NEW GLARUS — In a rematch of the 2022 New Glarus holiday championship, the Knights defeated the Demons 68-64. 

Although Deerfield was 13-for-32 from 3-point range (39 points), the performance couldn’t stack up to New Glarus’s post presence. The Knights made 21 shots inside the arc for 42 points. Additionally, New Glarus drew 19 fouls and had 27 chances at the free-throw line.

“They are all shooters,” New Glarus senior Max Marty said. “They don’t want to play physical. We just had to attack them and get their better players in foul trouble to take a lot of points off the board.”

In the first seven minutes of the game, the two teams exchanged the lead four times and tied up the score twice. Lawrence Vasquez then gave New Glarus a 15-13 edge with his first career dunk. Vasquez received a bounce pass from Jake Roth at the free throw line, faked the dish 

back to Roth and drove to the basket for the slam.

“It’s a play that I drew up in summer,” Vasquez said. “As soon as coach called the play, I knew I was going to go for it. Before the play, I was wiping my shoes.”

On the Knights’ next possession, Marty’s layup rolled around the rim for two. Cade Thayer then made back-to-back buckets, including a putback for a 21-14 lead.

Miscommunication on defense led to a wide-open three for Martin Kimmel, leading to a New Glarus timeout. Out of the break, Charlie Sarbacker charged into Landon Brattlie. The defensive effort sparked a small run for Deerfield, who regained a 22-21 lead on a steal and bucket from Ben Wetzel. 

New Glarus quickly responded. Roth drove the baseline and dished to Thayer for two. After an empty Demon possession, Brett Warrell drained a step-back 3-pointer for a 26-22 lead.

The half ended at the free-throw line, where Roth went 1-for-2 for a 33-30 Knight advantage.

Unlike the beginning of the game where a lead wasn’t established until six minutes in, New Glarus opened the second frame on a 9-0 run.

Vasquez rebounded Roth’s missed shot and put it back in for two. Warrell then intercepted a Demon pass, sprinted down the floor and assisted Breckyn Thompson for a fastbreak bucket. Warrell then made his own layup in transition for a 40-30 lead. Marty capped the run, sinking a pair of free throws after a Deerfield timeout.

“I loved our energy coming out from halftime — defensively and the way we got to the basket offensively. That was a huge momentum boost for us,” New Glarus head coach Travis Sysko said.

The Knights’ lead hovered around 10 points for the next seven minutes. That’s when Deerfield got into foul trouble. The Demons picked up three fouls in a span of 26 seconds, and the third one sent Danny Austin to the line for a free throw.

Landyn Christianson’s third foul with just under seven minutes left in the game sent Thompson to the line, where he made the and-one. The 3-point play gave New Glarus a 14-point lead — its largest of the game. The Knights built up a 14-point edge again on a pair of free throws from Clayton Streiff.

Deerfield cut New Glarus’s lead to just five points with under a minute left, thanks to key 3-pointers from Christianson and Kimmel. Although they were just 3-for-12 at the charity stripe in the final minute of play, the Knights managed to hang on for the 68-64 win. Marty had a crucial offensive rebound with 23 seconds remaining to keep possession with New Glarus.

“I would have liked to put it away at the free-throw line,” Sysko said. “We should have made some down the stretch there, but we found a way to hold on and win.”

Four players finished in double figures for the Knights, led by Thompson with 17 points. Combined with his 14 from the night before, Thompson was named the tournament MVP. That honor went to Deerfield’s Cal Fisher in 2022 and Monroe’s JT Seagreaves in 2021.

Warrell and Marty scored 13 apiece, while Vasquez tallied 12. 

NEW GLARUS — In a battle for third place in the third annual New Glarus Holiday Tournament, Cuba City defeated Brodhead 79-67 on Thursday, Dec. 28. The Cubans used a 20-2 run in the second half to build a 26-point lead.

“We shot like crap tonight,” Brodhead head coach Tommy Meier said of his team’s 28-for-67 performance from the field. “We scored 67 on an off night. It goes back to defense. If you are going to shoot bad, you have to work hard on the other end. We can’t give up 79.”

Cuba City took a 22-12 lead midway through the half with a basket from Hudson Keller. Four minutes later, the Cubans extended their advantage to 16 points on a Henry Kruser bucket.

Although Cullen Walker alone went on a 6-2 run against Cuba late in the second half, the Cubans still took a 39-27 lead into the locker room.

“I thought we had great looks in the first half, we just couldn’t buy a bucket,” Meier said of the double-digit deficit at half. “Even little layups weren’t falling.”

Brodhead found momentum in the opening minutes of the second frame. Brody Riese scored on the Cardinals’ first possession. Jaxon Dooley took a charge from Miles Hinderman and then went down the floor for two points on the offensive end.

Just as they did in the first half, Brodhead went cold allowing Cuba City to extend its lead. In the Cardinals’ four-minute drought, the Cubans scored 15 points. Walker and Riese broke up Cuba City’s run, but the Cubans were still able to extend their lead to 26 points (65-39).

At its largest deficit of the game, Brodhead employed a full-court press and trap.

“We figured we didn’t have anything to lose at that point,” Meier said. “It was something to get back into the game and force turnovers. It got a little bit of energy and momentum going.”

Walker stole the ball and was fouled on his way to the hoop. He made his first shot but missed the second. Gavin Pinnow and Andy Miller fought over the rebound, resulting in a jump ball for Brodhead. On the resulting possession, Pinnow drew a foul on Nate Timmerman and went to the line for two successful free throws. Walker tallied another steal that resulted in two more points for Brodhead. 

Gabe Bockhop’s 3-pointer was the breaking point, as the Cardinals pulled within 15 (69-54). First-year head coach Tanner Schieve called a timeout to recollect. 

Brodhead kept its foot on the gas, scoring 10 of the next 15 points. Dooley’s fastbreak bucket, assisted by Walker, cut Cuba City’s lead down to just 10 points.

Down by double digits with just over a minute to play, the Cardinals fouled to put the Cubans to the line. Cuba City finished 3-for-6 from the charity strip to secure the 79-67 win.

Walker led Brodhead with a season-high 30 points and nine rebounds. Dooley also finished in double figures with 12 points. Nathan Engen grabbed a team-best 11 boards. 

The Cardinals do not play again until Jan. 11 and welcome the long break after going 1-5 in their last six games.