Strong fourth quarter buries Badger, gets team back to .500 in SLC
By Mike Ramczyk
Sports Editor
In the past three games, the Burlington boys basketball team has started to figure it out.
The defense has been stellar, the offense is showing chemistry and the energy level is off the charts. That stretch of season culminated with the Demons’ most complete performance in this young season Dec. 13 in Lake Geneva.
Facing an experienced, talented Badger bunch, Burlington jumped out to a four-point halftime lead only to see it disappear at the end of three quarters.
But a furious 31-19 rally in the fourth quarter put the Badgers away and got the Demons right back into the thick of the Southern Lakes Conference race.
The Demons improved to 2-4 overall and 2-2 in the SLC. Badger dropped to 4-3 overall and 2-2 in the SLC.
Badger picked up the full-court pressure in the fourth quarter, forcing Burlington to play at a frenetic pace. But the Demons were up to the challenge.
A James Tully layup broke the press to make it 45-41 with five minutes left, then a Ben Geiger steal and coast-to-coast layup gave Burlington a six-point advantage with less than three minutes to play.
Badger kept up the full-court press, but guards Nate Klug and Luke Dahl continued scorching the Badger defense.
With a minute to play, Klug advanced to the hoop only to dish a fancy behind-the-back pass to Nate Sibley, who was fouled and made both free throws. The free shots made it 58-50, and Badger didn’t really get close again.
Both Sibley and Frankie Hozeska were money from the line in the fourth quarter, and the Demons were 20-for-26 as a team (77 percent).
Geiger led all scorers with 24 points, and Badger’s Jake Berhorst, a sophomore, had 22 points.
Hozeska added 14 points and nine rebounds. Sibley tallied 11 points and six rebounds. Dahl had 11 points as well.
“At the beginning of the year, we weren’t playing together,” Dahl said after the game. “But we’ve brought it together a little. We knew Badger was a good team. We were confident in the second half.”
“Once we’re all playing good, we’re hard to beat,” Klug said. “Everyone stepped up in the fourth. Defense won the game tonight. We beat them in transition, so that helped.”
Klug said this win could spark a winning run.
“We’re worried about getting better each and every week,” he said. “I think we can compete with anyone at this point.”
Burlington coach Steve Berezowitz said his team played well in the first half, but they turned it up in the second half.
“I loved how our kids battled back,” Berezowitz said. “We were able to overcome their 8-2 run. They’re a very good offensive team, and for us to play this good defensively, it was a quality win. I’m really proud of our kids for fighting in the fourth quarter.”
“We’re progressing, and this win was a big step in the right direction,” Berezowitz added.
Burlington hosts Waukesha West at the Al McGuire Center in Milwaukee Saturday.
West (4-0) is ranked No. 7 in Division I in the wissports.net coaches’ poll.
“We always pick things that we want to be good at,” Berezowitz said. “We work on toughness and finishing all the time, and we’re starting to see results. We want progress, and we’re seeing results on some things, and it’s fun.”
Girls win, too
The BHS girls posted a 49-41 win over Elkhorn Tuesday evening.
A strong third quarter – where the Demons outscored the Elks 14-4 – proved to be the difference.
Ellen Stang led the Demons with 15 points, while Teagan Rock and Hailey Zwiebel added nine each.
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