Fast Start Propels UW-Fox

The UW-Fox men’s basketball team jumped out to a 15-0 lead on their way to a convincing 91-46 victory over visiting UW-Sheboygan in a WCC-East match up.  In the opening half the Cyclones shot a sizzling 61.5% (8/13) on three-point field goals, and would finish 13/25 (52%) for the game.  They also out rebounded the Wombats 44-35. 

Jon Braeger hit on 4 of his 6 three-point field goal attempts in the opening half.  His 14 points helped lead the Cyclones to a 50-21 halftime lead.  Wesley Krauss and Chase Hawley also scored 8 points each in the first half.

UW-Sheboygan was never able to mount any momentum in the second half as the Cyclones slowly added to their lead.  Jose Elijah led a Cyclone defense that held the Wombats leading scorer, Cedric Foster, to only 11 points on 4/21 shooting.  They also held the UW-Sheboygan team to just 30% shooting, and 18% from three-point range, for the game.

Braeger led the Cyclones with 22 points and 9 assists.  Traivione Hills (14), Hawley (13), and Krauss (10) were also in double figures for UW-Fox. Hills also recorded a game high 9 rebounds. 

The Cyclones move to 5-1 overall, 3-1 in the WCC-East.  UW-Fox is now off for two weeks until the resume WCC-East play on Wednesday December 3rd when they host UW-Fond du Lac at 7:30pm.

UW-Fox Beats Marinette

On Monday night the UW-Fox men’s basketball team welcomed UW-Marinette and their 5-0 record to Menasha.  That perfect start for the Buccaneers included a 26 point win over Fox Valley Tech, at UW-Fox, last week.  The trip home wouldn’t be as nice for the Buccaneers on this night, as the Cyclones played their first complete game of the season in beating UW-Marinette 99-56.

Jon Braeger and Traivione Hills each scored 15 points to lead the Cyclones in the opening half.  Chase Hawley, who recorded 7 assists for the game, set up Hills for a nifty lay-up at the halftime buzzer to give the Cyclones a 46-30 lead, and more importantly momentum heading into the locker room.

UW-Fox began the second half with a 15-8 run to open up a 61-38 lead with 15:19 remaining in the game.  A Marcus Jensen lay-up, set up by a crisp pass from Braeger, who recorded a game high 9 assists, gave the Cyclones a 73-46 lead with just under 9 minutes to play.  

The Cyclones would gradually pull away throughout the rest of the game.  Seth Wallace, Ta Woods, and Jensen combined to score 23 points off the bench in the second half to spark the UW-Fox attack.

The Cyclones shot 59% (36/61) for the game, 47% (9/19) from three-point range.  The 19 three-point attempts were a season low for UW-Fox.  They also held the Buccaneers to just 25% (6/24) three-point shooting for the game.

Braeger led the Cyclones with 30 points, while Hills finished with 20.  Wesley Krauss also netted 9 points for UW-Fox in his first career start, and Jose Elijah chipped in with 8 points to go along with his outstanding defense.

With the win the Cyclones move to 4-1 overall, 2-1 in the WCC-East.   They will host UW-Sheboygan on Wednesday night for a 7pm tip-off.

Cyclones Top Huskies

In a defensive struggle on Friday night the UW-Fox men’s basketball team battled its way to a 67-57 win over UW-Marathon.  Neither team shot the ball well from the field, but the Cyclones managed to make 19/27 free-throws (70.4%) and force UW-Marathon into 18 turnovers to aid in the victory.

Down 25-26 at the half, UW-Fox outscored the Huskies 12-7 over the first 5 minutes of the second half to take a 37-33 lead.  The Huskies would tie the game on several occasions, but never get the lead.  Marcus Jensen scored all 11 of his points in the second half to spark the Cyclones.

Jon Braeger led UW-Fox with 16 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists.  Jensen also grabbed 8 rebounds to lead in that category.  Riley Van Asten scored 8 key points off the bench, including two first half 3-point field goals, that kept the Cyclones in the game.  Jose Elijah chipped in 8 points and 6 rebounds to go along with his stellar defense.

UW-Fox moves to 3-1 overall on the season.  They will host undefeated UW-Marinette (5-0) in a key WCC-East match up on Monday night.  Tip-off is set for 7:30pm.

UW-Fox Falls To Cougars

The UW-Fox men’s basketball team struggled defensively on Wednesday night in falling to WCC-East rival UW-Waukesha 84-91.  The Cyclones allowed the Cougars to shoot 42% from the three-point line, 44% overall, and gave up 15 offensive rebounds in the game.  They also turned the ball over 14 times.  

