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Boys Basketball Alumni Round-up: January 17th

01/17/2018, 3:00pm CST
By Colton Wilson

Many high school basketball standouts in Wisconsin go on to big things at the college level and in the pros, and this is our spot to recognize those athletes each week and help you keep up with what is going down on some of your favorite players from the past. If you have alumni news, please send it to Colton Wilson by 6 p.m. on Mondays.

Alumni Update

As the season progresses, Paul Miller continues to score in bunches for the North Dakota State Bison. The Kettle Moraine product posted 20 points both in a loss to Denver Thursday and a win over Oral Roberts on Sunday. Miller has scored 20 or more points in five straight games. He currently is third in the Summit League in scoring and fifth in assists.

Miller isn’t the only Badger State alumnus at the top of the Summit League’s statistical categories. Brandon Gilbeck of Western Illinois has been excelling in his junior season. The River Valley graduate scored 34 combined points in games against Omaha and Oak Hills Christian, including a double double against Oak Hills. Gilbeck leads the Summit League in field goal percentage, blocks per game, and is fourth in rebounds per game.

A pair of Muskego High School graduates had great games in Division 2 play this past weekend. Dave Mlachnik had 10 points and 10 rebounds in Cardinal Stritch’s 81-73 win over Calumet College on Wednesday. That was Mlachnick’s first career double-double. Caleb Wagner had 20 points and 8 assists in Winona State’s 102-100 overtime thrilling win over St. Cloud State on the Saturday.

In that overtime game between Winona State and St. Cloud State, Jon Averkamp scored 23 points. The Germantown alumn had scored 20 points in a game earlier in the week against Upper Iowa. In those two games, Averkamp shot 15-25 from the field. He is currently fourth in the Northern Sun in scoring and third in field goal percentage.

Fellow Germantown alumnus Lamonte Bearden scored a combined 34 points in Western Kentucky’s two victories over Old Dominion and Charlotte this past week. He shot 11 of 18 from the field in those two games.

WIAC play was scattered with top performances from Wisconsin athletes throughout last week. Andre Brown (Kenosha Indian Trail) scored 20 or more points in two of UW-Whitewater’s victories over UW-Eau Claire and UW-Stout. He shot 16-25 from the field. Teammate Mitchell Pfeifer (Kettle Moraine) also scored 21 points against Eau Claire.

UW-Stout teammates Joe Duty (Adams-Friendship) and Isaac Elliott (Pacelli) each scored 24 points in a game last week. Duty’s came in an 89-66 loss to UW-Oshkosh, while Elliott’s was in the 69-55 loss to UW-Whitewater.

In UW-Oshkosh’s win over Stout and also their 67-58 win over UW-River Falls, four players scored in double digits each game. Ben Boots (Kimberly), Brett Wittchow (Lacona), Adam Fravert (Marshfield), and Jack Flynn (Appleton West) were the constant scores for the Tritons.

Bailey Kale got it going from long range for Kirkwood Community College in their 84-62 win over Iowa Central Community College on Saturday. The La Crosse Central alumn and former first team all-state player had 19 points, connecting on 5 of 6 shots from beyond the arc.

James Batemon had a career day in Loyola Marymount’s 75-71 loss to San Diego on Saturday. The Milwaukee Riverside product notched 30 points, 6 assists, and 6 rebounds. He is currently fourth in the West Coast Conference in points, assists, and steals per game.

Last year Terrance Banyard and Cameron Posey were at Destiny High School en route to a Division 4 state title. Currently, both are attending Arkansas Pine Bluff and seeing significant minutes. Banyard took advantage of his extended playing time by posting a career high 20 points on 8 of 11 shooting in a 94-68 win over Alabama State last Monday. He also recorded 9 rebounds.

Former Milwaukee King standout Virshon Cotton saw extended playing time for Akron last week and took full advantage of it. He scored a career high 23 points in Akron’s 87-65 loss to Buffalo on Tuesday. He then proceeded to top that performance by sinking a game winning three pointer as time expired to give Akron an 80-78 victory over Bowling Green on Saturday. He again scored 23 points in that contest.

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