Game Report: Monona Grove 61, Baraboo 44

KEYS TO THE GAME   It was one play among many others, but a steal and subsequent layup from backup wing Henry Troijala with 13 minutes left in the game set the tone for the remainder of the contest and gave host Monona Grove a 37-33 lead over stubborn Baraboo Friday in a Badger Large Conference outing. The Silver Eagles never trailed again and although Baraboo kept within striking distance until the final five minutes or so, the Thunderbrids found themselves scrambling a bit to catch up. Allowing too many offensive rebounds and losing out on 50-50 balls the final 10 minutes or so didn't help Baraboo, which went into the locker room tied with Monona Grove at 21. Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='2423093' first='Evan' last='Luchetti'] led a balanced attack that saw nine different players dent the scoring column. Luchetti, a skilled 6-foot-3 wing and the younger brother of injured star junior [player_tooltip player_id='2140876' first='Austin' last='Luchetti'], finished with a game-high 20 points. STAR OF THE GAME    After averaging 13.0 points as a sophomore starter for Baraboo, Rivas has elevated his game as a junior. The high-energy, extremely competitive and impressively skilled point guard scored 17 points for the Thunderbirds in their loss to Monona Grove. He was chased all over the court by multiple defenders, but still managed to score and distribute for a Baraboo squad that stuck with Monona Grove until the final five minutes. Rivas is an excellent ball handler, has good speed with the ball in his hands and is fearless driving to the basket. Just a solid all-around player with a bright future ahead of him.    EMERGING PLAYERS    In an odd sort of way, and certainly one nobody would choose, [player_tooltip player_id='2423093' first='Evan' last='Luchetti']'s development so far this season can be traced to the season-ending injury his older brother, Austin, sustained in the opening week of the season. Evan's minutes are way up, in part because of Austin's unfortunate injury. And he's producing at a very high level for the Silver Eagles. His ability to score inside and outside, his elevation on his jump shot and his overall feel for the game were all impressive in the win over Baraboo. He finished with a game-best 20 points and earned high praise from his coach, Dan Zweifel. "It's hard to replace 25 points and nearly 10 rebounds that Austin would have provided, but Evan has really blossomed so far in his brother's absence. His minutes are up and he is producing for our team."     Dean's development as a true point guard will be instrumental in the success Monona Grove achieves this winter. He turned in a very good performance for the Silver Eagles against a Baraboo team with strong guards as he finished with 10 points and ran the Monona Grove offense. Defensively, Dean has the physical strength and quickness to stick with opponents and push them out of their comfort zone. Dean knocked down a three-point shot and scored off the bounce, but more importantly, he took care of the ball and got his team into its offensive, particularly as the game wore on.     Although still a pup, Jackson's upside is off the charts. Already a legitimate 6-foot-8 and with good mobility, Jackson also possesses a good skill set. He can put the ball on the floor, pass to a cutter from the high post and score from outside the three-point arc. He has some work to do from the foul line, but he's just a freshmen and has lots of time to improve on that aspect of his game. Jackson finished with six points and drew multiple fouls from Baraboo defenders while starting and playing about half the game for Monona Grove.     A growing big man who likes to venture away from the basket and take his chances with his smooth three-point jump shot, DuCharme ran into some foul trouble against Monona Grove and that did not help Baraboo on the glass. But when he was in the game, he was a threat from deep and spaced the floor for guys like Rivas to get into the lane. DuCharme knocked down three triples and finished with 11 points. He has grown a few inches since the end of last season and figures to continue progressing as a player as he adds strength and muscle to his frame.    THE BIG PICTURE Monona Grove evened its Badger Large record at 1-1 with the win over Baraboo and the Silver Eagles look to move to 2-1 in league play next Thursday when they travel to Watertown. The Silver Eagles entertain McFarland in a non-league outing next Saturday. Baraboo, which competed in the Badger Small a year ago, still is in search of its first Badger Large victory. The Thunderbirds slipped to 0-2 in league play with the setback to Monona Grove, but get a chance to get on the left-hand side of the ledger next Thursday when they host unbeaten DeForest. Baraboo also has a non-league date with Wisconsin Dells next Saturday. FROM THE COACHES From Baraboo coach Tyler Fish: "We lack some size to compete against some of the bigger teams in our conference. Defensive rebounding has been an issue. We also lost out on some loose balls that didn't go our way and that hurt us quite a bit." From Monona Grove coach Dan Zweifel: "We've struggled all year handling the ball and our guard play needs to improve for us to improve. We are still an awfully young team, but we have a lot of potential. I think we will be very good, but it might take a bit of time to get there." BOXSCORE Baraboo (21-23 = 44) Goeckermann 3, Rivas 17, Bauer 4, LeFevre 0, DuCharme 11, Pickett 0, LaMere 0, Rogers 0, James 0, Brinker 0, Romano-Thompson 7, Gumz 0, Davies 0, Moon 2. Three-point field goals: DuCharme 3, Goeckermann 1, Rivas 1. FT: 6-11. Fouled out: Bauer. Record: 2-3. Monona Grove (21-40 = 61) Leach 5, Dean 10, Jackson 6, Thome 3, Luchetti 20, Meyer 7, Fowler 0, Vosberg 2, Hanson 0, Haffele 0, [player_tooltip player_id='2392620' first='Toijala' last=''] 6, Schoenherr 2. Three-point field goals: Luchetti 2, Leach 1, Dean 1, Meyer 1, Thome 1. FT: 12-24. Fouled out: None. Record: 3-2.

KEYS TO THE GAME