Game Report: Freedom vs. Little Chute

<p>I was in the gym for a North Eastern Conference rivalry game between the Freedom Irish, and the Little Chute Mustangs. A near sold out game, this game always has a lot of juice and energy due to the proximity of the two schools. Little Chute and Freedom are both dangerous teams to monitor as we head into postseason play in Wisconsin next week. Let's break down the players that stood out on Thursday and key takeaways from both ball clubs as we conclude the 25-26 regular season. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Top Performers </h2>    <p class="text-gray-700">Calhoon may not filling up the scoring column every game, but the 5-foot-10 junior finds ways to impact the game. Cal was tasked with guarding the leading scorer, [player_tooltip player_id='3020705' first='Trevor' last='Verhagen'] who is a few inches taller than Calhoon in Thursday night's game. He was able to contain and disrupt the flow of Verhagen's game in this matchup, keeping him below his average on the night, and making every look extremely difficult. Calhoon may be one of the more underrated defenders in the 2027 class with his quickness, physicality, and high motor to compete on the defensive end. If Calhoon is your matchup, you are in for a long night of difficult shots. Calhoon only scored two points in this game, but he was excellent at getting downhill for the 23-1 Irish. Cal has great court vision in transition and utilizes his speed to keep defenders guessing in the halfcourt. He was very aggressive on the offensive glass as well on Thursday night, generating extra opportunities for Freedom against Little Chute's zone defense. Calhoon competes for a talented [program_tooltip program_id='2078394' first='Team' last='1848'] squad in the club season. </p>     <p class="text-gray-700">Davis loudly stated his case to why he is the #1 ranked player in the 2027 class in the most recent Prep Hoops rankings. Donovan was an X-factor once again on the offensive and defensive side of the ball. The 6-foot-8 junior erased several Mustang shots directly at the rim. Davis is very talented at blocking shots and disrupting half court offense without fouling, a skill that is underrated in frontcourt players. Donovan plays a crucial role for the Irish's no middle defense, walling off potential layups when teams baseline to score. On the offensive side, Davis saw a full face guard within the Little Chute zone, but it was not enough to shut him down. Davis led all scorers with 20 points, doing his damage from the line, from the post, and on put backs on offensive rebounds. Donovan is an explosive offensive rebounder, which allowed Freedom to get several second chance points in this matchup. Davis competes with a supremely talented [program_tooltip program_id='2391400' first='Team' last='Herro'] in the club season, and his interest from high major programs will multiply as the AAU season progresses. An Iowa assistant coach was in attendance to take in Davis' skillset and high potential on Thursday night. </p>     <p class="text-gray-700">Henkel showcased his athleticism on both ends of the floor for Freedom on Thursday. Owen is a multi-sport athlete that performs very well on both the football field, and on the basketball court. The 6-foot-3 sophomore prospect finished through some physical contact and longer defenders for Little Chute. Henkel was able to convert on seven shots near the hoop using his solid footwork and touch around the basket. Owen runs the floor extremely well for the Irish in transition and he was able to convert on these opportunities especially in the first half. Outside of his ability to finish strong at the rim, Henkel is a consistent perimeter shooter. Henkel had an impressive shot fake, side step three in the first half showcasing his footwork and quick release from deep. Henkel is one of the offensive weapons for head coach Andrew Gibbons, and averages just under double digits for the season. For the game, he finished with 17 points and a handful of rebounds to positively impact the game. Owen is a name to monitor in the NEC and in the 2028 class moving forward as he further develops with experience.</p>     <p class="text-gray-700">Verhagen was a bright spot for Little Chute and is an intriguing 2027 prospect. Trevor is an athletic and strong 6-foot-2 wing player that can score at different levels for head coach Jake Van Roy. In Thursday night's game, Verhagen was able to showcase his dynamic scoring abilities scoring from the midrange on floaters, finishing strong at the rim, and knocking down shots from the perimeter. Verhagen is a leftie and he is able to get to his left hand often within the flow of their ball screen offense to effectively score. He is extremely strong as well, and this not only benefits Verhagen's offensive game, but his ability to lock down defenders in their zone defense and their full court trapping. Trevor is more than likely a lock for the NEC first team all conference team as he respectfully averages 15.2ppg, 4.5rpg, and 3.6apg per game while shooting 44% from the field. Without a doubt, Verhagen will be one of the top players in the NEC heading into his senior year. </p>    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Takeaways</h2>   <p>Freedom (23-1) only had one game within single digits in conference play, and frankly speaking dominated conference play this season. Freedom is riding a winning streak in conference play that dates back to 2/13/24 when they lost to FVL who is now part of the Bay Conference. For those of you doing the math at home, that is 36 games conference wins in a row. The Irish played a difficult non conference schedule that features some of the state's best teams in Slinger, Fox Valley Lutheran, Prescott, Lakeside Lutheran, Lake Mills, Brookfield Central just to name a few of the programs. Freedom is battle tested, and their only blemish to one of the better teams in the state, Slinger. The Irish are very balanced in their scoring attack outside of premier player [player_tooltip player_id='1847792' first='Donovan' last='Davis']. Kaden Vandeberg is a three level scorer capable of going for 20 or more in big games, [player_tooltip player_id='3020026' first='Cole' last='Barse'] is a sharp shooting guard, [player_tooltip player_id='2140894' first='Cal' last='Calhoon'] can distribute and get to the basket, and [player_tooltip player_id='2402529' first='Owen' last='Henkel'] provides athletic scoring from the wing position. Freedom runs an offense that utilizes modern spacing and concepts through dribble drive actions and screening. Defensively, the Irish reek havoc on opposing offense in their 1-2-2 zone press and full court man to man pressure. Freedom and Seymour are on a collision course in the playoffs to matchup in a sectional semifinal that could be the best game of the postseason in division three. </p>   <p>Little Chute (15-8) is in the same sectional as Freedom, but in the other side that has some excellent basketball teams. Little Chute will have to beat a surging Winneconne team, top seeded Brillion and more than likely the winner of Xavier/Berlin to replicate a sectional final appearance from last year. The Mustangs, who are coached by Jake Van Roy, have a ton of multiple sport athletes that can defend their tails off. Little Chute employs a good mix of zone and pressure defenses to slow down and contain teams to low scoring contests. LC dealt with some injuries as a result of their football team's deep run in the playoffs, but should be considered a team that could make a deep run once again this postseason. If the Mustangs are able to find consistent ways to score the basketball through [player_tooltip player_id='3020705' first='Trevor' last='Verhagen'], [player_tooltip player_id='2501117' first='Cooper' last='Effa'], and [player_tooltip player_id='3020708' first='Henry' last='Knudsen'], they may find themselves rematched with Freedom for a third time in a Sectional Final once again this season. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Box Score</h2>   <p><strong>Freedom 62: </strong>Calhoon 2, Vandenberg 5, Garvey 3, Henkel 17, Jochimsen 13, Davis 20, J. Rueckl 2</p>   <p><strong>Little Chute 42: </strong>Verhagen 11, Knudsen 6, Peeters 2, Jansen 3, Joten 8, Effa 9</p>

I was in the gym for a North Eastern Conference rivalry game between the Freedom Irish, and the Little Chute Mustangs. A near sold out game, this game always has a lot of juice and energy due to the proximity of the two schools. Little Chute and Freedom are both dangerous teams to monitor as we head into postseason play in Wisconsin next week. Let's break down the players that stood out on Thursday and key takeaways from both ball clubs as we conclude the 25-26 regular season.