2014 Winter Sports Guide

WINTER SPORTS GUIDE

5 Reasons to watch the Bucks and the Bulls

LAKE GENEVA REGIONAL NEWS AND RESORTER

INSIDEPreview of

all the area local

winter sports

An interview with BFWB tennis tandum McGrail and Heckert

2014/2015 Season

WINTER SPORTS GUIDE

I N D E X

DavidMICHELS

SPORTS EDITORBadger basketball, boysBadger basketball, girlsBadger wrestlingBadger skiBadger swimBadger gymnastics

Bigfoot basketball, boysBigfoot basketball, girlsBigfoot wrestling

Williams Bay basketball, boysWilliams Bay basketball, girls

Faith Christian basketball

Triumphant tennis tandumInterview with BFWB’s Heckert and McGrail

Bulls featureBucks feature

David Michels is the Lake Geneva Regional News’ sports editor.

After graduating Winnebago High School, Ill., in 2009, Michels attended Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa for four years. While there he majored in English, eventually graduating in the spring of 2013 with a bachelor’s degree in writing and English literature.

An avid sports fan, Michels wrote for his college newspaper, The Cornellian, and covered a multitude of sports, ranging from soccer to football to basketball.

Since being hired by the Regional News in late August, Michels has lived in Harvard, Ill., with his girlfriend and their mal-content cat, Nala.

His favorite pastimes are reading, working on that ever elusive novel that will eventually rise to the top of best seller lists everywhere, spawning a

multi-million dollar movie deal in the process. Oh, and watching his beloved Chicago sports teams.

Though he admits the Bears are terrible, he’s still thankful for the Bulls and Blackhawks.

DaveB A K E R

PHOTOGRAPHERDave has been a free-

lance sports photogra-pher for the past six years and a full time employee at Lavelle Industries for more than 25.

His passion for sports photography has lead him to open a website www.s n a p s h o t z . s m u g m u g

where he hopes others can enjoy looking at their favorite athlete as much as he loved taking pic-tures of his own daughter playing. When Dave is not covering high school sports you can fi nd him photographing birds or minor league baseball.

2December 4, 2014 |

WINTER SPORTS GUIDE 3December 4, 2014 |

BADGERBOYS BASKETBALL

Last season the Badgers fi nished their season

with an overall record of 11-12, 6-8 in the Southern Lakes Con-ference. This year, Badger brings back its leading scorer Lincoln Wieseman, senior, as they hope to improve from last year’s mid-dle-of-the-road record.

In 2013 Wieseman was Bad-ger’s premier scorer, averag-ing 13.7 points over 23 games played. The 6-5 forward led the team in made fi eld-goals with 89 and proved to be a dynamic play maker, adept at drawing fouls and getting to the free-throw line.

Wieseman successfully made 58 of his 85 free throw attempts, a team high. His free throw shooting percentage of 68.2 was fourth best on the team counting only players who took 10 shots or more.

Of Badger’s returning ath-letes, 6-0 junior guard Jake Ber-horst is the next leading scorer behind Wieseman.

Berhorst averaged 9.6 points per game and effectively stretched the fl oor for Badger’s offense, making 23 3-pointers. His 3-point shooting was second only to now graduated Der-rick Buntrock, who had 32 last season.

Berhorst was also lethal from the foul line, owning the team’s highest shooting-percentage, 79.1 from the charity stripe. He made 34 of 43 attempts.

Senior Bryant Sontag, guard, scored 92 points through 17 games last season, averaging 5.4 per contest.

Sontag made his mark at the free-throw line, sinking 16 of 22

foul shots, good for 72.7 percent. He also hit on 15 three-point fi eld goals.

Head coach Jim Kluge did not

return calls for comment prior to press deadline.

Despite losing six key players from the 2013 squad to gradua-

tion, the Badgers return with a number of play makers and are surely hoping to improve on their 11-12 record from last season.

Badgers ready to return to the hardwoodBadger Boys

Basketball Schedule

Date TimeVs.Dec. 2Dec. 5Dec. 9Dec. 12Dec. 19Jan. 2Jan. 6Jan. 16Jan. 20Jan. 23Jan. 24 Jan. 27Jan. 30Feb. 5Feb.7Feb. 10Feb. 13Feb. 17Feb. 20Feb. 23Feb. 26

BarabooSussex Hamilton@Delavan-Darien

Westosha Cen.@Burlington@WhitewaterUnion Grove

Waterford@Elkhorn@Wilmot

Indian Trail & Acad.@ Westosha Cen.Delavan-Darien

Burlington@Slinger

@Union GroveElkhorn

@Kenosha Bradford

WilmotKenosha Tremper

@Waterford

7:007:307:007:007:307:157:007:307:007:302:307:157:307:004:007:006 :007:007:007:007:00

DAVID BAKER/REGIONAL NEWS

LINCOLN WIESEMAN is a key returner to this year’s Badger squad. Last year Wieseman hit 58 of his 85 free throws.

WINTER SPORTS GUIDE

BADGERGIRLS BASKETBALL

Badger’s girls basketball team had an overall record of 17-6 last season, finishing 10-4 in South-ern Lakes Conference play.

The Badgers sustained their success, putting together win streaks of four and five games broken up by intermittent losses.

Over the course of the season, Badger scored a total of 1,032 points while allowing only 864 by their opponents.

According to the numbers, the Badgers were strongest

defensively in the first quar-ter, allowing only 180 points in the first period over 23 games. They also proved they were able to close out matches, scor-ing 292 points in the fourth,

Badger’s highest total from any quarter.

Senior Lilly Quinn proved to be a force in the paint as she was the second leading scorer for Badger’s 2013 squad, trailing only foreign exchange student Maria Mieres-Rey who averaged 12.6 points per game.

The 6-foot center racked up 212 points through 20 games, averaging 10.6 per contest. Quinn also showed finesse, shooting over 65 percent from the foul line, successfully converting 36 of 55 free throw attempts.

Andrea Chironis, senior, looks to make a bigger impact this season as she averaged 7.8 points last season despite only playing in four games.

Chironis made a living at the

foul line, getting there 21 times in just those four games and shooting 76.2 percent.

Through 19 games played, Mieres-Rey led the team with 65 free throw attempts and shot

66.2 percent.Sophomore guard Jennifer

Freeman made an impact in her first year of high school competi-tion, scoring 5.6 points per game in her freshman season.

Freeman will look to improve that mark as she is now one of the most versatile weapons in the Badger offense, able to score from behind the three-point arc as well as at the free-throw line.

Her nine 3-pointers were second on the team, and she shot 75 percent from the char-ity stripe, scoring on 18 of 24 attempts.

Quinn, Chironis return for Badgers


LILLY QUINN, a Badger senior, proved to be a force last year on the court. Last year she was the team’s second highest scorer trailing only foreign-exchange student Maria Mieres-Rey.

Chironis

Badger Girls Basketball Schedule

Date TimeVs.Nov. 20Nov. 25Dec. 2Dec. 5Dec. 9Dec. 12Dec. 16Dec. 19Jan. 2Jan. 3Jan. 9Jan. 16 Jan. 19Jan. 20Jan. 23Jan. 27Jan. 30Feb. 3Feb. 6Feb. 13Feb. 17Feb. 19

@MiltonKenosha Bradford

@Delavan-Darien@Westosha Cen.

Union Grove@Edgerton@Elkhorn

@BurlingtonTourny @BadgerToury@BadgerWestosha Cen.

WaterfordBigfoot

@Kenosha Tremper@WilmotMuskego

Delavan-DarienBurlington

@Union GroveElkhorn

Kenosha Bradford@Waterford

7:307:007:007:157:007:157:006:005:305:307:006:007:007:006:007:006:007:007:007:307:007:00

4December 4, 2014 |


BADGERW R E S T L I N G

PHOTO BY DAVID BAKER/REGIONAL NEWS

BADGER JUNIOR Michael Peter took fi rst place in the 120 weight class at the 2013-14 Southern Lakes Conference Tournament. He had a record of 8-2 throughout the year.

