Greg Dixon
Monona Grove (in blue) and the Edgewood Crusaders are both ranked among the state’s best.
This is the time of year when a high school basketball team’s strength and resolve are revealed. Early-season jitters should be gone, but it’s a little soon to begin thinking about playing in the state championship game at Madison’s Kohl Center (boys) or Green Bay’s Resch Center (girls).
That’s not to say we can’t start talking about regional tournament action, though, which begins Feb. 23 for the girls and March 1 for the boys. How teams manage to keep their sanity over the next month or so will determine how they’ll react when the madness of March takes over.
Last weekend, multiple Madison-area teams holding on to high spots in the Associated Press state rankings won wild games that may give them the boost they need heading into the final weeks of the regular season.
The best place to begin is with the undefeated Middleton boys (14-0 through Jan. 24), who held off Hartland Arrowhead on Jan. 23, 81-78, thanks to a 5-0 run to the buzzer.
The Middleton girls, at 13-2, have been almost as impressive. Through last weekend, they were tied with Verona for the Big Eight Conference lead.
Meanwhile, Stoughton High School’s Badger Challenge pitted boys’ teams in the Badger North Conference against teams from the Badger South Conference, with pairings determined by those teams’ positions in conference standings.
The big winner was Waunakee, as senior guard Kyle Jensen sank a deep two as time expired to lift the Warriors past Madison Edgewood, 87-85. But give credit to the Crusaders, which made the game tight after trailing by 16.
What’s even better than a thrilling buzzer-beater? Tournament officials announced that a percentage of the proceeds from the two-day Badger Challenge would be donated to the University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center.
Other area schools ranked among the state’s best boys’ teams include Sun Prairie, Madison Memorial and Monona Grove, while top girls’ teams include Stoughton and Monona Grove.
I know a lot of people who tend to overlook prep basketball, especially in a Big Ten city. But when state tournament time rolls around, there’s nothing like the kind of community pride that high school hoops ignites. Remember Madison East last year?
If you have the opportunity over the next few weeks, I urge you to check out a game at your local high school gym. For a few bucks, you’ll not only support the school’s athletics program but you’ll also likely witness some pretty decent basketball.
