BOYS BASKETBALL PREVIEW: Falcons looking for return to state stage

Westosha’s Jaeden Zackery flies into the air in pursuit of the hoop during the Falcons’ Nov. 30 season-opening victory against visiting Kenosha Bradford (Earlene Frederick/The Report).

By Jason Arndt
Editor

When a basketball team returns the bulk of its lineup from an epic run to the WIAA Division 2 state championship series, replicating the feat is a challenging proposition.

That level of expectation is what Westosha Central faces entering the 2018-19 boys basketball season.

Last season, the Falcons finished 22-5 overall and ended their season at the Kohl Center in Madison, where they dropped a state semifinal match to eventual title winner Kaukauna.

Falcons’ coach James Hyllberg, however, has told his squad to approach the season like any other year.

“We will continue to pressure the ball and run in transition,” said Hyllberg. “We just tell them one game at a time, it is a little different team this year.”

The difference is the loss of three seniors to graduation, Cooper Brinkman, Nic Frederick and Joey Gilliland, but the rest of the team has stayed intact.

Senior Jaeden Zackery, who produced a triple-double in the 85-61 season-opening win against Bradford on Nov. 30, is among the leading returners.

As a junior, the 6-foot-3 guard led the Falcons with 17.3 points per game and finished second to Frederick at 3.7 assists per game.

“He is our leader and he works hard in practice,” said Hyllberg. “Jaeden is a strong kid and he loves to win.”

Zackery, an all-state honoree last season, amassed 20 points, collected 10 rebounds and dished out 10 assists in the Nov. 30 win against Bradford.

Zackery’s backcourt supports include two other seniors, including 6-2 Adam Simmons, who pitched in 9.5 points per game as a junior. He also accumulated 57 assists through 27 games.

The other guard is 6-0 Jake Mueller. Mueller had 12 points against Bradford on Nov. 30.

Forward Dylan Anderson, meanwhile, looks to play a more formidable role in the paint to offset the loss of fellow post player Brinkman.

Anderson, a 6-3 senior, finished tied with Brinkman at 11 points per game and second with 4.9 rebounds per game in 2017-18.

In the Nov. 30 opener, Anderson scored a game-high 21 points and had eight rebounds.

Senior 6-5 forward Joey Michelau will offer Anderson relief in the low post.

Michelau, a bench player last season, played an integral role in Westosha Central’s victory on Nov. 30.

Down 30-24, Michelau sparked a 10-0 run with back-to-back buckets, and added two more to help the Falcons take a 40-35 lead entering halftime.

Michelau finished with 14 points and had three steals.

Other returning varsity players are seniors John Marcquenski (6-2 guard), Kyle Lois (5-11 guard), Cameron Krueger (6-2 forward), Zach Burzawa (6-2 forward), Samy Greco (6-0 guard).

Westosha Central also welcomes newcomers Jack Reynolds (6-2 forward), a senior, along with junior Daniel McMillan (6-2 guard) and freshman Jack Rose (6-3 guard).

“I am looking forward to seeing the new guys step up, we need guys to rebound, play defense and take care of the basketball,” Hyllberg said.

Challenging conference
Westosha Central won back-to-back Southern Lakes Conference titles before dropping to second place to Union Grove last year.

The Falcons, who finished 11-3, have their first conference showdown on Friday at Elkhorn.

Westosha Central split the season series with the Elks in 2017-18.

“Elkhorn is going to be pretty tough this year and they have the same guys returning,” said Hyllberg.

Westosha Central defeated Elkhorn 59-42 in its first meeting a year ago and parlayed into an 11-game winning streak.

Union Grove, however, eventually snapped the streak with a 61-50 victory.

Looking back
Westosha Central later produced six- and four-game win streaks.

The four-game winning streak included the 76-55 sectional championship against top-seeded Monona Grove to move the Falcons to their first state appearance in school history.


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