“To be on top of the conference, winning regionals and trying to get back to team state.”

Badger wrestling coach Shane Koehl was exceedingly blunt regarding his goals for the 2014-15 season.

Last year the Badgers fi nished second in the Southern Lakes Conference with a record of 5-2 and they’re looking to improve on that mark this season.

“We’ve got a lot of returning wrestlers,” Koehl said. “We’ve got a lot of nice freshmen coming in with some good wrestling experi-ence that are going to provide some depth and stuff for us. We’ve got a really good core group of kids that have a lot of wrestling experience.”

Koehl said that there are “a ton” of kids coming out for the wrestling team this year and that they have the potential to be a very good team in an exceedingly competitive con-ference.

“Our conference is very talented, I would say there are about four teams that all have the potential to win the conference,” he said. “The past three or four years we’ve sent at least one team to state out of our con-ference. Three years ago we sent three. So wrestling is very deep in our confer-ence.”

As the Badgers began practice on Monday, Nov. 17, Koehl stressed that conditioning is paramount to Badger’s success.

“A lot of kids fi nd out that our practices aren’t like any other sport, we require quite a bit more from them,” he said. “With our var-sity group, we’ll defi nitely turn the intensity up on them at the start of the year this time,

but the younger kids, there’s still a lot more teaching because we have a lot of kids that have never wrestled before.”

“We have to be ready to go right off the bat,” Koehl said, knowing that in such a tight conference race you can’t afford to give up any ground early.

“Looking at Burlington, Elkhorn, us and Waterford, that’s the top four teams. And then we’ve got the other teams that have some very good individual wrestlers there that can make for some real interesting conference tourna-ments.”

Koehl said that throughout the South-ern Lakes there are 11 conference champions returning and 11 more conference runners-up coming back.

“It’s going to make for an interesting season,” Koehl said.

Koehl

High ceiling for Badger wrestlers

Badger Wresting Schedule

TimeVs.Dec. 4Dec. 6Dec. 11Dec. 18Dec. 20

Dec. 27

Jan. 8Jan. 10

Jan. 15Jan. 17Jan. 24

Jan. 29Feb. 3Feb. 7

Westosha Cen. @Watertown

@Union Grove@WaterfordInvitational

@Alliant Energy Center

Invitational @Mukwanago

Delavan-DarienInvitational

@Verona@Wilmot

Scramble @BadgerInvitational

@Wauwatosa WestElkhorn

@BurlingtonConference

@Wilmot

7:0010:00am

7:007:00

10:00am

9:30am

7:009:00am

7:009:30am

9:30am

7:007:00

9:30am

WINTER SPORTS GUIDE

B A D G E RS K I

COME SEE THE DIFFERENCE.» Undergraduate programs» Small class sizes » Dedicated faculty» Scholarship opportunities for Walworth County students

gwc.aurora.edu | [email protected] Williams Bay, Wisconsin

SCHEDULE A CAMPUS VISIT TODAY.gwc.aurora.edu/visit

This is your hometown college.

This January the Badgers will once again brave the

cold as they begin their boys and girls ski race season.

Doug Harrod is the head coach of both the boys and girls ski race teams and is a former teacher at Badger.

Harrod did not return phone calls to provide comments or con-fi rm the 2014-15 roster for the Regional News by press deadline.

Badger’s girls team lost nearly half of its roster to graduation last year as the returning Badgers said goodbye to seven of their 16 team-mates.

If all of last year’s skiers come back this season, the Badgers will be led by lone senior Jamie Sitter and juniors Keely Lofy, Ally Madden, Moira Ring and Amber Westerlund who are left to take hold of the reins as the team’s upperclassmen.

The boys, conversely, lost six of their seniors to graduation, but they

still have 20 skiers who are return-ing to class in 2014-15.

Should all of the students from the 2013-14 roster who didn’t graduate return, the boys squad will be headlined by senior Austin Aceto and juniors Mitchell Barnett, Mitchell Bowler, Zachary Ditzen-berger, Tristan Geaslin, Emerson Hochevar, Bradley Johnson, Kiley Lofy, Calvin Stork and Alec Wagner.

Hitting the slopes

FILE PHOTO/REGIONAL NEWS

THE BADGERS ski race team begins its season in January at Alpine Valley slopes.

Badger Ski Race

Date TimeWhereJan. 5Jan. 8Jan. 15Jan. 22Jan. 28Feb. 5Feb. 15Feb. 16

Alpine ValleyAlpine ValleyAlpine Valley

Little SwitzerlandAlpine Valley

SunburtState @Mt. LaCrosseState @Mt. LaCrosse

6:006:006:006:006:006:00TBDTBD

6December 4, 2014 |


BADGERMENS SWIMMING

Last year Badger’s boys swim team went undefeated, earn-

ing the Southern Lakes Conference crown by virtue of their 7-0 record.

That doesn’t mean coach Glenn Biller knows what to expect this season.

“I have no idea,” Biller said, laugh-ing in a phone interview. “Let’s see, we graduated three seniors and two of them were at the state meet last year.”

Graduated senior Tom Ritzman was a relay qualifi er and last year’s captain, Remington Glogovsky swam in two relays and

two individual events at state. “He was a big

point getter for us,” Biller said.“However, we did have some depth last

year as well, and I see all these guys are coming back.”

Junior Andrew Shane went to state last year and competed in both the 50 and the 100 yard freestyle relays. Biller said that he’s confi dent Shane is “coming back strong” and is also expecting RJ Szweda, senior, to continue making improvements.

“(Szweda) also made huge leaps last year and I assume he’s going to do the same this year,” Biller said. “I believe we’ve got four guys who are

pretty strong, we can put some relays together, but again, I’ll have a better idea after this week

(of practice) and next week for sure.”

In addi-tion to the ret ur ning p l a y e r s , Biller said that there will be an abundance of new faces on the roster this season. Among them, comes a potential challenge as Biller will have to attempt to break through the language barrier with two foreign exchange students, one from Russia descent and another from France.

Biller

Badger Boys Swim

Date TimeWhereDec. 4Dec. 6Dec. 9Dec. 13Dec. 16Jan. 6Jan. 13Jan. 24Jan. 27Jan. 31Feb. 7

@UW-Whitewater @Delavan-Darien

@Elkhorn@Fort Atkinson

@Badger @Badger

@Delavan-Darien@Kenosha Bradford

@Badger@Racine Case

@UW-Platteville

5:3010:00am

6:0010:00am

6:006:006:002:006:001:00

11:00am

THE STATELINE'S HOTTEST SPORTS TALK IS ON YOUR

RADIO… Lake 961!

SPORTS JAM!SPORTS JAM!FEATURING MIKE COOLIDGE, JERRY STELSE,

JOHN HANDEL, BILL BLAKELEY AND WEEKLY SPECIAL GUESTS!

LIVE EVERY SATURDAY - FROM 7 - 9AM!

WINTER SPORTS GUIDE

B A D G E RG Y M N A S T I C S

The Badger/Burlington/Wilmot/Cath-olic Central/Union Grove co-op gym-

nastics team is looking to retain their poise from last year’s state runner-up fi nish.

Led by coach Diane Biedrzycki, the team is hoping not to stumble as last year’s junior varsity athletes look to make the transition to varsity.

“Our co-op team begins the season with 13 athletes, of which seven are returning letter winners,” Biedrzycki said in an email. “We return seniors Bailey Fitzpatrick and Molly Benavides, who each hold multiple state championships and helped the team to a State runnerup fi nish last year.”

At last year’s sectionals, Fitzpatrick and Benavides fi nished ahead of the fi eld, coming in fi rst and second on the balance beam

with scores of 9.625 and 9.550, respectively. Benavides would go on to take fi rst in fl oor exercises and vaulting en route to her second overall fi nish with a score of 38.075.

Now graduated teammate Jenna Fitzpat-rick took fi rst place with 38.250.

