When asked what he was most looking forward to this basketball season, boys varsity head coach Kevin Bavery was more excited for the ordinary moments than the extraordinary wins. 

“Personally I have so much fun in practice day to day,” Bavery said. “This group works really hard and they compete, yet they have personality. There are a lot of serious moments and a lot of light moments.”

The Middleton High School boys varsity basketball season is off to a great start. Their first game was on Dec. 1 at Memorial High School, featuring a strong matchup against the Memorial Spartans. 

Senior Gavyn Hurley led the team with 17 points in their big win against Memorial. Hurley, a 6-foot-6 12th grader, played a huge role in the late game, making three out of four foul shots to seal the win. Other top scorers were Will Garlock with 14 points and Kaden Fosdick, who racked up 12 points. Garlock, a 6-foot-10 sophomore, was a rebound machine as forward in his first varsity game. He was off to a strong start with a dunk early in the game. Fosdick, another 6-foot-6 12th grader, helped the team with his foul shots along with Hurley, going four for four at the free throw line. 

Coach Bavery felt that the team had a lot of strengths. 

“We have a lot of experience from a successful team last year, plus this group has a great work ethic. Many of the players have put a lot of time into their skills as well as their strength and conditioning,” said Bavery.

Middleton out-performed their opponent in terms of shooting and defense in the first half. Still, Memorial was able to slow down their offense with an effective press on defense in the second half. The Spartans started to pick up their offense and put points on the board consistently when it mattered, taking the lead 60-59.  

The Cardinals were able to hold off the Spartans with a final score of 71-64 in their first game of the 2022-2023 season. The win made a big statement in their conference, setting a tone for the season going forward. 

Middleton defeated the Sun Prairie East Cardinals in their second game of the season, with a score of 86-56.

The varsity team had their third game on Dec. 6 at Madison East High School. They were 2-0 coming in and feeling confident. 

Once again, Hurley led the team in scoring with 33 points. Middleton scored 49 points in the first half, but slowed down later in the game, scoring 32 points in the back half of the game. Madison East wasn’t able to put up points as consistently as the Cardinals, putting up just 26 points at half. 

Hurley carried the team to an 81-53 victory over Madison East. 

On Dec. 17, Middleton faced off with Janesville Parker. The Cardinals defeated Janesville with a score of 68-46. 

Currently, the Cardinals are ranked first in the Big Eight conference with a record of 4-0, but Bavery felt this rank gave the team little insight into what the season would hold for the team. 

“Each game is unique with different matchups and styles. Our key is to worry about preparing ourselves with what we do first, and then worry about our opponents second.” he said.

The Middleton Cardinals next opponent is Madison West, who they play on Tuesday, Dec. 20.