Five Takeaways From Appleton West-Neenah
NEENAH — Needing a win to keep pace with Kimberly in the Fox Valley Association standings, No. 8 Appleton West (14-4) was upset 94-84 at Neenah (11-6) on Monday… Max Klesmit Continues to Rise Coming off a school record 41…
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Continue ReadingNEENAH — Needing a win to keep pace with Kimberly in the Fox Valley Association standings, No. 8 Appleton West (14-4) was upset 94-84 at Neenah (11-6) on Monday…
Max Klesmit Continues to Rise
Coming off a school record 41 points against Kaukauna, Klesmit went for 33 points in Monday’s victory.
Considering he had dominated in the last outing and came out with a loss, we expected Klesmit to be forcing the issue and rushing shots in order to try and knock off West, who came in just one game back of Kimberly in the Fox Valley Association.
That wasn’t the case at all.
Klesmit was extremely efficient, taking high quality shots and getting to the free throw line. Klesmit changed the game early, getting Appleton West’s Bubba Thompson in foul trouble, not only taking one of their best defenders, but 3-point shooters out of the game as well. It’s a good thing for the Rockets that Thompson was in foul trouble, with the way Thompson was shooting the ball, if he played 30 minutes, the Terrors might win that ball game.
Able to play on and off the ball, Klesmit has developed into a dangerous scorer. He’s terrific as a creator and mid-range shooter off the bounce. The 6-foot-3 junior is also a catch-and-shoot threat and moves all over the floor without the basketball.
Look for Division 2 programs to be all over and potentially prioritize Klesmit this spring/summer.
Mahoney Might Be Ranked Too Low
Monday was our first time seeing Will Mahoney in high school. With Ray Allen Select, he can get overshadowed by the likes of Marcus Domask, Cole Nau, David Skogman, and even Joey Platz, who can get a lot of shots in spurts.
Seeing Mahoney as the Plan A option changed our outlook.
Scoring a team-high 26 points, Mahoney was consistent and effective for nearly 36 minutes. Being the primary ball handler and scoring threat for the Terrors, Mahoney plays as quick as anybody in the state. Even off made baskets, the senior guard is looking to push the tempo and get coast-to-coast if it’s available.
Mahoney is a much better scorer than we anticipated. The 6-foot-2 guard has great handles and shook defenders throughout the game. He’s also greatly improved his ability to pull-up or step-back and create space off the bounce. A prospect that puts a ton of pressure on opposing defenses, Mahoney is one of the most difficult matchups in the Fox Valley Association.
He’ll probably land at the Division 3 level and has a chance to be a multi-year starter at that level, but there are some qualities that could attract some Division 2 schools late. We have Mahoney as the No. 28 ranked senior. We may push him into the top 20 after Monday’s showing.
Morrow Was the Difference Maker
As good as Klesmit was for Neenah, Logan Morrow was the x-factor for the Rockets. A big reason why Klesmit was able to be so efficient was Morrow’s ability to carry some of the scoring load and take that pressure off Neenah’s star guard.
Morrow chipped in with 19 points, many of which came after West put together some mini-runs. Morrow often shifted the momentum with timely baskets, including a couple of big 3-pointers.
The 6-foot-5 forward has some nice versatility and often handles the ball in transition. In addition to stretching the floor, Morrow will slash to the rim and even knock down mid-range jumpers. Also the team’s best rebounder, Morrow allows Neenah to play small and create mismatches on the other end. Morrow also took a couple of charges as well.
Morrow wasn’t the only one who stepped up as the Rockets also got double-figure scoring efforts from Sam Dietrich (12 points) and Ethan Parker (13 points) in Monday’s upset.
The FVA Race Became a Little Cloudy
With Neenah’s win and Kaukauna’s loss to Oshkosh North, Kimberly likely wins the Fox Valley Association outright as the Papermakers now have a two-game lead with four league games remaining.
However, spots 2-6 are still up for grabs.
Kaukauna and Appleton West are each tied for second at 10-4. Neenah, who’s shown the ability to beat anyone in this conference, is two games back of them, but perhaps has the most manageable slate — Oshkosh West, Appleton East, Fond Du Lac, and Appleton North.
And how about Oshkosh North? The Spartans just upset Kaukauna and have been maybe the biggest surprise in the league. This was supposed to be a down year for the program after losing Quincy Anderson, Tyrese Haliburton, and others. Yet, North is sitting at 7-7 with a chance to finish top four in arguably the state’s best conference.
Tied with North, Appleton East is also 7-7 with a chance to really shake up the top half of the conference, getting cracks at Neenah and Kaukauna to end the season.
These are Two Teams You Don’t Want to Face in March
Neenah and Appleton West won’t be favored to advance from their sectional, but these are two teams you don’t want to see in the state playoffs.
Both teams are quite similar in makeup. Both have a star guard (Mahoney and Klesmit) and surround them with 4-5 role players that can do some serious damage. The Rockets and Terrors both play with great spacing and ball movement. They get efficient shots from the floor, have multiple 3-point threats, and don’t beat themselves with a lot of careless turnovers.
Some top seeds in Sectional 1 are likely to be Kimberly, Hudson, and Stevens Point. Don’t be surprised if there are 3-4 FVA teams left standing once the semifinals arrive.