“With the loss of several key varsity gym-nasts to graduation, the team will need many former junior varsity athletes to step into larger roles this season,” Biedrzycki said. “Hailey Siegler, a sophomore for Badger who competed on varsity (balance) beam last year, will be in a position to compete as a var-sity competitor.”

Siegler took 25th place in the balance beam at last year’s sectionals with a score of 8.275, the second highest fi nish among fresh-men.

“Mia Trent, also a Badger sophomore, will have the potential to compete varsity in sev-eral events,” Biedrzycki said. “As will junior Wilmot student, Sophia Ellsworth, who was part of the state runnerup team last season.”

She also said that other spots could be fi lled by returning gymnasts such as junior Hailey Borkovec (Burlington), sophomore Kenzie Terry (Burlington) and sophomore Allie Miller (Union Grove).

“We expect to remain at the top of the Southern Lakes Conference and battle for a top two fi nish in a very tough sectional to advance to state,” Biedrzycki said.

“Our seniors are two of the top gymnasts in the state and are poised to fi nish their high school careers in a record setting way.”

Gymnastics hope to return to state tournament

PHOTOS BY RICK BENAVIDESBAILEY FITZPATRICK LEFT, MOLLY

BENEVIDES RIGHT

8December 4, 2014 |

Badger Gymnastics

Date TimeVs.Dec. 13

Jan. 6Jan. 10

Jan. 13Jan. 27Jan. 31

Feb. 3Feb. 7

Feb. 12Feb. 20

Invitational @Altius Gymnastics Acad.

@Karcher MSInvitation

@Waterford @Jefferson

@Karcher MSInvitational

@Madison Memorial HS@Karcher MSInvitational

@Kenosha Tremper@Waterford

Conference Meet@Waterford

5:00

6:3010:00 am

6:306:30

10:00 am

6:3011:00 am

6:304:30


“As a physician, I am privileged to have my patients entrust their health care needs to

me. It is my honor to take care of them, and I doso as if they were my own family members. I show

this by treating them as a whole person, ratherthan just treating their symptoms.”

Tina A. Fabiano, DOInternal medicine

Dr. Fabiano’s special interests include:• Adult preventive medicine• Holistic health care• Female wellness• Adult health screenings• Diabetes• High blood pressure• High cholesterol• Senior adult health care

Dr. Fabiano now welcomes new patients.

Mercy Walworth Hospital and Medical CenterHwys. 50 and 67Lake Geneva, WI 53147(262) 245-0535 • (877) 893-5503

WINTER SPORTS GUIDE

ON NEWSSTANDS NOWThe Resorter Holiday Gift Guide

Lake Geneva Regional News November/December 2014

PHOTO: BRICK AND MORTARPHOTO: BRICK AND MORTAR

The ResorterThe Resorter

INSIDEThe perfect gifts,

stocking stuffers & home decor accents

INSIDEThe perfect gifts,

stocking stuffers & home decor accents

Holiday Gift GuideHoliday Gift Guide

Shopping DirectoryShopping Directory

Searching for the perfect gifts and stocking stuffers for everyone on your list? Shop locally with the help of our Gift Guide — it’s packed full of ideas for under the tree, along with tips on holiday decorating, organizing and celebrat-ing with family and friends. Pick up your copy on local newsstands throughout the area, or in this week’s issue of the Lake Geneva Regional News.

28 | The Resorter’s Holiday Gift Guide 2014

If you feel stressed by the demands of the holiday season, you're not alone. With so much to do -- shopping, wrapping, cooking, baking, entertaining, and spending time with family and friends -- many people feel overwhelmed and exhausted before the holidays even arrive. By using some simple time-management strat-egies, you can spend less time shopping and more time enjoying all that the season has to offer.

The best way to manage your time while shopping for the holidays is not to shop during the holidays. By shopping throughout the year with the goal of having gifts for everyone on your list before the Thanksgiving turkey goes into the oven, you'll have more free time during the holidays to relax with family and friends. And by spreading out your spending over the course of the year and taking advantage of

sales, you can even end up with some extra cash in your pocket.

If you have to shop during the holiday season or there are some last-minute gifts on your list, here are some tips that can help you save time.

Set up a gift-wrapping station in a corner of your home so that you can easily wrap items as you buy them.

Check with stores about free wrapping or take advantage of gift-wrapping services in malls that benefit charitable organizations. The fees are generally reasonable, so you can save time and donate to worthy causes.

Plan your driving route. Before heading out to multiple shopping destinations, it pays to plan your route ahead of time. If you're already out and about on other business, check to see if any stores you need to stop at are on

the way.Avoid peak shopping and traffic hours

by shopping during early or late store hours. Check to see which stores offer extended holi-day hours and take advantage of them.

Shop alone whenever possible. Children and even friends can be a distraction. You can always arrange a separate holiday shopping trip with friends to socialize.

Organize a family shopping day. Get it out of the way in one trip so you can remain focused during future outings.

Plan for next year by buying this year. Many holiday items, such as decorations, cards and wrapping paper, are heavily discounted during the week after Christmas. Take advan-tage of the sales and you'll be one step ahead at the start of the next holiday season.

Time-management for the season’s shopping

Why shop locally?No matter how much you love to shop, there comes a time in the holiday season when enough is just that — enough. Battling the crowds at the mall to plow through a seemingly endless gift list is an unappealing prospect, and often you end up buying something — any-thing — to fulfill what becomes an obligation instead of a pleasure. That’s where the shops of the Lake Geneva area come in. Boutiques that carry a little bit of everything, specialty stores ranging from imported candy to carefully crafted jewelry — all set in a small-town, no hassles atmosphere that make it a pleasure to shop. And the sheer range of possibilities in such a small area make finding the perfect gift easy.

Many area stores offer pre-made gift bas-kets, or are happy to custom-design one right before their customers’ eyes. But once a shop-per sees the sheer variety of goods available, gift basket themes abound. The following ideas can be used as a starting point: For the wine lover, pack a picnic basket with assorted cheeses, crackers, a quality bot-tle opener and two stemmed glasses. A bottle of wine finishes the basket off nicely. Know someone who spends more time on the road or in the air than they do at home? Pack a compact carry-on bag with travel-sized essentials, including lotion, shampoo and con-ditioner. The latest paperback thriller and an inflatable neck pillow are the perfect addi-

tions. For the perennial coffee lover, a French press filled with gourmet coffee samples allows experimentation for a small cost. If you are looking for a gift for a busy fami-ly, try filling a ceramic pasta serving bowl with the fixings for a quick gourmet Italian meal. Olive oil, dried pasta and a favorite recipe affixed to the package lend a personal touch. Aromatherapy has been touted for hun-dreds of years as a tried-and-true method of relieving stress. Give someone much-needed relief by creating a gift basket with scented oils, soaps, a candle or two and a relaxing CD. For additional ideas, stop into any Geneva Lake area shop.


CONT. FROM PAGE 57

Partycourse, they can’t forget their gifts! As the hostess, you can

provide the gift tags, scissors, tape, pens or markers, and any other supplies. • If you are hosting the party at home, take an inventory of your cabinets, and head to the store to stock up on chips, beverages, and other items on your menu.

• Select music. Make a holiday tunes mix, gather some jazz CDs, or create a playlist of top songs of the year. Not only will it be festive, it will help to keep the wrapping flowing at a good pace.

• Prepare as much food in advance as possible. Cut the vegeta-bles, plate the cookies, and do anything else you can ahead of time.

• Make the setting festive. Cover the front door, coffee table, and end tables with wrapping paper and a bow. Tie chair backs with large holiday bows. Use an ornately- wrapped box as a cen-terpiece. Extend the theme even more by decorating outdoor trees with weatherproof bows and tying tiny bows around bathroom soaps.

• Prepare your food, and set up the spread. Make the first round of beverages. Guests can munch, sip, and mingle until every-one arrives. And keep the snacks and drinks coming as people build up an appetite.

