Most of the Brookfield and Wauwatosa High School basketball teams will be playing their final conference games of the year this week before taking some time off for Christmas and then returning for some holiday tournaments or some individual non-conference games.

Here's some early thoughts on the teams I cover.

WAUWATOSA

Boys

Wauwatosa East has been writing a similiar script like last season, but when a team goes 26-1, it's the bottom line that counts. Larry Bradley, Jr. may be in uniform by next Friday's game against Pius XI once the legal guardian paperwork is done and with that addition, I really don't see anyone in the Greater Metro Conference giving the Red Raiders a run for their money. They were possibly more talented than last year's team without the 6-3 Bradley.

Wauwatosa West should be fun to watch this year this season with coach Mike Landisch's penetrate and kickback offense. This suits Ray Sterling, Jr. Bendell Lee and Sam Krenzien well, while Andy Minkley, more of a setup shooter, will get the hang of it. Barry Ballinger's play underneath will also be a key to the Trojans' success. It will also be interesting to see how the four suspended players fit in when they return soon.

Girls

Someone keep Tosa East coach Rob Hamill away from high places and sharp knifes. His girls have lost three games by a total of five points and have played better than their record indicates. Hannah Weinberg-Kinsey has recently been lighting up the net and that is something the Red Raiders need, a second scorer to go along with Margaret Panter.

The surprise team of the city might be Tosa West. Coach Mike Pietrowiak recently got scrappy Molly Boyle back and Jesse Zeisse will be back soon. The inside play of Ashley Ballinger will also be a key for the Trojans this season. Jackie Glaser, who was under the weather in a recent game, and Andrea Kwak have played well in the early going, among others.

BROOKFIELD

Boys

Mike Gosz, Hamilton Athletic Director, won't be getting a Christmas card from Brookfield East coach Andy Farley this year. The Spartans have opened up with Brookfield Central, Wauwatosa East and Marquette, all on the road. Daniel Patton is leading the way for the Spartans, is one of the top outside shooters I have seen this season. C.J. Gregg is a talented big man and Devonte Harper has done a good job of running the offense.

It's early yet, but coach Mark Adams has to be pleased with the Lancers quick start. Seven players are scoring between 5.0 and 7.0 points per game as Central has shown early season balance. Kevin Hynes, filling big shoes at point guard, and John Winius has hit some huge shots so far this season. Adams not only has a freshman on his team for the first time, but 6-4 Seth Mortag is STARTING on top of it.

Girls

My story in this week's paper goes into more detail on the defending champion Lady Lancers talented team this year. Joana Bielefeld and Erin Lueder do a great job of leading this team, but their suporting cast has improved. 6-1 Jesse Thomas, 5-10 sophomore Valarie Agnello, 5-9 Maggie Mattiacci and 5-8 Kate Sandstrom have all had key roles in Central's fast start. And coach Dan Wandrey has put in a devasting 1-3-1 zone defense this season.

If coach Tara Schmitt can get all her best players healthy or eligible, the Lady Spartans could be a force again. Marley Blood has been out with a high angle sprain and a few other players have had some athletic code and grade problems, but others have stepped up. One of the most aggressive players I have seen so far is Kennedy Curtis, who has helped East's inside game in Blood's absence.

Hope to see some of you at the Holiday Tournaments the next two weeks.

Be a Hit and Have a Ball.

The CNI All-Suburban Boys Basketball Team will be featured in this week's BrookfieldNOW and WauwatosaNOW papers and web sites on Thursday and both Brookfield Central Wauwatosa East are well represented.

First of all, Tim Arndorfer was named CNI's Boys Basketball Coach of the Year, beating out some excellent candidates from the area Community Newspapers, Inc. covers.

It was the fourth time a coach from Tosa East was honored, as Arndorfer joins the man he replaced - George Haas - who earned the honors in 2004-05, 1996-97 and 1993-94.

Joining their coach on the team were the one-two combination of Brice Powell and Jake Barnett, who keyed the Red Raiders run to the state championship.

From Brookfield, Central's Cory Degner also earned All-Suburban honors. Degner, who switched from small forward to point guard, averaged over 17 points a game for the Lancers, who also made it to the state tournament, losing to Tosa East in the semifinals.

