The Aquinas and Onalaska high school boys basketball teams have had their way with opponents so far this season.
None of that is unexpected.
While a couple of other teams expect to have a say in things, the Blugolds and Hilltoppers are expected to battle it out at the top of the MVC this season.
An upper hand is there to be gained on Saturday when the two face off in a 7:15 p.m. tip at the Reinhart Athletic Complex.
Onalaska (4-0 overall, 1-0 MVC) is ranked second in Division 2 by the Bound Wisconsin/Zaleski Sports media poll and has beaten its opponents by an average of 37.8 points.
Aquinas (3-0, 1-0) is ranked sixth in Division 3 of the same poll and has outscored its opponents by an average of 31 points.
“It’s one of those things where you get a high-quality opponent early in the season,” said Aquinas coach Brad Reinhart, whose team won last year’s Division 4 state championship. “There’s so much season left that you don’t want to make it bigger than it is, but you want to put your best foot forward and be better on Saturday than we have previously.”
The Blugolds own wins over Neillsville (4-2), Sparta (2-2) and La Crescent-Hokah (0-6), and Reinhart has said he already likes the way his team is defending and rebounding.
Those will be important aspects against an Onalaska team that has averaged 82.5 points in beating Wisconsin Rapids (1-3), Logan (0-3), Medford (2-3) and DeForest (4-1).
The challenge to both defense will be balanced scorers on either side. Instead of game-planning to limit one potential explosive scorer, both teams have to be ready for a number of players to step up and lead the way.
“I like our depth, and I like the intensity we are playing with,” Onalaska coach Craig Kowal said after his Hilltoppers beat DeForest 72-42. “It’s an effort game.
“When you can play harder than the other team, you have a decent chance to win.”
Onalaska has five players averaging at least 8 points per game so far, and sophomore Gavin McRoberts is leading the way with at 17.0. Senior Ian Kowal follows at 13.8 and sophomore Tyler Kowal adds 10.0.
McRoberts, who played his freshman season at Melrose-Mindoro, has proven a great fit in the lineup and is excited for his first big conference game.
“I’ve never been happier playing basketball than I am right now,” McRoberts said after scoring 23 points in the win over the Norskies. “I thought one of the hardest parts, as someone new, would be making friends and being a good teammate with everyone, but everyone has been super kind to me since I came here, and that’s made the transition so easy.”
The Hilltoppers have built success on pushing opponents defensively and trying to drive possessions through the roof. Kowal said his team really hasn’t found its shooting rhythm despite topping the 80-point mark three times.
Reinhart said the goal is to not let Onalaska remedy that on Saturday.
“They’ve been able to generate a lot of possessions in their games,” Reinhart said, “and we have to do what we can defensively to not let them find that rhythm and confidence.”
The Hilltoppers will be trying to do the same against the trio of junior Calvin Bahr (17.7 ppg) and seniors Finley Strom (15.7 ppg) and Logan Becker (12.0 ppg). Bahr is also averaging a team-high 9.7 rebounds and team-high 4.7 assists.
“I think Calvin Bahr has taken an incredible step forward even though he was really good last year,” Kowal said. “He’s on a different level this year as far as I can tell.”
Kowal also said role players seem to be find their places early and complementing what Strom, Bahr and Becker bring to the floor.