• Award wrapping-oriented prizes for the most original wrapping paper, the oddest-shaped gift, or the best-wrapped gift. Prizes can be gift certificates to a party-supply store that boasts — what else? — rolls of wrapping paper.

• Take advantages of each other’s strengths. If someone is great with oddly shaped packages, ask for advice, or see if he or she can tackle them all. Sharing the work will get the job done faster.

• Keep special gifts hidden. If you’ve purchased gifts for friends or family who will be attending the party, keep those gifts aside wrap them at home instead. You don’t want to ruin their surprise.


Curt and Lisa Zeigler are closing Starfi re Jewelers after 25 years in downtown Lake Geneva. It all began as a dream ...to own our own jewelry store, and custom goldsmith shop in a beautiful resort community, rich in small town values.

This dream became a reality in 1989, when we fi rst opened the doors of Starfi re Jewelry on Memorial Day weekend.

We have truly enjoyed being a part of the community for 25 years, not only raising our family, but watching our Cus-tomer's families grow up as well. We have been honored to share in births, birthdays, engagements and anniversaries. It is a special gift to be able to come to "work" and know you will be creating a piece of jewelry that will hold special memories, which can be passed on for generations to enjoy. Some of our most cherished friends were met when they passed through our doors, and we are so grateful our paths crossed.

“Curt and I want to thank the community for embracing us and our business, for your trust, and helping us live the dream we had so many years ago. We appreciate you support and well wishes as we move on to other endeavors and chase new dreams! In appreciation for all the community support over the years they will be taking deep discounts on all their inven-tory through the Holliday Season.”

Starfi re Jewelry closing after 25 years Cornerstone

Stop & Gallery, 214 Broad St., Lake Geneva, is decked out for the holidays — and is inviting the public to stop in and tell us which is your favorite tree. The shop offers a vast selection of home decor and gift and stocking stuffer items. Original art, handcrafted jew-elry, candles and much more are in stock. Call (262) 248-6988 for more information.

Highway 12/67 NorthElkhorn, WI262-723-5722EvergreenGolf.com

Gift Cards are another GREAT option!Purchase any amount $50 or greater by 12/22/2014 and you’ll

receive a FREE round of golf. Cards are available in $25, $50 or $100 amounts.

Want to play more golf in 2015?Memberships are a GREAT value, especially with our

NEW Value Membership.Play any day after 2pm + seasonal cart fee is

included + reciprocal play at other local courses + 20% OFF in our golf shop! Only $699.00*!

All offers are available on-line at EvergreenGolf.com

or by calling 262-723-5722

Do you have a golfer in the Family?If you answered YES, here aresome GREAT offers...Golf more & Pay Less with Evergreen’sOne Card...One Card for Savings!You receive either 6 - 18 hole roundsof golf including your cart or12 - 9 hole rounds. Rounds areredeemable from 2pm Sunday through Friday.Special limited time Holiday offer - $199.00* *- plus tax


GILBERTSON’S STAINED GLASS STUDIO

705 Madison St., Lake Geneva262.248.8022

The showroom and studio feature panels, ornaments and other gift items, all on sale for the holidays.

Custom work is available.

GRAND GENEVA RESORT

7036 Grand Geneva Way at Highways 50 East & 12,

Lake Geneva, 800.558.3417

Grand Geneva Resort & Spa gift

cards can be tailored to include

dining, spa services, skiing,

golfing or lodging.

HAWK’S VIEW GOLF CLUB

7377 Krueger Road, Lake Geneva877.429.5788 - (262) 348-9900

Five-star golf cards good for 10 or 25 rounds on the Como Crossing

course are offered.

J. ROBERT’S FINE MEN’S APPAREL

17 S. Wisconsin St., Elkhorn262.723.2610

Unique menswear in regular to big and tall sizes, from casual to dresswear. Free giftwrapping is

available.

IDE FINE JEWELRY348 N. Pine St., Burlington

262.763.8685

Layaway is available for Christmas, and the shop is offering a discount

on in-stock diamond earrings

HARBOR SHORES300 Wrigley Drive, Lake Geneva

888.746.7371262.248-9181

Great Escapes lodging gift certifi-cates for the lakefront hotel make

perfect holiday gifts.

HOBBY TOWN U.S.A.Geneva Square Mall, Lake Geneva

262.729.4053

Remote control cars, planes, boats and trucks, games, toys, models and

more are featured.

JASMINE SALON & SPA251 Cook St., Lake Geneva

262.249.9800

Give experiences you love to the people you love with gift cards from

Jasmine Salon.

GERMAINE’S BRIDAL719 Main St, Lake Geneva

262.249.0551

Holiday fashions are arriving daily at the shop, which also offers last min-ute holiday formalwear and tuxes.

GENEVA NATIONAL GOLF CLUB/HUNT CLUB

Highway 50 West, Lake Geneva262.245.7200

Gift certificates are available for the Hunt Club Restaurant & Legends

Tavern.

GENEVA RIDGE RESORTHighway 50 West, Lake Geneva

800.225.5558

Gift options include spa and fitness memberships and spa gift certifi-

cates.

HOME HELPERS262.757.0012

homecareburlingtonwi.com

Experienced home care you can trust, with services from a few

hours to 24/7 care.

Inside the Gift Guide, you’ll fi nd a pullout Shopping directory, Season’s Snapshots of local businesses, and community closeups.


262-248-410098 East Main St., Lake Geneva, WI 53147

email: [email protected]: www.printing-wi.com

Anything regular price, when you show your

Student ID.

741 W MAIN STLAKE GENEVA, WI

262.249.0922

755 W MAIN STLAKE GENEVA, WI

262.249.0520

Chinawest Jewelers

Evergreen Septic Service

Gino’s East of Chicago

Exemplar Financial Network

Geneva Crossing & Arbor Village

Gage MarineFairWyn Ltd. Custom Homes Fontana Family Chiropractic

Geneva Family Dentistry

Autoworks Plus & Tire Center

The Coach’s Locker

230 S. 7(262) 740-1008

Deignan & Associates, S. C. DHC Remodeling

(262) 248-7369

The

Coach’sLocker

DHCREMODELING

EVERGREEN SEPTIC SERVICE

Deignan & Associates, S. C.

This seasonal sports guide is made possible thanks to the following area high school sports sponsors. Please call or visit these businesses.

Dr. Bob Dillman, DDSDr. Anne Limberg, DDSDr. Albert Zambito, DDSDr. Robert White, DDS

WINTER SPORTS GUIDE

HobbyTown USA®

Vinny’s R/C Raceway NOW OPEN!R/C Cars & Trucks, Planes, Boats,

Games, Toys, Models & More!

Come in NOW for a great haircut at a great price.

“Good LuckAll Sports Teams!”

Download our free ap p or visit greatclips.com.

Don’t just get a cut,get your haircut.

Great Clips

Proud to be part of our community.

© 2014 Allstate Insurance Co. 7679

1

I’m pleased to support our local High School Athletes.

Ken Shields262-248-0861

Glass Insurance Center Gordy’s Lakefront Marine

Keefe Real EstateHobbyTown USAHawk’s View Golf Club

Kikkoman Foods, Inc.

Lake Geneva Chiropractic

Master Services, Inc.

Lake Geneva Country Meats

Lake Geneva Regional News

McDonald’s

Kunes Country Auto Group

Lake Geneva Lanes

The Only 5-Star Rated Course In Lake Geneva

LAKE GENEVAORAL & MAXILLOFACIAL SURGERY, LTD.

Robert K. Conlon, DDSKurt E. Burksch, DDS

Ted A. Hughes, DMDAdam M. Ozment, DDS

John J. Richard, DDSRyan J. VanOven, DDS

312 Center StreetLake Geneva, WI 53147

262-248-6790www.lakegenevaoralsurgery.com

Crystal Lake Office:815-459-5600

Huntley Office:847-669-2900

Burlington Office:262-723-8101

Diplomates of the American Board of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery

®

Mercy Health System

Dr. Jeff rey Buntrock, DCDr. David Bergmann, DC

12December 4, 2014 |


Screen Printing& Embroidery

— Since 1976 —We’re your decorating experts! We offer custom screen

printing, embroidery and promotional products on a variety of items. Use PFI Fashions for your special

event, corporate logo or organization needs!

