March 2020

OCONOMOWOC — Middleton boys basketball coach Kevin Bavery had seen this movie throughout a frustrating season.

And Bavery certainly wasn’t in the mood for a sequel.

Turnovers. Questionable decisions. Ill-advised shots.

They were all part of the Cardinals’ script this winter. And Middleton had them once again during a 62-48 loss at Oconomowoc in a WIAA Division 1 regional semifinal last Friday.

Middleton, the 11^th-seed in its sectional, finished the year 9-14. Oconomowoc, the No. 6 seed, improved to 14-9, then upset third-seeded Madison Memorial the following night.

“I honestly felt like we were the better team,” Bavery said. “And yet the results, at the end of the day, they speak for you. We were 9-14 and 9-14 is the reality. It’s the old NFL adage, right? You are what your record says you are.”

Every time someone near me coughs, I give them the side eye and slowly back away because of the possibility that they have Coronavirus.

I should put a disclaimer on that statement–I back away from anyone who is coughing and hacking because I don’t know where you have been, who you have seen or what you might be carrying with you. It’s not just Coronavirus that I am trying to avoid, but all sicknesses.

I sell vintage jewelry on eBay as a hobby, mostly to fund my own jewelry addiction, so I frequent a lot of antique stores, thrift stores and secondhand shops. Last week the woman behind the counter at one of the shops  was about to cough a lung up as I reluctantly handed her my debt card to ring up my purchases. I watched as she coughed for what seemed like 10 minutes into her hand while my card was in the machine. She pulled it out, smiled at me and asked, “Do you need a receipt?”

“No,” I thought, “But I need some soap and water.”

MADISON–A Middleton man who was described as a small time but persistent drug dealer was sentenced Tuesday in federal court to five and a half years in prison for selling crack cocaine.

Cameron A. Bates, 31, has accumulated two convictions for cocaine delivery, three for THC possession and substantial battery in the past 14 years. He was on probation for cocaine distribution when he sold crack cocaine five times to undercover law enforcement in July and August last year.

Bates’ prior drug convictions qualified him as a Career Offender under the advisory sentencing guidelines which elevated his sentencing guideline of 12.5 and 18 years in prison.

However, District Judge William Conley used his discretion and didn’t apply the Career Offender status to Bates, saying his prior record didn’t justify amplifying his sentence, and allowed Conley to impose a sentence of five and a half years.

BELOIT — Middleton’s girls basketball team often exchanges warm-up tops when they’re going through their pre-game drills.

For example, Karina Bursac might don Berkley Smith’s shirt, Smith might wear Lauryn Abezoid’s and Abezoid might put on Kendall Roquet’s.

Like the rest of her teammates, Sitori Tanin was in a different pre-game top Thursday night. When it was time for the real Tanin to step up, though, boy, did she deliver.

In Middleton’s WIAA Division 1 sectional semifinal, Tanin had an enormous night with 26 points and 17 rebounds and powered the Cardinals to a 62-55 win over Janesville Craig at Beloit Memorial’s Barkin Arena. After a quiet first half in which she was plagued by fouls, Tanin erupted with 20 points and 11 rebounds in the second half alone.