On Saturday December 14th NY2LA Sports hosted the NY2LA Sports classic at Brookfield Central in Wisconsin. Some of the top WIAA High School programs and prospects were on display. NY2LA continues to put quality basketball on the floor in multiple levels. This event has proved to be one of the top high school events around. Here’s a quick recap of each game…

Appleton North VS Pewaukee
The opening matchup of the 2019 NY2LA Sports Classic in Brookfield, WI featured Appleton North Lightning and Pewaukee Pirates. These High School programs featured some of the top young prospects in Wisconsin. Appleton North came into the game with a 1-2 record while Pewaukee started the year 3-1. 

The Pirates jumped out to an early first half lead due to the pace and ability to score from the perimeter. Appleton North tried to limit the scoring runs by feeding the ball inside and using their size and strength but found themselves trailing 41- 32 at the half. The Pirates shot 7 for 16 from the perimeter and 10 for 13 from the free throw line. Pewaukee was quick to get the ball up the floor and moved the ball well to find open shooters. Foul Trouble plagued Appleton North early as Max Nelson sat a majority of the first half with 2 fouls after scoring 6 quick points. Pewaukee’s speed and pressure was tough for the Lightning to match in the first half. 

Coming out of halftime Travis Bentley picked up right where he left off in the first half as on back to back isolation layups. Pewaukee continued to move the ball on offense to create open shots and mismatches for Appleton North. On defense Pewaukee’s pressure led the Lightning to into multiple turnovers. The Pirates outscored the Lightning 20-3 in the first 10 minutes of the second half and never looked back. Appleton North continued to battle all game but were unable to comeback from the large lead Pewaukee had built. Pewaukee finished the game shooting 40% from the field with 15 made three pointers and connected on 15 of 18 free throw attempts. While Appleton North shot 26% from the field and went 5 for 23 from the perimeter. 

Pewaukee had multiple great individual performances but Travis Bentley was the game’s MVP as he scored 23 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists. Another standout for Pewaukee was Josh Terrian who contributed 13 points and 5 rebounds. On the Appleton North side Max Nelson had a solid performance with 16 points and 4 rebounds and Jack Kritzer grabbed 10 rebounds. Pewaukee defeated Appleton North 82-54. 

Brown Deer VS Menomonee Falls
The second matchup of the day featured some of the top prospects in the class of 2021 and 2022. Brown Deer entered Saturday with a record of 5-0 while Menomonee Falls has recorded 2 wins and 2 losses to start the 2019-2022 High School Season. 

To open the game Brown Deer Senior Justin Greenlee knocked down a corner three, but after the first basket of the game it was all Menomonee Falls. Falls dominated early in the First Half after a 26-6 run which was highlighted by a Seth Trimble dunk. Brown Deer’s slow start can be attributed to turnovers and losing defenders on defense. Jeremiah Dotson began to heat up late in the first half as he contributed 9 points on 6 shots. After the Menomonee Falls early run Brown Deer battled back and was successful when they got into the paint on offense. Both squads played at a fast pace offensively and defensively the entire game. Menomonee Falls had a scoring drought late in the first half which opened the door for a Brown Deer comeback. At the half Menomonee Falls led 28- 20. 

To start the second half Brown Deer continued to put the pressure on Menomonee Falls defensively and were able to get into the paint on offense. The second half was full of offensive runs by each team. With 6 minutes left in the game Menomonee Falls went on a 8-0 run which again was capped off with a thunderous slam by Seth Trimble which put his team up by 13. The deficit was too much for Brown Deer as they fell 68-53.

Menomonee Falls had multiple players shine in their victory including the player of the game Steven Clay. Clay recorded a double double scoring 19 points and 10 rebounds while also recording 6 blocked shots. Jakai Davis also played well as he contributed 16 points on 6 of 7 shooting and 4 steals. Seth Trimble controlled the game and was a difference maker for Falls, as he contributed 14 points and 4 rebounds. Falls outrebounded Brown Deer 35-33 and shot 42% from the field.  Brown Deer’s Jeremiah Dotson dominated the paint as he scored 22 points and grabbed 6 rebounds. Brown Deer shot 33 % from the field 

The matchup between Menomonee Falls and Brown Deer was an exciting fast paced contest that showcased many of Wisconsin’s top prospects. Both teams are primed for solid seasons. Both teams played extremely hard and did not take plays off. 

