Madison Memorial Suffocates Middleton in Big Eight Grinder

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>MADISON -- </strong>Pulling off an upset in Big Eight Conference play, Madison Memorial (1-0) used a suffocating defensive effort to defeat Middleton (1-0) 50-34 on Thursday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1447229' first='Will' last='Garlock'] - 2025 - C - Middleton</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Not a lot went right for Middleton offenisvely on Thursday. Garlock showed some good flashes despite Memorial zoning him in the entire game and then getting the 6-foot-11 center in foul trouble. You just watch Garlock move on the floor and he's oozing with potential. Garlock has an excellent blend of size, strength, and athletic ability. There's going to come a time where you just can't play him 1-on-1. Saw Garlock handle the ball really well in the open floor on occasion, which raised my eyebrows. Garlock looks a lot more comfortable shooting from all areas of the floor as well. He knocked down one mid-range jumper and was able to get his shot off with defenders in the area. Like most young bigs, playing in traffic, specifically his hands and footwork will be a work in progress, but I still like Garlock's trajectory despite a rough night. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1447229"],"_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-656a836d2df85"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1561947' first='Caleb' last='Liggon'] - 2026 - SF - Madison Memorial</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Probably the prospect that helped his cause the most on Thursday. It was a grind-it-out game, but Liggon had some terrific moments to help the Spartans blow things open. The 6-foot-4 sophomore is an intriuging wing/forward type that can affect the game in a variety of ways. There wasn't a ton of opportunities to get up and down, but Liggon handles it really well in transitions and can change directions in the open floor. He's also a guy that's affective in the halfcourt with his ability to shoot from 3-point range or face-up in the mid-range and attack. Liggon had a game-high 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting. He also had two rebounds, two assists, a steal, and one block in Thursday's win.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1561947"],"_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-656a85128af1b"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2045264' first='Ezra' last='Liggon'] - 2026 - SF - Madison Memorial</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Like his twin brother, Ezra has a lot of the same traits and body type. He's a potential matchup problem as a 6-foot-4 wing/forward with some added length and athleticism. Based off one viewing, Liggon might be the more defensive-minded and have more junkyard dog about him in terms of his activity around the rim. He did a great job all night of protecting the rim and blocking/altering shots from the weak-side. At the rim, Liggon showed good ability to finish with either hand. He had some impressive finishes over the outstretched arms of defenders, displaying excellent touch and body control for a young player. Liggon posted eight points (3-4), four rebounds, and a block in Thursday's win. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1561948"],"_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-656a85128afea"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Gavin Meister - 2024 - G - Middleton</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A sleeper in the senior class who might be emerging, Meister had 10 points to lead the Cardinal on Thursday. As previously mentioned, Middleton couldn't do much against Memorial's zone and the opposition did a great job of taking away their key players. Meister got going a bit late in the game, knocking down a 3-pointer after being fouled. A smart, competitive guard, Meister had 18 points in Middleton's season-opening win over DeForest. The senior seems to be a leader for the Cardinals as well and someone they get energy from when he's playing well. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1374851' first='Ian' last='Wischhoff'] - 2025 - PG - Madison Memorial</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A prospect I've been higher on than most, Wischhoff has always played ahead of his years. Now a junior, Wischhoff steps into more of a leadership role for the Spartans. Was impressed with his ability to pick spots offensively and run the show from the point guard position. Wischhoff felt the game turning for Memorial in the second half and knocked down some jumpers to help blow the game open. The lefty is a strong ball handler, makes great basketball decisions, and can also play off the ball -- running through screens and hunting shots. Wischhoff had a very efficient performance on Thursday, scoring nine points on on 3-of-4 shooting while dishing out four assists to zero turnovers.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1374851"],"_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-656a85128b0aa"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->