Detailed features on Arndorfer, Powell/Barnett and Degner highlights this week's sports coverage.

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As usual spring sports in Wisconsin gets to deal with Mother Nature. Some soccer matches have been played, but mainly indoor track is underway.

The spring schedules are light and won't really pick up for another week or so.

Let's hope they won't have to dig themselves out from the snow and ice when it happens.

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Always remember to be a hit and have a ball.

Some people felt the Greater Metro Conference was down this season, but don't tell that to Wauwatosa East (23-1) and Brookfield Central (18-4). Both the Red Raiders and the Lancers will be playing at the Kohl Center starting on Thursday after winning their sectional championships.

Central had to get by top-seeded Racine Park (19-3) and one of the state's best players in Jamil Wilson in the title game. Cory Degner, the GMC Player of the Year, scored 23 points, but defensive stopper Donne Robbins had the game of his life with 25 points, including six of the team's 12 3-pointers. Wilson was amazing, as he had 37 points, including a 3-pointer at the buzzer to make the score, 72-68, closer than it was.

The Lancers, who have made seven trips to state in the last nine years, have been there six out of eight times under the guidance of coach Mark Adams and his staff. Central needs to win it's opener against Bay Port, because the Lancers are only 1-5 at state under Adams.

This team had to overcome some things to start the year.

 Brad Nortman, their best big man, decided to punt all winter instead of play basketball (he's going to Wisconsin to kick for the Badgers and is considered one of the top punters in the country); Lee Severson hadn't recovered from ankle surgery; Adams had to find a point guard; and even the coach started the year with hip surgery.

It's a credit to Adams, his staff and his kids that they are in Madison this week.

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And speaking of credit, a tip of the hat to low-key, media-shy Tim Arndorfer, who took his Red Raiders to state in his first year as head coach and for the first time since 2002.

Tosa East senior starters Brice Powell, Jake Barnett, D.J. Cupertino and Tony Walls are playing like they are on a mission - win the state title for the first time since 1989. These four guys have carried this team down the stretch.

Barnett scored 17 of his 27 points in the first half and then Powell took over in the second half scoring 14 of his 18 points in the 62-60 win over Milwaukee Custer in the sectional semi-finals. Then when King held Barnett/Powell to six points in the first half of the title game, Walls (8) and Cupertino (7) kept the Red Raiders from getting blown out at half, trailing only 29-21.

Trailing, 38-34, going into the final period, Cupertino put on one of the best clutch performances I have seen, as he scored eight points down the stretch, including two huge 3-pointers.

Madison Memorial (21-2), Germantown (22-1) and the Red Raiders are the team to watch in Madison.

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Just a comment on the type of kid Jamil Wilson is. When Brookfield East's girls team clobbered Racine Horlick in a regional semi-final game, Wilson was in the stands, cheering on the Lady Rebels. At half-time when the Spartanettes dance team did a rap dance, Wilson was cheering them and dancing in the stands.

Three nights later at the Horlick Sectional, following his team's win over West Allis Hale, Wilson showed off his dancing skills again. At half-time of the Central-Racine Case game, the Lancer fans came out of the stands at half-time to dance to the electric slide in front of the bleachers. Wilson then jumped out of the Horlick stands and joined in and the Rebel fans followed. About 150 kids from two different schools were dancing together and having fun. Even the Horlick PA announcer acknowledged the impromptu dance and asked the audience to give them a round of applause.

That, my friends, is what high school athletics is all about.

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Agree or disagree, post your comments.

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Follow all the action on BrookfieldNOW.com and WauwatosaNOW.com as I'll be blogging right from courtside.

 And remember to always be a hit and have a ball.

When Sussex Hamilton's sensational sophomore guard Kameron Cerroni (I can't write his name without sensational sophomore in front of it) drained a 3-point shot at the buzzer last Friday to beat Bookfield Central, it took some of the drama out of the Lancers game with Wauwatosa East Thursday night.

Some of the drama.

