On March 9, the Middleton Cardinals boys’ basketball team finished their season on a low note, losing to Milwaukee Hamilton in the third round of the playoffs. However, they have only a bright future as they continue moving forward. They finished with a record of 25-2. They were 17-0 earlier in the season, and they lost their perfect record by falling just short of Lafollette in overtime.

Middleton was 19-0 in their conference, the highest in The Big Eight Conference’s history. They were named conference and regional champions, putting them at the number two seed for the playoffs. 

The Middleton offense averaged 67.6 points per game, which is the third highest in their conference. They only allowed an average of 53.4 points a game to their opponent, which is the second lowest in the Big Eight. 

Senior Gavin Hurley finished his outstanding high school basketball career with 1004 points, the third highest in Middleton history. Additionally, he ended with 190 career assists and 432 rebounds. 

Senior Kaden Fosdick was just behind Hurley in almost every category this season. Fosdick finished his high school career with 352 career rebounds and 212 assists. 

“It was an extraordinary season,” said Head Coach Kevin Bavery. “Even as coaches there were many moments of fandom for us, both in practices as well as in games.”

Senior night was a special time for parents, coaches, and fans to recognize these players and their impact on the team. The team will lose six seniors: Will Comerford, Owen Cooney, Parker Huff, Kaden Fosdick, Gavyn Hurley and Joe Schwartz. Bavery believes that all the seniors “led by example, by voice, by mentorship, and by effort.” Seniors made up four of the top five scorers for the Cardinals this season. Despite the loss of these key players, the future is looking positive.

“The Cardinals will have three players returning with extensive experience from this season,” Bavery said.

Looking forward, the team has the potential to dominate their conference the next few years. Bavery has multiple underclassmen in mind that he believes will step up and help the team move forward into the next season. 

Bavery specifically mentioned freshman Isaiah Oliver who “plays at a tremendous pace and with great energy at both ends of the court,” according to Bavery.

If Oliver continues to make gains, Bavery believes the Cardinals will pose a challenge to other top teams in their conference. 

“He has a stellar work ethic, not only in putting in time but in being efficient with that time,” said Bavery.

Bavery also mentioned sophomore Will Garlock’s hard work during the season. 

“[His] improvement from his freshman to his sophomore season was as big as I’ve ever seen,” said Bavery. 

Bavery described Garlock as humble, hard working, and having a tremendous skill set. He also believes Garlock “has a chance to lead this team to great things while opening up opportunities for himself to play at the highest level down the road.” 

Even though the team had a strong lineup and a near perfect record, they were bounced out of the playoffs by Milwaukee Hamilton. 

“The hardest part of any season is simply when it ends,” said Bavery. “For basketball there is only one team in each division that doesn’t have that happen with a loss, but even for them it’s always tough for it to end. The game was not about making plays, or winning, it was about taking a four month journey with a great group of teammates. It happens so fast, you do not even realize that this group will not play with each other again.”

That’s a wrap for the 2022-2023 boys’ basketball season. The Middleton Cardinals will return to action in December for their 2023-2024 season.