NEW GLARUS - Every season, New Glarus and Monticello meet for a rivalry game on the basketball court. The two schools co-op in other sports and many of the players are good friends.
"These guys play football together, they run cross country together," Monticello boys basketball head coach Brad Pickett said. "But now they have to step on the floor for about two hours. And it's a nice game because I think both teams get a lot out of it."
This season, it was the Glarner Knights who got the best of the Highway 69 rivalry, winning 65-46.
"It's a friendly rivalry. These guys are going at each other on the court. But I know a lot of these guys are friends off the court," New Glarus head coach Travis Sysko said. "It's one that you want bragging rights for. We haven't had them in a while and it's nice to get one."
Early on Monday, it was anyone's game. The teams spent much of the first quarter battling in the paint. A late surge in the last minute of the period took New Glarus from an 11-9 lead to a 17-11 advantage.
New Glarus got rolling in the second quarter, thanks in large part to senior guard Jake Bast. He scored 13 of his game-high 22 points in the frame, including a pair of 3-pointers and drives.
"He's a tough player," Sysko said. "We've got some other guys, too. I'm lucky that we have the players that we do. Tonight it was Jake's turn and he did a great job."
Monticello did its best to keep up with the fast pace. Corey McGowan scored all 11 of his points in the first half and helped keep the Ponies within 37-24 at the break.
But the Knights came out firing in the second half, mixing their size, speed, and outside shooting to their advantage and took off.
"They are a very good team. They brought a lot more energy than we did, rebounded better than we did, shot the ball better. Tonight they were the better team," Pickett said.
"(New Glarus is) very balanced - whether it's Bast, (Cassidy) Flannery, (Logan) Lockard, or (Ryan) Bright - they are just a very balanced team. It's only going to help us better down the road by playing a team like this. It's a good game for us to have."
New Glarus had a bit of a scare when Bast went down with an ankle injury just five seconds into the third quarter. He shook the injury off and returned minutes later.
"I got a little nervous when Jake went down. But he came back and shook it off. It didn't seem like he even missed a step. He got to the basket quite a few times," Sysko said.
New Glarus led 51-34 by the end of the third quarter, and by as many as 21 points.
Pickett knows a game like this more clearly shows his team's flaws and mistakes, allowing for easier learning.
"When we go back and watch film, guys are going to see that they didn't put a body on somebody and (New Glarus) got a rebound over them. When you play good competition like this, they are going to take advantage of your inconsistencies," Pickett said.
Bright scored 12 points for New Glarus, and was one of nine Knights to score.
Brandon Holz led Monticello with 16 points.
New Glarus (8-0, 1-0 Capitol South) prepares for a tough stretch of games. Ranked No. 6 by the Associated Press in Division 3, Sysko's squad faces tough conference competition including Lakeside Lutheran, Wisconsin Heights, Waterloo, and Dodgeville.
Monticello (6-3, 4-0 Six Rivers East), is receiving votes in the AP Division 4 boys rankings and travels to Pecatonica (2-5, 1-3) on Thursday.
"These guys play football together, they run cross country together," Monticello boys basketball head coach Brad Pickett said. "But now they have to step on the floor for about two hours. And it's a nice game because I think both teams get a lot out of it."
This season, it was the Glarner Knights who got the best of the Highway 69 rivalry, winning 65-46.
"It's a friendly rivalry. These guys are going at each other on the court. But I know a lot of these guys are friends off the court," New Glarus head coach Travis Sysko said. "It's one that you want bragging rights for. We haven't had them in a while and it's nice to get one."
Early on Monday, it was anyone's game. The teams spent much of the first quarter battling in the paint. A late surge in the last minute of the period took New Glarus from an 11-9 lead to a 17-11 advantage.
New Glarus got rolling in the second quarter, thanks in large part to senior guard Jake Bast. He scored 13 of his game-high 22 points in the frame, including a pair of 3-pointers and drives.
"He's a tough player," Sysko said. "We've got some other guys, too. I'm lucky that we have the players that we do. Tonight it was Jake's turn and he did a great job."
Monticello did its best to keep up with the fast pace. Corey McGowan scored all 11 of his points in the first half and helped keep the Ponies within 37-24 at the break.
But the Knights came out firing in the second half, mixing their size, speed, and outside shooting to their advantage and took off.
"They are a very good team. They brought a lot more energy than we did, rebounded better than we did, shot the ball better. Tonight they were the better team," Pickett said.
"(New Glarus is) very balanced - whether it's Bast, (Cassidy) Flannery, (Logan) Lockard, or (Ryan) Bright - they are just a very balanced team. It's only going to help us better down the road by playing a team like this. It's a good game for us to have."
New Glarus had a bit of a scare when Bast went down with an ankle injury just five seconds into the third quarter. He shook the injury off and returned minutes later.
"I got a little nervous when Jake went down. But he came back and shook it off. It didn't seem like he even missed a step. He got to the basket quite a few times," Sysko said.
New Glarus led 51-34 by the end of the third quarter, and by as many as 21 points.
Pickett knows a game like this more clearly shows his team's flaws and mistakes, allowing for easier learning.
"When we go back and watch film, guys are going to see that they didn't put a body on somebody and (New Glarus) got a rebound over them. When you play good competition like this, they are going to take advantage of your inconsistencies," Pickett said.
Bright scored 12 points for New Glarus, and was one of nine Knights to score.
Brandon Holz led Monticello with 16 points.
New Glarus (8-0, 1-0 Capitol South) prepares for a tough stretch of games. Ranked No. 6 by the Associated Press in Division 3, Sysko's squad faces tough conference competition including Lakeside Lutheran, Wisconsin Heights, Waterloo, and Dodgeville.
Monticello (6-3, 4-0 Six Rivers East), is receiving votes in the AP Division 4 boys rankings and travels to Pecatonica (2-5, 1-3) on Thursday.
