Morning State Sports Briefs: Opinions vary on UW football's 2013 recruiting class

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MADISON - The University of Wisconsin’s 19-member football recruiting class is getting mixed reviews from the national scouting services.

Scout.com said the Badger recruits were the fourth-best in the Big Ten, and the 37th among Bowl Subdivision schools. Rivals.com ranked the Wisconsin class as second-to-last in the conference, and 56th in the country. New coach Gary Andersen has had a month-and-a-half to shore up the Wisconsin Class-of-2013, after Bret Bielema left for Arkansas in December. Andersen says his goal is to maintain the big fronts on both offense-and-defense that pave the way for Wisconsin’s solid running game and pass-rushing. Six of the 17 scholarship players signed national letters-of-intent yesterday – including tight end T.J. Watt from Pewaukee, the third member of his famous family to play for the Badgers in recent years. The state’s other recruits include standout defensive ends Chikwe Obasih from Brookfield Central and Alec James from Brookfield East. The Badgers will have up to six quarterbacks on the fall roster. They include junior college transfer Tanner McEvoy from New Jersey. Andersen said he’s looking to create a real competition at that spot.

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A grandson of Wisconsin athletic director Barry Alvarez will be a walk-on for the Badger football team this fall. Coach Gary Andersen announced the additions of Joe Ferguson and Ben Hemer today. Ferguson – the Alvarez grandson – was a quarterback at Madison Memorial High School. But with six QB’s already on the Badger roster, the coaches might try to find a different position for him. Ferguson threw for 1,454 yards and 13 touchdowns in his senior year at Memorial – and he ran for 406 yards and 11 more scores. Hemer helped Medford High rush for 2,118 yards and 22 touchdowns this past season. He’s the brother of Badgers’ defensive tackle Ethan Hemer.

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J.T. Yoho hit a three-pointer with 11 seconds left in the second overtime, to give the Wright State men a 70-68 win at UW-Green Bay. Alec Brown missed a jump shot with one second left, as Wright State moved into sole possession of third place in the Horizon League and Green Bay dropped to fourth. The Raiders shot 41-and-a-half percent and made 11 three-pointers – and the Wright State bench out-scored Green Bay 49-15. The Phoenix blocked 10 shots but committed 20 turnovers. Yoho scored 19 for Wright State. And besides hitting the game-winner, Yoho also hit a three near the end of regulation to send the game to overtime. Wright State is now 7-4 in the conference, and 16-8 overall. Brown scored 17 for Green Bay, which snapped a seven-game home winning streak, and lost its third game in their last nine overall. The Phoenix are 6-5 in the conference and 12-12 overall. They’ll host Detroit tomorrow.

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The UW-Milwaukee men looked sharper last night than in their previous four games – but they still lost to Detroit at home, 82-74. The Panthers are just 5-19 on the year. And they’re 1-9 in the Horizon League, in last place by a game-and-a-half. Coach Rob Jeter had publicly demanded more effort from his team – and the Panthers responded with a tight game against a superior Detroit squad. Milwaukee was trailing by a point with 1:28 left when the Titans scored on each of their last five possessions to hang on. Senior forward James Haarsma led Milwaukee with 26 points, hitting 9-of-13 from the floor. And he scored his one-thousandth career point on a second-half lay-up. Haarsma scored as many points last night as he did in his previous eight games. Ray McCallum Jr. and Jason Calliste each scored 16 for Detroit, which improved to 8-3 in the conference and 16-and-8 overall. Milwaukee hosts Wright State tomorrow.

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The University of Wisconsin women lost a double-overtime game at Ohio State last night, 65-59. The Badgers blew a four-point lead in the final 11 seconds of regulation, as they fouled Tayler Hill on a three-point attempt with a second-and-a-half left. She made two free throws and missed the third on purpose, and Amerst Alston scored quickly for Ohio State to send the game to overtime. The Buckeyes outscored Wisconsin 7-1 in the second extra period to decide the contest. Coach Bobbie Kelsey made it clear that her Badgers should have won it in regulation. In her words, “When you have the game, you have to play smart until the final horn.” Jacki Gulczynski played all 50 minutes for Wisconsin, scoring a career-high 32 points with 15 rebounds. Ashley Adams had 16 points and nine boards for Ohio State, which improved to 3-7 in the Big Ten and 13-10 overall. Wisconsin blew a chance to sweep its first season series from the Buckeyes since 2000. The Badgers fell to 2-8 in the conference and 10-13 overall. They’ll host Indiana on Sunday.

