NEW GLARUS - Even blizzard-like conditions could not keep Monticello from traveling 5 miles up the road to take on their top non-conference rival.
"It's physical out there," Monticello senior Tyler Ritschard said after New Glarus' 62-55 win Saturday over the Ponies. "But afterwards, we are back to being friends. It's a good rivalry."
Tyler Kreklow scored a game-high 21 points for the Knights, who capped the game by shooting 9 of 13 from the free-throw line in the fourth. Kreklow scored 12 of his points in the final quarter.
"We knew it was going to be a good game and that Monticello would want to beat us because we play with them for football," Kreklow said. "We knew we were going to have to play hard and match their intensity. It's another good test early in the season."
Monticello and New Glarus co-op in football and cross country, so many of the players have shared jerseys with their opponent.
"Our guys were fired up for this one and have been since we lost in overtime to them last season," Monticello head coach Mark Olson said. "Both schools have winning attitudes and it makes for a pretty good game."
Monticello closed out the first quarter on a 9-0 run, sparked by a pair of drives by Ritschard and a 3-pointer by Lukas Kolasch. The streak made it 15-8 at the end of the first quarter.
"In the first half, since I didn't score, other people were scoring. It definitely opened up things so I could drive to the basket," said Ritschard, who scored a team-high 19 points in the contest.
New Glarus found its groove in the second quarter and slowly climbed back into the game in the second, and tied the scored at 20-20 with 1:13 left on a coast-to-coast steal and layup by Mason Lockard. Kreklow then hit a jumper at the buzzer to put the Knights up 22-21 at the half.
"We talked about being stronger. New Glarus was getting physical inside with us and we needed to handle that physicality and figure out how to work around it," Olson said. "Early on, it took us out of the sets and kept us from doing some of the things we want to do."
Ritschard scored 15 of his 19 points in the second half, and Kolasch added 11 of his 17 in the third and fourth quarters.
"It just gets really competitive and fun. They (New Glarus) are probably my favorite team to play out of anybody," said Kolasch, who spent the fall season handing the football off to New Glarus' Tyler Dorn, Kirbe French and Lockard.
The Knights played with foul trouble throughout much of the second half. Dorn, French and Carlin Moen each had four fouls midway through the fourth with New Glarus clinging to a five-point lead.
"It was a total team effort. We played pretty unselfish," New Glarus head coach Travis Sysko said. "And defensively, I thought our guys, from the second quarter on, were great. In the first quarter, we let them get into the lane on us and we got more physical there in the second quarter. We cut off some of those cutting lanes they were getting on us. I just thought our defense was the difference in the second quarter."
But the Knights hit their free throws down the stretch and did their best to contain Ritschard and Kolasch.
"Tyler understands the big picture that it can't be just him and four other guys on the floor. It's got to be a team effort to win and we've really stressed that," Olson said. "But he also understands that we rely on him for our leadership for scoring. He has an idea of when to do it and when to not."
Chris Pickett had 10 points for New Glarus and Lockard and Braden Pittman each added nine points. The Knights hit six 3s in the game, three of which came off the hands of Pittman.
"We've got guys coming off the bench and playing great for us - Chris Pickett started the first two games and came off the bench (Saturday) and Braden Pittman's been coming off the bench for us," Sysko said. "We're not worried if we have to bring guys off the bench because we know they can play and they did tonight when guys got in foul trouble."
Corey McGowan had eight points for Monticello, which shot just 13 of 25 from the free throw line and hit only two 3s.
"I know that we're fired up to play the conference games now. We know what to expect after physical games against New Glarus and Wisconsin Heights. We understand how strong we'll have to be," Olson said. "We're going to get a tough game every night because our conference is very good this year."
Monticello (1-2) opens its conference season on Tuesday at home against Juda (3-0, 1-0 Six Rivers East). New Glarus (2-1, 1-0 Capitol South) travels to Lodi Tuesday.
"It's physical out there," Monticello senior Tyler Ritschard said after New Glarus' 62-55 win Saturday over the Ponies. "But afterwards, we are back to being friends. It's a good rivalry."
Tyler Kreklow scored a game-high 21 points for the Knights, who capped the game by shooting 9 of 13 from the free-throw line in the fourth. Kreklow scored 12 of his points in the final quarter.
"We knew it was going to be a good game and that Monticello would want to beat us because we play with them for football," Kreklow said. "We knew we were going to have to play hard and match their intensity. It's another good test early in the season."
Monticello and New Glarus co-op in football and cross country, so many of the players have shared jerseys with their opponent.
"Our guys were fired up for this one and have been since we lost in overtime to them last season," Monticello head coach Mark Olson said. "Both schools have winning attitudes and it makes for a pretty good game."
Monticello closed out the first quarter on a 9-0 run, sparked by a pair of drives by Ritschard and a 3-pointer by Lukas Kolasch. The streak made it 15-8 at the end of the first quarter.
"In the first half, since I didn't score, other people were scoring. It definitely opened up things so I could drive to the basket," said Ritschard, who scored a team-high 19 points in the contest.
New Glarus found its groove in the second quarter and slowly climbed back into the game in the second, and tied the scored at 20-20 with 1:13 left on a coast-to-coast steal and layup by Mason Lockard. Kreklow then hit a jumper at the buzzer to put the Knights up 22-21 at the half.
"We talked about being stronger. New Glarus was getting physical inside with us and we needed to handle that physicality and figure out how to work around it," Olson said. "Early on, it took us out of the sets and kept us from doing some of the things we want to do."
Ritschard scored 15 of his 19 points in the second half, and Kolasch added 11 of his 17 in the third and fourth quarters.
"It just gets really competitive and fun. They (New Glarus) are probably my favorite team to play out of anybody," said Kolasch, who spent the fall season handing the football off to New Glarus' Tyler Dorn, Kirbe French and Lockard.
The Knights played with foul trouble throughout much of the second half. Dorn, French and Carlin Moen each had four fouls midway through the fourth with New Glarus clinging to a five-point lead.
"It was a total team effort. We played pretty unselfish," New Glarus head coach Travis Sysko said. "And defensively, I thought our guys, from the second quarter on, were great. In the first quarter, we let them get into the lane on us and we got more physical there in the second quarter. We cut off some of those cutting lanes they were getting on us. I just thought our defense was the difference in the second quarter."
But the Knights hit their free throws down the stretch and did their best to contain Ritschard and Kolasch.
"Tyler understands the big picture that it can't be just him and four other guys on the floor. It's got to be a team effort to win and we've really stressed that," Olson said. "But he also understands that we rely on him for our leadership for scoring. He has an idea of when to do it and when to not."
Chris Pickett had 10 points for New Glarus and Lockard and Braden Pittman each added nine points. The Knights hit six 3s in the game, three of which came off the hands of Pittman.
"We've got guys coming off the bench and playing great for us - Chris Pickett started the first two games and came off the bench (Saturday) and Braden Pittman's been coming off the bench for us," Sysko said. "We're not worried if we have to bring guys off the bench because we know they can play and they did tonight when guys got in foul trouble."
Corey McGowan had eight points for Monticello, which shot just 13 of 25 from the free throw line and hit only two 3s.
"I know that we're fired up to play the conference games now. We know what to expect after physical games against New Glarus and Wisconsin Heights. We understand how strong we'll have to be," Olson said. "We're going to get a tough game every night because our conference is very good this year."
Monticello (1-2) opens its conference season on Tuesday at home against Juda (3-0, 1-0 Six Rivers East). New Glarus (2-1, 1-0 Capitol South) travels to Lodi Tuesday.
