Greendale boys basketball team protects lead in beating Cudahy

Greendale - After losing a sizable halftime lead against Brown Deer on Dec. 4, the Greendale boys basketball team was not about to let it happen again on Friday night.

The Panthers were up by 11 at halftime against Cudahy, and this time, they held on to win, 68-42, in a Woodland Conference contest.

"It was 25 points going into the fourth quarter," head coach Ryan Johnsen said, "and from then on it was cruise control."

Jordan Perez led the way with 27 points, while Nick Dalton, a recent addition to the varsity squad, added 15 points.

Greendale thus avoided a repeat of the Brown Deer contest, in which the Panthers racked up 49 first-half points and led by 13 at the break, only to see the Falcons put up 49 in the second half to win, 85-70.

"We played really well defensively in the first half," Johnsen said, "but in the second half, I think our inexperience showed. Brown Deer has all seniors, and they really caused us problems on the offensive end with their pressure."

Greendale managed just 21 points after halftime, including only seven in the third period.

Perez tallied 18 points, while Josh Michaels contributed 17 points, Dalton 15 and Jacob Witkowiak eight. D'Sean Groce paced an equally balanced attack for the Falcons with 27 points.

The Panthers came into this week at 3-2 in the Woodland and 3-3 overall, having alternated victories and losses so far this season.

They visit Wauwatosa West at 7:30 p.m. Friday.