Posted: Feb. 8, 2010 |(0) Comments

Germantown — A couple of months ago, when he was assessing a tough loss, Germantown boys basketball coach Steve Showalter said he knew what he was getting with a talented but callow group of sophomores taking over for a battle-tested championship-winning unit.

His only concern was how long it would take for the sophomores, including his son, Zak, to figure things out.

Not long, it turned out, as the Warhawks haven't looked back since a big rally in December against Marquette, winning nine of their last 10 and continuing their remarkable second-half run through the North Shore Conference.

That run got two exclamation points last week including an impressive 65-49 rout of host Whitefish Bay on Feb. 2 and an imposing 71-48 demolition of Milwaukee Lutheran on Friday that put the surprising Warhawks in a tie for first.

"Like I said, I knew what I had in the sophomores," Showalter said. "Zak and Josh (Mongan) I've seen play since they were nine or 10 and they've won every game, every league, every tourney that they've been in, but then we got guys like (fellow sophomores) Joe Medley and Dan Studer to come in and develop, too."

"Am I surprised at this age? A little, but I knew they had a winner's mentality."

And even more surprising was the development of previously little used seniors like Jake Keefe (who has started the last three games), Jack Studer, and Jordan Infield.

"Jake has earned his time," Showalter said, "and (junior) Malcolm Bowers has been unbelievable defensively. Just a real pain to everyone he goes up against.

"As for Josh (Mongan), there isn't a point guard in the area I would trade him for."

The result is that Germantown has improved to 7-3 (13-5 overall), good for a tie with Port Washington (7-3, 13-3) and a game ahead of surging Nicolet and Homestead (6-4) in the wildly contentious North Shore.

Germantown will visit Cedarburg (4-6, 8-8) at 7:30 p.m. Friday.

"We're playing with real confidence right now," said Mongan, who combined with Zak Showalter to score 70 points in the two wins last week. "After the Homestead game (the only loss in this recent run) we knew that we couldn't lose games like that again - that we had to build on it and get stronger."

Overcoming adversity

And being stronger means dealing with adversity. With Zak Showalter sitting on the bench for much of the first half with two fouls, the Warhawks had to rely on other people and they came through.

A 15-13 deficit was turned into a 31-17 advantage by an 18-2 run and the team never looked back as four different people hit three-pointers.

"There was a point I thought about putting him back in," said coach Showalter of Zak, "but then everyone else started playing so well so I didn't have to."

Mongan had 18 points including eight-of-eight free throws while Zak Showalter was still able to collect 17 points and Keefe contributed 12, including two of the Warhawks' eight 3-pointers on the night.

The Feb. 2 win over Bay was sweet redemption for coach Showalter and the Warhawks, who had lost their last two to the Blue Dukes, including a drilling in December of a still-learning Germantown squad.

"We started 0-2 in conference," coach Showalter said, "... and now to be here shows me the kids' character and their willingness to learn and to work."

A little payback

Germantown turned the tables on Bay this night. Coach Showalter emphasized getting back on defense and getting good shots. The plan worked to perfection.

Mongan (game-high 18 points) hit three, 3-pointers in the first quarter as the Warhawks almost never trailed. It was 20-15 at period's end.

Bay got to within three on a John Johnston (11 points) 3-pointer, but then the Warhawks exercised their defensive muscle, holding the Blue Dukes to just two points over a seven-minute span in the second session as Germantown expanded the lead to 35-22.

The lead never got under five again.

"I looked at the tape of the first game (with Bay) until my eyes hurt," said coach Showalter. "… I just knew that if we were to have a hope tonight, that we had to get back on defense, sprint back if we had to."

Zak Showalter had 17 and Bowers had 10 for the Warhawks. Mongan and Zak Showalter combined for 15 assists on the night.

"We'd cut it down and then they'd build back up again," said Bay coach Kevin Lazovik. "We really didn't have an answer defensively."

"Everything is by committee now," coach Showalter said, "because we finally found some rotations. … It only took me 16 or 17 games to figure that out (laughs)."