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Campbellsport is just days away from its first game in its new conference and, judging by its impressive performance Monday night, the Cougars could very well be the king of the hill when the Wisconsin Flyway Conference season ends in February.

Using some high energy on both ends of the court, Campbellsport posted a convincing 76-70 triumph over host Ripon in a match-up of former East Central Conference rivals.

Unlike Ripon, Campbellsport left the East Central for good on July 1 to become a member of the eight-team Flyway Conference. 

It's a better fit for the Cougars in terms of geography and the move comes at a good time as second-year coach Jordan Dreikosen has five starters back from a club that went 11-8.

After beating New Holstein 67-41 last week, Campbellsport begins play in its new league at 2-0 following Monday's victory, which was fueled by ever-improving 6-foot-6 junior center Mitchell McCarty and stellar all-around athlete Joseph Nerat.

McCarty scored 20 points and dominated on the glass while Nerat, a 6-foot-0 senior guard headed to NCAA Division I Houston Baptist on a baseball scholarship, contributed 17 points. 

Nerat also spent a good deal of Monday evening chasing around Ripon's best player, 6-foot-6 junior Riley Brooks.

Brooks, who own a NCAA Division I scholarship offer from Toledo, finished with 23 points, but he needed 25 shots in order to accomplish that feat.

"We played extremely hard so I was pleased with that," Dreikosen said. "Whenever your named is called, all of our guys come in and compete."

Campbellsport jumped to a 33-28 halftime lead, withstood a couple of Ripon rallies, and led by double figures at times in the second half. The Cougars made just enough foul shots down the stretch to hold off Ripon, which got 22 points from senior guard Spencer Schultz in addition to Brooks' 23 markers.

Mitchell scored almost all of his points in the paint and often followed up missed shots with offensive rebounds that led to baskets.

"Mitch has taken a big step from last year," Dreikosen said. "He is our foundation. We don't necessarily run our offense through him, but he's a workhorse in the paint for us. It seems like he's around the ball all of the time. He seems to know where the ball will come off the rim and goes and gets it."

Nerat, who handled the ball and passed well in addition to his strong defense and scoring output, received plenty of backcourt help from senior Jalen Gellings (5-11), who finished with 11 points while also playing strong defense.

Senior Colton Schodrow (6-0) came off the bench to contribute 10 points to the Cougars' cause.

"We ask a lot of Joey (Nerat)," Dreikosen said. "He's one of our leaders. When his energy is up, our whole team plays with energy and you saw that tonight. He also enjoys the challenge of guarding the best player from the other team. I love that about him."

Campbellsport hosts North Fond du Lac in its Flyway Conference debut on Friday and figures to contend for the league crown along with defending champion St. Mary's Springs and upstart Mayville. 

Dreikosen and the members of his program are very familiar with the teams in the Flyway and look forward to the challenge of competing in the new circuit. 

"We normally played some Flyway schools in non-conference games when we were in the ECC," Dreikosen said. "We have some knowledge of the teams in the league. But it's a new season and everybody is new in a way. We look forward to competing in the Flyway."

Ripon, which was playing its season opener, had four players score in double figures.

Besides Brooks and Schultz, starters Kai Agamaite (11 points) and Brandon Carlson (10 points) performed well on offense. 

The Tigers open East Central Conference action on Thursday by hosting Waupun. 

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