It was billed as the biggest game of the year 2020 in high school hoops, and the game delivered on all the hype.
#3 Madison La Follette stayed undefeated with a win over #2 Sun Prairie on Tuesday night, 83-76.
After a back-and-forth opening 14 minutes in which La Follette and Sun Prairie traded several leads, the Lancers went on a 9-2 run to close out the first half, going into the locker room with a 40-31 lead behind 12 first-half points from Ben Probst.
In the second half, La Follette never allowed the Cardinals within fewer than four points, despite some big play from the Cardinals' talented trio of Colin Shaefer (game-high 20 points), Delaware Hale (19), and Ben Olson (15). Those three players scored 31 of their 55 total points in the second half to try to pull Sun Prairie back in front, coupled with a strong second-half performance from Deante Luster (13 points, 11 in the second half).
The Lancers got it done with steady, heady play from their seniors, with four of their five senior starters reaching double figures on the night. Derek Gray scored 13 of his team-high 19 points in the second half, while Isaiah Stewart notched a dozen second-half points of his own en route to 17 points on the night. Ben Probst and Dakovin Prather each had 14 as well for the Lancers, who improved to 8-0 on the season and 6-0 in the Big 8.
La Follette will play at Verona later this week, part of their long road trip in the middle of the season, while Sun Prairie, now 7-1 overall and 5-1 in the Big 8, will head to #5 Madison East on Friday night in yet another huge Big 8 showdown.
LA FOLLETTE (8-0, 6-0): Derek Gray 19, Isaiah Stewart 17, Ben Probst 14, Dakovin Prather 14, Juok Riak 8, David Gray 7, Cyrs Lashore 2
SUN PRAIRIE (7-1, 5-1): Colin Schaefer 20, Delaware Hale 19, Ben Olson 15, Deante Luster 13, Addison Ostrenga 8, Connor Carpenter 1