The Tokoto Watch

The latest information on Menomonee Falls basketball star J.P. Tokoto, one of the top prep players in the nation.

Most recent game: The Indians concluded their season with a 50-48 loss to eventual state champion Arrowhead in a Division 1 sectional final.

Season stats: Tokoto averaged 18.6 points per game.

Wins adding up: Since Tokoto has entered school, the Indians have 34 wins in a two-year span, the most in any two-year span since 1991-92 and 1992-93 (both 34 apiece). The all-program record is 36 set from 1958-60 by old Falls High School.

Scholarship offers, according to Rivals.com:

• Tokoto is the one that got away
• Kentucky makes offer
• Tokoto heads Wissports.net list
• Duke Basketball Report
• Rivals.com's Tokoto profile
• Tokoto visits Kentucky

Rating the rest of the boys teams:

Wauwatosa West, 16-6

New Berlin West, 17-7

 Brookfield Central, 14-11

 Whitnall, 15-7

Wauwatosa East, 10-13

Homestead, 11-11

 Franklin, 13-11

Muskego, 9-14

Brookfield East, 8-15

 West Allis Central, 9-14

 Brown Deer, 9-15

 Shorewood, 7-16

Greenfield, 6-17

 Greendale, 5-18

 Oak Creek, 3-20

 West Allis Hale, 0-23

Rating the rest of the girls teams:

Germantown, 18-6

Wauwatosa West, 17-7

New Berlin West, 16-8

Greendale, 15-8

West Allis Central, 16-7

Franklin, 14-10

Whitefish Bay, 13-11

 Brookfield East, 9-14

 Brown Deer, 9-15

 Homestead, 6-17

Whitnall, 6-15

Menomonee Falls, 5-17

Wauwatosa East, 4-19

 West Allis Hale, 2-21

 Greenfield, 2-20

Shorewood, 0-22

Roundball forum

Is your favorite team rated correctly? Have some other thoughts on area hoops? Join our forum!

NOW's David Cotey takes a weekly look at the top five boys and girls teams in the NOW coverage area and ranks all 21 schools. All records are as of Mar. 16. Disagree with Dave or want to discuss why your favorite team is going to go deep into the playoffs? Join our Roundball Rankings forum.

 Menomonee Falls, 21-4; last week: 1

The Indians' dreams of their first-ever state tournament berth were thwarted by Arrowhead in a sectional final at The Al McGuire Center, the second straight season Falls has made it that far only to be turned back. The future is, of course, bright for the Indians thanks to sophomore sensation J.P. Tokoto, but Falls loses as many as six key contributing seniors and replacing them will be key.

  Germantown, 18-7; last week: 2

Unlike the Indians, the Warhawks will be loaded with returning talent next season. The group probably exceeded expectations this year by reaching the sectional semifinal (where Germantown lost to Falls) and winning a share of the North Shore Conference title. The Warhawks won't be taking anyone by surprise next year or the year after; they are clearly the cream of the crop in that league.

  New Berlin Eisenhower, 22-2; last week: 3

A promising season that started with 20 straight wins ended too quickly thanks to a loaded sectional that included Eisenhower, Catholic Memorial and defending state champion Wisconsin Lutheran. The Lions lose 10 seniors, but the program at Eisenhower always seems to produce championship-caliber squads year after year and next year should be no different.

   Whitefish Bay, 19-8; last week: 4

The Blue Dukes were one of just three NOW-area teams to post 19 or more wins this season. They took advantage of being in the 'weaker' Milwaukee-area regional and advanced all the way to the sectional final where they were ousted by Catholic Memorial. John Johnston and others will be gone next year, but emerging big man Jamie Schneck will be back. He is someone Bay can build around.

  Nicolet, 17-8; last week 5

The Knights are the third North Shore team to finish the season in the top five. Myles Henry finished a fabulous four-year career by helping Nicolet reach the sectional semifinal. Numerous young, talented players will be back next season as well.