PFI Fashions, Inc.

pfi fashions.com

www.sprecherspub.comFor the full Menu, Events and more visit:

LAKE GENEVA111 Center Street (262) 248-7047

Patio Seating with Beautiful Lake View

ReelLifeTV.netcurrently playing

ReelLifeTV Marketing Spiegelhoff & Associates

Toynton Funeral Home

Walworth State Bank

Youngquist Orthodontics Yunker Industries

Walworth Landing Mobil

Walworth Cellars

White Dental Care

Stinebrink’s Piggly Wiggly

R & L Spring Company The Rauland Agency, Inc.

Peck & Weis

WALWORTH STATE BANK“We’d like to get to know you.”

Walworth Cellars

Open 7 Days A Week

DR. RICHARD WHITEDR. MARY ANN WHITE

& DR. LAURA LUX

WALWORTH LANDING

WL

Michael Todd’s Cleaners

Michael Todd’s Cleaners

WINTER SPORTS GUIDE

BIG FOOTBOYS BASKETBALL

The Big Foot Chiefs are look-ing to bounce back from a lack-luster 2013 season in which they went 8-16 overall, 6-10 in the Rock Valley South Conference.

Last year the Chiefs aver-aged 46.6 points per game on 38 percent shooting, a percent-age they would like to improve despite having their two leading scorers from 2013, Nate Freytag and Austin Hoey, graduate.

Freytag and Hoey’s depar-ture makes senior forward Nico Tovar Big Foot’s leading scorer to return from last season. He accumulated 158 points over 23 games, averaging 6.9 points on a team high 63 percent shooting.

Tovar was also the leading rebounder to return from 2013 with 102, crashing the boards and corralling 62 defensive rebounds and 40 offensive.

He also had a team high 21 blocks.

Alex Landers, senior, com-piled an active roster high of 31 steals and 21 assists last season, routinely snaking the ball away from defenders and setting up his teammates for easy scores.

Landers also led the team with 25 three-pointers on 119 attempts, 21 percent.

As a whole, the Chiefs aver-

aged 7.6 assists and 8.0 steals per game last season.

Another notable player that is primed to see his role expand this season is senior Brett Morris.

Morris played in all 24 games last season and looks to build upon his averages of 1.7 points and 2.1 rebounds per game.

Freshman Beau Cary proved to be the Chiefs’ key benefi ciary at the charity stripe, sinking 86 percent of his free throw attempts in 2013 (6-of-7).

Big Foot looks for bounce back season


NICO TOVAR is Big Foot’s returning leading scorer. He also the team’s leading rebounder with 102 last season.

Big Foot Boys Basketball Schedule

Date TimeVs.Nov. 29Dec. 4Dec. 6Dec. 9Dec. 12Dec. 18Dec. 20Dec. 29Dec. 30Jan. 6Jan. 9 Jan. 10Jan. 15Jan. 20Jan. 23Jan. 29Feb. 3Feb. 6Feb. 12Feb. 17Feb. 20Feb. 26

ShorewoodParkview@Elkhorn

@Brodhead

@Whitewater@Williams Bay

Tourny@ Lake MillsTourny@Lake Mills

@ClintonBeloit Turner

Delavan-DarienEdgerton

@EvansvillePalyra-EagleMcFarland@East Troy@ParkviewBrodhead

Clinton@Beloit Turner@Palyra-Eagle

7:157:157:007:157:157:152:301:306:457:157:157:157:157:157:157:157:157:157:157:157:157:15



BIG FOOTGIRLS BASKETBALL

Big Foot Girls Basketball Schedule

Date TimeVs.Nov. 20Nov. 25Dec. 2Dec. 5Dec. 11Dec. 16Dec. 19Dec. 29Dec. 30Jan. 8 Jan. 10Jan. 13Jan. 16Jan. 17Jan. 19Jan. 22Jan. 27Jan. 30Feb. 5Feb. 10Feb. 13Feb. 19

Madison East@ParkviewBrodhead

WhitewaterClinton

@Beloit TurnerTourny @Lake MillsTourny @Lake Mills

@EdgertonDelavan-Darien

Evansville@Palmyra-Eagle

Woodstock@Badger

McFarlandEast TroyParkview

@Brodhead@Clinton

Beloit TurnerPalmyra-Eagle

7:157:157:157:007:157:157:151:301:307:156:007:157:157:157:007:007:157:157:157:157:157:15

“The only way we can go is up.”

That was the sentiment of Big Foot girls basketball coach Rick Schoenbeck after refl ecting on 2013’s 6-20 season.

“We have eight returning starters which would be as much as anyone would have,” Schoen-beck said. “I add two freshman all-state players to that mix to give me ten.”

Those two all-state freshmen are Payton Courier and Courtney Schoenbeck, two teammates who won state in eighth grade and, according to Schoenbeck, are two of Big Foot’s top fi ve players this season.

“With two really good fresh-man coming in and varsity start-ers from last year, I have a solid ten,” he said.

“Through the summer and fall workouts, I think they’re as good as I’ve ever seen them so I’m very happy with their prog-ress.”

High praise from the head coach, but Schoenbeck was sure not to weigh down his players with lofty expectations, temper-ing them with a shot of reality.

“(We’re) still very young,” he said “We’ve got one senior, one junior, one sophomore and two freshman looking at my top fi ve girls.”

As for Big Foot’s returning players, Schoenbeck said that junior Morgan Courier was the MVP of the team last season.

Courier led the team in scor-ing with 10.7 points per game. She compiled 182 points total through 17 games, scoring a team high 26 points in a single game.

Kathryn Colby, senior, will be an “impact player” and scored 6.9 points per game in 2013.

Sophomore Olivia Briggs was the team’s second leading scorer

last year as a freshman, compil-ing 179 points through 17 games,

averaging 10.5.“I think we have a very good

shot to win the Rock Valley Con-ference based on all of our start-ers coming back and what we’ve added,” Schoenbeck said. “Most schools graduated a lot of seniors last year, so it’s one of those per-fect storms in how it’s timing out, so that would be one of our big goals.”

A conference title would be a huge step in the right direction, especially in light of Schoen-beck’s most recent goal for his team.

“Going to the state tourna-ment in two years is our goal, so we have to build it up to get there.”

Chiefs hope to make RVC noise


MORGAN COURIER, a junior, is returning this year and will be a big part of the program.

WINTER SPORTS GUIDE

BIG FOOTW R E S T L I N G

Last season the Big Foot/Williams Bay co-op wres-

tling team fi nished with a record of 8-7, 4-2 in the Rock Valley Con-ference.

“In our dual meets we fi n-ished above .500 last year,” BFWB wrestling coach Craig Utesch said. “Just numbers wise, we’re always fi ghting the numbers battle over here as far as team scores.”

Last season the Chiefs-Bull-dogs co-op also had three wres-tlers qualify for sectionals, and all three of them are returning in

2014-15. Travis Berryman, soph-omore, was the WIAA regional champ and sectional qualifi er as a freshman last season in the 106 weight class.

Utesch said that this season, Berryman is likely going to move up and compete at the 113 weight class.

“He’s worked hard in the off-season, getting stronger and doing a little bit of offseason wrestling,” Utesch said. “So he should be improved.”

Senior Will Utesch qualifi ed

for sectionals last season as well, fi nishing second at the WIAA regionals in the 220 weight class after coming in off of a shoulder injury. Craig Utesch said that Will is coming in 100 percent healthy this season, so he’s expecting improvements.

“Evan Graham is at 285 and he came out last year and wrestled pretty solid, so I’m looking for him to have a good year also,” Utesch said.

Graham, senior, took third in his weight class at regionals last

season and was named a section-als alternate.

