January 2016

They’ve been tested virtually every way possible.

They’re rallied from double digit deficits. They’ve held off charges from upstart opponents.

They’ve beat teams inside the top-10. They’ve blistered foes with more modest accomplishments.

But every test Middleton’s boys basketball team has been handed during this magical season has been aced.

The latest came last Saturday, when the Cardinals got a scare from visiting Hartland Arrowhead. The Warhawks rallied from a 16-point deficit and held a two-point lead with 2 minutes left, before Middleton battled back and notched an 81-78 win.

Middleton, ranked No. 2 in the latest wissports.net poll, improved to 14-0 overall. The Cardinals are also 10-0 in the Big Eight Conference and hold a two-game lead over Madison Memorial and Sun Prairie.

For Kari Steck, it was a happy homecoming.

For Middleton’s girls gymnastics team, it was a day of growth, progress and perhaps some surprising results.

Middleton finished second at the Southwestern Invite last Saturday, despite missing four varsity performers due to a music trip and family events.

Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau won the event with a 135.6 team score, while Middleton posted its highest team score of the season and finished second at 135.425.

Holmen was third (130.875), Monona Grove was fourth (127.4) and Reedsburg was fifth (110.525).

“We were missing quite a few girls who are typically key players,” said Steck, a graduate of Southwestern High School. “However, the girls still pulled off their highest season score, which really speaks to the depth on the team this year. The girls continuously step up and support each other, and it shows.”

The slide is over.

And Middleton’s hockey team hopes it’s back on track.

The Cardinals rolled past Madison Memorial, 5-1, last Friday and snapped a three-game losing streak.

Middleton, ranked seventh in the latest Wisconsin Prep Hockey poll, improved to 16-3 overall. The Cardinals are also 9-2 in the Big Eight Conference and lead second place Verona (8-2) by ½-game for the conference lead.

“I think the biggest thing for us getting back on track was getting back to the little things that made us successful,” Middleton coach Steffon Walby said. “I never would’ve thought playing Memorial would have been our breakout game, but the little added fire that playing inner-conference teams can add certainly allowed us to succeed and get back to winning.”
Middleton jumped to a 3-0 lead in the first period.

In many ways, this was the perfect scenario and the ideal outcome for Middleton’s girls basketball team.

Getting there, though, was anything but easy.

The Cardinals defeated visiting Janesville Parker, 84-74, in overtime last Friday.

Just six weeks earlier, the Cardinals routed the Vikings by 36 in Janesville, and some Middleton players admitted they thought the sequel might be similar to the original.

Instead, the Cardinals learned a valuable lesson about overlooking teams. The good news, though, is it didn’t cost them a game.

“I think we just kind of expected to show up and win the game, especially with how the first game went,” Middleton junior forward Carlee Lemirande said. “But we have to come into games acting like it’s the state championship.”

Middleton junior guard Alyssa Lemirande added: “I think we learned a lot tonight about not taking anybody lightly.”