Stoughton Bests Mount Horeb in Thriller

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>STOUGHTON</strong> -- The two preseason favorites in the Badger Small Conference squared off Friday night. Rallying from a 13-point second-half deficit, Stoughton won a 69-67 thriller over Mount Horeb, scoring the game-winner with 5.0 seconds left...</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1144570' first='Ty' last='Fernholz'] - 2024 - SG - Stoughton</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Fernholz got off to a great start, scoring seven quick points for the Vikings. The rest of the game wasn't as smooth, but the Michigan Tech commit hit a huge 3-pointer late in the game and also made some terrific passes throughout. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Fernholz had some trouble with turnovers, but also thought he made some great decisions with the basketball. Realizing his teammates were hot, Fernholz got his guys the ball in positions where they could be successful, often hitting them in rhythm for open jumpers. He's a two-guard, but Fernholz has the mind of a floor general. He knows when to reject/accept ball screens and sees the entire floor. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A deadly outside shooter that can also take guards into the post and score, Fernholz forces defenders to stay attached to him at all times and keep a hand in his face. Fernholz also appears to have improved his handle. Thought he was able to evade pressure, keep the ball low, and operate in tight areas at times much better than he has in the past.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1144570"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-656777939df7a"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1561944' first='Jacob' last='Hibner'] - 2026 - SG - Stoughton</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hibner chipped in with 15 points on four 3-pointers for the Vikings. The sophomore guard gave Stoughton some life in the second half with back-to-back triples. The lefty has a clean, smooth stroke from outside. If you let him step into his shot, you might as well just start jogging back to the other end.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1561888' first='Josh' last='Manchester'] - 2026 - G - Mount Horeb</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Went into this game thinking Stoughton was going to give Manchester a tough night. The Vikings had one of the better defenders in the Madison area and a top 10 ranked squad. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For most of the game, that wasn't the case. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Manchester dropped a game-high 30 points, including 19 in the first half. The sophomore was slowed down a little bit in the second half, but really just missed some shots he's more than capable of knocking down. Manchester had about 5-6 looks he'd like to have back and probably should have gone for 40. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Loved how he shot himself out of a slump as well. Showing a short-term memory, Manchester heated up when Mount Horeb needed him, knocking down two cold-blooded 3-pointers late. While he's an in-the-gym range type of shooter with a quick stroke, Manchester has added more to his game inside the arc. The 6-foot-2 guard is very slippery and crafty when he plays off two feet in the paint. A gritty, high-motor prospect, Manchester will do some of the dirty work defensively as well. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Still very raw physically, Manchester has some added length and looks like he could get a lot stronger/more athletic in the coming years. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1561888"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-656777939dfdf"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1412223' first='Sawyer' last='Schipper'] - 2024 - SG - Stoughton</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Schipper just would not let Stoughton die. The senior guard turned it up a few notches after Stoughton got down by 13 in the second half, scoring 15 of his team high 19 points after halftime. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A legit Division 3 prospect who could fit nicely in a few WIAC programs as well, Schipper is one of the top competitors in the state. The 6-foot-2 guard has a very consistent mid-range jumper and it appears his 3-point shot has caught up as well. Able to shoot equally well on and off the ball, Schipper drained shot after shot in the second half and was able to give the Vikings a lot of life with his early offense in possessions. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Defensively, Schipper had a lot of nice wins against Mount Horeb's star as well and just grinded out some much-needed stops. Been saying this for a few years now -- there's nothing overly pretty about Schipper's game. He takes what his opponent gives him, is consistent night-to-night, and gets the job done.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1412223"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-656777939e02f"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1289093' first='Nick' last='Vorwald'] - 2024 - SG - Mount Horeb</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Vorwald added 14 points in Mount Horeb's loss. With Manchester going off, thought Vorwald picked his spots well and took advantage of Stoughton when they paid his teammate too much attention. Able to score in different ways, Vorwald showed he's a threat from all three levels. Vorwald has good positional size at 6-foot-4. Really like when Vorwald gets downhill. He's lean and lanky, thus defenders don't think there's going to be a lot of shake and explosiveness there, but Vorwald has some sneaky handles and ability to juke in the open floor. Mount Horeb also does a really good job of having their guard crash the offensive glass and Vorwald was in the middle of a number of second chance opportunities. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1289093"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-656777939e07d"} /-->