2012-2013 WCC-East All-Conference Team

Wisconsin Collegiate Conference - Eastern Division

Men's Basketball All-Conference

2012-2013

First Team

Jon Braeger......................UW-Fox Valley
Xavier Fletcher..................UW-Manitowoc
Trevor Krizenesky..............UW-Fox Valley
Brandon Waldschmidt.........UW-Fond du Lac
Jamale Taylor-Robinson......UW-Waukesha

Second Team
Tevin Taylor......................UW-Manitowoc
Josh Corry.........................UW-Marinette
Jamie Bonczkowski.............UW-Waukesha
Weston Meinen..................UW-Sheboygan
Aaron Petit........................UW-Marinette

Honorable Mention
Jonte Wells........................UW-Marinette
Nick Holzman.....................UW-Washington
Jim Marose........................UW-Waukesha
Mitch Hendrix.....................UW-Fond du Lac
Trevor Smith......................UW-Fox Valley

Player Of The Year
Jon Braeger........................UW-Fox Valley

Coach Of The Year
Lee Rabas..........................UW-Fox Valley

UW-Fox Men Win WCC Tournament Title

(Wausau) The UW-Fox (23-3) men’s basketball team helped make Head Coach Lee Rabas' birthday even happier on Sunday when they followed up their WCC-East regular season title by defeating UW-Manitowoc (20-7) 79-49 to claim the 2013 WCC Tournament championship. The Cyclones also won the tournament championship in 2011, and have won three straight WCC-East regular season titles.  

The win was the 17th straight for UW-Fox after losing at UW-Manitowoc on December 10th 77-82.  The Blue Devils finished the regular season in second place in the WCC-East.  They earned a berth in the tournament championship game by beating UW-Marshfield, the WCC-West regular season champion, in a Saturday night semi-final. 

Like the night before the Cyclones got off to a fast start on offense.  Jon Braeger and Trevor Krizenesky, who both earned all-tournament honors, each knocked down 2 three-point field goals to help push the Cyclones out to a 43-27 halftime lead.  UW-Fox shot 61% overall in the opening half, connected on 7 of their 12 three-point field goals, and made all 8 of their free-throws. 

The Blue Devils cut the margin to 43-32 to open the second half, but Trevor Smith scored on back to back possessions to jump start the Cyclones.  A steal and lay-up by Jordan Kaufman, and a Jon Schlaver lay-in off a DJ Rhodes pass, pushed the lead to 55-37 with just under 13 minutes left to play.  The Blue Devils wouldn’t get any closer.

Rhodes scored 20 points to lead the Cyclones.  Besides scoring 14 points Braeger had 3 assists, 2 steals, and countless hustle plays for UW-Fox.  Trevor Smith closed out his Cyclone career by hitting all 5 of his field goal attempts for 11 points.  Krizenesky had 10 points to go with 7 assists and Schlaver 10 points to go with 6 rebounds.

The Cyclones had just 10 turnovers and shot 60% overall for the game.  Their defense held Blue Devil guard Tevin Taylor to just 12 points after he had scored 30 the night before.  They also forced 18 UW-Manitowoc turnovers.  UW-Fox finishes the season 23-3.

Post-Crescent Story On The Game

UW-Fox Earns Berth In Tournament Final

(Wausau) The UW-Fox men’s basketball team battled their way through a sluggish second half to post an 82-79 victory over UW-Barron in a WCC tournament semi-final game at UW-Marathon.  It was the Cyclones third victory over the Chargers this season, and like their game in Rice Lake two weeks ago, UW-Fox had to come from behind to earn the win. 

Jon Braeger helped UW-Fox get off to a fast start.  His 2 three-point field goals helped the Cyclones jump out to a 14-4 lead.  However, UW-Barron would counter by shooting 47% from the floor, recording 5 blocked shots, and getting 10 first half points from Patrick Elza.  The Cyclones led at the half 41-33.

Thanks to strong offensive play, and the Cyclones cold shooting, UW-Barron tied the game at 41 on a jumper by Elza early in the second half.  UW-Fox went almost 7 minutes without a point coming out of halftime.  Jon Schlaver’s offensive rebound and lay-up gave the Cyclones a 43-41 lead with 13:04 left in the game.

From there the game would be a back and forth affair.  A rare 5 point play gave UW-Barron their first lead of the second half at 48-47.  With the Chargers leading 55-54, and under 7 minutes to play, Trevor Krizenesky knocked down a 3-point shot off a DJ Rhodes pass to give the Cyclones a 57-55 lead.  One they would not relinquish.

