By Michael S. Hoey
Correspondent
The Badger High School boys’ basketball team begins its season tomorrow night with a non-conference match-up at home against DeForest.
The Badgers hope to improve on last season’s 8-15 overall record, 3-11 in the Southern Lakes Conference.
Coach Darin Lottig said this year’s edition of the Badgers is very balanced class-wise. It is not senior-dominated and has key players from the junior and sophomore classes.
“We are pretty balanced across the board,” Lottig said.
The team is seeking to replace the graduated Colton Andresen, Rob Slagle, Ian Weber, Eric Skipper and Jack Golitz. Andresen provided athleticism and competitiveness, Weber provided outside shooting, and Slagle provided size. Badger must find new sources of all three this year.
The two players the Badgers will lean on the most are senior Jake Kozlowski and junior Lincoln Wieseman. Both players provide versatility as Lottig says either of them can play inside or out. Kozlowski may even play a little point guard if the situation is right. At 6 foot 4 inches, both will provide some size around 6-foot-6-inch Logan Tenney.
Lottig said Kozlowski is a four-year starter and works hard every summer to get better.
“We are expecting a lot from him,” Lottig said.
Lottig said Wieseman had a great summer and fall and is a complete player. Offensively he can play inside or out, he can drive to the basket, and he can rebound. He is also a very good defensive player.
Senior Tony Ashley will provide speed.
“He can blow by guys,” Lottig said. “He is a great teammate and will do whatever needs to be done.”
Ashley also played summer ball in an effort to improve his game.
Tenney will provide defense and rebounding in the post. Lottig said he works very hard and has shown no signs of the illness that caused him to miss the last few football games this fall.
“He will give us everything he has,” Lottig said.
Lottig identified Joe Freeman as his defensive stopper.
“He has the drive to do it,” Lottig said. “It is the role I’ll put him in and he will rise to the challenge.”
Lottig mentioned seniors Derrick Buntrock and Christian Sontag and sophomore Jake Berhorst as key contributors as well.
Lottig said one thing he hopes his team learned from last year is how to win close games. The Badgers lost several games down the stretch that could have been won.
“We have to keep our composure and not turn the ball over,” he said.
Beyond that, Lottig said this group appears to be deep with several guards who can shoot. He also called it the most versatile team he has had at Badger. The team has some perimeter shooters and can attack the basket. Lottig sees some match-up problems for opposing teams in defending Wieseman and Kozlowski. He also thinks the Badgers are quick and athletic enough to put some pressure on other teams and handle pressure that comes their way.
Defense and rebounding are the two physical things Lottig said the team must improve on to succeed. Mentally he said the team will only have as much success as its chemistry will allow. He called it the team’s biggest challenge, not because this team has not jelled but because his past teams at Badger have struggled to have the kind of chemistry he would have preferred. This team, he said, might. That will dictate the level of success they have.
“We need to play together,” he said.
If they do that, Lottig said he thinks the Badgers should be competitive in the SLC. With a few breaks, they could even finish in the upper half of the conference.
“I think we can be dangerous,” he said.
Lottig picked Union Grove as the team to beat, but said there is a lot of parity in the conference this year. He does not think the top teams will be that much better than the rest and there may be no easy conference games for anyone.
“We will have to compete every night,” he said. “If not, we will lose.”
The SLC schedule starts Tuesday with the Badgers hosting Waterford. Badger gets its first shot at Union Grove on the road Dec. 20. The Broncos visit Badger on Feb. 14.
In addition to DeForest, the Badgers play Brookfield East on Dec. 3, Slinger on Dec. 7, Waukesha South on Jan. 3, Sussex Hamilton on Jan. 7, Whitewater on Jan. 11, Watertown on Jan. 25 and Baraboo on Feb. 1 in non-conference action. Lottig said one big challenge of the non-conference schedule is that the Badgers have to play on Friday night and then travel to play on Saturday afternoon three times including the Feb. 1 trip to Baraboo.
Swimmers finish 10th
The Badger swim team finished 10th at the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association state swim meet on Saturday with 68 points.
Waukesha South and Mukwonago won the state title with 337 points. Arrowhead took second for the third consecutive year.
Kaarin Quaerna led the Badgers by finishing fourth in the 100-yard freestyle (51.77 for 15 points) and fifth in the 50-yard freestyle (23.92 for 14 points). Carly O’Brien finished sixth in the 100-yard butterfly (56.99 for 13 points) and seventh in the 200-yard individual medley (2:07.73 for 12 points).
The 200-yard freestyle relay team of Quaerna, O’Brien, Abbey Chappell, and Brooklyn Carlson was disqualified, but the 400-yard freestyle relay team earned 14 points for taking 10th (3:37.33).
