Congratulations to Lila Posthuma on becoming the fifth player in Prescott girls’ basketball history to score 1,000 points in their career. The Bradley University Recruit scored 21 points in the Cardinals’ 44-37 victory over Baldwin-Woodville. The win moves the Cardinals into a three-way tie for first place along with Baldwin-Woodville and Ellsworth who all enter the weekend with 4-1 conference records. Posthuma has now scored 1,013 career points and continues to pile up impressive rebound numbers. Additionally and perhaps most importantly, the Cardinal senior serves as a reminder to all young aspiring Prescott athletes and adult fans that remarkable athletic accomplishments can be achieved with modesty, decorum, selflessness, civility and class. Brava Lila Posthuma on not only being an excellent basketball player, but also a tremendous role model for young people and an easy athlete to root for. 

Hats off to Prescott Cardinal wrestler Nolan Thomley for winning the New Richmond Invitational last weekend. Thomley bested Cayden Paulson of Clear Lake in the title match by a score of 3-1 and improved to 21-5 on the season. Heading into the weekend Wisconsin Grappler had the Cardinal senior ranked #8 in the 150-pound weight class in Division 2. Chances are the talented Thomley will continue his climb up the ranks in his weight class. 

From the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources: The DNR is hosting Free Fishing Weekend Jan. 20–21 to share the fun and excitement of winter fishing. No fishing license or trout and salmon stamps are required. Anglers can fish in state waters where there is an open fishing season. All other fishing regulations apply, including limits on the size and number of fish that can be kept and any seasons when anglers must release certain fish species. As a reminder, anglers cannot fish spring trout ponds during the winter Free Fishing Weekend. 

And speaking of fishing, the early catch and release season for inland trout began last Saturday on designated inland waters; anglers can target any of Wisconsin’s four inland trout species from Jan. 6 through May 3, 2024, using artificial tackle only. Any trout caught needs to be immediately released. Check the Guide to Wisconsin’s Trout Fishing Regulations for more information.

The Cardinal boys’ basketball team’s convincing non-conference victory over Northwestern will undoubtedly help Nick Johnson’s charges when it comes to tournament seeding. The Cardinals’ smothering defense in their victories over the Tigers and Baldwin-Woodville last Thursday will make them a formidable opponent to any team in western Wisconsin. Prescott and Somerset appear to be the strongest teams in the northern part of the tournament bracket with Gale-Ettrick Trempealeau (10-2), Elk Mound (9-1), Bloomer (8-1), and of course one of the Cardinals’ biggest rivals - the Omro Foxes (9-2), who are a pedestrian 250 miles away from Prescott, lurking in the southern part of the bracket. 

Did you know…Lawrence College in Appleton hosted a state invitational basketball tournament from 1906-1918. It was not until the following year the WIAA took over operation of the state tournament…Since 1975 a Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Conference team has won the NCAA Division III Men’s Basketball National Championship 13 times. UW-Stevens Point, UW-Platteville, and UW-Whitewater have each won four titles, and the Titans of UW-Oshkosh have one championship…The Viterbo University Hawks are the lone Wisconsin university with an NAIA athletic affiliation. The National Association of Intercollegiate Basketball Tournament hosts the longest running collegiate championship of any sports in the United States. The tournament was the brainchild of Dr. James Naismith, a Canadian who invented the game of basketball.  

KFAN Radio Personality Dave Sinykin will be the featured speaker at the 24th Annual CAB Company Banquet on Friday, March 22 at the Old Ptacek’s Event Center. The host of Packer Preview, Sinykin has worked on the Minnesota Viking Flagship for 27 years serving as the voice for western Wisconsin Green Bay fans. Sinykin works closely with Trent Tucker, who has also been the featured speaker at the annual event. Stay tuned for more details. 

Headshaker of the week: Recently I decided to watch the Movie “Cobb.” Released in 1994, the film was railed by baseball critics and others who called the film about the controversial Hall of Famer pure fiction. That being said, the film is just another example of an actor, Tommy Lee Jones in this case, with limited baseball skills playing one of the game's icons. It’s right up there with William Bendix playing Babe Ruth, Tim Robbins playing pitcher Nuke Laloosh, Anthony Perkins, or LeVar Burton playing Ron LeFlore. Remember, this is not about the films, it is about actors portraying baseball players whose baseball acumen resembles that of a dry heave. All are headshakers.