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WBY Tourney in Prairie du Chien: Mauston wins five close games to capture title

07/23/2014, 7:15pm CDT
By Mark Miller

Observations from the Wisconsin Basketball Yearbook Tournament held in Prairie du Chien on June 28-29.

Pools A-B

Final Standings

Pool A -- Beaver Dam 2-1, Auburndale 2-1, Decorah, Iowa, 2-1, Lancaster 0-3.

Pool B -- Mauston 3-0, Cuba City 2-1, Lodi 1-2, Prairie du Chien 0-3.

Pool A vs. Pool B title game -- Mauston 39, Beaver Dam 36.

Pool C -- Marshall 3-0, Platteville 2-1, Black River Falls 1-2, Durand 0-3.

Pool D -- Luck 3-0, Seneca 2-1, Royall 1-2, Cassville 0-3.

Pool C vs. Pool D title game -- Marshall 65, Luck 46.

Overall title game -- Mauston 49, Marshall 45.

Most Valuable Player

Tarren Hall, 6-0, Soph., G, Mauston
One of the better class of 2017 prospects in Wisconsin, Hall was fantastic for Mauston, which won five games by a total of 13 points to capture the title. After averaging 13.3 points per game as a freshman for coach Gil Saylor at Mauston, Hall appears poised for even bigger production in 2014-15. A 6-foot-0 combination guard, Hall scored in double figures in all five games for the Golden Eagles and poured in a tournament-best 25 in a victory over Prairie du Chien. He finished with 15 three-point shots made and was exceptionally efficient with his shot selection. He handles the ball well, makes excellent decisions and gets his teammates involved on a consistent basis.

All-Tournament Team (In alphabetical order)

Kilan Boland, 6-1, Jr., G, Seneca

The son of long-time Seneca coach David Bolan, Kilan Boland averaged 13.8 ppg as a sophomore and headlines a talented group of returning players for the Indians. He can score from the perimeter and slash to the basket while also making good decisions with the ball in his hands.

Preston Droessler, 6-0, Sr., PG, Cuba City
Droessler is first and foremost an outstanding passer. He sees the court as well as any other player in the state and delivers accurate passes on a consistent basis for coach Jerry Petitgoue. His scoring is a bit up and down, but he is more than capable of getting double figures on any given night. A true pass-first point guard who makes his teammates better with his decision making ability.

Connor George, 5-11, Jr., PG, Prairie du Chien
A starter as a sophomore for coach Andy Banasik at Prairie du Chien, George is a very skilled lead guard who uses the dribble to free himself for perimeter jump shots. He can also get into the lane and score, and handle the ball against pressure defense.

Chance Kupersmith, 6-5, Sr., F, Platteville
Kupersmith is a developing low-post player with excellent length, size and athleticism. His skills and footwork are a work in progress, but when he is able to catch the ball and steady himself, he is difficult to stop in the post. He scored a high clip all weekend for coach Mike Huser and the Hillmen.

Matt La Faunge, 5-11, Sr., G, Black River Falls
With point guard Jack Roou (5-11) sidelined due to an injury, La Faunge stepped up and made big plays for Black River Falls coach Miek Gaier in Prairie du Chien. He buried four triples in a victory over Durand and also showed the ability to connect on mid-range pull-up jump shots.

James Lange, 6-7, Sr., PF, Decorah, Iow
Lange is a powerful big man who loves the baseline mid-range jump shot. He can also catch and go up strong in front of the basket and is difficult to stop because of his shere size and soft shooting touch.

Adam Link, 6-3, Jr., PG, Marshall
Link played on the wing for the Cardinals last winter and averaged 5.0 ppg for a team that went 22-4. He earned honorable mention all-league honors in the Capitol South and will take over the point-guard duties for coach Jason McConnell for the graduated Cam Ward. A lefty with good speed and the ability to zip passes to open teammates, Ward is also a good scorer, both from distance and off the dribble.

Nick Mattson, 6-1, Jr., G, Luck
Mattson helps to keep the floor spaced well for Luck due to his penchant for making three-point shots. He finished the event with 10 three-pointers made in four games and went for 20 points, all in the second half, in a victory over Royall.

Noah Mortel, 6-6, Jr., PF, Luck
Physically strong and possessing good footwork, Mortel can at times be an absolute monster in the paint. He scored at a high level for Luck, using his size, strength and moves in the post to overpower opponents. He does a very nice job of using the glass and establishing position, and his teammates get him the ball. He does look to pass out of double teams as well. Becoming more aggressive, especially rebounding on both ends, is the next step in his development.

Matthew Nikolay, 5-10, Sr., PG, Auburndale
A steady, smart and skilled lead guard who can score, penetrate and make accurates passes, Nikolay is the top returning player for the exceptionally strong program at Auburndale. Nikolay does not turn the ball over, runs the Apaches' offense and can score off the dribble and coming off screens. A very good all-around player for coach Chad Weinfurter.

