After losing in an overtime thriller last week at home against Marquette University, Brookfield East was looking to regain their domestic momentum against a struggling Menomonee Falls side.

It was Parent Night, as the brave heroes of many of the Spartan players received their recognition for all that they must endure so that their children can wear the honorable Brookfield East jersey. Coming into the match, it was quite obvious who the favorites were: Brookfield East. Menomonee Falls knew this, and they came with the right attitude.

At the start of the game, both offenses were suppressed by the intense defenses. Shots did not start to fall until about five minutes into the match. The tenacious efforts by the Falls defenders clearly indicated that they were not going to let their record degrade how much effort they were going to play with.

The Spartans were surprised that their offense was not functioning the way they wanted it to. Menomonee Falls was forcing a number of turnovers from the poor passing of the Spartans.

Playing rather sloppily, the score stayed level for the majority of the first half. At halftime, it was 24-28 with the Spartans ahead. Based on the differences in how the teams played in the second half, it was quite clear that the coaching staffs developed new manners of executing on offense and playing tight defense.

In the early stages of the second half, Riley LeTourneau (12) started to heat up as he asserted is dominance in the post. The Spartans knew that they could rely on him for easy baskets down at the block or in the paint, as they have all season.

Even though LeTourneau was generating points down low, Menomonee Falls was refusing to let the Spartans pull away. Menomonee Falls Ricky Price III (12) was nailing three pointers left and right, which gave the team hopes that they could possibly come up with a victory.

However, Brookfield East’s speedsters Sam McGath and Hayden Doyle helped LeTourneau in his efforts through a number of three pointers and fantastic plays at the post.

By the time there were only about 5 minutes remaining, the Spartans had a comfortable 10 point lead to provide little hope to the Falls side.

Late in the game, the Spartans started making uncharacteristic mistakes. A few turnovers here and there caused a little excitement for the Falls fans and some clock-checking from the Brookfield East supporters.

Fortunately, the Spartans maintained their lead for the rest of the game and defeated Menomonee Falls 56-68, securing a much-needed win to maintain their excellence in the Greater Metro Conference.

In the end, Brookfield East improves to 10-4 in conference and 15-4 overall whereas Menomonee Falls worsens to 2-12 in conference and 6-14 overall.

The Spartans next matchup at home is on Friday, February 22nd, against the top-of-the-standings powerhouse, Sussex Hamilton. With Sussex Hamilton currently on a 14 game winning streak, the Brookfield East will certainly have to play at the top of their game if they want to win.

Player of the Game

• Riley LeTourneau- Brookfield East (23 points)

Other Notable Performances

• Hayden Doyle (10) – Brookfield East (17 points)
• Sam McGath (11) – Brookfield East (16 points)
• Ricky Price III – Menomonee Falls (13 points)
• Colton Smith (10) – Menomonee Falls (11 points)
• Steven Clay (9) – Menomonee Falls (11 points