Ryan Sygulla, Whitehall
While Whitehall senior Ryan Sygulla has been putting up head-turning numbers all season, last week was especially impressive for the Dairyland Conference's leading scorer. 
In a 33-point, 15-rebound output Tuesday that knocked league leading Blair-Taylor from the undefeated ranks to take control of the Large Dairyland race, Sygulla responded Friday with a 30-point, 19-rebound encore in a win against Gilmanton. In all, Sygulla finished the week averaging 31.5 points, 17 rebounds, 4.5 steals, 3.5 assists and 1.5 turnovers-- zero of those TO's came against B-T.
Sygulla can also add yet another accolade to his resume as he now stands at 1,024 points for his career-- all after sitting out his sophomore season with an ACL tear.
“Ryan has always been a good player, but this year he’s really come into his own,” Whitehall coach Dave Henrickson told Mark Miller in his latest Hoop Notes article. “The crispness of his game, the physicalness of his game … he has just raised his play to another level.”
The 6-3 guard/forward jumped seven spots in the latest WSN Player Rankings to No. 39 and is third overall in state scoring. Sygulla is averaging 27.9 points, 15.9 rebounds and 4.2 steals per game and boasts one of the state's best 4.1 to 2.2 assist to turnover ratio.
Honorable Mention:
Altoona (Boys Basketball): The Railroaders have done something nobody else has so far this year-- and that is beat Fall Creek. Behind 18 points from junior guard Bo Manor, Altoona surged into third place in the Cloverbelt West by outscoring the Crickets 18-12 in the final stanza to earn an important five-point home win. Despite a loss to Chippewa Falls earlier in the week, Altoona responded by holding two of the league's leading scorers well below their averages-- Jordan Reetz scored 14 points while Luke Tweed managed just 10.
Rice Lake (Girls Basketball): For the Warriors, this season has been all about turning points. After thwarting a 14-point fourth-quarter lead in a non-conference game against Colfax, Rice Lake has responded loudly by posting three straight victories in Big Rivers play. Last week, Tom Lipke's squad knocked off previously unbeaten Menomonie 53-51 to move into a second place tie with the Indians, holding prolific scorer Kelsey Andrist to just nine points in the process. Rice Lake is incredibly young with just one senior on the roster in Karina Rohde, but big wins like this spell a promising future for the Warriors.
Chandler Roy-Peterson, Marshfield (Girls Hockey): With a name like Roy, you have to expect a great hockey player. And in last Monday night's game against Tomahawk, the Marshfield junior forward didn't disappoint. Roy-Peterson singed the net for six goals and an assist in a 12-3 win over the Hatchets night to earn the Tigers their second straight Great Northern victory. With the win, Marshfield improved to 7-2-1 on the year but will face league frontrunners Northland Pines and Central Wisconsin this week.
Wautoma (Boys Basketball): A changing of the guard has occured in Wautoma--rather, a changing of the entire starting lineup has occured this season. Yet the Hornets find themselves tied atop the South Central Conference standings after eking out a 56-50 win over league favorite and 15th-ranked Wisconsin Dells Friday night. The balanced attack of Matt Cassidy, Johnny Eagan, Doug Clark and Derek Szewczyk--all of whom scored in double figures against the Chiefs--has been a big reason why the Hornets have had little to no trouble responding to the loss of five starters from last year's third-place squad.
The Splash of the Week is sponsored by PlayInTheDells.com. It highlights the player, coach or team that has "made a splash" in the world of high school sports. Coming out of nowhere to do something great, going above and beyond the call of duty, etc. Basically making something big happen and having the ripples of the accomplishment resonate throughout your sport. Please contact us to nominate your hometown heroes today.
Tag(s): News Archive