Despite playing poorly in the first half the Cyclones found themselves up 45-39.  However, the Cougars started fast in the second half putting together a 12-2 run that gave them a 47-51 lead just over 3 minutes in.  The Cyclones last lead came on a Jon Braeger lay-up with 11:42 remaining making the score 60-59.

UW-Waukesha would never lead by more than 5 points until the final score.  Down 79-83, with 1:35 left in the game, Cyclones guard Jon Braeger made a 3-point field goal and was fouled.  However, he missed the free-throw that would have tied the game.  The Cougars would make 8 straight free-throws the rest of the way to seal the victory.

Braeger led four Cyclones in double figures with 34 points.  Traivione Hills chipped in with 18 points, while Marcus Jensen finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds.  Travis Crayton led UW-Waukesha with 22 points, and the Cougars shot 89% (17/19) from the free-throw line for the game, 11/13 in the second half.

The Cyclones fall to 2-1 overall, 1-1 in the WCC-East.  They return to action on Friday when they host UW-Marathon in a non-conference game at 7:30pm.

Cyclones Pick Up Road Victory

Marcus Jensen scored 24 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead the UW-Fox men’s basketball team to a 72-54 WCC-East road victory over UW-Washington.  The Cyclones outscored the Wildcats 43-20 in the second half after trailing 29-34 at the half.

UW-Fox held UW-Washington scoreless on their first 9 possessions of the second half, and went to their post game offensively to get the lead and slowly pull away.  Traivione Hills scored 12 of his 14 points in the second half, all in the paint for the Cyclones.  Hills also grabbed 10 rebounds. 

The Cyclones made 12 of 15 free-throw attempts in the second half to seal the victory.  They shot 73% from the free-throw line for the game, and out rebounded the Wildcats 46-30.  Jon Braeger also chipped in with 12 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists for UW-Fox. 

With the win UW-Fox moves to 2-0 overall, 1-0 in the WCC-East.  They travel to UW-Waukesha on Wednesday for a 7:30pm tip-off against the Cougars.

Cyclones Down UW-Richland

Cyclones Down UW-Richland

The UW-Fox Men’s Basketball team began defense of its 2013 and 2014 Wisconsin Collegiate Conference championships with a 107-59 non-conference victory over UW-Richland.  Marcus Jensen and Traivione Hills came off the bench to score 27 and 20 points respectively for the Cyclones.

Jensen was a perfect 11/11 from the field, including 5/5 from 3-point range.  His 23 first half points helped the Cyclones to a 51-37 halftime lead, despite their lackluster performance on defense.  

UW-Richland scored on their first possession of the second half, but the Cyclones responded with a 21-4 run to take a 72-41 lead and never looked back.  Seth Wallace’s lay-up, off a Nick Mohl screen and Ta Woods pass, gave UW-Fox an 88-48 lead with just over 8 minutes left in the game.

Jon Braeger was also in double figures for UW-Fox with 15 points and he handed out 5 assists, while Woods pulled down 9 rebounds and recorded 8 assists.  Jose Elijah also had 8 rebounds and 7 assists for the Cyclones.

UW-Fox shot 56.8% (42/74) for the game, 40% (10/25) on three-point field goals.  They also out rebounded the Roadrunners 48 to 26.

With the win UW-Fox moves to 1-0 on the season.  They will begin WCC-East conference play on Monday night when they travel to UW-Washington for a 7:30pm game.  They also travel to UW-Waukesha for a 7:30pm game on Wednesday night.

Cyclones Garner All-Conference Honors

Trevor Krizenesky (2nd year - Brillion HS) was named 1st team all-conference for the second straight season.  He averaged 16.5 ppg during WCC-East play including scoring 29 points and 32 points in the Cyclones last two regular season wins over UW-Manitowoc and UW-Washington.  He also recorded 60 assists (2nd in the conference), 30 steals (3rd in the conference), grabbed 52 rebounds, shot 23/64 (36%) from 3-point range, and 29/36 (80.5%) from the free-throw line in 12 WCC East games.

Cameron Schaefer (2nd year - Sheboygan North HS) was named 2nd team all-conference.  Schaefer was in double figures in 7 of 12 WCC East games.  He averaged 10.6 ppg, grabbed 60 rebounds (5 rpg), had 57 assists (3rd in the conference), and 32 steals (2nd in the conference).  Schaefer was also the Cyclones leading scorer in their WCC Tournament Championship victory over UW-Richland.

