Excitement grows in town for talented boys team
By Dan Truttschel
Correspondent
The East Troy boys basketball team has had a year to think about a rematch with Lodi.
And later this week, the Trojans will get their wish – on the state’s biggest stage.
East Troy (23-3 overall) punched its first state tournament ticket since 1989 with two sectional wins last weekend and will face Lodi (23-3) in one Division 3 semifinal Friday morning at the Kohl Center, Madison.
The first state semifinal pits fourth-ranked La Crosse Aquinas (22-4) and top-ranked Little Chute (25-1) at 9:05 a.m. East Troy, ranked second, and Lodi, ranked seventh, will play at about 10:30 a.m.
Lodi ended East Troy’s state hopes in last year’s sectional final with a 52-50 win.
For East Troy coach Darryl Rayfield, the chance to see Lodi again is a positive – but he also knows the rematch won’t be exactly the same as the game a year ago.
“This year is another year,” Rayfield said in a pre-state coaches press conference. “We both have lost a couple kids (to graduation). All the kids know each other well. They see each other a lot.
“We know who they are and what they’re about. I’ve seen them play four or five times. They’ve seen us enough.”
But that being said, Rayfield knows another battle with Lodi always has been in the back of everyone’s minds in East Troy.
“Getting (to this game) is something we wanted to do,” he said. “We’re looking forward to that game. I think it’s a great matchup.
“(Lodi coach Mitch Hauser) is a really, really good coach. He has them prepared. They do a lot of things well. I’d be lying if I said we weren’t thinking about playing them again. We’re looking forward to the opportunity to play another good team, another good coach and another good program.”
Heading into state, senior Brett Prahl, a University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee recruit, leads the Trojans with 502 points (20.1 per game), followed by Army recruit Nate Dodge with 492 (19.7). Brett Prahl’s twin brother, Alex, who also will play at UWM, is next with 288 points (11.5 per game).
Rayfield likes the steady progress both Prahls have made since their freshmen seasons.
“They’ve become athletic, they have great hands, they’ve been in the weight room a lot,” he said.
“Over the last nine to 12 months, they’ve taken a big step. They work together very well. We’re excited to keep watching them grow. They have a lot of upside. They’re playing really well, and that’s because of the hard work.”
Dodge, who leads the team with 52 made 3-pointers, has almost unlimited range, Rayfield said.
But he’s also learned when to put that range to the test and when to find a teammate for an even better shot.
“Nate has great range, and he is a big shot taker and a big shot maker,” Rayfield said. “He is a three-sport athlete, very strong, has great range, gets the ball up in the air and is a multi-talented athlete.
“He rebounds, he passes, he defends, he’s one of the better shooters around. He had to learn to pick and choose when to take some shots.”
Lodi beats Dells to advance
Lodi advanced to state with a 73-59 win in last weekend’s sectional final over Wisconsin Dells.
The Blue Devils have four players in double-digit scoring heading into the state tournament. Senior Jordan Shea (6-foot-4) leads the way with 405 points, good for a 15.6 per-game average. Senior Brady Moses (6-2) is next at 12.5 points, followed by 6-8 senior Jacob Haag at 11.5 and 6-0 senior Kris Seffrood at 10.9.
Hauser, who spoke in the same pre-state press conference, said he likes his team’s balance.
“We’ve got a pretty balanced team this year,” he said. “I think that’s one of our strengths. We’ve been as many as nine deep for a lot of this year. We hopefully have to use some of that depth this week in Madison.”
Hauser said his team’s experience also is a positive. Lodi lost 59-30 in the state semifinals a year ago to Brillion and has eyed a return-trip to Madison since that day.
“These kids have been through a ton of things,” he said. “Often times, a team makes a run like we did last year and they could be a little satisfied. That didn’t happen with this group.
“The bad taste we had losing in the semifinals really tripped their trigger. I liked the way they approached it.”
