FOCUS ON BOYS BASKETBALL
AREA RANKINGS
LW 1. Milwaukee Vincent (4-2) 1 2. Milwaukee Riverside (2-2) 2 3. Cedarburg (7-0) 3 4. Milw. Washington (3-1) 4 5. Oak Creek (5-1) 6 6. Pewaukee (8-1) 8 7. Brookfield Central (6-0) 9 8. Wisconsin Lutheran (5-1) 5 9. Arrowhead (5-1) 10 10. Destiny (7-1) —
NOTABLE Player of the week: Cole Nau, Brookfield Central.
The 6-foot-2 sophomore guard scored a career-high 24 points in a 74-62 victory over West Allis Central last Tuesday. He hit 8 of 12 shots, went 3 of 4 from three-point range, grabbed 10 rebounds and dished out six assists. In his second season of varsity ball, Nau has been asked to take on a larger role in scoring and ball-handling. “What struck me the most Tuesday was the confidence he played with,” Brookfield Central coach Dan Wandrey said. “The aggressiveness and not necessarily just wanting to drive it to the basket every time. He was looking for his shot."
Team of the week: Milwaukee Pulaski.
The Rams snapped a 19-game losing streak Thursday with a 61-57 victory on the road over Milwaukee Languages. “It was a gorilla off their backs,” Pulaski coach Darryl Eastern said. “They were elated because this year we’ve been in games.” Prior to Thursday, the Pulaski’s most recent close call was a 69-63 loss to Young Coggs Prep on Dec. 9. This time, however, the Rams finished the job thanks to a double-double from 6-7 junior forward Tim Williams (17 points, 12 rebounds) and some strong play down the stretch from senior point guard Raquentez Woodley, who had 14 points and two steals in overtime. Junior forward Javier Rivera was next with nine points. After Languages rallied to force overtime, Pulaski scored the first five points of overtime to take control. “We finally put a complete game together,” Eastern said. “The kids figured out how to win down the stretch.”
Jordan rules: Cedarburg senior Jordan Johnson scored his 1,000th point in the first half of the Bulldogs’ victory over Wisconsin Lutheran on Friday. The 6-5 guard is averaging 21.7 points per game and entered the week with 1,019. Combined with junior guard John Diener, who has 1,262 points, Cedarburg is one of the few teams with two 1,000-point scorers.
Walker on point: Speaking of prolific juniors, Milwaukee Juneau/Reagan Dwayne Walker reached his 1,000th-point with a 43-point effort in a 92-86 loss to Milwaukee North on Dec. 15. The 6-3 guard is averaging 25.3 points through seven games and with 1,027 points he joins Diener and Whitnall’s Tyler Herro as members of the 2018 class who could crack 2,000 points before they’re done.
Mr. Inside: The fancy footwork that made Menomonee Falls senior Matt Henningsen one of the state’s top linemen in football also is working for him on the basketball court. The 6-5, 275-pound senior has emerged as a force in Falls’ 7-1 start. “He’s our biggest guy at 6-4, 6-5 and everything we do as far as the initial emphasis in our offense is to look to him,” Falls coach Steve Showalter said, “so he’s kind of our first, second and third option at this point.” Henningsen, who averaged 6.8 points per game last season, is averaging 17.9 points this season. Buoyed by a 40-point night in a 100-94 overtime victory over West Allis Hale on Dec. 13, Henningsen, who will play football at Wisconsin, has averaged 29 points in the last three contests while continuing to be strong on the boards. “He’s got long arms, really great hands and really great footwork,” Showalter said. “He’s got a huge heart and he’s a competitor. He works extremely hard and he’ll do whatever he can to help us win.” Power shift? Racine Park was an overwhelming favorite to win the Southeast Conference this season, but the Panthers will begin the new year one and a half games behind Oak Creek following their 63-59 loss to Racine Case on Thursday. Koreen Ozier finished with 31 points for Case and Andrew Schmidtmann added 12 points.
COMING UP
Wisconsin Basketball Yearbook Shootout at Concordia University, Tuesday-Thursday: Play tips off at 9 a.m. each day. There will be 27 games in all, highlighted by Milwaukee Riverside-Kaukauna at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday; Dominican vs. Ripon at 3 p.m. Wednesday; and Whitnall-Kaukauna at 7:30 p.m. Thursday.