Derek Paulson, 6-3, Jr., G/F, Lodi
Paulson is a bit of a throw-back player in that he he relies more on skill and smarts than pure athleticism. He scored from the perimeter but also used an effective spin move to get to the basket. He is a very good passer and appears to be developing into a solid team leader for a Lodi program hit hard by graduation.

Anthony Schumann, 6-1, Sr., G/F, Beaver Dam
Schumann is definitely more of a wing player, but because coach Tim Ladron has so little size in his program right now, Schumann is asked to play inside a bit for the Beavers. Schumann showed he can step outside and make shots or put the ball on the floor and get to the basket. His ability to rebound will be paramount to the Beavers' success in 2014-15.

Drake Schuring, 6-1, Sr., G, Decorah, Iowa
The son of former Luther College asistant coach Tim Schuring, Drake Schuring is a phsical backcourt performer who can make shots and earn trips to the foul line for coach Jonathan Carlson. He scored 14 points in a 48-47 victory over Lodi and 10 in a 42-37 triumph over Auburndale.

Kyle Voss, 6-2, Jr., WF, Mauston
Voss did a bit of everything for Mauston. He can handle the ball, pass, rebound and score. He finished with just one game in double scoring figures, but his length, size and skill were important in each of Mauston's victories.

Adam Wehking, 6-4, Soph., F, Marshall
Wehking was exceptional for the Cardinals. He scored with his size, strength and skill in the post, finishing with 25 points in a victory over Noah Mortel (6-6) and Luck in the Pools C-D title game. He reached double figures four times and competed with toughness and poise throughout the tournament.

Team Champion

Mauston

The Golden Eagles took it on the chin a year ago, finishing just 5-18 overall and 3-7 in the South Central Conference. Five players who played major minutes return from that squad, including Hall, a second-team all-league choice as a freshman last season. With Hall handling the ball, setting the tempo and making huge shots, Mauston was able to notch five extremely close victories in Prairie du Chien. Of course, he had plenty of help. Voss was strong on the glass and in the paint, while also stepping outside and making some perimeter shots. Seniors Theron Wilkinson (6-0), D.J. Robinson (6-0) and Brett Lubinski (5-10) were also key performers for Mauston. Robinson had 11 points in the title-game victory over Marshall and gives Saylor a good perimeter shooting threat to go along with Hall and Voss.

Notes
Marshall's junior varsity team went 22-0 a year ago and many of the players from that talented team made major contributions in Prairie du Chien. Juniors Andy Lutz (6-4), Tanathan Hassan (5-11) and Tristian Killerlain (6-0) figure to play key roles for a Marshall program that appears ready to roll despite the loss of talented graduated seniors Cam Ward and Austin Sinden ... Luck junior Taylor Hawkins (6-2) is an inside-outside player who can slash to the basket and make mid-range jump shots ... Look for seniors Logan Furniss (6-1) and Michael Bravick (5-10) to play huge roles in the backcourt for the Blue Devils next winter. Both were solid in Prairie du Chien ... Look for sophomore Nate Banasik (6-4) to emerge as a very good all-around player for Prairie du Chien over the next couple of seasons. Banasik is long, athletic and skilled and did a great job of getting deflections for the Blackhawks ... Seneca has an extremely athletic and active sophomore in Nick Payne (6-5), who is a bit raw from a skill standpoint but still makes things happen with his athleticism ... Auburndale senior Josh Van Schoick (6-2) did an excellent job of using his body, footwork and size to score over taller opponents in the post for the Apaches ... Incoming freshman Ethan Anderson (5-11) has excellent skills and figures to be a varsity performer for Black River Falls ... Junior Chris Moor (5-11) and senior Drew Zimmerman (6-0) compete at a high level and make three-point shots for Cuba City while junior Ben Burkholder (6-2) is a solid all-around player who can score inside and outside for the Cubans ... Senior point guard Matt Berg (5-9) has very good quickness and ball-handling skills while juniors Sam Wiersma (6-0) and Tyler Mahnke (6-1) have bright futures for Beaver Dam ... Platteville senior Jesse Gardner (6-1) had some solid showings for the Hillmen over the weekend ... Cassville was hit hard by graduation, but first-year coach Jacob Benetzke returns two solid seniors to build around in guard Hunter Nix (5-11) and athletic wing Brad Klein (6-1) ... Durand went 0-4 in Prairie du Chien and was missing two of its more experienced players, but junior Ben Weber (6-0) competed at a high level for the Panthers ... Lancaster senior Nathan Tranel (6-2) missed Saturday's games due to a conflict with football, but was a beast on Sunday, using his size and outstanding physical strength to score 18 points in a 35-32 loss to league-rival Prairie du Chien ... Junior Dorian Keenan (6-0) scored 18 points and seniors Josh Murray (6-0) and Charlie Brandt (6-0) added 11 and eight, respectively, to help Royall to a 54-51 victory over Cassville.

Tag(s): Summer Tournaments