Top Performances and Results- Slam at the Dam Pt. 2

I was able to attend the annual Slam at the Dam one day showcase at the Beaver Dam Fieldhouse on Saturday. The Slam at the Dam featured several ranked players in our most recent Prep Hoops Rankings and several top ten teams across the five divisions in Wisconsin. This article highlights top performers and the results of the last three games. Let's break down the guys who stood out for their respected teams.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Top Performers </h2>    A multi-year performer for head coach Alex Lavine, Palm in Saturday's game became Slinger's 5th all time leading scorer with 895 points. Palm can be overshadowed scoring wise by the dynamic duo in Jack and [player_tooltip player_id='2398448' first='Joey' last='Kohnen'], but he does a lot of great things for Slinger. Palm, in their game against Waupun, was in passing lanes and generating live ball turnovers to convert easy transition points. Brett had 14 of his 17 points in the second half including two triples from well beyond the arc. He is a terrific perimeter shooter as he finished with three triples in this game, and is shooting 40% from downtown on the year. I was very impressed with Palm's ability step up with a starter down as [player_tooltip player_id='2398448' first='Joey' last='Kohnen'] missed the game with a minor foot injury. Palm plays an important role as a two-way three and d player for Slinger who has aspirations to hoist the gold ball in Madison later on in March.     [player_tooltip player_id='2351190' first='Jack' last='Kohnen'] was dominant against a much smaller Waupun squad in the Beaver Dam Fieldhouse on Saturday. The long, physical wing prospect did his best Giannis impression scoring several times with ease at the rim downhill and off of post touches. Kohnen had nine made baskets within three feet of the basket and was unstoppable when getting to this spot. Jack finished the game 24 points despite not playing the last seven minutes of the matchup. Kohnen continues to hear from power five programs across the country due to his size, athleticism, and ability to score the basketball at all three levels. Kohnen and the Owls still need to beat West Bend East and Grafton to secure a North Shore conference championship after dropping a nail biter to Nicolet last Thursday. Slinger will get one final challenge against the Trojans of Tosa West next week, as a final tune-up for a probable prolonged playoff run in Division 2.     Waupun has a bit of a rebuilding season and will be searching for a new head coach this off-season, but Finn was a bright spot for the Warriors on Saturday. Katzenberger is a left handed wing prospect that has improved each season for Waupun. He is able to operate out of the mid-post, off the bounce, and is very capable of knocking down perimeter three point shots. In their game on Saturday against a talented Slinger team, Finn was able to finish through contact over longer defenders. Katzenberger is at his best when he can get to his left hand and use his advanced footwork to finish. He did this several times on Saturday, and finished with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Katzenberger is part of a young core that includes [player_tooltip player_id='3022773' first='Owen' last='Kloosterboer'], [player_tooltip player_id='2918905' first='Sutton' last='Nelson'], and [player_tooltip player_id='3476038' first='Elijah' last='Ewerdt'] that could help get Waupun back on track this season, and heading into 26-27 season.     Calhoon may not be the tallest player on the floor for Freedom, but he makes up with it with his strength, quickness, and relentless motor. Cal plays an important role for the Irish as a secondary ball and sometimes, primary ball handler when teams deny [player_tooltip player_id='1847792' first='Donovan' last='Davis'] the basketball. Calhoon is shifty with his quick crossover and can blow by defenders on straight line drives. Cal was able to get to the rim and finish several times, despite Lakeside Lutheran's bigger guards defending on the backside. Calhoon had 10 in Saturday's game, and averages 9.4ppg on the season. He is not only able to create shots for the Irish, but he typically guards the other teams best perimeter player. Oftentimes you will see Calhoon harassing the other team's primary guard the full 84 feet, all 36 minutes. Cal is a critical piece for the Irish, as they wrap up their NEC title defense and quest to play in the state tournament in back to back seasons.     [player_tooltip player_id='1847792' first='Donovan' last='Davis'] defines the word consistent for head coach Andrew Gibbons. The 6-foot-8 ultra talented junior matched up against Minnesota-Duluth commit [player_tooltip player_id='2025184' first='Wes' last='Rahn'] and was extremely efficient. Davis finished with 28 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 steals, and was 12 out of 13 from the free throw line for the Irish. Donovan was outstanding attacking in space downhill, operating out of the post, and electric in transition finishing and finding his teammates. This was one of the more impressive games I have seen from Davis, who has several division 1 offers, as he dominated from the tip in all aspects of the game. Donovan is a must-watch prospect to go out and see in person before his high school career concludes next school year. Things are setting up for Freedom to take on the undefeated Seymour Thunder in what could be the best sectional semifinal in division three.     