Wisconsin Week In Review: Week 5
Now entering the 6th week of the high school basketball season, teams are starting to hit mid-season form. With teams preparing for a holiday break, or getting ready to compete in various holiday tournaments, the competition last week was fierce…
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Continue ReadingNow entering the 6th week of the high school basketball season, teams are starting to hit mid-season form. With teams preparing for a holiday break, or getting ready to compete in various holiday tournaments, the competition last week was fierce and exciting. Take a look at some of the top performers and teams from throughout the state in week five!
Players of the Week
Quinn Stulo (6’1 2019 PG, Oak Creek)- Playing against tough competition night-in and night-out, Quinn Stulo has been producing at a high level his senior season. This past week was no exception as he faced off against two extremely talented point guards, while still putting up some big numbers. He started off the week on Tuesday against state ranked Racine St. Catherine’s, dropping 28 points on one of the most talented teams in the state. On Thursday Quinn and Oak Creek were once again in Racine, this time taking on a budding Racine Case squad. Quinn was once again hitting his shots, this time scoring 22 points. He is a composed guard who has the ability to run his offense, while also being able to improvise at times and get buckets on his own when needed. Also a knock down three point shooter, Quinn drained 69 threes last season, and is on pace to improve that mark this year.
AJ Vukovich (6’5 2020 W, East Troy)- The D1 baseball commit is also a standout basketball player, and he has his East Troy squad sitting at 7-1 after two strong performances last week. On Tuesday he scored 34 points to help lead his team past Whitewater, before scoring 21 points on Friday to earn an overtime win against conference opponent Jefferson. The 6’5 wing is extremely athletic which gives him the ability to rise over defenders in the paint and finish with power at the rim. He has also developed some perimeter skills, making him even more of an offensive threat for East Troy.
BJ Wallace (6’6 2019 C, Pewaukee)- Pewaukee was one of the state’s top teams in Division 2 last season, and despite losing so much talent, they still sit at 8-2 almost midway through the year. A big reason for that success has been the emergence of BJ Wallace, and he put out some nice production last week. On Tuesday in a win over Wisconsin Lutheran, BJ shot a perfect 11-11 from the field, including 2-2 from beyond the arc on his way to a 30 point game. That individual and team success carried over to Friday where BJ would score 16 to help Pewaukee to a big win over Greendale. BJ is shooting over 60% from the field this year, largely due to his great shot selection and ability to finish down low. It appears that his confidence as a scorer is starting to grow as he realizes just how productive he can be, and that could lead to a lot more big weeks in the future.
Rocky Martinez (6’4 2019 W, Waukesha West)- After missing the first few weeks of the season, Rocky has made his return as an immediate difference maker for this talented Waukesha West squad, making his presence felt in many different ways on the court. Last Wednesday he dominated Milwaukee Riverside, scoring 23 points to go along with 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 steals. Later that week on Saturday he scored 22 points with 5 rebounds and 6 assists against Destiny, once again showing off his unique versatility. At 6’4 and a fluid athlete, Rocky has become a very dangerous player, and his ability to contribute scoring, assisting, rebounding, and on the defensive end makes him extremely difficult to gameplan against. Rocky looks like one of the state’s top breakout players so far, and he could be key in Waukesha West’s quest for a state title.
Jacob Fierst (6’6 2019 F, West Allis Central)- Jacob Fierst and West Allis Central are 8-1 on the season, and Jacob has separated himself as one of the top scorers in the Woodland Conference. After a slow start to the week with just 8 points in a big win over Whitnall, Jacob responded with a career night. Faced off against New Berlin Eisenhower on Friday night, Fierst would go on to score a career high 41 points in his teams win. Even more impressive is that he did not shoot a single free throw in that game, instead knocking down 19 shots including 3 of them from beyond the arc. The Woodland-West Conference is wide open this year, and with big performances like this, Jacob could very well help his West Allis Central team win it.
Team of the Week
Greenfield High School- Greenfield is off to a 9-1 start this season, and are riding an eight game win streak into the holiday break. They started off last week with an easy 63-31 win over Cudahy, with Makale Jones scoring 13 points to lead the way. On Friday they traveled to Brown Deer to take on a very talented and experienced squad, and went on to defeat BD 70-53. Mo Jamaleddin had a big game with 21 points to lead all scorers, and Makale Jones once again was in double figures scoring 10 points in the win. Greenfield doesn’t have a big name star, or a 20 point a night kind of player, but what they do have is a team full of guys willing to compete and excel at their role to give their team the best chance to win every night.
Upset of the Week
Appleton East takes down Kimberly 71-62- Kimberly came into the week as one of the top ranked teams in Division One, while Appleton East was sitting at just 4-4 on the season. Once again however, the Fox Valley Association proved to be one of the state’s toughest conferences, where anyone can beat anyone on any given night. Trailing by 2 at the half, Appleton East rode a 44 point second half to go on to win. East’s Kaden Clark was impressive, scoring 27 points in the upset win. The 6’4 guard’s length and skill on the wing came up huge, and he stepped up as a senior leader to help take down one of the state’s top teams. Bobby Derfus, Mitchell Nowak, and Lucas Kotarek all stepped up and scored in double figures as well for East.
Sleeper of the Week
Brady Wilks (5’8 2021 PG, Racine Lutheran)- Often overshadowed by the big names in the Metro Classic Conference, Brady Wilks has quietly been developing into a big time player for Racine Lutheran. In Lutheran’s lone game last week, Brady stepped up to score 23 points with 6 assists and 0 turnovers to help get the win over Milwaukee School of Languages. At 5’8, Brady is one of the toughest and scrappiest defenders you’ll find, who is a pest on the ball and isn’t afraid to get on the floor. On the offensive end Brady uses his quickness to penetrate the lane where he can score with a floater or dish the ball off to an open teammate. When given an opening, Brady can also light it up from beyond the arc. As just a sophomore he is averaging 18.5 ppg, 3.7 apg, and 3 spg, and is developing into one of the top young talents in southeastern Wisconsin.
Freshman of the Week
Luke Heartle (6’1 2022 G, Lake Country Lutheran)- Last week Luke Heartle put together a statline that would be impressive for any player, let alone just a freshman. Taking on the high scoring Milwaukee Lifelong Learning team, Luke would match that high octane play with 28 points. In addition to the scoring, Heartle added 15 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals to stuff the box score and help lead his team to a win. A great competitor, Luke is off to a productive start to his high school career averaging 17 ppg through seven games, and is a player to keep an eye on as he continues to develop his game.
Other Storylines
Martin Luther beat Waupun 79-64 in a battle of Division 3 #1 vs. #2.
Gage Malensek (6′ 2019 PG, Brookfield Central)- Scored 26 point with 10 assists against Wauwatosa West.
La Crosse Central goes 2-0 at the City of Palms Classic in Florida.
Ryan Van Handel (6’4 2019 F, Verona)- Scored a career high 29 points vs. Madison La Follette.
Madison La Follette took down Sun Prairie 105-104 in double overtime.