Posted: Dec. 22, 2009

Oak Creek girls basketball

Steve Hluchnik just needed a change of scenery to finally beat Brookfield Central. Hluchnik lost his last nine meetings with the Lancers as coach at West Allis Central before his Oak Creek girls basketball team posted a 48-34 victory Dec. 18 over the host Lancers, who have made state tournament appearances the last two seasons.

Angela Rodriguez scored 13 points and Ashley Luke added 10 as four Knights scored eight points or more in the win.

The Knights, who played Hluchnik's former team Dec. 22, began this week 3-1 overall and were 1-1 in the Southeast Conference after picking up a 61-42 victory over visiting Kenosha Bradford on Dec. 15.

Rodriguez had 19 points, Luke 16 and Cydney Weisflog 12 to lead the Knights' balanced attack.

Franklin co-op gymnastics

The Franklin co-op posted a 140.625 to beat defending state champion Arrowhead at a conference meet at Altius on Dec. 19.

The team finished more than five points better than Arrowhead (135.3) and well ahead of third-place Mukwonago/Kettle Moraine (133.6).

"(Arrowhead) will be a team to beat all season, and we can count on them getting better," Franklin coach Katie Moore said. "To start the season on top is a confidence boost, but we still have a lot of work ahead of us."

Franklin's Melanie Pearson was second in the all-around with 34.7 points, which included a win in the vault (8.95). Whitnall's Lauren Zurowski won the floor with a 9.225, just ahead of Muskego's Shannon Hein's 9.0, and Muskego's Erin Honerlaw won the bars with an 8.775.

Whitnall boys basketball

William Pelkofer was up to his old tricks and this time got plenty of help as the Falcons swept a pair of Woodland Conference foes.

Pelkofer scored 28 points in a 59-54 home win over South Milwaukee on Dec. 15 and did the same in a 64-50 win at Greenfield on Dec. 18 as Whitnall improved to 5-2 overall, 4-2 conference entering this week.

Pelkofer is averaging a NOW-area high 24.9 points per game and has scored 25 or more points in six of seven games.

Whitnall's Jake Lehmann chipped in 12 points in the win over South Milwaukee and Brian Nagy had a season-high 20 over Greenfield, which lost despite 15 points from Alec Molter and dipped to 2-5 overall, 1-4 conference.

Greendale boys basketball

The Panthers limited Brookfield East's best player to nearly seven points below his average and snapped a four-game losing streak with a 44-41 win at East on Dec. 18.

Evan Goyette had 13 points and eight rebounds, Jacob Merk 12 points and Cordney Wren 11 assists for the Panthers, who held East's C.J. Gregg to just five points. He came into the game averaging close to 12 per game.

Merk made all three of Greendale's three-pointers as the Panthers improved to 3-4 overall as of Dec. 21.

Three days earlier, Greendale slipped to 1-4 in the Woodland Conference with a 54-47 overtime loss to visiting Wauwatosa West.

Wren scored 15 points for the Panthers, who were outscored, 10-3, in overtime.

Franklin wrestling

The Sabers pulled out all the close matches against league rival Oak Creek and won, 38-11, with victories in 11 of 14 matches Dec. 17.

Franklin earned just one pin - Sam Kortes' victory over Jesse Claudio in 1 minute, 32 seconds at 119 pounds - but won six matches decided by four points or less.

Franklin led, 12-11, after seven matches but won the final seven to pull away. Picking up victories for the Sabers: Lee Smith (152 pounds), Kyle Smith (160), Adam Langowski (189), Jordan Herman (285), Sam Tyckowski (112), Colin DeClark (125), Alex Potrykus (130), David Cabral (135), Chris Clapper (140) and Adam Stelloh (145).

The Sabers were also third of 11 teams at the Westosha Central Holiday Challenge on Dec. 19. Kyle Smith (160) and Tyckowski (112) won individual titles.

Oak Creek wrestling

After a tough loss to Franklin on Dec. 17, the Knights took seventh of 18 teams at the E.H. Stech Invitational over the weekend.

Oak Creek's Kyle Wey went 4-0 to win the 189-pound title. He defeated Racine Case's Ryan Ross, 6-5, in the finals to improve to 14-0.

Seth Labodda was fourth at 112 pounds and Matt Blower (125) and Mitch Dolan (171) were fifth for the Knights.

In a 38-11 loss at Franklin, Wey and Dolan picked up major decisions and Joey Swick beat Jason Attebury, 9-3, at 103.

Whitnall wrestling

Kameron Bourgeois' loss in the 103-pound finals was the Falcons' highlight at the E.H. Stech Invitational on Dec. 18 and 19.

Bourgeois slipped to 13-4 with a 13-1 loss to undefeated Bobby Nachreiner (17-0) of Hartford in the championship match. Bourgeois won three previous matches to advance to the finals.

Zach Noel was fourth for the Falcons at 135, Demetrius Wall (112) was fifth and Mason Howard (125) and Alex Guzman (152) were both sixth.

Whitnall placed ninth of 18 teams.

Whitnall girls basketball

Another week, another split for the Falcons.

Whitnall bounced back from a 49-42 loss at South Milwaukee on Dec. 15 to overwhelm visiting Greenfield, 58-25, on Dec. 18.

It was the third time in three weeks this season the Falcons won one of two league contests.

Against Greenfield, 12 Falcons scored led by Amy Ford's 13, Katherine Crivello's 12 and Jocelyn Gillum's 10 as Whitnall held the Hustlin' Hawks to single digits in three quarters.

Three days earlier, Lisa Donaldson scored a game-high 14 points for the Falcons but it was not enough as Whitnall trailed, 39-25, after three quarters.

Oak Creek boys basketball

The Knights' string of narrow defeats continued with a 51-47 loss at Kenosha Bradford on Dec. 15.

Oak Creek was outscored, 7-3, in overtime and fell to 2-3 overall, 0-2 conference, entering this week. All three of the Knights' losses have come by five points or less.

Tyler Magyar and Danny Rajchel scored 14 points each for the Knights. Bradford's Quardell Young had 18 to lead all players.

Franklin girls basketball

The Sabers were outscored, 36-10, during the second and third quarters combined and were overwhelmed by visiting Racine Case, 62-35, on Dec. 15.

Case's Shayla Glass had a game-high 16 points, one of three Eagles to reach double digits. Taylor Atkinson and Jenna Coenen had 10 each for the Sabers (2-4, 0-2).

Franklin hosts the Christine Rathke Memorial Tournament on Dec. 28-30.

Greendale girls basketball

The Panthers' offensive struggles continued in a 47-31 loss at Wauwatosa West on Dec. 15.

Mary Merg had 10 points for Greendale, which has scored 43 or fewer points in each of its last four games entering this week, three of which were losses.

The 31 points were a season-low for the Panthers.

Whitnall swimming

The Falcons improved to 2-0 in league duals with a 110-73 win over the host Cudahy Packers on Dec. 16.

Whitnall won all three relays and seven of eight individual events.

Coach Cory Lay praised Alex Litzenburg's efforts in the 500 free and Ben Hinson's performance in the 100 back.

Greendale/St. Thomas More wrestling

Sam Walton (125 pounds), Chandler Gayan (152) and AJ Sciano (215) registered pins, Greendale's only wins in a 60-18 home loss to South Milwaukee on Dec. 16.

Sciano's pin came with 1 second left in the first period against Leo Peterson. Gayan and Sciano beat their foes in the second period.

 

- David Cotey