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Only the best basketball teams in Wisconsin advance to compete at Kohl Center for the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association State Tournament each year. The Madison Memorial Spartans have advanced to the Kohl Center for the past six years, and that's something that should make the Memorial basketball community very proud.
Last year the Spartans fell to the Wauwatosa East Red Raiders 58-56 in a very exhilarating overtime game. After that loss, forward Jeronne Maymon made a promise to everyone that next year, as a senior, he would come home with the gold ball.
Fan involvement
The Spartans started this year's Division 1 tournament with a win over the Germantown Warhawks. Germantown came into this game with a 21-2 record and had a formidable front line including 6 foot, 8-inch seniors Michael Laubenheimer and University of Loyola recruit Ben Averkamp.
As the two teams were getting ready for the jump ball, Memorial students started chanting, "Take it off! Take it off!"
This could mean only one thing, a fake-out. Memorial students came to the Kohl Center wearing all black for a black-out game, but as the chant started the crowd took off their black clothing and the section became a sea of white.
And it begins
With the action in the stands, the Memorial players came out of the gates with a vengeance. Junior Tre Creamer started off the game with 12 points in the first quarter, leading Memorial to a 17-9 lead.
Memorial and Germantown are known around the state for their up-tempo games, but it was clear that Memorial's speed was quicker than Germantown's, with the Spartans consistently beating Germantown down the court for easy buckets.
When the second quarter rolled around, it was time for Memorial junior Vander Blue to get started. Blue, who has verbally committed to the University of Wisconsin, wasn't able to get any momentum in the first quarter, but he came to play in the remaining quarters finishing with 35 points, including four monstrous dunks.
Blue's big game led to a fairly easy 86-73 victory for the Spartans. Germantown never got within six points of the lead after halftime. Maymon had a solid stat line with 11 points, nine rebounds and seven assists as the Spartans moved on to play the undefeated Pirates of Bay Port (Green Bay) in the state semifinals.
Spartans in the semifinals
The second round was far different for the Spartans. Memorial came out sluggish, and the team amassed 21 turnovers for the game. Despite the turnovers, the team led 41- 32 going into the fourth quarter.
While the game was close entering the fourth, Memorial fans thought the Spartans were going to pull this game out easily. But that wasn't the case. Bay Port came storming back, ending the game on an 8-0 run to tie the game at 50 at the end of regulation.
The overtime period was a back and fourth affair, with each team trading baskets for a while. The turning point came when Blue blocked a three-point attempt from Bay Port senior Jake Hottenstine, which turned into points for Memorial on the other end.
A key factor in Memorial's win was consistent free throw shooting. The Spartans were 14-18 from the line, and Maymon who went 6-of-6 in overtime. It was a draining game for the Spartans, but they knew they could not rest with only one more game left in the season. They would next face the Rebels of Racine Horlick (Racine) - and the state's No. 2 prospect in Jamil Wilson - for the championship.
Championship game
This game had a ton of hype surrounding it, especially the matchup of the state's No. 1 player Maymon against the No. 2 Wilson. Memorial definitely came into this game looking to avenge its loss in the state championship last year. The game started off slowly, with mistakes on the first few possessions for both teams. But the rest of the first half, Memorial was head and shoulders better than Horlick.
In the second quarter, Blue threw down a monstrous dunk to improve Memorial's lead to 23-5. The first half went from bad to worse for Racine when Wilson picked up his fourth foul with 1:12 left in the half. Wilson's first half consisted of more fouls and turnovers than points, not something you would expect from a Oregon recruit.
For Memorial fans, things couldn't be better going into halftime. No substantial foul trouble for the Spartans, Racine shot 20 percent from the field (5-25), including 0-11 on threes. At the half, Racine Horlick had only managed 11 points, the same amount that Maymon put up in the period.
The Maymon and Blue show continued in the second half. When coach Collins pulled his two starters in the final minutes, the duo accounted for 44 of the team's 56 points.
Racine never really threatened the way most people thought that they would. When the clock hit triple zeros, Memorial had won it second title in six years defeating Racine Horlick 56-41.
Senior guard Russell Henderson said it best, "This is the best feeling in the world."
Showing spirit
In the final minute of the game, Memorial students had a special surprise saved for the fans in attendance. When senior guard Freddie Ringhand gave the signal from the bench, students in the front row took off all of their Spartan pride to reveal their special "Gold Ball T-shirts" to celebrate the Spartans winning the state championship.
Eric Lutz and Zachary E. Blumenfeld are seniors at Madison Memorial High School. Talk with Zack on his profile about this story.
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