Schlaver would convert offensive rebounds into lay-ups on back to back possessions, and Sam Schreiber would set up Trevor Smith for yet another 3-point field goal from the deep left corner.  That shot gave the Cyclones a 71-63 lead with just over 2 minutes remaining.

UW-Barron would mount one last run.  The Chargers connected on 4 three-point field goals in the last minute of the game, but the Cyclones would make enough free-throws, including 2 by Rhodes with :08 seconds remaining, to hold on for the 82-79 win.

Krizenesky led UW-Fox with 17 points and pulled down 6 rebounds, while Braeger had 14 points to go with 4 assists.  Schlaver finished with 13 points and grabbed a team high 9 rebounds.  Rhodes and Smith rounded out the double digit scorers for UW-Fox with 13 and 10 points respectively.

The Cyclones will take a 22-3 overall record into Sunday’s WCC tournament championship game against UW-Manitowoc (20-6).  The Blue Devils, who finished the WCC-East regular season in second place, defeated UW-Marshfield 83-78 in the other semi-final game.  Tip-off is set for 2pm at UW-Marathon in Wausau. 

It will be the third meeting between the two teams who each won home games against the other during the regular season.  The Blue Devils beat the Cyclones in Manitowoc 77-82, and UW-Fox returned the favor defeating UW-Manitowoc 86-45 in Menasha.    

Game Day Preview

The UW-Fox (21-3) men's basketball team will meet UW-Barron (12-10) for the third time this season on Saturday night.  The two teams will meet in a WCC Tournament semi-final match up at UW-Marathon in Wausau at 8pm.  UW-Manitowoc (19-6) will take on UW-Marshfield (19-4) at 6pm in the other WCC tournament semi-final game.

In late December the Cyclones beat the Chargers at UW-Fox 82-62.  In the second half UW-Barron overcame a 16 point deficit to tie the game at 54-54 before Jon Braeger led a 28-8 UW-Fox run to close out the game.  The first year guard finished with 24 points, 16 in the second half.

The two teams squared off in Rice Lake two weeks ago when UW-Fox battled back from a 31-41 second half deficit to beat the Chargers 69-67.  Utilizing a unique line-up the Cyclones played no one over 6 feet tall over the final 8 minutes of the game.  Trevor Krizenesky and Trevor Smith combined to score 19 straight points to lead a 22-9 run that would put the Cyclones on top for good.  Krizenesky finished with a team high 15 points.

The Chargers are led by Riley Kannel (6-2, G), Ryan McDermott (6-7, F), Murdock Smith (6-2, G), and Garrett Verdegan (6-4, F).  UW-Barron went on the road to defeat UW-Marathon 75-69 on Wednesday night to advance to today's semi-final game.  They will have the advantage of having just played in Wausau three day's ago.

Saturday's winner will advance to the WCC tournament championship game scheduled for 2pm on Sunday February 24th at UW-Marathon.

UW-Fox Advances In WCC Tournament

(Menasha) The UW-Fox men's basketball team advanced to the WCC Tournament semi-finals with an 83-53 win over UW-Marinette on Wednesday night.  They will play UW-Barron on Saturday February 23 at 8pm.  That game will be played in Wausau, WI.  UW-Marathon is hosting the tournaments final four teams.

The Cyclones got off to a fast start against the Buccaneers thanks in part to their efficiency on offense.  They made 18 of their 33 first half field goal attempts, 5 of 13 from three-point range.  Jon Braeger scored 14 points, and Jordan Kaufman 11 points, in the opening half for UW-Fox.

In the second half UW-Fox pushed the lead to 58-27 thanks to strong defensive play from Kaufman, Trevor Krizenesky, and Trevor Smith.  Krizenesky converted several steals into lay-ups to help open up the lead.  UW-Marinette cut into the lead midway through the second half, but 4 points from Jon Schlaver helped UW-Fox comfortably push the lead back up over 20 points.

Braeger led UW-Fox with 24 points.  Krizenesky and Kaufman chipped in with 17 and 13 points respectively for the Cyclones.  Jon Schalver led UW-Fox with 9 rebounds.  The Cyclones overall record now stands at 21-3.