Amongst the returning ath-letes, Utesch also has big hopes for the infl ux of freshmen that will be joining the high school ranks this season, saying that his team looks a little bit stronger than they did at this point last year.

“We got a good freshman coming in, James Welsh,” he said. “He’ll probably be either at 119 or 126, and he did very well at the kids club, state stuff. So he will be a solid wrestler for us coming in.”


WILL UTESCH, a senior, qualifi ed for sectionals last season and fi nished second at the WIAA in the 220 weight class. This season will is coming into the season 100 percent healthy.

Wrestlers inject new talent into mix

Big Foot WrestlingSchedule

Date TimeVs.Dec. 9

Dec. 13

Dec. 20

Dec. 29

Dec. 30

Jan. 6Jan. 8Jan. 10

Jan. 16Jan. 17

Jan. 22Jan. 24

Jan. 29

Feb. 2

Feb. 7

Triangular Palmyra-Eage, Parkview

Invitational @EdgertonInvitational

@Mount HorebInvitational

@UW-WhitewaterInvitational

@UW-WhitewaterShoreland Luth.

@BrodheadInvitational

@Whitewater HSClinton

Invitational @Badger

TurnerInvitational @Monroe

@Kenosha St. Joseph

Invitational @EvansvilleConference @East Troy

7:00

8:00am

9:30am

TBD

TBD

7:007:00

9:30am

7:009:30am

7:009:30am

7:00

5:00

9:45am


WINTER SPORTS GUIDE

WILLIAMS BAYBOYS BASKETBALL

WBHS Boys Basketball Schedule

Date Vs.Dec. 2Dec. 9Dec. 15Dec. 20Dec. 26Dec. 27Jan. 5Jan. 8Jan. 13Jan. 16Jan. 19Jan. 22Jan. 27Jan. 30 Feb. 3Feb. 5Feb. 10Feb. 13Feb. 17Feb. 19Feb. 23Feb. 26

@ Rio@ HoriconDodgeland

Big FootSB Hol. TourneySB Hol. Tourney

HustisfordJohnson Creek

@ Deerfield@ Fall River

ALCS/St. AmbroseRio

@ALCS/St. AmbroseHoricon

@ Wayland Acad.@ Dodgeland

Wayland Acad.@ Hustisford

@ Elkhorn@ Johnson Creek

DeerfieldFall River

7:307:307:302:30TBATBA7:307:307:307:307:307:307:307:307:307:307:307:307:007:307:307:30

Time

Williams Bay’s boys basket-ball team outscored their oppo-nents by a combined 1,573 points to 1,237 throughout the 2013 season, en route to a 15-7 over-all record, 11-3 in the Trailways South Conference.

As they begin preparing for this season, head coach Troy Nottestad thinks that his team will be capable of building off of last year’s success.

“We lost some key players to graduation, but I think that we have a lot of talent coming back,” Nottestad said. “Our number one goal is to win conference.”

The Bulldogs made 483 of their 948 attempted fi eld goals throughout the season, shooting 50.9 percent from the fi eld.

They connected on 38.4 per-cent of their attempts from long distance, hitting on 121 of 315 three-point attempts.

The Bay also averaged 34.5 rebounds per game, 10 more than their opponents, 14.7 assists and 8.1 steals.

“We have some size this year,” Nottestad noted in an assessment of his roster. “So we need to fi nd a couple guys who can handle the ball and a couple guys that can shoot it, and just have everybody kind of buy into their roles and I think we’ll have a successful season.”

Of the players returning from Williams Bay’s 2013 season, senior John Higgins Jr. is the leader in nearly every statistical category.

He was the team’s leading scorer with 12.6 points per game. Higgins was extremely effi cient getting the ball to the basket, earning a fi eld goal percentage of 58.1 percent as he made 125 of 215 attempts.

Higgins also led the team in rebounds with 223 through 24 games, averaging 9.3 per game. He owned the team high for offensive and defensive rebounds with 86 and 136, respectively.

Higgins’ 48 assists and 35 steals are also the most of any returning player.

Avery Lettenberger led the team with 29 blocks through 21 games played.

Brad Quinn was the second leading scorer and rebounder for the Bulldogs, averaging 8.6 points and 6.1 rebounds per game through 2013.

Quinn also proved that he can stretch the fl oor when neces-sary, making two of three three-

point attempts for an average of 66.7 percent.

After fi nishing third in the Trailways South Conference standings last season, the Bull-dogs hope to build upon their

success with a roster teeming with experience as Higgins, Quinn, Brayden Pape, Jake Landgraf and Drew Olson enter their senior seasons with high expectations.

Bulldogs ready to tip off season


JOHN HIGGINS JR., lead the Bulldogs last year in nearly every statistical category, and the senior looks to be a big part of this year’s team.



WILLIAMS BAYGIRLS BASKETBALL

The Williams Bay Bulldogs girls basketball team struggled mightily in 2013, falling to 3-20.

Despite their hardships last season, the Bulldogs aren’t without their bright spots as they prepare for the 2014 season to kick off in late November.

They bring back their lead-ing scorer, senior Emma Lynn Meyers who averaged 8.4 points per game for the Bulldogs. She logged 151 points for Williams Bay on 25 percent shooting. Meyers’ record for points in a game in 2013 was 18 and she shot 25 percent from behind the arc as well, connecting on 22 of 88 three-point shots.

She also had 56 steals, a team high.

Sophomore Lauren Higgins replaces the graduated Kam-eron Brown as the team’s lead-ing rebounder, averaging 5.9 per contest. Through 15 games played Higgins grabbed 89 rebounds, cleaning the defen-sive glass for 63 rebounds while also managing 26 offensive.

Of last year’s top three rebounders, Higgins is the only one left on the roster for 2014. She also had 16 blocks, the second most on the team.

Senior Sami Sutter led the Bulldogs with 17 blocks through 19 games.

As a team, the Bulldogs out rebounded their opponents, averaging 31.8 a game while only allowing 26.

Regardless of their propen-sity for crashing the boards, the Bulldogs scoring inefficiency was its Achilles’ heel.

Williams Bay’s score by

quarter is evidence of this. Throughout all of last

season, they were outscored in the first quarter by a combined

111 points, the greatest differ-ential for the Bulldogs in any of the four quarters.

Overall, Williams Bay was

outscored 956 to 600 last season and averaged less than one assist a game.

The ability to pass the ball and capitalize on scoring chances will be paramount if the Bulldogs hope to improve on last year’s results.

Bulldogs look to rebound in ‘14

DAVE BAKER/REGIONAL NEWS

EMMA LYNN MEYERS, a senior, was the leading scorer on the Bulldogs last season. She averaged 8.4 points per game.

WBHS Girls Basketball Schedule

Date Vs.Nov. 20Nov. 25Dec. 2Dec. 4Dec. 8Dec. 12Dec. 18Dec. 22Dec. 26Dec. 27Jan. 6 Jan. 9Jan. 15Jan. 20Jan. 23Jan. 29Feb. 3Feb. 6Feb. 10Feb. 12Feb. 17Feb. 19

Dodgeland@ Cath. Cen.

@Faith Christ.Hustisford

@RioJohnson Creek

@DeerfieldHoricon

SB Hol. TourneySB Hol. Tourney

@ Fall River@ALCS

@DodgelandWayland Acad.

@HustisfordRio

@Johnson CreekDeerfield

@Wayland Acad.@HoriconFall River

ALCS

7:307:307:307:307:307:307:307:30TBATBA7:307:307:307:307:307:307:307:307:307:307:307:30

Time

WINTER SPORTS GUIDE

F A I T H C H R I S T I A NBASKETBALL

Nothing lasts forever, and after three years on top of the Indian Trails - Blue Con-ference, Faith Christian head coach Brian Pollard sees a precipitous drop awaiting his Eagles this season.

“Well we’re a very young team,” Pollard said. “We lost six of our top players from last year’s team, so this is definitely going to be kind of a rebuilding year.”

In 2013 the Eagles finished their season with an overall record of 13-7 and an Indian Trails record of 8-2, good for first place in the Blue division.

