Morning State Sports Briefs: Bucks return from All-Star break to play Brooklyn

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BROOKLYN, N.Y. - Larry Sanders figures that he has a 70-percent chance of playing tonight, when the Milwaukee Bucks return from the All-Star break to face the Nets in Brooklyn.

Sanders has missed the last four games with a deep bruise in his lower back suffered at Denver earlier this month. The third-year center is still the NBA’s shot-blocking leader with three-point-two rejections per game. And he’s the Bucks’ leading rebounder with eight-and-a-half per contest. His absence is a big reason that Milwaukee lost five-of-seven games going into last weekend’s All-Star break. At practice yesterday, Sanders ran freely up and down the court – and he says he’s ready to put the Milwaukee defense back on his shoulders. Coach Jim Boylan says veteran Samuel Dalembert has done a great job filling in for Sanders. But the 31-year-old Dalembert has had to play his way into shape, after sitting out a good portion of the season under former coach Scott Skiles. Still, Dalembert had three double-doubles in four games. The Bucks are going for a playoff spot with 31 games left. They have a four-game lead over Philadelphia for the eighth-and-final spot in the Eastern Conference. Milwaukee is 26-25. They’ll play a Nets team that’s 31-22.

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The University of Wisconsin women’s basketball team is now 1-10 on the road, after falling at Illinois last night 60-53. The Fighting Illini were up by 14 early in the second half, when the Badgers had an 11-0 run to make it close. But Illinois responded with a 13-0 run of its own, and held on from there. Nicole Bauman and Morgan Paige each scored 14 for Wisconsin. Jacki Gulczynski was held to just four points, her lowest since November 18th. The Illini was led by Karisma Penn and Adrienne Godbold, who combined for 42 of their team’s 60 points. Penn had 26 points and 14 rebounds, and Godbold scored 16 as Illinois improved to 8-4 in the Big Ten Conference and 15-9 overall. Wisconsin dropped to 3-10 in league play, and 11-15 overall. They’ll play at Northwestern on Saturday.

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The WIAC men’s basketball tournament begins tonight. Top-seeded UW-Stevens Point and No. 2 Whitewater both have first-round byes. Third-seeded Stout will play host to No. 6 Superior. And No. 4 La Crosse is at home against fifth-seeded Platteville. The winners will play the two-top seeds in the semi-finals on Thursday night. The league championship contest is set for Saturday. The WIAC women’s tourney opens tomorrow night.

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Both Whitewater and Stevens Point moved back into the men’s national Top-10 this week. The Warhawks jumped five places to No. 9 in the new poll from D3hoops.com and the Pointers also rose five spots to 10th. Both teams are 21-4 going into this week’s WIAC tournament. Stevens Point is on a seven-game winning streak, and Whitewater has won three straight. Saint Norbert received votes in the new poll as did Stout and Carroll. Saint Thomas is still the men’s No. 1. In the D3 women’s poll, Whitewater rose four spots to 20th, and Stevens Point jumped two places to 21st. Both are 20-5 going into their league tournament. Carthage, Oshkosh, and Wisconsin Lutheran also received votes. DePauw is still the women’s No. 1.

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The Northern Athletics Conference men’s basketball tournament will resume tonight with the semi-finals. Top-seeded Lakeland of Sheboygan will host Concordia-Mequon. And Number-two seed Aurora is at home against Dominican. All four top seeds survived the opening round last weekend. Tonight’s winners advance to the league title contest on Saturday afternoon. The NAC women’s tourney resumes tomorrow night with the semis.

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The Milwaukee Wave won its sixth game over Chicago this season, with a 15-10 victory last night in Hoffman Estates Illinois. Ian Bennett scored a hat trick for the second straight game, as Milwaukee moved into a virtual tie for first place with Baltimore in the Major Indoor Soccer League. The two teams will square off on Saturday in Baltimore.

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The Green Bay Packers have released veteran center Jeff Saturday. He played 13 seasons in Indianapolis before joining the Packers as a free agent a year ago. Saturday announced his retirement last month at the Pro Bowl, but he did not sign his departure papers. Reports say he wanted to be officially released by the Packers so he could sign a contract with Indianapolis and retire as a Colt. He was Peyton Manning’s center at Indianapolis until Manning left a year ago. The Packers gained another three-and-three quarter million dollars of salary cap room by releasing him. Media reports say Green Bay is currently about $19-million below their cap.

