Five Takeaways From Milwaukee Madison-Nicolet
GLENDALE — Advancing to sectionals, Nicolet was able to turn away a strong upset bid from Milwaukee Madison in Saturday’s Division 2 regional finals… Milwaukee Madison Should Holds Their Heads High There was no way Milwaukee-Madison should have been a…
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Continue ReadingGLENDALE — Advancing to sectionals, Nicolet was able to turn away a strong upset bid from Milwaukee Madison in Saturday’s Division 2 regional finals…
Milwaukee Madison Should Holds Their Heads High
There was no way Milwaukee-Madison should have been a 5-seed. The Knights came in at 18-5, possessing a better record than the 4, 3, and 2 seeds in their regional, while playing in the Milwaukee City Conference. Madison had to play two games just to get to Saturday.
Walking into a hostile environment against the state’s best team, the Knights gave Nicolet a run for their money.
Madison took some huge punches from the home team and every time it looked like Nicolet would pull away, the Knights answered with a run of thier own. In fact, Madison rallied to grab a 23-22 lead late in the first half and were in good position early in the final period as well.
Putting together and executing a good game plan, Madison grinded out possessions and often kept the pace in their favor. They’d surely like to have some turnovers back, especially those against Nicolet’s full court press, but the Knights still became just the second team from in-state to stay within 12 points of the D2 title favorites and did it on one day’s rest with little time to prepare.
Crunch Time Still Belongs to Jalen Johnson
I’ve never covered a player that’s this good when it’s time to close a game out.
Ignore last season’s state semifinal loss to Brookfield East. That was the exception to the rule. Jalen Johnson just doesn’t know how to lose. By all accounts, he’s the nicest kid off the floor. On the hardwood, he wants to take your head off.
Milwaukee Madison came in with a good game plan — defend Johnson with a guard and every time he touches it, have two other players in the paint. That limited Johnson in the half court for the most part, forcing the five-star prospect to do his work in transition. Johnson hit Madison with a couple of coast-to-coast finishes and full-court passes, showcasing elite touch/vision. The exclamation point came when Johnson leaked out and threw down a reverse slam to all but seal the win.
On a night where Madison made him work and he wasn’t given much space to operate, Johnson still scored a game-high 26 points.
Graham, Johnson Continue to Show Flashes
By the time their senior years arrive, both Kobe Johnson and James Graham could be top 7-8 prospects in the 2021 class. Each contributed nine points in Saturday’s win and both possess intriguing skillsets.
Graham, a 6-foot-5 small forward, is a smooth shooter and particularly effective from mid-range. A big body that can pull-up and shoot off the bounce, Graham also opened some eyes in transition, including a two-hand slam on the break that helped break the game open for Nicolet.
Johnson has his older brother’s court vision and feel for the game. Unlike Jalen, Kobe is a true point guard and not a 6-foot-9 matchup nightmare of a point forward, but that passing ability was passed down. At 6-foot-3, Johnson sprouted up over the last year and improved his offensive skillset, particularly his 3-point shot and ability to shake defenders and create space off the bounce.
Leach is One to Watch in the Future
He’s flown under the radar, but Brandon Leach has been terrific both times we’ve seen him this season.
The Milwaukee Madison sophomore guard had a team-high 18 points and hit timely shots throughout the game to keep his team in striking distance. A slippery guard that shoots it very well from 3-point range, but can also slice his way into the teeth of the defense and create for himself and others, Leach averaged around 17 ppg as a sophomore next to the high-scoring Kyran Gaines.
When the next class of 2021 rankings come out, expect to see Leach’s name held in high regard.
Sibley is Still in the Running For the No. 2 Spot
We’ve always had Johnny Davis behind Jalen Johnson in the class of 2021 rankings, but that’s not set in stone.
Jamari Sibley holds a big advantage with his upside. A very intriguing combo forward with ridiculous length, the 6-foot-9 junior is starting to impact the game in other ways, rather than just being a human highlight. The blocks and dunks are exciting, but the knock on Sibley is that he doesn’t affect the game enough below the rim.
This season, we’ve seen Sibley be asked to defend the other team’s best player and do it well. He’ll switch onto guards and give them fits. His post defense strength isn’t there, but Sibley can hold his own against bigger, stronger bodies. Sibley is also fantastic and defending the inbounds player in the pressure and is good for a couple of buckets per game by playing the passing lanes and not letting the ball come into play.
Offensively, Sibley had some impressive slashes to the rim and transition finishes. He chipped in with 14 points in the victory.