Stateline Preps: Boys Hoops Power Rankings (Week 2)
Week 2 in the Prep Boys Basketball season proved to be an interesting one, more from a disappointing perspective.
Last week’s top three teams (Beloit Memorial, Hononegah, South Beloit) had a chance to really show how good of teams they could be with victories. Two of the three teams lost and the other (Hononegah) looked unimpressive in its 1-point victory over also-ran Freeport.
While last season produced three loaded Stateline teams, this season brings parity and the unexpected. It’s difficult to tell who’s good and who’s not at this point in the season. Are the Purple Knights really that close to being on the same level as Madison East? Did Madison Memorial really lose to Sun Prairie? Yeah, they did.
Is South Beloit a mere shell of itself from last season? Will Hononegah’s reliance on the three-pointer lead to their demise? How good is J.J. Panoske? Is he a better overall player than Nick Melton?
Clinton has improved, but how much? Big Foot is back on track, but for how long?
Questions, questions, questions …
(Disclaimer: This is my opinion only, so if you don’t agree with it, feel free to send me a comment on the bottom of the page. Otherwise, it’s not a life-and-death situation.)
1. HONONEGAH (7-0): The Indians get the top spot, not because they were impressive last weekend — they weren’t — but basically because everyone else lost on Friday night. If there is one good thing that came out of Hononegah’s 42-41 victory over Freeport, it’s that the Indians’ defense remains the team’s strong suit. Things will get a lot tougher this weekend when the Indians host a streaking Boylan team that looks like it could go 16-0 in the NIC-10. NEXT: Friday vs. Boylan, 7 p.m.
2. BELOIT MEMORIAL (3-1): Even with three victories to begin the season — two of which were lopsided — it was still difficult to gauge the Purple Knights. Last Friday’s game at Madison East proved to be a good litmus test. Beloit didn’t exactly fail the test, but it probably should have beaten the Purgolders. If it wasn’t for a 1-for-6 showing at the foul line, Beloit would likely be 4-0. NEXT: Friday vs. Madison La Follette, 7:30 p.m.
3. SOUTH BELOIT (5-2): South Beloit stays in the No. 3 hole because Brodhead surrendered 86 points to East Troy. Last season, the SoBos couldn’t lose against Pecatonica. Now, they can’t seem to figure out the Indians. In South Beloit’s two losses to Pec, the SoBos have been defeated by 19 and 16 points. Cold shooting would probably be the biggest reason for that as South Beloit has shot a combined 24 percent against Pec. That’s not good enough to win anywhere. South Beloit looked like its old self in Monday’s 65-57 win over Clinton. NEXT: Jan. 7 at North Boone.
4. BIG FOOT (2-3): Welcome back to the Power Rankings, only this is a different ranking system than they ‘re accustomed to. Big Foot got off to a slow start, losing its first three games to Woodstock, Beaver Dam and DeForest. But then, Rock Valley Conference play began and the Chiefs took off, earning a big win at Beloit Turner and knocking off Jefferson in inter-conference play. Alec McGreevy (14.8 ppg) and Steve Dowden (10.2) have been the catalysts. NEXT: Thursday vs. Edgerton, 7:15 p.m.
5. BRODHEAD (2-2): The Cardinals narrowly edge out Beloit Turner for the final spot in Week 2. Brodhead is still struggling with the No. 1 thing that plagued them last season: Inconsistency. Just as good as Brodhead has looked, they’ve been just as bad, too. The Cardinals must find that middle ground if they’re to repeat as RV South champs. NEXT: Thursday vs. McFarland, 7:15 p.m.
STAR SYSTEM
(I award stars to the top five players in the past week, checking out who had star performances in Week 2).
1. J.J. PANOSKE (BRODHEAD) — Ever since Rock Valley South play has started, Panoske has been a machine. The 6-foot-9 junior is averaging 32 ppg in conference play and 24 ppg overall. He scored 31 in the Cardinals’ 86-77 loss to East Troy.
2. AHMAD SHAMSID-DEAN (BELOIT MEMORIAL) — Shamsid-Dean was the bright spot in the Knights’ up-and-down week, scoring 15 points in their loss to Madison East and 12 more in their victory over Janesville Craig. Beloit has become a balanced basketball team and Shamsid-Dean is proof of that.
3. STANLEY MOORE (HONONEGAH) — Stanley Moore is not the next coming of David Brown, but the Indians don’t need for him to be. Moore scored a team-high 12 points in the Indians’ win over the Pretzels. If Moore can provide those numbers consistently, the Indians will be tough to deal with.
4. STEVE DOWDEN (BIG FOOT) — Not only was Dowden quarterback of the Division 4 state champs, but he’s pretty much the same thing on the basketball floor. Dowden scored 18 points in the Chiefs’ 59-41 romp over Jefferson. The senior point guard is one of the smartest athletes in the Stateline and he makes the Chiefs’ offense flow.
5. TEVIEN PINCKNEY (BELOIT TURNER) — When you think of Turner basketball, usually Aaron Jones and Jordan Conway come to mind. But, now area fans and teams can think about Pinckney. He had a breakout game in the Trojans’ 47-42 win over Edgerton last weekend, netting 13 points.
South Beloit's Terrel Williams challenges Clinton's Ross Oldenburg.