Jimenez is part of a senior trio for Lakeside Lutheran that accounts for 75% of the Warrior scoring. Jimenez is a beneficiary of getting kickout threes on drives and double teams in the post. Brecken does not squander these opportunities and was on fire in the game against Freedom on Satuday. The six-foot-five senior wing hit five threes to keep Lakeside in the game. Jimenez has a quick and high release and is able to knock down triples even when they are highly contested. Jimenez does a great job on the defensive end as he is able to physically wall off defenders and secure defensive rebounds. Brecken plays a crucial role for Todd Jahns' team as they look to avenge their two losses to crosstown rival Lake Mills, later on in the division three playoffs.     Wittnebel is rapidly raising his stock with his strong scoring performances in the absence of mainstay [player_tooltip player_id='2496335' first='Parker' last='Blank'] for the Golden Beavers. The super sophomore is a gym rat and it shows with the strength he has added to his frame this season. Wittnebel elevates high on all of his jumpers rising over defenders to knock down perimeter jump shots. When Ben is not knocking down triples, the 6-foot-6 prospect uses shimmies and a jab series to get to his spot in the midrange. Oftentimes you will see Wittnebel rise up to drain a sweet 1-2 pullup in transition and in the halfcourt. Ben was effective for Beaver Dam getting to basket off of baseline rips, that deadly pull-up jumper, and staying active on the offensive glass. Wittnebel finished with 14 points for a balanced Beaver Dam squad as they came out victorious against a solid Monroe team. Wittnebel should start to generate interest from schools as he matures with age and physical strength. Circle Wittnebel as a sophomore you need to see the rest of this year and heading into this spring and summer.     Salettel recently gave Concordia Wisconsin a commitment to continue his athletic and academic career with the Falcons. Salettel is a four year varsity performer for long time head coach Tim Ladron at Beaver Dam. EJ follows the lineage of great guards to come out of the program, going well over 1000 points, and leading the Beavers in scoring this season. Salettel is averaging 21.4ppg, 5.1rebs, and 3.1apg per game and is making a case to be the player of the year in the Badger Large Conference for a talented team that is contending for a conference championship. He is extremely smooth downhill in their dribble drive system and can finish well off of two feet. Salettel has a diverse skillset as he is able to score out of the post, off catch and shoot 3s, from the midrange, and in transition. EJ is very good at getting to his spot and scores with ease. Beaver Dam will need Salettel to continue his productive scoring, as the Beavers have big goals to finish off their conference title hopes, and make a deep run in March.     Ladron does not put up eye popping numbers offensively by any means, but does all of the little things for Beaver Dam. Ladron is the son of head coach Tim Ladron, and was impressive in their 65-55 win on Saturday night. Jaxon was active on the ball and in passing lanes forcing Monroe into live on-ball turnovers. Ladron was able to limit to [player_tooltip player_id='2610603' first='Mekhi' last='Brown'] to four second half points, despite Brown leading the Cheesemakers in scoring at the intermission. Jaxon flies around the floor on loose balls, takes charges, and makes the extra pass to his teammates. He also propelled the Beavers to a lengthy second half run, canning two threes and finishing the game with 10 points. Ladron is Beaver Dam's glue guy, averaging 6.2ppg, 4.4rpg, 4.7apg, and 1.5spg.     Taylor is a physical and skilled wing prospect for the Cheesemakers. Logan has been steady for Monroe all season with his ability to score at all three levels and create mismatches in the halfcourt. Taylor is averaging 17.0ppg, 4.8rpg and shooting a ridiculous 50.6% from 3 on 87 attempts. Taylor did a majority of his damage in the second half scoring off the bounce, in high low post touches, and at the line tallying 11 points after the halftime break. The 6-foot-4 senior finished the game with 15 points and kept his team within striking distance against a great Beaver Dam team. Taylor and his counterpart [player_tooltip player_id='2610603' first='Mekhi' last='Brown'] could put some teams on notice in their sectional later on in March with their ability to score the basketball efficiently.     [player_tooltip player_id='2610603' first='Mekhi' last='Brown'] balanced out [player_tooltip player_id='2541076' first='Logan' last='Taylor']'s second half performance with his efforts in the first half for Monroe. Brown had a quick nine points to get his team out to the races early against the Beavers in the last game of the day. Mekhi is lightning quick offensively, but is rarely out of control with the basketball. He is able to get low in his stance and use veer dribbles to limit his turnovers and set up his teammates in transition. I was most impressed with Brown's ability to utilize his shifty crossover and quick first step to get downhill all the way to the rim and pull-up from behind the arc. Brown finished with 13 points on the night, and has a lot of desirable traits to his game. You could constantly hear Brown pick up his teammates after a mistake, and command Monroe's dribble drive attack in the half court. Head Coach Brian Bassett has done a great job with his program once again this season, and has developed Brown into one of the premier lead guards in the Rock Valley conference.    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Results</h2>   Game #4- Slinger 87, Waupun 55.   Game #5- Freedom 71, Lakeside Lutheran 55   Game #6- Beaver Dam 65, Monroe 55.

I was able to attend the annual Slam at the Dam one day showcase at the Beaver Dam Fieldhouse on Saturday. The Slam at the Dam featured several ranked players in our most recent Prep Hoops Rankings and several top ten teams across the five divisions in Wisconsin. This article highlights top performers and the results of the last three games. Let's break down the guys who stood out for their respected teams.