Game Report: De Pere vs. Bay Port

<p>Anything can happen in the FRCC with the amount of talented coaches, players, and ball clubs that compete in the Fox Valley area conference. I was able to attend Bay Port vs. De Pere at Bay Port High School on Friday night. In a bit of surprise, Bay Port downed the Red Birds by 30 to earn a 81-51 statement victory at home. Here is a breakdown of standouts, takeaways, and last night's box score. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Standouts</h2>    <p class="text-gray-700">I have seen Ivy only in person two times this year, but I have been most impressed by his ability to relentlessly attack the hoop with ease. Ivy had 15 points, showcasing his ability from the midrange and to finish over defenders. The 6'1 senior is extremely difficult to contain once he gets going with a head of steam. Ivy is able to slow down his feet, euroing and side stepping defenders to efficiently score at the rack. Ivy, who moved into the Howard Sumaico School District earlier this year, is the Pirates' leading scorer averaging just under 16 points a game for the season. AJ is very crafty, quick, and under control at all times. He is making a strong case to earn first team all conference recognition in the FRCC. </p>     <p class="text-gray-700">You have to love multi-sport athletes that excel on the basketball court. Stevens recently gave his commitment to Northern Michigan on the football field to play quarterback for the Wildcats and newly hired coach, Matt Janus. The 6'3 senior set the tone against a team that has been a Goliath in recent years in De Pere. Stevens had all of his 14 points in the first half. Matt hit four threes from well beyond the arc on Friday night, and scored off an offensive rebound, helping Bay Port go on a run to extend their lead to six heading into the halftime break. Stevens is a great athlete and has a strong build, not only making him a threat on the offensive end, but also a threat defensively. Seniors step up in a big way at the end of the season, and that is exactly what Stevens did on Friday night. </p>     <p class="text-gray-700">De Pere had an off night for their high standards in their program, but the 6'5 junior did not. Krueger who is ranked #20 in the 2027 class, led all scorers in the contest with 20 points. Will has a near perfect jump shot with great rotation on the ball, quick load, and hand positioning on the ball. There is a reason the rising junior is shooting over 40% from 3 this season. Krueger had De Pere rolling early, scoring 13 points in the first seven minutes of the game. Will is a true offensive weapon that get downhill, pull up from the midrange, and knock down threes at a high clip. I saw very few of Krueger's shots actually touch the rim demonstrating Will's smooth jumper and efficient scoring skillset. Krueger is a fluid athlete with length and absolutely should be on the radar of every D2 and D3 school in the Midwest this club season. Krueger competes on a very talented [program_tooltip program_id='2512324' first='Wisconsin' last='Legends'] team and should continue to pick up buzz as the AAU season progresses this summer. </p>     <p class="text-gray-700">Meyer improves every time I am able to see him in the gym. The physical frontcourt player was sensational on Friday night at Bay Port High School. Meyer had 18 points and a plethora of offensive boards for the Pirates making his physical presence well known in the paint. Meyer is extremely physical around the rim when he gets to his spot and finishes well through contact, converting several and 1s on Friday. Meyer is not shy in attempting shots from well beyond the three point arc as well, as he hit a deep perimeter 3 in the first half. Meyer is an intriguing collegiate prospect at 6'9 and competes on a solid Team Haliburtion during the club season. Circle Meyer as a player to watch as the season wraps up and into this spring and summer. </p>    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Takeaways</h2>   <p>Bay Port (14-5, 10-4) was rather impressive in this game. Truly taking care of home court advantage this season, the Pirates are 8-1 when playing in their own gym, including last night's decisive 30 point victory. Bay Port who is coached by Nate Rykal, came out in a man to man defense but De Pere's guards were able to get too many clean looks down hill and on kickouts to shooters on the perimeter. The Pirates then switched into their 2-3 zone that gave De Pere a lot of fits the rest of the game. Bay Port did not come out of their zone the rest of the game and were able to generate deflections, steals, and live ball turnovers to extend their lead throughout the night. Bay Port has size and athleticism within their 2-3 zone making it hard for teams to attack the rim and get the ball to the short corners and the high post. Much like other teams that have more aggressive 2-3 zones, Bay Port traps corners hard and they were able to heat up the Redbirds with these traps. Bay Port was slated as a #9 seed in the WIAA's midseason seed release yesterday, however this should change if Bay Port can continue to limit teams with their aggressive zone. You cannot overlook the Pirates going into March. </p>   <p>De Pere (16-3, 12-2) suffered their second FRCC loss since 2022 on Friday. De Pere who was without the services of senior and leading scorer [player_tooltip player_id='2400924' first='Noah' last='Maniscalco'] who was seen on crutches on the bench. I did not get a chance to talk to Coach Winchester after the game, so it is unclear how much time the 6'0 sr. will miss the rest of the way. Regardless of Friday's result, De Pere is still an extremely talented ball club that can make noise come tournament time. The Redbirds have [player_tooltip player_id='2502918' first='Will' last='Krueger'], shifty floor general [player_tooltip player_id='2618950' first='Silas' last='Cohen'] and senior leader [player_tooltip player_id='2400164' first='Bennett' last='Reimer'] who made his impact well known on the offensive glass on Friday. Coach Brian Winchester is one of the state's best, and is projected as the #1 seed per the WIAA seed midseason release yesterday. You cannot ignore Maniscalco's absence if he does have to miss long term, but the Red Birds do have other players that can help fill in the gaps the rest of the way if needed.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Box Score</h2>   <p><strong>De Pere 51: </strong>Cohen 4, J Bookter 7, Krueger 20, Herlache 7, Gogna 2, Reimer 11</p>   <p><strong>Bay Port 81: </strong>Jones 2, Stevens 14, Durkee 8, Binns 11, Girald 2, Roland 3, Finlan 7 , Ivy 15, Otradovec 1, Meyer 18</p>

Anything can happen in the FRCC with the amount of talented coaches, players, and ball clubs that compete in the Fox Valley area conference. I was able to attend Bay Port vs. De Pere at Bay Port High School on Friday night. In a bit of surprise, Bay Port downed the Red Birds by 30 to earn a 81-51 statement victory at home. Here is a breakdown of standouts, takeaways, and last night's box score.