Badger High School’s Cole Mikrut wins the state semi-final match against Liam Arnold of Milwaukee with a fall. (Bob Mischka photo)
Wrestlers compete at state
By Michael S. Hoey
Correspondent
The Badger High School basketball team had to hold off a furious Delavan-Darien rally the last time it faced the Comets before holding on for a 70-61 road win Jan. 15. The Badgers had an easier go of things on Feb. 25 at home, winning 86-58.
This time around, the Badgers made a concerted effort to get the ball inside, and it paid off. With no starter over 6 foot 2, the Comets struggled to slow down 6-foot-7 Austin Jackson and 6-foot-5 Chase Kruger. Jackson and Kruger, who subbed in for Jackson, combined for 16 first-half points. Jackson led all scorers for the game with 21 despite sitting for the last seven minutes of the game after picking up his fourth foul.
“We made a conscious effort to get the ball inside to A.J., Chase, and Nate (Gibson),” Coach Forrest Larson said. “We had a size advantage.”
The focus for the Comets was on slowing down Badger’s leading scorer Jake Berhorst, and they were successful at that, holding him to seven points and none in the first half.
“Everyone is working hard to deny Jake the ball, no one is helping off him,” Larson said. “Everyone else is benefitting from that.”
So as teams try to stop Berhorst, other Badgers have been left open. In addition to the inside success Badger enjoyed with Jackson’s 21 and 14 from Kruger, Mason DuMez had 17 points and Ian Schirtzinger added 13.
It also did not hurt the Badgers that the Comets did not have as much success from behind the three-point arc as they did the previous Monday against Big Foot when they made a school-record 17.
“They are an excellent three-point shooting team, and they did make eight,” Larson said. “I didn’t think we did a good job contesting and forcing them to take tough threes.”
Badger, also known for its marksmanship, made seven three-pointers as well. Schirtzinger and DuMez had three each and Berhorst had the other.
The Comets took the opening lead on a three-pointer by Lucas Delara, who nailed a school-record nine against Big Foot. The Comets took their last lead of the night at 5-4 on a basket by Brandon Edmonds. DuMez then scored, giving the Badgers the lead and beginning a 15-3 run that made it 19-7.
The Comets fought back with a 10-0 run capped by three-pointers by Jayce Crull and Delara to make it 19-17. Badger then really started to take advantage of its size with two baskets from Jackson and three from Kruger to build up a 41-28 lead at the half. Badger also got a three-pointer from Schirtzinger and two from DuMez during a 16-4 Badger run that put the Badgers firmly back in control. Badger outscored the Comets 22-11 after the Comets had pulled within two.
The Comets opened the second half in a full-court press in an attempt to change things up, but the Badgers broke it on their first possession, leading to a dunk by Jackson. The Badgers then pushed the lead to 17. The Comets were able to cut it back down to 11 on a three-pointer by Will Brown but could never get it back into single digits. Badger pushed the lead all the way up to 26 before the night was over.
The Comets got 17 points from Delara and 16 from Brown.
The win assured Badger (12-10, 9-5 Southern Lakes Conference) of a third-place finish in the SLC. The Comets (13-9, 8-6 SLC) finished fourth. Westosha Central won the conference title with an 11-3 record while Burlington finished second at 10-4.
The Badgers also defeated Kenosha Bradford at home in a non-conference matchup 78-42 on Feb. 22. Badger led 40-21 at the half and won the second half 38-21. Berhorst had 26 and DuMez added 18 with five three-pointers.
“It was a good week going into the game against Oconomowoc,” Larson said about the team’s Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association regional match-up at Oconomowoc on Friday night. Oconomowoc (17-5) won the Wisconsin Little Ten Conference with a 13-1 record.
“They are physical and skilled,” Larson said.
The winner faces a likely matchup against perennial power and Big Eight champion Madison Memorial (15-6) on Saturday night.
Wrestlers go to state
Badger sent two wrestlers to the individual state tournament in Madison from Feb. 22 to 24.
Cole Mikrut made it to the championship match at 285 pounds before losing to Pewaukee’s Blaze Beltran in the state championship match by 7-2 decision. Mikrut got to the final by defeating Hudson’s Isac Schindler by 8-4 decision, Donte Johnson of Fond du Lac by 12-6 decision, and pinning Liam Arnold of Milwaukee King.
Robby Mutimer finished fourth at 126 pounds. Mutimer won his first match against Mukwonago’s Nick Armstrong by 7-2 decision and defeated Kaukauna’s Trent Leon in his second match. Mutimer then lost by 8-6 decision to Kevin Meicher of Middleton to end his dream of a state title. Mutimer then defeated Chance Bailey of Stevens Point by 6-3 decision but lost to Leon in a rematch of their second round match by 6-3 decision in the third place match.
Cheerleaders take fourth
The Badger competition cheer team finished fourth at the state competition on Saturday in Madison at the Alliant Center. The Badgers won their regional on Feb. 20 in Wilmot.
Team members include are Carly Bakken, Suzie Condos, Georgia Irwin, Karolina Jurczyk, Autumn Krepelan, Jamie Morrissey, Madelyn Pacholczak, Boiana Pegau, Julia Thiesen and Emma Wade.