POST-CRESCENT WRITE UP OF THE GAME

UW-Fox To Host UW-Marinette

UW-Marinette defeated UW-Sheboygan on Saturday 67-53 in the first round of the Wisconsin Collegiate Conference (WCC) Tournament.  The Buccaneers will travel to UW-Fox to take on the Cyclones in a WCC Tournament quarterfinal game on Wednesday February 20th.  Tip-off is set for 7pm in the UW-Fox Fieldhouse.

Cyclones Win Claim Title

(Fond du Lac) Sam Schreiber connected on back to back 3-point field goals to open the second half.  The quick 6 point burst pushed a 40-35 UW-Fox halftime edge into a double digit lead the Cyclones would maintain throughout the second half in posting an 87-69 WCC-East victory over UW-Fond du Lac in the Cyclones final regular season game.

The win earns UW-Fox their 3rd straight WCC-East championship in men's basketball.  They finish the regular season 20-3 overall, 10-2 in conference play. 

The Cyclones shot a season best 65% from the field in the second half including 7 of 11 from three-point range.  For the game UW-Fox shot 58% overall.  Also key in the second half for UW-Fox was shoring up its defense, which held the Falcons to 37% shooting after halftime.  

Trevor Krizenesky led UW-Fox with 22 points, 17 of those coming in the first half when the rest of the Cyclones struggled.  He also handed out 6 assists.  DJ Rhodes came up big in the second half and finished with 19 points.  Schreiber finished with 12 points and Jon Schlaver 10 to help lead the UW-Fox offense. 

UW-Fox will have a bye in the first round of the WCC-East tournament.  They will host either UW-Sheboygan or UW-Marinette in a WCC Tournament quarterfinal game on Wednesday February 20th at 7pm. 

STORY THAT APPEARED IN THE POST-CRESCENT

UW-Fox Beats UW-Washington

(Menasha) The UW-Fox men’s basketball team improved to 19-3 overall, 9-2 in the WCC-East with a 90-52 win in their last regular season home game of the 2012-2013 season.  The Cyclones forced 24 Wildcat turnovers, and committed just 11 themselves, to aid in the victory.

Despite a sloppy first half the Cyclones managed to jump out to a 40-25 halftime lead.  UW-Fox made 14 free-throws, pulled down 12 offensive rebounds, and held the Wildcats to just 33% shooting overall in the opening half.

UW-Fox used their defense to open the second half on a 9-0 run that would break the game open.  The Cyclones would never look back getting strong play and 33 points  from their bench throughout the rest of the game.

Jon Braeger and Trevor Krizenesky led the Cyclones in scoring with 18 and 16 points respectively, while Kaufman finished with 12 points and 5 assists to go with a team high 5 steals.  Playing in his final regular season home game Trevor Smith scored 7 points, grabbed 6 rebounds, and handed out 3 assists.  Sam Schreiber also pulled down 8 rebounds to lead the Cyclones.

UW-Fox will travel to UW-Fond du Lac for their final regular season game on Wednesday night.  Tip-off is set for 7:30pm.

Post-Crescent Mention

UW-Fox Holds Off UW-Barron

(Rice Lake) Trevor Krizenesky scored 12 of his game high 15 points in the second half to lead UW-Fox to a 69-67 come from behind victory over UW-Barron on Saturday.  His runner along the baseline gave the Cyclones their first lead of the second half at 51-50.

UW-Fox made 7 of their 16 first half 3-point field goals, good for 44%.  However, 14 turnovers negated the shooting success and had the Cyclones down 29-35 at the half.

It was the Cyclones fourth game in 6 days, and it showed on the defensive end in the opening half.  UW-Fox lacked the tenacity and execution on defense that had marked their last 7 victories. 

Down 31-41 UW-Fox guard Jon Braeger hit a 3-point basket to start a 22-9 Cyclone run.    Krizenesky and Trevor Smith would account for the next 19 UW-Fox points, with Krizenesky scoring 10 straight.

The Cyclones would build their lead to 68-60 and hold off a late UW-Barron rally.  The Chargers cut the lead to 2 with :03 seconds remaining on an offensive rebound put back, but the Cyclones safely inbounded and dribbled out the clock to seal the win. 

Smith grabbed a team high 6 rebounds to go with 13 points.  Cameron Schaefer provided a big lift off the bench for UW-Fox with 12 points.  He and Jordan Kaufman also helped energize the Cyclone defense in the second half.  Braeger finished with 11 points and DJ Rhodes 10 for the visiting Cyclones.

