Basketball Gamer - kinda

I'm a student, it's my first time trying this and I'd just like some feedback. It's kind of an odd story because the school prints the paper on Wednesdays, and the game was tonight, so I had to recap the game and provide something about "tonight's" (Wednesday's) as well. Not a big fan of "Hawks" but it's a style thing we are forced to use:

Be ready when your number is called upon.

That’s the simple message Warhawks head coach Pat Miller tried to drill into his players’ minds. If Monday night’s 78-67 triumph over the UW-Stout Blue Devils in the opening round of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference basketball tournament was any indication, his team got the memo.

As a result, No. 1-seeded UW-Whitewater faces the fifth-seeded UW-Superior Yellow Jackets in the WIAC tournament semifinals tonight at 7 p.m. in the Kachel Gym. The chance to advance to the championship game is not an opportunity that came without obstacles.

Already without all-conference forward Rob Perry, who suffered a broken foot earlier in the season, the squad was forced to begin the tournament without another one of its most potent weapons; junior guard Matt Goodwin, who was sidelined with a concussion.

In Goodwin’s absence, the ’Hawks had to fill his 31.8 minutes per game and account for his 17.8 points.

Enter guard Myles McKay and forward Kori Vernon.

McKay notched a team-high 22 points on 7-of-16 shooting, while Vernon posted a double-double with 19 points and 13 rebounds.

“Everybody knows their role,” Vernon said. “When they got to step up, people are ready to come in and fill a position, and people were ready to do that today.”

The evening wasn’t all roses for the ’Hawks, who stumbled out of the gates and fell behind 11-4. The tide began to turn when ’Hawks guard Cory Brezovar came off the bench and drilled a pair of three-pointers to spark a rally.

“It’s a hard sell in a program when you have good players who don’t play a lot,” Miller said. “Corey Brezovar is a perfect example. He came in and hit a couple of threes, [and] gave us quality minutes. There are a lot of places he’d be a starter and be very productive, where here it’s been spot time. But he’s been a great team guy.”

It wasn’t until the 10th minute that UW-Whitewater grabbed its first lead of the night with a 15-14 edge. From there, the ’Hawks remained ahead until the final horn sounded.

Although the lead ballooned to 20 points in the second half, the Blue Devils cut the gap to eight with just under two minutes remaining, thanks in large part to guard Miles Webb’s game-high 24 points. The late push provided a scare for the fans, but the ticking clock stymied any chance at a comeback.

In the locker room, Miller warned his players about the matchup with UW-Superior presenting a trap. The Yellow Jackets (12-14, 7-10 WIAC) knocked off UW-Oshkosh (17-8, 11-5 WIAC) in the first round.

“If you’re looking at that game and thinking we caught a break, you’re foolish,” Miller said.

The ’Hawks won both of their games against the Yellow Jackets this season, most recently an 86-55 thrashing on Jan. 26.

Admission for the remaining tournament games for both men’s and women’s basketball is free for students with a UW-Whitewater student ID, courtesy of DLK Enterprises.

 

Just changed the order of some things. Moved the part about the other players filling in for an injured teammate.

Be ready when your number is called upon.

That’s the simple message Warhawks head coach Pat Miller tried to drill into his players’ minds. If Monday night’s 78-67 triumph over the UW-Stout Blue Devils in the opening round of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference basketball tournament was any indication, his team got the memo.

Already without all-conference forward Rob Perry, who suffered a broken foot earlier in the season, the squad was forced to begin the tournament without another one of its most potent weapons; junior guard Matt Goodwin, who was sidelined with a concussion.

In Goodwin’s absence, the ’Hawks had to fill his 31.8 minutes per game and account for his 17.8 points.

Enter guard Myles McKay and forward Kori Vernon.

McKay notched a team-high 22 points on 7-of-16 shooting, while Vernon posted a double-double with 19 points and 13 rebounds.

“Everybody knows their role,” Vernon said. “When they got to step up, people are ready to come in and fill a position, and people were ready to do that today.”

As a result, No. 1-seeded UW-Whitewater faces the fifth-seeded UW-Superior Yellow Jackets in the WIAC tournament semifinals tonight at 7 p.m. in the Kachel Gym. The chance to advance to the championship game is not an opportunity that came without obstacles.

At one point, it looked the 'Hawks would cruise to a win with a 20-point lead in the second half.

Trying to come back late, the Blue Devils were within eight point with two minutes remaining – thanks in large part to guard Miles Webb’s game-high 24 points. The late push provided a scare for the fans, but the ticking clock stymied any chance at a comeback.

It wasn’t until the 10th minute that UW-Whitewater took control after taking a 15-14 lead. From there, the ’Hawks remained ahead until the final horn sounded.

The evening wasn’t all roses for the ’Hawks, who stumbled out of the gates and fell behind 11-4. The tide began to turn when ’Hawks guard Cory Brezovar came off the bench and drilled a pair of three-pointers to spark a rally.

“It’s a hard sell in a program when you have good players who don’t play a lot,” Miller said. “Corey Brezovar is a perfect example. He came in and hit a couple of threes, [and] gave us quality minutes. There are a lot of places he’d be a starter and be very productive, where here it’s been spot time. But he’s been a great team guy.”

In the locker room, Miller warned his players about the matchup with UW-Superior presenting a trap. The Yellow Jackets (12-14, 7-10 WIAC) knocked off UW-Oshkosh (17-8, 11-5 WIAC) in the first round.

“If you’re looking at that game and thinking we caught a break, you’re foolish,” Miller said.

The ’Hawks won both of their games against the Yellow Jackets this season, most recently an 86-55 thrashing on Jan. 26.

Admission for the remaining men's and women's tournament games is free for students with a UW-Whitewater student ID, courtesy of DLK Enterprises. not needed,

 

Hey, thanks. The last sentence, I actually was told to tack that on the end, word for word ... but thanks for looking at it.