Nothing unlucky about No. 13 for Lions
Lions winning streak continues against Whitnall
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Eisenhower's Alex McRae moves the ball up court against pressure from Whitnall's Jake Lehmann during host Ike's 51-41 victory Jan. 15. Photo By Mary Catanese
New Berlin — Despite it being only mid-January, the New Berlin Eisenhower boys basketball team carries itself with a bit of a swagger, a demeanor fit for a conference championship-caliber team.
And why shouldn't the Lions? In a 51-41 home win over previously red-hot and second-place Whitnall, Eisenhower hit the big shots, grabbed the key rebounds and made the necessary defensive stops.
It's a recipe that has worked 13 times in 13 games for the unbeaten Lions (13-0 overall, 10-0 conference), who already hold a three-game lead in the Woodland Conference Black Division over both Whitnall (8-3, 7-3) and Wauwatosa West (8-4, 7-3).
"Thirteen straight is fantastic," said Eisenhower senior Zach Tranchita, who came up huge on both ends of the floor Friday. "This matchup to us was pretty much the beginning of our goal of a conference championship. We came out with a feeling that this was a must-win game, like they all are."
The Lions are on the verge of their fifth straight league title. Of the seven remaining conference games on their schedule, three are against teams with winning records, two of which - Wauwatosa West and Whitnall - Eisenhower has already defeated. A matchup with Blue Division-leading Pewaukee on Jan. 29 also looms large.
"All we think about is the group we've got of 16 kids," Eisenhower coach David Scheidegger said. "What's our chemistry like? What are our roles? What can we do to help this team? We just try to be the best that we can. Whatever that does with all the other things, great."
Putting the clamps on scorer
Tranchita played dual roles Friday before a near-capacity crowd. His was matched up with Whitnall senior William Pelkofer, the NOW area scoring leader who came into the game averaging nearly 25 points per contest. Tranchita hounded him all evening long and held him to 14 points on 5-of-17 shooting from the field and 3-of-8 from the free-throw line.
"I've been playing against Will for a long time, and I know he's a great player," Tranchita said. "I came in respecting his game but not being afraid of him. I came in with the mindset that I'm going to do my best not to let him score. When he scores, that team is at its best."
Scheidegger said he envisioned Tranchita drawing Pelkofer as far back as the summer.
"I saw Willy on tape and thought, 'Oh my goodness, the guy never stops moving,'" Scheidegger said. "I had all these different defenses and things planned but we never had to use them because Zach's a smart guy, the senior captain that he is."
Pelkofer may have been hurt
Whitnall coach Kent Kroupa said Pelkofer might have been playing with a concussion suffered during the first half.
"The way he played, I don't know if that had any affect on him or not," Kroupa said. "To be hit in the head, and he's had concussions before, it makes you react a little bit different. … I spoke to him a couple times and usually he's really attentive and looks me in the eyes when we communicate. (Friday) he was a little bit glassy-eyed. I didn't know if he was just really intense or what was going on."
Tranchita also picked up the slack on offense with seven baskets, mostly in the paint, to match Pelkofer's game-high 14 points.
Whitnall cut Eisenhower's lead to two at 32-30 midway through the third quarter, but the Falcons missed nine straight shots and key fastbreak baskets by the Lions' Keith Kahlfeldt and Tranchita in the fourth sealed the win.
Three days earlier, Eisenhower's Alex McRae made a school record eight 3-pointers en route to a game- and season-high 24 points to lead the Lions to a 69-43 win over visiting Greenfield.
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