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The UW-Green Bay women edged Loyola 65-62 in Chicago last night. The Phoenix won their 13th straight game, and improved to 8-0 in the Horizon League and 18-2 overall. It was a tight contest throughout. There were a dozen lead changes, and neither team led by more than six. Breannah Ranger made two straight baskets down the stretch to seal Green Bay’s victory. The Phoenix barely outshot Loyola 46-to-42 percent. But UWGB dominated inside. They out-rebounded the Ramblers 39-26, and had a 42-28 scoring edge in the paint. Adrian Ritchie had 22 points and eight rebounds to lead Green Bay. Monica Albano scored 23 for Loyola, which dropped to 2-and-5 in the conference and 7-and-13 overall. Green Bay – which is one spot away from the Top-25 in both national polls – will host UW-Milwaukee tomorrow.

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The UW-Milwaukee women fell to 1-6 in the Horizon League, after losing at Illinois-Chicago 84-67. Katie Hannemann scored 29 points for UIC, which ended a four-game losing streak. Milwaukee was down by six midway through the second half when the Flames pulled away with a 13-4 run. The Panthers never got closer than 11 the rest of the way. Angela Rodriguez scored 22 points for UW-Milwaukee, which dropped to 5-14 overall. Rachel Story added 25 points for Illinois-Chicago, which improved to 3-5 in the conference and 7-14 overall. The Panther women will play at UW-Green Bay tomorrow.

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Madison golfer Jerry Kelly shot a three-over-par 73 in his opening round yesterday at the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. That put Kelly in a tie for 125th. He’s the only Wisconsin pro in the tournament. Russell Knox and Hunter Mahan share the first-round lead a six-under.

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Madison area native Amanda Kessel of Minnesota has been named one of two players-of-the-week on offense in the WCHA. Kessel, a junior forward from Verona, had three goals and five assists in a pair of Gophers’ victories over Minnesota-Duluth last weekend. The top-ranked Gophers have yet to lose this season. Kessel leads the nation in scoring with 37 goals, 46 assists, and 83 total points in 27 games. Kessel shared the league’s weekly offensive award with Josefine Jacobsen of North Dakota.

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Saint Norbert of De Pere and Carroll of Waukesha are the coaches’ pre-season favorites to win the North Division softball title in the Midwest Conference this spring. The Green Knights and Pioneers both received 14 points from the coaches, with Ripon College projected to take third with 11. Saint Norbert has won three league titles in the last four years. Among last year’s all-North Division players returning are Taylor Steinhilber of Carroll and Stephanie Rieuwpassa of Ripon, who were named the co-pitchers-of-the-year last season – and Steph Brunette of Saint Norbert, who was the division’s player-of-the-year. Cornell of Iowa is the coaches’ pick as the South Division champion.

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SCORES

In men’s college basketball…

UW-Parkside 75, Kentucky Wesleyan 70

Lakeland 82, Maranatha Baptist 71

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In women’s college basketball…

Kentucky Wesleyan 69, U-W Parkside 57

Lakeland 74, Edgewood 56

Alverno 63, Marian 44

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Wisconsin boys' high school basketball

