By Jennifer Eisenbart
Sports Editor
The Burlington High School boys basketball team is used to making adjustments from season to season.
This year, the adjustments just might a little bigger than normal.
The Demons lost three of their top four scorers from a team that went 17-8 and reached the sectional semifinals before falling to Mukwonago. And while head coach Steve Berezowitz has a good core group of talent returning, he’s still waiting for the pieces to fall into place.
“We’re just trying to figure that out,” said Berezowitz. “We’re expecting a lot out of that senior class.”
Gone from last year’s team are seven seniors, including three starters that made a huge impact on the squad. Eric Gerber and Tim Peterson led the Demons in scoring, while Nick Reda was the team’s fourth-best scorer on average and was the team’s point guard.
All three were solid contributors on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball, and their presence will be missed.
However, BHS has seven seniors on its roster again this season, including its leading returning scorer in Carson Biedrzycki. The senior averaged 11.8 points per game last season, and is an outside threat for BHS as well as being 6 foot, 5 inches tall.
Biedrzycki is one of two players on the varsity roster who were part of the BHS boys volleyball team’s run to a runner-up finish at state. The other is junior Ben Geiger, who Berezowitz expects to be part of the starting rotation.
The other seniors are Jake Reetz, William Weidert, Jayden Essman, Jimmy Penzel, Baron Franzke and Ty Dennis.
Essman, Penzel and Dennis were all successful parts of the Demon football team this fall and are strong athletes. Dennis averaged 5.7 points per game last season, while Essman averaged 3.8 points and Penzel 3.5.
Rounding out the roster are juniors Nate Klug, Asutin Epping and Chris Runjo, plus a pair of sophomores – Frankie Hozeska and James Tully.
Berezowitz said the team is about a week behind because of the deep run by the volleyball squad, and as of yet, hadn’t really set goals yet. However, the coach said with the Demons being the two-time defending Southern Lakes Conference champions, he expects his team will want to aim for a third.
As for the coaching staff, though, there are the tried and true goals.
“We just want to continue to get better and hopefully play some good basketball at the end of the year,” Berezowitz said.
BHS opens its season Tuesday with a non-conference game at Kenosha Bradford at 7:30 p.m.
For complete schedules, rosters and other Southern Lakes Conference information, please visit the SLC website at www.southernlakesconference.org.
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