Star juniors key undefeated Mustangs

Updated: Tuesday, 24 Jan 2012, 11:29 PM CST
Published : Tuesday, 24 Jan 2012, 9:05 PM CST

LITTLE CHUTE - The Little Chute boys are coming off a tough loss at state last year, where they left Madison after losing in the semifinals. You could say they’ve bounced back well.

"If anybody's going to knock us off, they're going to have to play a pretty good game,” said Mustangs head coach Mickey Martin.

So far, nobody’s played a good enough game. Little Chute is undefeated, ranked first in the FOX 11 Top 11, and staring at the prospect of a perfect regular season record.

"We know we're undefeated, obviously,” said junior forward Turner Botz. “We know we're the number one ranked team in the state, when it's time to step on the floor, we know we have to prove ourselves every game."

While Little Chute stresses a team effort, especially on defense, three stars stand out: big-guy Kenneth Lowe, sharp-shooting Mitch Ciske, and all-around talent Turner Botz. Conference foes and future opponents might be ready for these guys to graduate, but they’ll have to wait: all three are juniors.

"We know the best parts of each other's games, we just feed off each other, help each other get better," said Ciske, a guard.

While Botz, Lowe and Ciske all point to the seniors as key leaders on the team, the juniors' contribution is undeniable: the three players combine for over 2/3 of Little Chute’s scoring, over half the team’s rebounds, and nearly 90% of the blocked shots.

With those three players, a top ranking, and a shot at perfection, the Mustangs don’t worry about losing focus on the next game.

"Just keep our heads straight on, don't get too big headed, don't underestimate some teams, go on and play our best,” said Lowe, a forward.

The goal, for Little Chute, is to make it back to the Kohl Center, and not leave empty-handed.

“Everyone knows our number one goal,” said Botz. “It kind of goes unsaid, we just have to keep working hard and see where it takes us."

Little Chute puts their undefeated record on the line Friday night at Berlin.