Bay Port VS St. Johns Military Academy 
Game #3 at the NY2LA Sports Classic was between Bay Port and St. Johns Military Academy. Coming from the Fox River Classic Conference, the Bay Port Pirates came into this matchup with a 2-0 record. St. Johns Military Academy entered with a 2-2 record and was ranked 3rd in Division 3.

As the game began Bay Port quickly gained an 8 point advantage but St. Johns did not back down from the early challenge Gerald Gittens Jr. got into the paint at will and drew plenty of fouls while Brandin Podziemski knocked down shots from the outside. With 4 minutes left in the first half the Lancers tied the game at 20 but the patient and well run offense of Bay Port helped regain the lead at the half 33-29. Bay Port shot 46% from the field while St. Johns was held to 36%. Although St. John outrebounded 22-15 they still trailed at the half. Bay Port’s Logan Giessler had 9 points at the half but picked up his 3rd foul with 20 seconds left in the half. Brandin Podziemski led all scorers at halftime with 14 points which included 3 three pointers and also 6 rebounds.

In the second half Bay Port jumped on the Lancers and led 55-39. Bay Port patience on offense led to countless uncontested shot but their defense was the story to start the second half. In the first 8 minutes of play the Pirates held the high powered Lancer offense to just 8 points. To attempt to make up for the 15 point deficit that St. Johns found themselves in they increased their defensive pressure which did not phase Bay Port. The Pirates did a great job continuing to play their style of basketball the entire game and not letting St. Johns get comfortable. With Gittens Jr. getting injured, Podziemski started to heat up at the end of the game but it was a little too late for the Lancers as they fell to Bay Port 80-68. 

Bay Port had 2 outstanding individual performances which were recognized as players of the game. Nate Forystek had 21 points on 6 of 7 shooting and Logan Giessler had 16 points on 7 of 9 shooting with 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals. Bay Port finished the game shooting 57% from the field and 46% from three while recording 17 assists as a team. For St. Johns, Brandin Podziemski scored a game high 31 points as he drained 6 three pointers and hauled in 12 rebounds. Brennan Timm also had a solid performance as he recorded 8 points and 14 rebounds. 

Wauwatosa East VS Homestead
In a Greater Metro and North Shore Conference showdown between Wauwatosa East Red Raiders and the Homestead Highlanders there was a very high level of talent on the floor. Homestead entered Saturday’s matchup with a 3-2 record while Tosa East was 1-1. The two teams matched up with one another well which led to a very competitive game. 

The Highlanders and the Red Raiders battled back and forth for the majority of the opening half as neither team could get an advantage over the other. Homestead relied on Senior Declan Ciurlik to do a lot of the heavy lifting for the Highlanders as he was doing a little bit of everything. Ciurlik handled the ball for Homestead and started the game off hot scoring the first 8 points. For Tosa East John Fossum scored 10 points to pace the way for the Red Raiders. At the half the Red Raiders led the Highlanders 25-24. Tosa East did a great job contesting every shot and making life difficult for Homestead. 

As the second half started Homestead took an early 34-27 lead as Wauwatosa struggled to find a way to score. Homestead started rolling as they led by as many as 14. Later in the second half Tosa East came back strong with 3 straight steals that led to baskets and cut the lead to 5. The difference maker in the game was the ball pressure that the Red Raiders were able to put on the Highlanders. With 4 minutes remaining in the game Homestead was able to break the pressure and score baskets as they attacked the rim putting them back up by 10. Homestead brought intensity and matched Tosa East’s speed and athleticism with patience and execution. With 2 minutes left the Highlander lead was cut to 6 but after free throws Homestead was able to pull out a victory. 

