DARLINGTON — The New Glarus/Darlington rivalry has brought upon some high-quality basketball over the past few years. Darlington held an 12-4 advantage in the series, dating back to the 2008 playoff matchup. The last time the Knights beat the Redbirds was Feb. 6, 2018, just a month before New Glarus won the school’s first ever state championship.
This season’s regular season matchup came Nov. 30 — the second game for New Glarus, and the first for Darlington — with the Knights coming away with a hard-fought 62-56 victory.
“We’re going home with a win over Darlington, and there’s not too many times we’ve been able to say that, so we’re happy,” New Glarus coach Travis Sysko said.
The Redbirds played undermanned, with multiple high-minute players out for the game.
“With some guys missing, and some guys sick and really only one returning player that saw many minutes last year, it was really good to challenge these guys early and see what we’re made of,” said Darlington coach Tom Uppena. “I saw a lot of good things from some guys I didn’t know what to expect from. They competed and they are only going to get better as the year goes on. Overall, I’m proud of the effort our kids gave.”
The game ended much closer than it started. Darlington struggled to find the net in the first six minutes of the game, while New Glarus jumped out quickly. The Knights scored just five seconds into the game, and by the time the Redbirds got on board (12:12) with a 3-pointer, New Glarus had already scored 14.
“Nobody predicts starting off on a 14-0 run, and part of that I think was that it was Darlington’s first game out of the gate. It’s hard to simulate game-speed in practice. They were shorthanded, and I give them a lot of credit playing without a couple of their regular starters — those kids really battled,” Sysko said.
In a complete flip of fortunes, Darlington’s opening score ignited a 17-point rally over the next seven minutes.
“I think it took those guys a few minutes to get their legs under them,” Sysko said. “Obviously they figured it out with a 17-0 run on us. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that before — two teams going on two different runs like that.”
The rest of the way it was a dogfight.
“It’s obviously not an ideal start when you dig yourself a hole like that. I’m proud of how we battled back and got out of it and took the lead — after that it was pretty much an even ballgame,” Uppena said.
Darlington scored with under 10 seconds left in the half to briefly lead 31-30, but the Knights added a bucket at the buzzer in the post on a fast break to take a 32-30 advantage going into the break.
“Our offense and defense changed a bit — like in our first game, we started fouling more and got into foul trouble,” New Glarus senior forward Dain Walter said, recapping the first half. “I feel like we came together after that 17-0 run.”
Walter said that in the locker room at halftime, Sysko was pleased with the team’s energy and defense, but made sure his players knew they had to be more consistent on offense. “In the paint, that was their weakness,” Walter said.
Walter heeded the call of his coach and took over the game in the paint on both ends of the court.
“Coach set me aside at the beginning of the year and said, ‘You’re going to be the biggest guy here. You have to start owning the paint.’ So I stepped up tonight,” Walter said.
Walter scored 12 of his game-high 23 points in the second half and grabbed rebound after rebound. The Redbirds struggled to find an answer to his presence in the paint.
“Dain was a double-double guy for us last year, and he’s improved so much with his speed and his agility and his finishing around the basket — he’s going to have a heck of a year,” Sysko said.
Darlington took a 40-39 lead with 12:50 to play and didn’t trail again for more than five minutes. Over the next four minutes, New Glarus went on a 14-5 run to go up by eight points. One final surge by Darlington brought the score back to within a bucket at 58-56 with just 28.4 seconds left, only for the Knights to close it out.
“I looked up with about 2:22 left on the clock we were down eight, and we got it right back to a 2-point game. One play and we could have taken the lead. I think it’s a good lesson for those young kids that haven’t experienced that,” Uppena said. “It’s a learning experience and we’ll definitely grow from it and get better.”
AC Strok had 13 of his 19 points in the first half, but hit two key free throws with 14 seconds left to seal the victory. Jack Parman added eight points, and Beckett Malaise hit two 3s in the first half to finish with six points.
“AC is a difference maker for us. He’s a tough guard; a tough kid to stay in front of. Teams are going to have a tough time with him, and he’s going to do some special things for us these next couple years,” Sysko said.
Brady Long led Darlington with 16 points on 5 of 20 shooting, including 3 of 13 from 3-point range. Hunter Hardyman battled a knee issue to finish with 14 points and six rebounds. Carver Fitzsimons added 11 points and eight boards, while Ethan Hendrickson tallied 11 points and seven rebounds for the Redbirds.
New Glarus (2-0) was set to host Poynette Dec. 2, then play Scales Mound Dec. 4 at the Lena-Winslow Jamboree. On Dec. 6, The Knights are slated to be at Dodgeville — a stretch of five games in just eight days.
“We’re playing some pretty good teams coming up here,” Sysko said. “I’m hoping to get through these next 6-7 days here and just be able to get back into the gym to get these guys some practice time. Right now we’re just preparing for the next game and we don’t have a lot of time to focus on some things we need to focus on.”
Meanwhile, Darlington (0-1, No. 5 in Division 4) was to host Platteville Dec. 2, then play at Belleville Dec. 7.
