Chandler took second place as an overall individual competitor and second place in the Boardercross.

The girls team brought 3 returning members of last year’s State Championship team (Senior Lauren Laufenberg, Larson and Chandler) and four members that were new to the team this year.

With strong finishes in the Giant Slalom and Boardercross races, Middleton held on through a particularly challenging Slalom course to claim Silver. 

Middleton’s boys had a tougher outing in terms of scoring, but with three of the seven state participants experiencing the event for the first time, set a solid foundation for future years. 

WAUKESHA — As they exited Waukesha South High School last Saturday, Middleton’s boys swimming team basked in the glory of a terrific afternoon.

The Cardinals notched first place finishes in two relays, had several outstanding performances in individual events and finished fourth at the WIAA Division 1 state meet. Brookfield Central/East won the team championship with 208 points, while Arrowhead (188), Madison West (182), Middleton (175) and Sun Prairie (173) rounded out the top five.

The Cardinals then paused for a second and realized next year could be even better. With the majority of their point scorers expected back and a gifted freshman class on the way, things could be even better for Middleton in 2023.

“We won the state championship my freshman year and I'd love to see us win it again my senior year,” Middleton junior standout Nick Chirafisi said. “It can happen. Plan on us bringing the heat.”

There was excitement, enthusiasm — and a little bit of trepidation.

Middleton’s boys basketball team learned Sunday afternoon that it received the No. 5 seed in its WIAA Division 1 sectional.

The Cardinals were excited to have such a solid seed in their 18-team sectional. But Middleton’s postseason path could be a beast.

Middleton (15-8) hosts 12^th-seeded Wauwatosa East (9-11) in a regional semifinal on March 4 at 7 p.m. The Red Raiders are the defending Division 1 state champions and are led by University of Virginia recruit Leon Bond.

If the Cardinals win there, they’ll either travel to fourth-seeded Arrowhead (16-6) or host 13^th-seeded Verona (11-11) in a regional final on March 5.

If the seeds hold, Middleton would face top-seeded Brookfield Central (18-5) in a sectional semifinal on March 10. And the sectional final on March 12 would be against second-seeded Madison La Follette (15-4).

SUN PRAIRIE — Joe Miller is not only an advocate for his sport, but he is also an optimist at heart.

So, while the Middleton wrestling coach will be relegated to only his duties as an announcer and sideline interviewer at the WIAA Individual State Wrestling Tournament this weekend at the Kohl Center, he is looking forward to double duty as soon as next season.

“It’s disappointing that we didn’t qualify anyone for state,” said Miller, who completed his first season as the Cardinals head coach at the Sun Prairie Sectional last Saturday. “But we were third at conference, third at the regional. We wrestled pretty good up until (Saturday). In the month of January, we were doing great. We had four conference champs, three regional champs and six sectional qualifiers. It was a good run.”

Only the top two finishers in each weight class advance to the WIAA Division 1 state meet.

It didn't end the way they hoped it would.

Few things that end rarely do.

But as Middleton’s hockey team stopped and reflected on the year they just completed, they had every reason to be beaming with pride.

Middleton fell to Verona, 5-0, in a WIAA Division 1 regional final last Thursday. That came on the heels of the Cardinals downing La Crosse Aquinas, 4-0, in a regional semifinal Feb. 15.

Middleton finished the year 16-8, a remarkable achievement considering the Cardinals played just three games and had fewer than 15 practices during the COVID-plagued 2021 season.

“I’m incredibly proud of this group,” Middleton coach Dan Truehl said. “In some respects, we had to start all over. The senior class was our rock and the culture that we’ve started to build is going to benefit us this offseason and in the upcoming years.