UW-Fox (18-3, 8-2) returns home on Monday night for their final regular season home game, a 7:30pm tip-off against UW-Washington.  The UW-Fox Student Association will be sponsoring a $10,000 half-court shot at halftime.  The Cyclones will also honor 2nd year player Trevor Smith and his parents before the game.

Balance Helps Cyclones Earn Tough Road Win

(Sheboygan) The UW-Fox men's basketball team, with the help of Lamers Bus driver Leonard, the true star of the night, battled their way through the snow to UW-Sheboygan for a WCC-East match-up that was postponed due to weather on January 30th.  The Cyclones defeated the Wombats 83-53 for their 11th straight win.  It was the Cyclones third game in 4 days.

Balanced scoring and a tenacious defense have been a big part of the Cyclones recent success and that continued against the Wombats.  UW-Fox had eight players score between 7 and 11 points.  Jon Braeger and Jordan Kaufman led the way with 11 each.  Trevor Smith had 10 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists.  The Cyclones connected on 10 of 11 free-throw attempts, forced 27 Wombat turnovers, and pulled down 14 offensive rebounds.

UW-Fox is now 17-3 overall, 8-2 in the WCC-East.  The Cyclones will hit the road again on Saturday when they travel to Rice Lake for a 3pm tip-off against UW-Barron.

UW-Fox Gets Key Victory

(Menasha) In a matchup of teams tied for first place in the WCC-East the UW-Fox men's basketball team avenged their December loss at UW-Manitowoc with an 86-45 victory on Wednesday night.  Jon Schlaver hit all 5 of his first half shots, and DJ Rhodes all 6 of his free-throws to help the Cyclones to a 45-22 halftime lead.  The Cyclone defense held UW-Manitowoc to 30% shooting in the first half and forced 13 Blue Devil turnovers.

In the second half UW-Fox guard Trevor Krizenesky converted 2 early steals into lay-ups to spark the Cyclones who would never look back.  The Cyclones shot 63.6% in the second half and held the Blue Devils to just 2/20 shooting from three-point range for the game.  

UW-Fox only had 2 players score in double digits, and got 54 points from its bench in the win.  Schlaver led the Cyclones with 12 points and grabbed 7 rebounds, while Jon Braeger chipped in with 11 points.  Cameron Schaefer scored 9 points for the Cyclones, and Sam Schreiber led UW-Fox with 9 rebounds to go with his 8 points.  Jordan Kaufman recorded 9 deflections and 5 steals to help Krizenesky lead the Cyclone defense.

UW-Fox moves  to 16-3 overall, 7-2 in the WCC-East.  The Blue Devils fall to 15-6 (8-3).  UW-Fox will travel to UW-Sheboygan tomorrow night for a 7pm tip-off against the Wombats.  The game is a make up of last Wednesday's game, which was postponed because of weather.

The Cyclones were reminded that basketball is just a game on Wednesday and played with heavy hearts.  Trevor Krizenesky's Great Uncle passed away unexpectedly today while at work.  “Shorty”, as he was known, was a loyal fan and had been at all but one UW-Fox game this season.  Our thoughts, prayers, and deepest sympathy go out to the Krizenesky Family and the Brillion Community for their loss.

UW-Fox Earns Victory Over UW-Marathon

(Wausau) The UW-Fox men’s basketball team earned a 78-53 victory over UW-Marathon on Monday night.  The Huskies entered the game as the first place team in the WCC-West.  The Cyclones used an efficient offense and scrappy defense to get the win.

The Cyclones shot 54% overall for the game, 42% from three-point range, hit on 78% (14/18) of their free-throws, and forced 20 turnovers.  UW-Fox held the Huskies to 36% shooting overall and just 15% from three-point range.

DJ Rhodes led the Cyclones balanced scoring attack with 13 points.  Jon Braeger, Trevor Smith, and Cameron Schaefer all finished with 12 points.  Jordan Kaufman recorded 4 assists and 3 steals, and Trevor Krizenesky led UW-Fox with 5 rebounds.

UW-Fox is now 15-3 overall on the season.  Tonight’s game begins a stretch that will see the Cyclones play 6 games in 10 days.  They return home for a key WCC-East game on Wednesday night when they host UW-Manitowoc at 7:30pm.  The Blue Devils beat the Cyclones 77-82 in December and the two teams are currently tied for first place in the WCC-East.