Defense states the case for Spartans
RACINE – Martin Luther passed this test with flying colors.
The Metro Classic is a top-heavy league that featured four teams ranked in the wissports.net coaches Division 3 and 4 boys basketball state polls this week. Getting wins is expected to be difficult, especially against quality opponents on the road.
The Spartans, however, at times made it look easy on the way to a 78-61 victory at Racine Prairie on Friday night. A smothering defensive effort in the first half laid the foundation of what was the first major showdown in the conference this season.
Martin Luther, which is ranked third in Division 3, got 19 points from junior guard Trequan Carrington and 17 points and some smothering defense from Ace Evans, another junior guard, to help the Spartans improved to 4-1 overall and 2-1 in the league.
Racine Prairie, the top-ranked team in Division 4, dropped to 2-1 overall and 1-1 in the league.
Here are five takeaways from the game.
Ace in the hole: The beauty of having a team as deep and versatile as Martin Luther’s is that one player doesn’t have to carry the load. Friday it was Evans’ turn. The 6-foot-1 guard harassed Prairie senior guard Logan Krekling to spark a 12-0 run 6 minutes into the game that turned a 15-7 deficit into a 19-15 edge.
The Spartans never trailed again. In fact, that spurt sparked their best stretch of play in the game. Racine Prairie finished with 14 first-half turnovers and trailed, 45-33, at the half.
Coach Paul Wollersheim’s message for his team?
“This is who we can be,” he said. “We watched a little tape of that 90-85 game and I heard a couple of the guys say, ‘We looked good’. I think it reminded them what we could be.”
Tough job: The Spartans' toughest assignment defensively went to junior forward Xzavier Jones, who was the primary defender on Hawks standout JC Butler. The 6-5 wing, who is drawing interest from a handful of Division I schools, came into the game fresh off a 41-point performance against St. Thomas More. He finished with 14 points, eight rebounds and five assists - good numbers - but nothing close to the damage he could have done.
Fast start: Prairie did start fast and put Martin Luther on its heels early. The Hawks scored on five of their first six possessions to take an 11-4 lead. That run showed the potential balance for a squad on which Butler gets most of the attention. The team’s first five buckets were scored by different players.
Comeback kid: Two years ago junior Jeramie King was Martin Luther’s top player. Last year he was sidelined all year with a knee injury. This year the 6-6 guard/forward is back, working his way back to his previous form. He finished with four points but displayed a presence on the board that should benefit the Spartans as the season progresses.
Road warriors: Due to a quirk in the schedule Martin Luther has yet to play a home game. The Spartans' slate featured neutral-site games against Destiny at UW-Milwaukee’s Klotsche Center and against Midwest Classic favorite Brookfield Academy at Pius XI. Their other road games were against Pius and Catholic Central.
Martin Luther has one more road game – it plays at St. Thomas More on Tuesday – before hosting Racine St. Catherine’s next Saturday.