Instead of playing for the title outright, the Lancers need a victory to share the title. Since the Red Raiders already own a share of the title, they probably like the idea of keeping the whole thing to themselves for first-year coach Tim Arndorfer.

Central won the first game, 53-51, taking a 47-39 lead into the fourth quarter, only to see the Red Raiders press and trap in the fourth quarter and work themselves back into the game, tying the score with two minutes left.

The disciplined Lancers then ran about a minute and one half off the clock looking for a layup and got it when Mitch Aprahamian, standing on the top of the key, turned and drilled a pass to Luke Duckett, who scored on an easy layup for the win.

One of the things that have changed since the last meeting is the improved play of point guard Tony Walls for Tosa East. Coming off a severe knee injury, Walls was all over the floor in win a over West Allis Hale last Friday, getting key rebounds, making key passes and scoring 11 points.

In the first meeting this year Central star Cory Degner scored 17 points and left Walls behind with his quick moves to the basket.

On Central's side, the improved play of Mitch Aprahamian and Aaron Hurley will be a key for the Lancers, not only in this game but in the post-season.

For a detailed analysis of both teams check out the BrookfieldNOW and WauwatosaNOW newspapers where I compare frontcourts, backcourts, benches, coaches and intangibles.

The other battle to watch should be fun and it will happen off the court as the Lancer fans will be bringing their game to Tosatown to take on the energetic Red Raider backers.

Folks, it doesn't get better than this.

Agree with me or not, don't be shy, leave a comment.

And remember to always be a hit and have a ball.

On back-to-back nights last week, I saw something that really disappointed me. And it had nothing to do with what happened on the basketball court.

Before I say anything, I want to say on the record that I think the Brookfield Central and Wauwatosa East basketball fans are among the best fans that I have had the chance to watch the past six years. Their outfits are creative and their enthusiasm is contagious. Maybe that's why I was disappointed, because the Lancer and Red Raider fans have set high standards in my eyes.

First of all, last Wednesday, the Tosa East boys team hosted Menomonee Falls in a game which was moved from Tuesday because of the cold weather. I couldn't believe what I saw. Not only was it one of the smallest crowds that I have ever been a apart of at a Tosa East boys basketball game, but one of the quietest. I actually counted 61 students in the student section.

It couldn't have been the competition, because Menomonee Falls has the ability to beat anyone in the Greater Metro Conference. In fact, the Indians led the Red Raiders at half-time the first time they played. It took a curious foul call in the final seconds to give Tosa East a chance to win the game in regulation this time around.

I know it wasn't just me, because a high-profile Tosa East official made the comment to me afterwards, "Maybe we're not the place to be any more." 

The next night, I attended the Brookfield East-Brookfield Central girls-boys doubleheader at Central. The stands were not even half full for the girls game, an important GMC battle between the unbeaten Lady Lancers and the desperate Lady Spartans, who needed and got, a huge 39-35 victory.

With two minutes - TWO minutes - left in the game, like clockwork, the color-coded blue and white Central students paraded into the gym as a group. Hello?  Where were you people for the first game? A game which was much more entertaining and more meaningful in the GMC race than the nightcap would be.

With all the cold weather and the re-scheduling of games last week, I'm going to give the students the benefit of the doubt based on their past history.

Or maybe, just maybe, they were home studying.

Agree or disagree with me, but feel free to leave a comment.

And always remember to be a hit and have a ball.

If you have seen the Brookfield East girls' offense lying around somewhere, please give basketball coach Tara Schmitt a call.

The Lady Spartans, who were sitting pretty in the Greater Metro Conference race just a week ago with a 4-1 record, have dropped two straight games to West Allis schools, scoring 28 and 35 points in losses to Central and Hale. Tuesday night they have a huge game with first-place Brookfield Central.

What makes East's loss to Hale particularly galling, it snapped a 21-game GMC losing streak for the Huskies, going back to Feb. 10, 2006. Trailing, 36-33, with seconds remaining, Schmitt called time-out, hoping to get a game-tying 3-point attempt from Ashley Yttre. Schmitt also had a back-up plan if Yttre was covered, tossing the ball inside instead and then hoping for a kickback out for another 3-point try.

