By Adam Roberts – 12/16/2020
It might be a surprise to some in the Coulee Region, but it’s no surprise to the community of Tomah that the Timberwolf boys are one of the upstart teams in Wisconsin high school basketball this season.
Tomah first-year head coach Jeff Brieske has himself a juggernaut to begin his tenure at the position, and last night the T-Wolves once again took care of business 61-24 over Sparta to improve to 6-0. Tomah has dispatched teams it should beat to start the year, but one look at how the team plays shows that their undefeated start is not just because of an easy schedule. Their offense failed to score 70 for the first time this season last night, and is averaging 72 points per game even with last night’s 61-point performance. The Timberwolves are long, averaging 6’2″ per player, and they aggressively get after the ball on defense. Last night against the Spartans, 6’6″ senior center Zander Williams had himself four blocked shots to go along with 8 points and 13 rebounds. As a team, they got 10 ball swats and forced 13 Spartan turnovers.
Between established players like Williams, Kade Gnewikow, Carson Lindauer, and Justin Gerke, and the junior class led by leading scorer Dustin Derousseau, Tomah will be a force to be reckoned with in the MVC this year, and even perennial contenders La Crosse Central and Onalaska will need to take heed of the Timberwolves this season. Tomah next faces a good 3-1 Mauston team Friday night which should provide the first real test for this roster.