Klug scores season-high 25, Demons down Badgers
By Mike Ramczyk
LAKE GENEVA – For the rest of his life, whenever someone he meets finds out he’s from Burlington and asks if he knows Tony Romo, Nick Klug can simply smile and nod.
Though he’s a pretty humble kid and probably will keep it to himself, Klug will have every right in said future encounter with said hypothetical person to talk about what he did to Romo on the night of Dec. 15, 2017.
It was on that mild winter night in Lake Geneva where Klug’s performance on the Badger High School basketball court will forever link him and the Burlington living legend in the same sentence.
With a seemingly innocent free throw in the first half, a large contingent of Klug’s family and friends roared as if the uneventful shot had magically won someone a car, and rightfully so, because history was made.
Klug etched his name in the Burlington High School record books, ahead of 1998 BHS graduate and former NFL star quarterback Tony Romo, and became the school’s all-time leading scorer.
With eight points at the time, Klug kept the excitement going by scoring another 17 points in the game, and his season-high 25 along with 14 from Brock Halbach helped the Demons knock off the Badgers, 59-50.
“I’ve been lucky enough to do this long enough to have both Tony and Nick,” said Burlington coach Steve Berezowitz. “Guys like them don’t come around very often. Nick’s gotten there because he does all the things people don’t see.”
“He’s always in the gym, he’s always staying after. He’s always sneaking in to get more shots. In order to get to that point, you have to be that way. Tony was like that, always found a game. Those who do that will have some on-court success. I’m really proud of Nick for his accomplishments, and I know Tony is, too. Tony knew it was going down, but he wanted it to go to a good kid.”
Klug, who recently signed to play Division 2 college basketball at Winona State University, is now at 1,093 points for his illustrious four-year career, one in which he’s started all four years.
“It’s always great being mentioned with some of the top players to come out of this program, it feels great,” Klug said. “Last year, Tony came to a game and found out I was close to breaking it. He didn’t really have any advice, but he was just joking around that Coach Berez didn’t really let him play his freshman year.”
This season, the 6-foot-1 guard, who runs the offense, can finish at the rim and has the vision to get in the lane and find the open man, is averaging 19 points per game after Friday’s 25-point outburst.
Klug has developed a near automatic mid-range jumper, which he can create on just about any defender and at times double teams.
What separates his offensive repertoire is his range. On Friday, Klug knocked down five triples, including three in the second half.
Burlington built a 46-33 lead with eight minutes to go. After a Halbach slam dunk rocked the crowd and had the Demons up 50-39, Lake Geneva came roaring back with a 7-2 run, capped by a Kale Rodgers 3-pointer from the top of the key.
With the lead trimmed to 52-46, Berezowitz called timeout. Two consecutive Badger turnovers along with four free throws from Halbach and Trent Turzenski thwarted any comeback.
The Demons were too much down low, with an imposing front line of 6-foot-7 Halbach, 6-foot-6 Turzenski and 6-foot-6 Dylan Runkel.
Grant Dumez led three Badgers in double figures with 18, but Burlington shut down everyone else.
Rodgers finished with 15 points, and senior Tyus Vinson added 12.
Along with Klug, Grant Tully hit two triples, Ben McDermit added one and the Demons pounded the paint to finish with 15-of-22 free throws. Tully tallied eight points, while Turzenski had six.
It’s still early in the season, and the Demons are still figuring out the right recipe for success. Berezowitz would like to see a more complete effort.
“We haven’t played our best yet, but it’s early,” Berezowitz said. “We played well in spurts tonight. They zoned us the whole time. We got a little more comfortable with it, but we got a little light with the ball in the second half. Good teams grind and play until the end.”
“We have to clean up some things and play with a bit different attitude toward every possession. When every possession matters, it changes things. That can be the difference. It’s a good locker room with good chemistry and good leadership, and they want to get better.”
What perhaps mattered the most to Klug Friday night wasn’t the record, but the outpouring of support from family and friends. After the game, a legion of around 20 cousins, friends and family members posed for pictures with Klug and shared hugs and congratulations.
Add various pockets of students waiting to catch up with the man of the hour, and it’s sure to be a night Klug won’t soon forget.
“My family is a huge part of my life,” Klug said after the game. “I get tons of fans who are family every year. My brothers have been with me since the beginning, and they’ve helped me get better throughout this whole thing, so it’s really fun.”
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