Jon Schlaver (2nd year - Fox Valley Lutheran HS) was named Honorable Mention all-conference.  The 6-8 center appeared in 9 conference games, missing 3 because of a concussion suffered on January 29th when the Cyclones hosted UW-Sheboygan.  He averaged 10.3 ppg, 5.4 rpg, and shot 54% (42/78) in those 9 games.  His 9 game stats are slightly misleading because he played sparingly in the teams last regular season game, his first game action after being out with the concussion.  In the Cyclones WCC tournament quarterfinal win over UW-Waukesha Schlaver scored 16 points on 8/9 shooting, and pulled down 7 rebounds.  His presence in the middle, and his ability to score, was a big reason for the Cyclones two year record of 47-7.

Lee Rabas (5th season) was named WCC East Co-Coach of the year.  It was the 5th straight year he has been awarded that honor.  The Cyclones are 52-8 in WCC East play during his time at UW-Fox, and have won WCC East regular season conference titles in 2011, 2012, and 2013.  They finished second in 2010 and 2014, and were the only team to beat that year's champ in conference play.  The Cyclones have also won WCC Tournament Championships in 2011, 2013, and 2014.   In Rabas' 5 years at the helm the UW-Fox men's basketball team has an overall record of 117-17. 

2014 WCC-East All-Conference Team

WISCONSIN COLLEGIATE CONFERENCE

All-Conference Men's Basketball Team - Eastern Division

2013-2014

First Team
Evan Rathke                    UW-Washington
Trevor Krizenesky           UW-Fox Valley
Joe Lorenz                       UW-Sheboygan
Xavier Fletcher                UW-Manitowoc
Jonte Wells                      UW-Marinette

Second Team
Chris Gough                     UW-Washington
Mitch Hendrix                   UW-Fond du Lac
Brandon St. George        UW-Waukesha
Olentda Bryant                 UW-Manitowoc
Christian Valdez              UW-Waukesha*
Jamel Taylor-Robinson  UW-Waukesha*
Cameron Schaefer          UW-Fox Valley*

Honorable Mention
Bobby Musil                     UW-Sheboygan
Jon Schlaver                    UW-Fox Valley
Cole Voelker                    UW-Manitowoc

Player Of The Year
Evan Rathke                    UW-Washington

Coaches Of The Year
Lee Rabas                        UW-Fox Valley
Russell Thull                    UW-Washington

* = tie

UW-Fox Earns 2014 WCC Tournament Title

UW-Fox 84 UW-Richland 59

2014 WCC Tournament Championship Game

The UW-Fox men’s basketball team captured the 2014 Wisconsin Collegiate Conference tournament championship with an 84-59 victory over UW-Richland at JustAGame Fieldhouse in Wisconsin Dells.  It is the third tournament title in the past four years for the Cyclone men who earned the crown in 2011 and 2013.

Sunday’s game was closer than the score would indicate and the Roadrunners, who became the hot team in the WCC-West over the last few weeks, came to play.  The Cyclones struggled offensively in the first half, but played enough defense to lead 39-28.  Richland guard Grant Dull continued his torrid offensive play with 11 first half points, while UW-Fox first year big Nick Mohl had a career high 12 points in the opening period.  Mohl turned all four of his offensive rebounds into baskets.

UW-Fox maintained a double digit lead for most of the second half, but every time they seemed poised to pull away UW-Richland was up for the task.  Chase Hawley scored on a driving lay-up with just over 10 minutes remaining in the game then turned a steal on the next possession into an assist to Cameron Schaefer for a lay-up that put the Cyclones up 52-37, but back to back baskets had Richland back in the game at 52-42.

Richland had come back to win their first two tournament games from 16 and 18 down in the second half, but the Cyclones would not let that happen in the this game.  Trevor Krizenesky’s three-point field goal with just over 5 minutes remaining, off a great screen from Hawley and an assist from Nate TeGrootenhuis, pushed the UW-Fox lead to 67-50. 

From there the Cyclones would finish with a flurry.  Schaefer’s lay-up in transition with 2:06 left capped off a 10-2 run that would push the lead to 77-52.  UW-Fox also converted 22/24 (91.7%) free-throws for the game.

Schaefer led UW-Fox with 17 points, while Mohl finished with 14 points on 6/7 shooting, and 10 rebounds.  Matt Lehner, whose play offensively was huge for the Cyclones over the last few weeks, hit all 11 of his free-throw attempts to finish with 13 points.  Krizenesky finished off his stellar Cyclone career with 13 points and 4 assists and Jon Schlaver also capped off a fine career with 8 points and 7 rebounds. 

For their two day efforts Krizenesky and Mohl were named to the all-tournament team.  They joined George Johnson, UW-Richland;  Murdock Smith, UW-Barron;  and Devonte Pinckney, UW-Manitowoc on the five member team.

UW-Fox finishes the season 24-4 overall.  The Cyclones have posted a 117-17 record over the past 5 seasons.