Sports

There are always runs and changes in momentum throughout a game.

Sometimes, though, there are those special, game-changing runs.

Middleton’s girls basketball team had one of those last Saturday when the Cardinals used an epic 19-0 run to pull away from visiting Oregon for a 63-47 non-conference victory.

Middleton improved to 13-8 overall with its fourth victory in its last five games. Oregon dropped to 9-11 overall.

“I try to teach the girls that, and let them understand, because that could be either way,” Middleton coach Rashard Griffith said. “That can be us on a 19-0 run or we can be the recipient and receiving a 19-0 run. And the thing about it is, that’s part of basketball. Basketball is runs and you have to be able to sustain those runs. We played (Stevens Point) and we were up 16 and they came back.”

Middleton’s hockey team received the No. 7 seed in its sectional.

The Cardinals open the postseason by hosting 10^th-seeded Reedsburg Feb. 17 at 7:45 p.m. in a regional semifinal. If Middleton wins there it would travel to second-seeded Sun Prairie either Feb. 19 or 20 in a regional final.

The sectional semifinals are Feb. 24 and the sectional finals are either Feb. 27 or 28.

Middleton also dropped two of three games last week.

The Cardinals defeated Oregon, 5-4, in overtime, on Feb. 3. Middleton then fell to Sun Prairie, 4-1, on Feb. 5, and dropped a 6-3 decision to Madison Memorial on Feb. 6.

The Cardinals are now 6-14-2 overall and 5-5-1 in the Big Eight Conference.

Here’s a recap of the Cardinals’ week.

• Middleton 5, Oregon 4 (OT) — Liam Ward scored just 2 minutes, 17 seconds into overtime to lift the Cardinals past the Panthers. Christian Schuster and Patrick Passini  assisted on the play.

Middleton’s girls gymnastics team finished third at their own invite last Saturday.

Waunakee won the meet with 138.90 points, while Verona’s co-op (130.80) and Middleton (129.975) rounded out the top three at the eight-team invite.

“There were multiple PRs by the girls,” Middleton coach Desiree Peterson said. “The girls continue to step up and perform amongst the multiple injuries our team faces. I continue to be proud of them for stepping up and competing with confidence.”

Middleton’s Abby Arnold was fourth on the vault with an 8.60, while Ana Bollig was seventh (8.35), and Chloe Pfeifer and Anna Bradford tied for 13^th (8.20).

Aubrey Halverson was fifth on the uneven bars (8.275), while Lauren Devine was eighth (7.975), Katya Razenkova was 12^th (7.80) and Abby Arnold was 13^th (7.70).

Middleton’s wrestling team has enjoyed a magical regular season.

And the Cardinals added the latest chapter on Jan. 29 with a 44-28 win over host Verona that gave MHS the Big Eight Conference dual meet championship.

The Cardinals and Wildcats both entered the meet unbeaten in conference dual meets, but Middleton exited with the league title.

“This year has been a really rewarding one,” Middleton coach Kevin Meicher said. “This group bought in early, showed up consistently, and kept pushing even when things weren’t easy. We dealt with injuries, illness, and plenty of close matches, but the guys stayed focused and supported each other the entire way. That says a lot about their character.”

Several Cardinals had big wins during the match.

Middleton co-captain Brooke Michelotti entered last week with a pair of goals on her plate.

The first — end a six-game losing streak against Madison Memorial, which was tied for first place in the Big Eight Conference.

The second — surpass the 1,000-point mark in her high school career.

Michelotti accomplished both goals in the same game, sinking one of two free throws at crunch time to help the Cardinals seal a 60-58 victory over the Spartans on Jan. 27.

But that wasn’t enough for Michelotti.

The senior guard scored a team-high 13 points to lead Middleton to a 56-36 victory over visiting Sun Prairie West last Friday on Youth Night.

Cardinals freshman forward Anna Reinhard couldn’t have been happier for her teammate.

“Brooke is my goal. She is who I want to be when I’m a senior,” Reinhard said. “She is an inspiration for me. It’s great for me to have her as a role model.”