Altoona 63, Stanley-Boyd 32

Appleton East 47, Menasha 40

Appleton North 43, Kimberly 38

Auburndale 69, Marathon 43

Augusta 68, Colby 34

Bangor 66, New Lisbon 32

Blair-Taylor 65, Alma Center Lincoln 57

Boyceville 49, St. Croix Central 43

Brookwood 48, Cashton 46

Cadott 69, Chippewa Falls McDonell 54

Cameron 70, New Auburn 52

Cochrane-Fountain City 75, Winona Cotter, Minn. 59

Colfax 50, Glenwood City 31

Durand 50, Prescott 48

Eau Claire Immanuel Lutheran 55, Alma-Pepin 49

Eau Claire Regis 70, Osseo-Fairchild 50

Edgar 68, Wausau Newman Catholic 54

Elk Mound 64, Plum City 29

Elmwood 56, Spring Valley 36

Fall Creek 37, Thorp 23

Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau 69, Arcadia 48

Greenwood 67, Loyal 66

Hayward 68, Webster 35

Hillsboro 53, Wonewoc-Center 41

Holmen 53, Sparta 36

Hurley 70, Solon Springs 43

Janesville Craig 63, Madison Memorial 56

Luck 59, Frederic 47

Madison La Follette 58, Beloit Memorial 56

Madison West 59, Madison East 51

Marshfield Columbus 70, Granton 41

Medford 86, Northland Pines 39

Missouri School for the Deaf 45, Wisconsin School for the Deaf 43

Mountain Top Academy 87, Trinity Academy 84

Neenah 61, Kaukauna 52

Neillsville 57, Spencer 46

New Richmond 54, Amery 43

Onalaska Luther 53, Westby 46

Osceola 49, Baldwin-Woodville 39

Oshkosh North 61, Appleton West 59

Oshkosh West 53, Fond du Lac 51, OT

Owen-Withee 66, Gilman 60

Phelps 56, White Lake 45

Phillips 48, Rib Lake 45

Platteville 59, Lancaster 48

Plymouth 53, Campbellsport 37

Prentice 54, Crandon 51

Rosholt 42, Tigerton 35

Royall 76, Necedah 39

Sheboygan Lutheran 59, Sheboygan County Christian 54, 2 OT

Shullsburg 45, Scales Mound 32

Superior 70, Hermantown, Minn. 65

Tomah 58, La Crosse Logan 55

Wakefield-Marenisco, Mich. 61, Butternut 40

Waupun 62, Kewaskum 42

West Bend West 50, Hartford Union 49

West Salem 59, Viroqua 40

Whitehall 59, Eleva-Strum 46

Wisconsin Lutheran 65, West Bend East 48

Wisconsin Rapids Assumption 47, Stratford 28

Wisconsin Valley Lutheran 40, Elcho 36

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Girls' high school basketball

Baldwin-Woodville 48, River Falls 43

Baraboo 64, Mount Horeb 49

Barron 60, Hayward 46

Benton-Shullsburg 51, Belmont 40

Bloomer 55, Spooner 34

Bonduel 51, Stevens Point Pacelli 48

Cameron 82, Clear Lake 17

Clayton 39, Prairie Farm 16

Coleman 64, Crivitz 22

Crandon 55, Florence 29

Drummond 46, Bayfield 31

Elcho 62, Laona 27

Fall River 59, Deerfield 51

Fond du Lac St. Mary's Springs 48, Omro 36

Fox Valley Lutheran 48, Clintonville 23

Goodman-Pembine 48, Three Lakes 39

Horicon 52, Hustisford 32

Hurley 69, Wakefield-Marenisco, Mich. 32

Kettle Moraine Lutheran 52, North Fond du Lac 38

Lac Courte Oreilles 24, New Auburn 23

La Crosse Aquinas 36, La Crosse Central 31

Ladysmith 69, Chetek-Weyerhaeuser 29

Little Chute 36, Winneconne 32

Lodi 51, Poynette 45

Lomira 50, Laconia 28

Luck 64, Frederic 46

Maple Northwestern 71, Cumberland 47

Markesan 67, Cambria-Friesland 19

Mellen 64, Butternut 22

Menomonie 53, Rice Lake 44

Montello 49, Wisconsin Valley Lutheran 25

Oakfield 41, Princeton-Green Lake 28

Phelps 38, White Lake 15

Randolph 64, Rio 35

River Ridge 49, Cassville 31

Shiocton 46, Manawa 34

Spencer 54, Granton 17

Superior 69, Ashland 29

Washburn 68, Solon Springs 54

Westby 59, Black River Falls 43

Wisconsin School for the Deaf 49, Kansas Deaf 19

Wittenberg-Birnamwood 47, Amherst 44

Wrightstown 53, Menasha St. Mary's 40

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Boys' high school hockey

Antigo 6, Rhinelander 0

Eau Claire Regis/Chippewa Falls McDonell/Bloomer 3, Barron 0

Hermantown, Minn. 5, Superior 2

Hudson 8, Eau Claire North 0

Lakeland 5, Medford 1

Mosinee 9, Tomahawk 1

Rice Lake 3, Chippewa Falls 2

Schofield D.C. Everest 8, Merrill 0

Stevens Point 2, Wausau West 0

Sun Prairie 4, Madison Memorial 3

Waupaca 3, Appleton United 1

Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln 7, Wausau East 2

Burnett County Blizzard 9, North Branch, Minn. 0

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Girls' high school hockey

Bay Area 2, Appleton United 1

Fox Cities 5, Beaver Dam 1

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