Sports Wrapups: Dec. 6

Homestead boys basketball

The Highlanders got 14 points apiece from Jake Laihinen and James Reilly as they pulled off their third win in as many tries this season with a 64-55 decision over Milwaukee Washington in the Terry Porter Classic at Milwaukee South on Saturday.

Homestead outscored the Purgolders in each of the first three quarters and won despite Washington hitting 19 of 32 free throws as opposed to just 13 of 19 for the Highlanders. Luke Worthington had nine points and LaMonte Bearden and Jaylen Key eight apiece for Homestead.

The Highlanders now host the NY2LA Classic on Saturday in both the field house and the old gym. On the girls side, Oak Creek plays West Allis Central at 2:45 p.m. while DSHA tackles defending state champion Nicolet at 4:30 p.m.; Dominican goes against New Berlin West at 6:15 p.m., and Racine Case plays Beaver Dam at 8 p.m.

For the boys, West Allis Central plays Nicolet at 2:45 p.m.; Wisconsin Lutheran plays Wauwatosa East at 4:30 p.m.; the Highlanders take on Brookfield Central at 6:15 p.m., and Germantown tackles Dominican at 8 p.m.

Homestead wrestling

Ernie Millard is back for his third stint as head coach for the Highlanders, and he couldn't be happier.

Millard, who coached Homestead from 1990-96 and again from 2001-2006, inherits a young team with some talent. It went 4-1 in the Lomira Duals on Saturday.

The Highlanders will build around senior 195-pounder Antoine Easterling, sophomore 170-pounder Nick Pierret and junior 138-pounder Jake Miller, senior Mensah Amuzu at 220. Others expected to help include junior 145-pounder Alec Nagle and freshman 106-pounder Jacob Sanner.

"We have a fair number of seniors," Millard said, "but not a lot of them who have wrestled varsity before."

In the tournament, Easterling went 5-0 while Miller was 4-1 and Pierret was 3-2. Homestead beat Cedar Grove (47-39), Ripon (54-27), Berlin (49-24) and a combined reserve team (60-6). They lost to the host Lions, 54-21.

Millard said he liked the team's aggressiveness. He will be working with assistants Jeremy Boehlke and Neal Fortier.

He said he's having fun.

"I never lost my desire (to coach wrestling)," he said. "I'm having a blast being back in the room. … We're getting comfortably 30 guys to practice everyday. It's a young team but a great group of guys and we're going to get nothing but better."

The Highlanders are at the New Berlin Invitational on Saturday.

Homestead boys swim

With huge graduation losses to accommodate and two-time state place-winning sophomore Nicholas Petersen actively seeking to improve his chances in qualifying for the Olympic trials next year, it's going to be an interesting year for the defending North Shore Conference champions.

"We have 45 boys out, but we're very young," coach Mark Gwidt said, "but give us some time, we'll mold them into shape. … We're just very green and we're still figuring out what we're good at yet."

The Highlanders, who will take part in the North Shore Conference Relays at Grafton on Friday, will build around senior Gordie Goetz (sprint freestyle), and juniors Drew Miller (freestyle) and Michael Foulkes (freestyle and backstroke).

Homestead lost a dual meet to Nicolet on Nov. 29.

"I thought we raced well," Gwidt said. "We had a fair number of best times and we won the freestyle relays."

Shorewood boys basketball

The opening week made Greyhounds coach Phil Jones reach for his Pepto-Bismol more than once, as the Greyhounds survived a 51-50 decision over University School in their opener Nov. 30 and then lost 63-62 in overtime to Greendale on Friday in their Woodland Conference opener.

"We missed a number of free throws down the stretch and there were a couple of calls that didn't go our way," Jones said of the Greendale defeat.

The 1-1 Greyhounds hosted New Berlin Eisenhower on Tuesday and are at Wauwatosa West on Friday in another pair of Woodland tilts.

"Our overall effort has been better," Jones said. "The kids are playing hard. In my understanding, there are two kinds of basketball players out there. Those who can play organized ball well and those who can play street ball well. The best ones can do both."

In the loss to Greendale, the Greyhounds had a lead late in regulation, but a Panthers player was fouled on a 3-point try and hit all three free throws to force overtime. Then after a Greyhounds player didn't get a late call on what Jones thought was an obvious foul on the Panthers, Greendale's Jacob Sisler raced down and hit a 17-foot jump shot for the game-winner with just 1.5 seconds remaining.

Several Shorewood players fouled out in the game as Deion Jackson-Body and Aaron Bailey had 19 points apiece for the Greyhounds. Shorewood was only 16 of 29 from the foul line in the game

In the win over University School, the Greyhounds had control for much of the game but let the Wildcats back in with a series of ill-advised shots and bad passes late in the contest. Again, the foul line proved to be a problem as Shorewood hit only five of 17 charity tosses.

USM missed a late shot and then Shorewood was effectively able to run out the clock.

Jackson-Body had 14 points and Donovan Freeman 12 to lead the Greyhounds while Kejuan Glosson had nine and Bobby Kohl and Bailey contributed eight apiece.

Brown Deer girls basketball

Despite their youth and inexperience, the Falcons won their season opener with a 55-45 decision over Milwaukee Madison on Nov. 30.

Brown Deer, which dropped a 65-31 decision to Cudahy in its Woodland Conference lid-lifter on Friday, hosts St. Thomas More on Friday.

"I thought we handled the ball fairly well and we got to the free throw line (against Madison)," Falcons coach Steve Reinhardt said. "… The first game is really important, especially for us, because we have only two juniors (on varsity) and the rest are freshmen and sophomores."

"… I was a little concerned about the Cudahy game because as soon as went down a bit, our heads went down, too. That game we just had too many turnovers."

It was 36-20 at the half in the Cudahy game as Jasalyn Lee had 10 points and Imani Stingley seven for the Falcons.

In the win over Madison, the Falcons outscored the Knights in each of the first three quarters and carried a 42-30 lead going into the final stanza. Allison Laurent had 13 points for the Falcons while Stingley had nine, Kendall Laurent eight and Sabrina Wimmer seven.

Reinhardt praised Allison Laurent for her work ethic and hustle.

"We're going to concentrate on getting a little better everyday," Reinhardt said, "because this group has some potential down the road. We're starting to understand each other a little more and that's helping."

- Steven L. Tietz