The second season is here for boys swimming teams across the state.

The recently concluded first season couldn’t have gone any better for Middleton.

The Cardinals capped their terrific regular season last week, winning the Middleton Invite on Jan. 31 and cruising past Madison West, 125-43, on Jan. 30.

In addition, Middleton’s JV team won the Big Eight Conference title on Jan. 29.

“It was an important week for the majority of our team,” Middleton coach Wes Lagerhausen said. “Almost 32 of our 50 athletes finished their season at one of these meets. Proud to say we were successful and saw lots of improvement in their racing over the three days.

“There are only the conference, sectional and state meets left in the season. We’re happy with what we have already accomplished and looking forward to what we still have to come.”

Here’s a recap of the Cardinals’ week:

Middleton’s girls gymnastics team has been hit with some late-season injuries.

And that slowed the Cardinals down during what proved to be a tough week.

Middleton finished in ninth place at the 10-team Madison Memorial Invite last Saturday. The Cardinals were also edged by Janesville Craig, 131.30-128.45, in a Big Eight Conference dual meet on Jan. 29.

“This week's meets were not our best performances,” Middleton coach Desiree Peterson said. “We have a couple varsity gymnasts injured, so that never helps.

“For the gymnasts that stepped up and competed in their spots they did very well. I am proud of them for stepping up and competing with confidence.”

Here’s how the Cardinals fared in their two meets.

MADISON MEMORIAL INVITE

Verona/Madison Edgewood won the team title with a score of 141.30. Middleton was ninth with a 130.900.

Middleton’s hockey team skated to a 1-1 tie with Madison West on Jan. 29.

The Cardinals also fell to University School, 9-1, on Jan. 27.

Middleton is now 5-3-1 in the Big Eight Conference and 5-12-2 overall.

In the Cardinals’ tie with West, the Regents took a 1-0 lead just 3 minutes into the game. It stayed that way until Middleton’s Everett Lamp scored on assists from Patrick Passini and Christian Schuster at the 3:38 mark of the third period to tie the game, 1-1.

Neither team could score in overtime.

Middleton finished with a 47-32 edge in shots, while goalie Caiden Fletcher had 31 saves and a .969 save percentage.

In the Cardinals’ loss to University School, Schuster had a goal on an assist from Passini.

• On deck: Middleton was at Oregon Tuesday, is at Sun Prairie Friday at 7:30 p.m. and at Madison Memorial Friday at 7:30 p.m.

A win’s a win.

That’s how Middleton’s boys basketball team looked at their 57-47 victory at visiting Stoughton last Friday. The Cardinals were far from their best, but did enough to defeat the Vikings.

"57-47 isn't what we're used to in terms of pace, and our conversion rate on turnovers wasn't what it normally was,” Middleton coach Kevin Bavery said. “We played a lot of zone defense in the second half, and the pressure out of it for us was really good on the ball.”

Sophomore forward Carter Parks led the Cardinals with 17 points and six rebounds, while senior guard Jackson Guerrero added 11 points, three steals and three assists. Senior guard John Grimes had 11 points, while senior guard Andrew Qastin had 10 points and five steals.

Senior post Luke Sheehan also added four steals and four rebounds. In all, Middleton forced 22 turnovers and had 18 steals.

Stoughton was without standout guard Jacob Hibner, but the Vikings hung tough throughout.

TOWN OF MERTON — In the blink of an eye, Middleton’s 10-point lead at mighty Arrowhead last Saturday had trickled to six.

Then four, and suddenly one with just 55 seconds remaining.

Just like that, the Cardinals’ breathing room was gone.

“That was rough,” senior forward Luke Sheehan said. “But one thing about this team is we know how to finish.”

Boy, do they ever.

The Cardinals have been magnificent in tight contests this season, and that didn't change against the powerful Warhawks. Middleton came up with three huge defensive stops in the final minute — two that resulted in fast break lay-ups — to hold off host Arrowhead, 81-76, in a thrilling game between two teams more that capable of making a run to state.