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Wisconsin girls' high school basketball

Adams-Friendship 39, Wisconsin Dells 25

Algoma 50, Green Bay Preble 37

Alma/Pepin 64, Gilmanton 44

Appleton West 55, Ashwaubenon 32

Appleton Xavier 46, Ripon 15

Athens 62, Port Edwards 42

Baldwin-Woodville 47, St. Croix Central 21

Bangor 53, Cashton 34

Beaver Dam 55, Oconomowoc 43

Beloit Memorial 51, Beloit Turner 40

Benton-Shullsburg 67, Argyle 64, OT

Berlin 51, Winneconne 44

Blair-Taylor 56, Melrose-Mindoro 50

Bloomer 61, Cameron 45

Bonduel 49, Coleman 46

Bruce 56, Birchwood 23

Cambridge 54, Belleville 35

Campbellsport 47, Mayville 33

Cochrane-Fountain City 29, Independence 27

Colby 43, Augusta 32

De Soto 35, Kickapoo 32

Deerfield 42, Williams Bay 20

Eau Claire Immanuel Lutheran 52, Eleva-Strum 39

Edgar 51, Thorp 32

Edgerton 63, Elkhorn 53

Fox Valley Lutheran 47, Menasha 30

Franklin 67, East Troy 52

Freedom 43, Seymour 39

Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau 57, Black River Falls 43

Glendale Nicolet 41, West Allis Central 14

Grantsburg 56, Siren 42

Green Bay NEW Lutheran 44, Shiocton 25

Green Bay West 41, Sevastopol 34

Greendale Martin Luther 43, Brookfield Academy 39

Gresham 36, Wisconsin Valley Lutheran 23

Hayward 40, Superior 38

Hilbert 38, Manitowoc Lutheran 25

Hillsboro 48, Brookwood 46

Hudson 56, Menomonie 51

Hurley 60, Maple Northwestern 50

Ithaca 51, Highland 38

Kenosha St. Joseph 46, Kenosha Christian Life 41

Kenosha Tremper 67, Milwaukee Washington 30

La Crosse Central 30, Tomah 26

Lake Country Lutheran 67, Hope Christian 31

Lake Geneva Badger 43, Fort Atkinson 41

Lake Mills 41, Jefferson 37

Lodi 71, Watertown Luther Prep 34

Lomira 46, Horicon 39

Madison Abundant Life 39, Cambria-Friesland 34

Markesan 41, North Fond du Lac 28

Marshfield Columbus 46, Gilman 25

Middleton 59, Madison West 56

Milwaukee Rufus King 80, Milwaukee Hamilton 19

Mineral Point 61, Dodgeville 58

Montello 50, Almond-Bancroft 42, OT

Neenah 47, Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln 31

Neillsville 83, Granton 17

Nekoosa 63, Wisconsin Heights 49

New Berlin Eisenhower 67, Cudahy 23

New Glarus 42, Pecatonica 29

New London 56, Little Chute 40

New Richmond 37, Barron 31

Northland Pines 54, Three Lakes 25

Oconto 52, Gillett 37

Oregon 62, Sauk Prairie 37

Orfordville Parkview 48, Albany 27

Oshkosh Lourdes 47, Randolph 42

Owen-Withee 58, Loyal 41

Prairie du Chien 50, Westby 40

Racine St. Catherine's 40, Union Grove 26

River Valley 60, Iowa-Grant 44

Royall 38, New Lisbon 36

Seneca 27, River Ridge 22

Shell Lake 50, Spooner 38

South Milwaukee 61, Racine William Horlick 31

Southern Door 42, Luxemburg-Casco 40

Spencer 45, Greenwood 38

Stevens Point Pacelli 51, Northland Lutheran 49

Stratford 43, Iola-Scandinavia 33

Valders 43, Reedsville 30

Verona 66, Madison East 32

Wabeno 70, Laona 22

Waupaca 43, Clintonville 39

Wausau Newman 67, Wisconsin Rapids Assumption 59

Wauwatosa West 49, Burlington 42

Wauzeka-Steuben 27, North Crawford 25

West Allis Hale 43, Westosha Central 33

West Salem 53, Arcadia 35

Weston 45, La Farge 44

Weyauwega-Fremont 57, West De Pere 54

Whitehall 54, Alma Center Lincoln 43

Whitewater 49, Delavan-Darien 30

Wilmot Union 49, Kenosha Bradford 28

Winter 46, Turtle Lake 40

Wittenberg-Birnamwood 74, Wausau East 25

Wonewoc-Center 52, Necedah 22

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