With the departure of seniors Jared Mulder, Jay Valadez, Josue Valadez, Wayne York, Alex Cesarz and Joe Ingersoll, how-ever, Pollard is bracing for the end of an era as Faith Christian enters the reconstruction phase.

“If we can be around .500, I would be really happy with that,” he said. “The last three years we won our conference and we’ve had a real good run, but we’re just down a little bit this year. But if we can get a .500 season, I think that would be a good goal to set for our team this year.”

After losing four of its five leading scor-ers, Faith Christian will have to lean on new,

inexperienced players as they attempt to defend their conference title.

“Noah Knudtson, he’s probably the leading scorer coming back from last year’s team,” Pollard said.

Knudston, junior, averaged five points for the Eagles last year and is indeed the leading scorer for Faith Christian. He shot 75 percent on free throws in 2013 and also connected on 15 three-pointers. He compiled 65 points over 13 games last season, scor-ing a career-high 14 in a single game.

Pollard also identified seniors J.J. Johnson and Kyle Brossard as starters alongside Knudston.

Johnson and Brossard averaged 3.7 and 3 points per game, respectively, and the seniors look to benefit the team with their veteran experience.

Faith Christian basketball

Faith Christian BoysBasketball Schedule

Date TimeVs.Nov. 25Dec. 5Dec. 9Dec. 12Dec. 16Dec. 18Dec. 26Dec. 27Jan. 6Jan. 9Jan. 16Jan. 20Jan. 23Jan. 27Jan. 30Feb. 3Feb. 5Feb. 6Feb. 13Feb. 17Feb. 20

Shoreland Luth.@Catholic Cen.

@Alden-Hebron@Tenor/VeritasReuther Central@Mil. Acad. of Science

@TBD@TBD

Eastbrook Acad.@Maranatha Baptist

@Mil. Juneau/Reagan

@Saint Anthony@University Lake/Trinity

Tenor/Veritas@Reuther Central

St. AnthonyUniversity Lake/Trinity

@Eastrbook Acad.Maranatha Baptist@Berean Baptist@Kenosha Christian Life

7:307:007:306:307:307:00TBDTBD7:307:306:307:307:306:307:307:307:306:307:307:307:30

Faith Christian GirlsBasketball Schedule

Date TimeVs.Nov. 20Nov. 25Dec. 2Dec. 9Dec. 12Dec. 16Dec. 26Dec. 27Jan. 6Jan. 9Jan. 12Jan. 20Jan. 23Jan. 26Jan. 27Jan. 30Feb. 3Feb. 5Feb. 6Feb. 13Feb. 17Feb. 20

@Palmyra-Eagle@Juda

Williams Bay@Alden Hebron@Tenor/VeritasReuther Central

@TBD@TBD

Salam School@Maranatha Baptist

@Mil. Acad. Science

@Saint Anthony@University Lake School

@Catholic CentralTenor/Veritas

@Reuther CentralSt. Anthony

University Lake/Trinity

Salam SchoolMaranatha BaptistBerean Baptist

@Kenosha Christian Life

7:157:307:306:005:306:00TBDTBD4:306:006:006:006:007:005:006:006:006:006:006:006:005:45

FAITH CHRISTIAN’S KYLE BROSSARD attempts a layup during practice shooting drills in preparation for the 2014-15 season. The Eagles open on Nov. 25 against Shoreland Lutheran.


PHOTOS BY DAVID

MICHELS/REGIONAL NEWS

FAITH CHRISTIAN’S NOAH KNUDTSON drives for a layup during team shoot around at practice.


B A D G E RT E N N I S2015

Most people tend to bask in the glow of major accomplishments, but weeks after emerging victorious at the WIAA Division 2 state tournament for doubles, Big Foot senior Annie McGrail still hasn’t had the gravity of her team’s feat register.

“I mean, it’s not fully sunken in yet, but it’s getting there,” McGrail said in a phone inter-view.

McGrail and Williams Bay freshman Mer-edith Heckert took the state tournament by storm as the sixth-seeded BFWB underdogs rallied round after round, defeating three of the top-fi ve doubles teams in the state.

Heckert said that the fi rst day she returned to school after winning state felt like a dream, but as everyone congratulated her and she began to see her name in the newspaper, real-ity started to sink in.

They started their conquest on Friday, Oct. 17, with the third-seed, Newman Catholic. Heckert and McGrail downed them in straight sets 6-1, 6-4 in the opening round before play-ing in a barn-burner versus the number two-ranked Racine St. Catherine, eventually win-ning by a slim margin, 2-6, 6-4, 6-7.

Then, on the day of the state fi nal, Satur-day, Oct. 18, McGrail and Heckert ran into an obstacle that many teams never have to face; they had to play without their head coach

Christopher Chen at the tour-nament.

Chen had to leave the tournament to attend his sis-ter’s wedding on the day of the fi nal.

“We didn’t know that he was not going to be there until we won our quarterfi nal match on Friday, but I think it was good that he didn’t tell us because he didn’t want us

to worry about it and he just wanted us to stay focused on the match,” McGrail said.

“We played St. Joe’s back in sectionals so we sort of knew what we were doing,” Heck-ert said of the fi nals match with Kenosha St.

Joseph’s. “Since it was outdoors for sectionals it was kind of hard, but indoors it wasn’t that big of a deal.”

In spite of their coach’s absence, BFWB’s dynamic duo succeeded decisively, winning 6-2, 6-3 in straight sets.

“It was different,” McGrail said. “But our assistant coach (Dani Lawler) did really well with keeping us positive and helping us stay in the moment and stay focused during our match.”

In a phone interview, Heckert joked that Chen’s absence didn’t make a difference stra-tegically, because his voice had already taken on a overtone.

“We knew what Chen was going to say the whole time because he says the same thing and we go through the same process each time we switch over,” Heckert said.

To win the title as a sixth seed is unex-pected, but for BFWB it’s a testament to the versatility of Heckert and McGrail. At the beginning of the season neither of them were playing doubles.

“So I had been playing one singles and (Heckert) was playing two singles and we really didn’t know,” McGrail said. “We both wanted to go to state because we’re both good players and (Chen) proposed the idea of going and switch-ing to doubles. At fi rst I was kind of like ‘I don’t know’, just because I had my one singles spot for a while, but I was really open to trying it out.”

Heckert echoed McGrail’s sentiments, saying that while she was performing well at the two singles position, the ability to play one doubles with McGrail really allowed her to refi ne her game and fl ourish as the season wore on.

And the switch from singles to doubles ben-efi tted more than just the results on the court, as it provided a mentor and mentee dynamic to McGrail and Heckert’s relationship.

“I think I kind of took on a big sister role within the doubles team, just because I had been there before,” McGrail said. “Not that I wasn’t nervous or anything, but I think it kind

of helped her, calmed her nerves and my nerves too, just knowing that I had been there before and I kind of knew what more to expect.”

McGrail said that just being able to com-pete at the state tournament was amazing and it was different from her previous trips to state not only because she was playing doubles, but because of the consequences of the result.

“It was my last year,” she said. “So I knew there was a lot at stake, but not a lot to lose.”

While McGrail’s state title will forever be the highlight-worthy capstone on her high school tennis career, the majority of Heckert’s playing days are still in front of her and she doesn’t plan on peaking in her freshman year.

Heckert said she would love to repeat as a state champion in the future, but the reign-ing doubles champion wouldn’t mind branch-ing out in an attempt to round out her tennis resume.

“I’m hoping to do doubles again, but if I won singles next year that would be a major part of the career.”

An interview with BFWB’s Annie McGrail and Meredith Heckert about winning Div. 2 doubles

Triumphant tennis tandem talks state

Heckert

ROBERT IRELAND/REGIONAL NEWS

ANNIE MCGRAIL of Big Foot High School returns the ball during the Aug. 28 match against Brookfi eld Academy Athletics.

