Travis Houslet / Daily Register
Portage's Kevin Hurd puts up a shot in a game last season against Reedsburg. Hurd and the Warriors open conference play tonight against Sauk Prairie.

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BOYS BASKETBALL ROUNDUP: Warriors open strong against Orioles

The Portage boys basketball team had a successful season opener, beating the host North Fond du Lac Orioles, 69-56 on Tuesday night in Fond du Lac.

The way practice ended Thursday night spoke volumes of the team's personality.

Portage's boys basketball team just finished a quiet, serious round of free-throw drills before wrapping up practice with another installment of ‘Throwdown Thursdays,' where those who can dunk do, and those who can't, well they give it their best shot.

First Greg Koch dunked, then John Loomans. Then Darrell Anderson threw down a reverse dunk and took an alley-oop from Tyler Olson, much to the delight of his teammates.

"Who says I can't (dunk)?" asked junior point guard Kevin Hurd.

"I do," Portage coach Dennis Bradley quipped.

It was a fun and energetic end to an intense practice. It's the type of atmosphere that suits the 2008-09 Warriors; a group desperately wanting to improve upon last season's underachieving performance while keeping a balance of fierce competition and fun.

"There's a lot of fun guys to be around on the team. We have our moments," Hurd said. "But I think when it comes down to it, everybody knows when to play, when to get in the game and when to makes some laughs and stuff. Because high school sports are all about memories, you know. But you're gonna have better memories if you're on a successful team."

There are a number of factors that will determine if Portage's season is successful.

The Warriors boast an extremely experienced team, with Hurd, Loomans, Koch, Anderson and junior Tyler Olson all logging significant minutes last season. Hurd, in particular, has run the point for the Warriors since his freshmen year.

"I think (having experience is) gonna be really good, especially in the games further down the road when it really gets down to the line and we really (need) a win," Loomans said. "And having people with more experience is gonna be a lot nicer because you're gonna have more confidence."

Loomans led the team - and was third in the Badger North - with 15.4 points per game last season. Hurd averaged 15.3 and enters this season third in program history with 277 assists. Only Brent Vogelsang (299) and Daniel Harkins (333) are ahead of him on the list, meaning Hurd needs just 57 assists to become the program's all-time assist leader.

"They were pretty committed to what we did this summer," said Bradley of Portage's play in the UW-Baraboo, where the Warriors Black Team took first place. "We played 35 games this summer and we had our contact days where we actually practiced and we took a UP trip together. So we're a veteran group, we really are."

Another key for Portage is utilizing that experience to improve its defense.

Portage gave up an average of 60 points per game last season, allowing opponents to shoot almost 50 percent from the floor. Those are marks Bradley said must come down if his team is to be successful. The Warriors will rely heavily on their man-to-man defense, but don't be surprised to see the Warriors switch to a zone set or full-court press should the right situation come along.

Replacing graduated post players Dan Swanson and Kasi Schroeder is another key.

Bradley said he feels the team is bigger overall this season - the Warriors have six players on their roster listed at 6-foot-4 - but Portage really plans to use its running game in order to offset the loss of those big bodies.

"We're stretching little things out and we're just gonna run faster and stuff like that," Loomans said.

Loomans saw some of that in the Warriors 69-56 season-opening victory Tuesday night at North Fon du Lac: "It was really nice. We pushed the ball, we really worked it hard inside.

"Yeah we're just gonna be driving it like crazy, I guess. Taking it to the rim, I don't know, our goal is to shoot more free throws, so we're gonna try drawing some more fouls."

Portage won just three games in the Northern Badger last season and the Conference looks to be just as tough this season. Waunakee, which went 20-0 in the 2007-08 regular season, is the clear-cut Conference favorite, followed by DeForest, Reedsburg and Baraboo.

"It's a league where, if you sleep at all, there's just really no weaknesses," Bradley said. "We think we can compete at the top half of the league, we really do. I don't think too many people actually believe that we'll be able to accomplish that. But we think we can and that's what we're shooting for."

Bradley said there are a host of first-year varsity players or returning varsity players that didn't see too much playing time last season that should contribute right away this season, adding this year's team is significantly deeper than last year's.

"Michael Bain played a little bit last year but he's in the starting lineup right now and he played very well the other night," Bradley said. "Kasi Schroeder's a sophomore and he auditioned all summer and has proven that he can play at this level and he played very well all summer. Ben Boeck and John Regalia I mentioned earlier, 6-4 kids that are coming up from the JV and are both hustling, scrappy kids that really will mix it up."

Portage opens its home slate at 7:30 p.m. tonight when it hosts Sauk Prairie.

And while the Warriors are anxious for a better season than their last, they're also making sure there isn't too much anxiety going around.

"They know what's right and what they shouldn't be doing, when it's time to be a little bit looser and when it's time to be pretty serious. So it's a pretty mature group," Bradley said. "And it's supposed to be fun for them and it's supposed to be a memorable experience. So who knows, that little Throwdown Thursday thing, where they line up and touch the rim or try to dunk or whatever it is, they talk about that. They talk about that almost as much as they do anything else. ... And I suppose some people might consider that to be a lack of control or a lack of discipline, but hey, you're only in high school once. And the season is very short and their aren't that many games. Hey, have fun. Have fun with your friends and that's what we're gonna encourage them to do."

kmorales@capitalnewspapers.com

745-3512