Yttre was covered, the ball went inside, and instead of kicking the ball back out, the player tossed in a two-point bucket as time expired.

Please keep all sharp instruments away from Schmitt.

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Brookfield Central's Cory Degner, who scored 53 points in wins over Marquette (23) and Menomonee Falls (30), has impressed Tosa East coach Tim Arndorfer.

"If I had to vote for the conference's player of the year - and not take one of my players - I would think it would have to be Cory Degner right now. He does everything for that team."

Forced to play point guard to start the year, Degner runs the offense, hits 3-pointers, drives to the basket, hits free throws and comes through whenever the Lancers need a big bucket. He even finds time to play defense.

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Speaking of the Red Raiders, Tosa East has beaten the last three opponents by 32, 24 and 29 points, using a good defense to get easy offensive points.

But coach Tim Arndorfer and his staff - looking down the road against Brookfield Central and West Allis Hale, as well as to the post-season because the Red Raiders play in the sectional from hell - keep focusing on the half-court offense. Against good teams, Tosa East is going to have to be disciplined enough to score half-court points as well.

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If you know Tosa West girls basketball coach Mike Pietrowiak, he could win a game 50-0 and still find something wrong. But I thought I saw a hint of a smile the other day after the Trojans won their third straight game and fourth in six tries.

Pietrowiak plays only two seniors - Ellen Coleman and Anastasia Williams - a lot of minutes and relies on three sophomores and two juniors most of the time. If the Trojans continue to improve, Pietrowiak will have to work on that smiley face more often.

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Agree or disagree, don't be afraid to let me know.

Until later in the week, remember to always be a hit and have a ball. 

With most athletes off until later this week because of exam week, let's take a look at some highlights from the past week in Brookfield and Wauwatosa prep sports.

Wauwatosa East's 160-pounder Nick Morin became the all-time winningest wrestler in Tosa history by winning four matches last week (103-34). He surpassed Jake Benedict's 102 victories from 2001-05.

DSHA basketball coach Scott Witt felt as if his team lost the Greater Metro Conference title last Friday when the young Brookfield Central Lady Lancers beat the pre-season favorite Dashers, 45-38. "They (BC) have to lose two games and I don't think that's going to happen," Witt said. "I think it's between us and Brookfield East for second place."

The young Lancers only have two seniors in the top seven of their rotation and junior Joana Bielefeld (11.5 PPG) and sophomore Erin Lueder (12.5) are two of the GMC's top players. But that won't stop Dan Wandrey from worrying, because Central's head coach is the GMC's version of Lou Holtz.

Tosa West's Jesse Zeisse was inserted into the starting lineup for Andrea Kwak last week, when Kwak missed a practice. The results worked out great for both girls. Zeisse scored nine points in a win over Greenfield and then Kwak scored 10 in a double overtime win over Whitnall including four in the second overtime.

Brookfield Central handed Wauwatosa East a 53-51 loss on Jan. 15 and pulled into a first-place tie with the state-ranked Red Raiders. A couple things came out of this game. The key to the game was Central's discipline in their half-court offense, as the Lancers didn't fall apart after East rallied from a 10-point deficit. Central ran time off the clock in the final minutes, looking for a lay-up. Unsung hero Mitch Aprahamian was at the top of the key when he whipped a pass to Luke Duckett driving to the basket for a lay-up and the win.

The Central scoreboard had a short circuit (or something), because it went out a few minutes before the start of the second half, in the third quarter and then with two minutes left to play. When East's Tony Walls grabbed a loose ball and called time-out while flying out of bounds there was then a few seconds of controversy over whether the clock expired.

Tosa East's Hannah Weinberg-Kinsey has averaged 11.3 PPG, scoring 16, 8 and 10 points since breaking the middle finger on her shooting hand. She improved her scoring over three points per game. There is no truth to the rumor coach Rob Hamill is thinking of having the rest of his squad wear similiar splints.

After starting the season with 13 straight losses the co-op team of Wauwatosa East/West/New Berlin Eisenhower/West/Whitnall (now that's a mouthful) won their first hockey game, 6-2, over Oconomowc on Saturday.