BOYS BASKETBALL: Falcons tempo too much for visiting Elks

Westosha Central’s Cooper Brinkman, shown here against Waunakee last season, knocked in a game-high 20 points in the team’s Southern Lakes Conference opener Dec. 8 (File Photo/The Report).

By Jason Arndt
Editor

Although visiting Elkhorn had size, Westosha Central High School’s transition game proved too much to handle on Dec. 8, when the Falcons opened their Southern Lakes Conference slate with a 59-42 decision.

The Falcons, who did not play for 10 days, were up against 6-foot-10 senior Quinian McDonald along with 6-6 junior Zach LeBlanch and 6-5 Alex Hergott, but coach James Hyllberg had a plan.

“We tried to bring the big guys up high to extend their defense,” said Hyllberg. “We had to get them out of the lane.”

Cooper Brinkman, the Falcons tallest player at 6-4, found ways to flush out the Elks post players in the first half.

Brinkman, who knocked in 12 of his game-high 20 points in the first half, made two 3-pointers and went 8 for 9 at the free throw line.

“Cooper plays hard and he is active on the boards and tonight, he went 8 for 9 from the free throw line, and when he does that he is a weapon,” Hyllberg said.

In the first half, with the Falcons ahead 7-4, Brinkman extended the team’s lead to 15-7 after he scored all eight points in the 8-3 run.

Junior 6-0 guard Jaeden Zackery, meanwhile, made the contest a 10-point game with two free throws.

Westosha Central eventually carried a 23-14 edge entering halftime, where the team made adjustments, and went on a second half tear sparked by Zackery.

Zackery explodes
Zackery, who entered the second half with two points, found his rhythm in the second half where he produced 15 points.

Of Zackery’s 15 points, five were in the last three minutes, including a dunk which fouled out Elks’ Vince Umnus.

With 2:06 left, Zackery forced one of his team-leading six steals, and found an open lane in transition.

Umnus, the lone Elks defender under the basket, then fouled Zackery as he completed the dunk that drew loud roars from the Falcons’ student section.

Jaeden Zackery

Zackery then made a free throw to complete the 3-point play, which extended the Falcons’ lead to 55-40.

Brinkman, who watched the play from the backcourt, needed time to absorb Zackery’s rapid transition and dunk.

“I didn’t even notice it at first, and when I realized it, I was just staring at it,” Brinkman said. “In practice, I have never seen him do that.”

Zackery, according to Brinkman, played a critical role in helping the Falcons’ offense restore some of its luster from last season when the team won its second straight SLC title.

“We got a lot of steals and were in transition,” Brinkman said. “In the second half, we got back to where we were last year.”

Shaking off the rust
Hyllberg attributes the second half explosion to shaking off the rust after a 10-day layoff from competitive action.

Before the Dec. 8 contest, the last game the Falcons played in was a non conference matchup at Kettle Moraine on Nov. 28, when the team lost 59-55.

“We were off for almost two weeks and it just comes down to rust,” said Hyllberg, whose team is 1-1 overall after the Dec. 8 tilt. “Guys went into halftime to regroup and then just settled their offense.”

While the Falcons offense found a rhythm, they also held the Elks low post contributors to single-digits, including McDonald, who knocked in nine points.

Overall, the Falcons had 29 rebounds, with Brinkman and 6-3 junior Dylan Anderson collecting five apiece. Anderson tallied nine points.

Adam Simmons, a 6-1 guard, led the Falcons with six rebounds.

Elkhorn is 1-2 after the Dec. 1 loss.


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