WINTER SPORTS GUIDE

B U L L SB A S K E T B A L L2015

The re-return of Derrick RoseThree years and two major

knee surgeries later, Derrick Rose is back, albeit on a limited basis.

When Rose blossomed into the youngest MVP in NBA history three years ago, it appeared the Bulls were fi nally ready to compete for the Larry O’Brien trophy on a yearly basis.

Only two things could spoil their good fortune: an injured left knee, and then a right one.

Queue the sad violin music.Rose’s highly publicized road

to “the Return” drew the ire of fans as he repeatedly delayed his come-back, despite being cleared to play by team doctors.

Now, two and a half years of physical therapy later, Rose has begun to quiet the critics, showing fl ashes of the player that he once

was as he’s averaged 18.0 points and 5.4 assists through fi ve games.

Rose’s durability is still a con-cern, but the Bulls have no qualms with sitting their home-grown point guard in the hopes of prevent-ing another catastrophic injury.The addition of Pau Gasol

In an attempt to take some stress off of Rose’s shoulders - as well as his knees - the Bulls went into the 2014 offseason looking to spend.

After amnestying the much maligned Carlos Boozer and fail-ing to lure Carmelo Anthony out of New York, the Bulls resorted to plan B, signing free agent Pau Gasol, the long-time Los Angeles Laker to a three-year deal.

The 34-year-old forward has been rejuvenated by the changes in both scenery and coaching philoso-

phy, and has been the best player on the Bulls through the fi rst ten games of the season. He leads the team with 10.6 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game. His 18.6 points per game is also the second highest average on the team.Frontcourt depth

And while Gasol has proved himself a major asset to the Bulls, he is just a cog in what many believe to be the deepest frontcourt in the NBA.

Starting center Joakim Noah is the reigning Defensive Player of the Year as well as the heart of the team, consistently setting the tone for his teammates with his high motor and unorthodox shooting technique. The combination of Noah and Gasol is also the best tandem of passing big men in the league.

Coming off of the bench is last year’s Sixth Man of the Year runner-up, Taj Gibson. Gibson’s unselfi sh demeanor was tested when he was assured the starting power forward position following Boozer’s depar-ture, only to be relegated back to the bench when Gasol was signed.

Despite his limited role, Gibson has long been one of the most reli-able Bulls. Widely regarded for his defensive acumen, Gibson has recently refi ned his offensive abil-ity, shooting 55 percent from the fi eld.Jimmy Butler’s emergence

The evolution of Jimmy Butler’s game as he has transcended into the upper echelon of wing defenders has been a joy for Bulls fans to wit-ness. Last year Butler was named to the all-NBA defensive second team in his third season, only the second in which he received meaningful rotation minutes.

This season Butler is also the Bulls’ leading scorer through 10 games, averaging 21.3 points while shooting at an extremely effi cient clip of 59 percent; a far cry from the 39 percent he averaged a year ago. Former Bulls player and current telecast commentator Stacey King has gone so far as to dub Butler “Jimmy G. Buckets.”

The G. stands for Gets.Coaching

Fifth and fi nal is the man wear-ing the suit and tie on the sideline who brings everything together for the Bulls.

No, not Derrick Rose, but Chi-cago’s head coach Tom Thibodeau.

For decades the mercurial Thibodeau migrated from team to team before fi nally getting hired as the Bulls head coach in 2010, fol-lowing a championship run as an assistant for the Boston Celtics.

In his fi rst season at the helm, the rookie coach led the Bulls to the Eastern Conference Finals with a 62-20 record, the best in the NBA, earning Coach of the Year honors in the process.

Since then, he has made the best of an injury depleted roster, fervently preaching his defensive philosophies to the franchise’s stal-warts as well as the revolving door of role players that have been cycled through as the Bulls have waited for Rose to recover from his various maladies.

Now, with a cast of all-star can-didates and the return of his former MVP, Thibodeau has a chance to navigate his squad deep into the playoffs and Chicago to the Prom-ised Land, not seen since Michael Jordan’s fi nal game in a Bulls’ uni-form.

Chicago is one of the few elite teams in the NBA’s Eastern Conference

TO BE EXCITED FOR THE BULLS

MARK J. TERRILL/AP PHOTO

CHICAGO BULLS CENTER JOAKIM NOAH, left, grabs a rebound away from Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffi n. Noah, the reigning defensive player of the year, is one of the most formidable members of the Bulls’ loaded frontcourt.



B U C K SB A S K E T B A L L2015

By John [email protected]

Deep pocketsThe new owners can create

excitement without a basketball game. It looked like a carnival opening night in Milwaukee. A little over the top for a Laverne and Shirley town perhaps, but it shows the owners are really investing in the team. Herb Kohl had near-saint like cache, but he was a tightwad as an owner and made some very bad basketball decisions. You get the idea the new owners can buy anything they want and are willing to. And they just might buy down-town Milwaukee — or enough of it

to build a new arena.

Jason KiddAll right, he may be a lousy

human being but he’s the perfect fi t for the Bucks. He has the ears of the players. And that’s more than any Bucks coach has had since George Karl.

They can still remember how coach Kidd played without going to black and white newsreels. He’s using a lot of players which means everyone has some fl oor time. He has them playing lockdown defense. And he has them all play-ing together. Kidd shows how lousy Larry Drew was as a coach.

YouthYouth. Youth. Youth. They’re

the second youngest team in the NBA and one of the youngest starting fi ves ever. What’s more they’re talented. Everyone knows Jabari Parker and Giannis Ante-tokounmpo — or “The Alphabet’ as radio announcer Ted Davis has named him.

Jabari seems shorter and less athletic than I thought, but he can do more than score. He gets his rebounds and, as they say, it’s too early in the season to pass fi nal judgement.

The Alphabet probably plays harder than anyone else on the planet. Still can’t count on him to score and he’s very unpolished, but he is a freakish athlete. And those two are just the start.

John Henson, Brandon Knight, Kendall Marshall and Khris Mid-dleton will all see minutes and they’re all under 24. The vets they do have this year, unlike last year’s crop, know their roles and lead by example.Defense

As of this writing they’re third in the league in letting other teams score. That’s one of the reasons they’ve been in all but one game this year.

If they had displayed the same tenacity in Orlando Friday that they had in their other games they would have won that one, too. And their success at keeping oppo-nents scoring down is not because they’re a slowdown team. Last year Drew never had them playing

together and Kidd has them doing it already. Middleton found out the price of not playing the proper D — from the starting lineup to the “Did not play - coaches decision” category.The resurgence of O.J. Mayo

Alright we all know Larry “I never fouled anyone” Sanders is one T away from a meltdown. I’m not convinced he’s reformed. We’ll see when he really faces adversity.

But O.J., the other head prob-lem from last year, has a more steady pedigree. He and Brandon Knight probably are the clos-est thing to consistent scorers the Bucks have. O.J. also knows the game and is a better-than-average passer. O.J.s decision to get fat and out of shape last year may have had more to do with the mess the Bucks were last year than an injury. In any case, he’s only 27 and has a big upside. I thought he’d be gone by now, but he’s showing a willingness to do anything for Kidd.

Now ... if they could only score. Like any NBA team they have spirts when they put points up and they don’t have as many 0-12 runs as they did last year — that’s a credit to good ball movement and their fast breaks. Parker is a key. Before he came into the league people said he was an 18-20 point man. So far, he looks a little scared and unsure of himself. And as good as the Alphabet is on defense, he’s still a work in progress on the offensive end. He already has a good crossover and elevates to the rim. At least the Bucks have pretty well eliminated Sanders taking 20-foot jumpers.

Why there may be cause to fear the deer in the near future

JOHN RAOUX/AP PHOTO

MILWAUKEE BUCKS’ BRANDON KNIGHT takes a shot as Orlando Magic’s Elfrid Payton and Channing Frye defend. Knight leads the Bucks with 18.3 points and 6.4 assists per game.

TO BE EXCITED FOR THE BUCKS

2014 Winter Sports Guide

Documents

Transcript of 2014 Winter Sports Guide