The game MVP was Declan Ciurlik. Ciurlik was solid all game long for the Highlanders as he scored 27 points, grabbed 7 rebounds and had 3 steals. Ciurlik got help from teammate Ethan Kelly who scored 19 points on 8 of 10 shooting. Tosa East was led by Leon Bond who had 25 points on 9-11 shooting and 6 rebounds. Homestead defeated Tosa East 59-54. 

Arrowhead VS Brookfield Central
For 7 pm game there were not many seats open as Arrowhead and Brookfield Central tipped off against one another. Coming into the game Arrowhead was ranked 6th and Brookfield Central 2nd in WIAA Division I basketball. Both of the teams were undefeated and had some of the top players in the state of Wisconsin. 

Carter Gilmore came out firing for Arrowhead as he knocked down 2 threes and a monstrous dunk but Brookfield Central did not shy away at all. Ben Nau pushed the pace for the Lancers and kept Central in the game early. As the first half continued Central had multiple contributors on the offensive end as David Joplin, Andrew Rhode and Ben Nau combined for 33 of their 40 points at the half. Arrowhead found themselves down 8 but quickly battled back and cut the deficit to just 2 points before the half. Freshman Mac Wrecke had 5 big points while Carter Gilmore led the way with 21 points and 5 rebounds. 

Brookfield opened up the second half with an offensive run that put them up by double digits in a hurry. The run was capped off by a Malik Abdul-Wahid slam dunk before an Arrowhead timeout. Arrowhead continued to battle but just could not slow down the Lancers. With 7 minutes left in the game the Brookfield Central’s lead reached 20 points. The Lancers dominated on both sides of the ball as they created turnovers, controlled the rebounds and scored at all three levels with multiple players. 

Brookfield Central defeated Arrowhead 77-59. The player of the game was David Joplin of Brookfield Central as he contributed 26 points, 4 blocks and 8 rebounds. Brookfield Central had 4 players in double figures as Nau had 14, Joplin had 26, Rhode had 14 and Abdul-Wahid had 10. Carter Gilmore reached the 1000 point mark for his career as he poured in 29 points along with 10 rebounds and Freshman Mac Wrecke had 7 points for Arrowhead. Brookfield Central shot 56% from the field on 17 assisted baskets. These two highly ranked WIAA Division I teams are both primed to have solid seasons. 

Brookfield East VS Franklin
The final game of the 2019 NY2LA Sports Class was between the Brookfield East Spartans and the Franklin Sabers. The Sabers started the 2019-2020 season with 3 wins and 2 losses while the Spartans won their first two games of the season. 

This matchup between East and Franklin was very interesting due to the difference in styles of play. There is no player taller than 6’3 on the Spartans roster while the Sabers start 3 players over 6’3, including 6’7 and 6’10. Brookfield East did not seem to care at all about the height advantage that Franklin had as they played their style of basketball. The Spartans put pressure on the ball and patiently ran their offense until they had an open shot. The full court pressure disrupted Franklin’s game plan to get the ball into the paint and caused them to speed up. Eventually, Franklin drew some fouls and broke the pressure for some easy baskets. This game included 2 very patient offenses and tough, physical defenses. At the half Brookfield East led Franklin 24-21. 

In the second half of the game it continued to be very physical as the teams battled through screens and for rebounds. Defense was the focal point of the game for both teams as it was a challenge to score any easy baskets. The lead changed between the Sabers and the Spartans constantly as each team would go on runs. It was Brookfield East who went on the last run and used their patient offense to their advantage. Franklin was forced to foul and trap which extended the Spartans lead late in the second half to over 10 points. 

The player of the game was Michael Poker of Brookfield East. Poker was solid all game as connected on 7 of 11 three pointers and 10 of 15 from the field which was good for 30 points and grabbed 4 rebounds. Sam McGath finished with 8 points and 6 assists while Hayden Doyle added 12 points. Carter Capstram scored 24 points and grabbed 8 rebounds for the Franklin Sabers. Brookfield East defeated the Franklin Sabers 59-49.