  New Berlin Eisenhower, 24-2; last week: 3

The Lions avenged their Jan. 30 loss to Pewaukee, 65-52, Friday, then followed it up by defeating defending-state champion Grafton, 62-54, to punch their ticket to the state tournament for the first time since 1988. Eisenhower's 24 wins is its highest total in at least seven years and it's the first time it has achieved 20-plus wins since the 2006-07 season. The Lions won their second Woodland Conference championship in three years by posting a 16-1 record. Eisenhower is also the only team to reach the state tournament out of the 21 schools NOW Newspapers cover.

  Muskego, 20-5; last week: 4

The Warriors saw their season end in the WIAA sectional finals for the third consecutive year, this time, to Southeast Conference co-champion Racine Case. Evansville recruit and senior forward Katie Ellerson scored 24 points in her final game as a Warrior, but it wasn't enough to match Case's Samantha Logic's 35 points in the 64-52 loss last Saturday. Muskego won its second straight SEC title behind Ellerson, who has a great shot at winning the NOW Player of the Year.

  Oak Creek, 18-8; last week: 9

The Knights' Angela Rodriguez overcame an injury-filled regular season and came back strong in the postseason to finish out her career at Oak Creek. The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee recruit played a pivotal role in the Knights' upset win over No. 1-seed Nicolet on Friday, but she and the Knights fell one game short of the state tournament when they lost by five points to Milwaukee Pius XI on Saturday. Despite starting just one senior (Rodriguez), Oak Creek fought and scratched its way to an impressive 18-8 final record.  Juniors Ashley Luke and Cydney Weisflog became standout players and will look to build on this season's success come next year.

  Nicolet, 20-2; last week: 1

The Knights remarkable season came to an end at the hands of Oak Creek for the second consecutive year following their 42-36 sectional semifinal loss last Friday at Whitefish Bay. Nicolet's regional championship was its first since the 2004-05 season. The Knights won 19-consecutive games and became the fourth team to go undefeated in the North Shore Conference since 2002 following their win over Cedarburg on Mar. 5. 

  Brookfield Central, 18-7; last week: 2

The Lancers' tough regular season schedule wasn't enough to prepare for the red-hot Racine Case Eagles in a sectional semifinal Friday as Central fell badly, 54-32, to end what was a highly successful season. The Lancers won their third-consecutive Greater Metro Conference crown after a 13-1 conference record, and an 18-7 overall record that included three winning streaks of four games or more. 

Photo by Peter Zuzga

Brookfield Central's Alex Diciaula celebrates the final seconds of his team's 73-65 regional-final victory over host Whitnall on March 6.

Will Pelkofer probably should have been the player of the week when he topped 1,000 points for his career earlier this month, but the Whitnall senior gets the nod this week for helping the Falcons hand New Berlin Eisenhower its first loss of the season Friday. Pelkofer, who has 1,073 career points as of Tuesday, scored 20 in his team's 55-50 win over the previously unbeaten Lions, the 14th time this season he's scored 20 or more in a game. Pelkofer had 18 three nights earlier in a 70-48 win over Greenfield.

Previous players of the week

• Nick Romanowski, Franklin
• Katie Ellerson, Muskego
• Darrell Bowie, Wauwatosa East
• Eliza Wortman, Germantown
• Coy Smith, Homestead
• Taylor Atkinson, Franklin
• Myles Henry, Nicolet

Scoring leaders

Check out our interactive map for a look at the all-time scoring leaders of boys and girls basketball teams at high schools in the suburban Milwaukee area.

Girls

1. Katie Ellerson, Muskego, 16.7
2. Eliza Wortman, Germantown, 16.4
3. Mary Merg (pictured), Greendale, 16.3
4. Ashley Green, Nicolet, 16.0
5. Anna Hahn, Eisenhower, 14.2
6. Angela Rodriguez, Oak Creek, 14.2*
7. Ashley Luke, Oak Creek, 14.0
8. Marley Blood, Brookfield East, 13.7
9. Janie Myles, West Allis Central, 13.1
10. Stephanie Turner, New Berlin West, 12.5
11. Taylor Atkinson, Franklin, 12.4
12. Lauren Hibbard, West Allis Central, 12.4
13. Alyssa Colla, Muskego, 11.3
14. Nicole Bauman, Eisenhower, 11.2
15. Erin Lueder, Brookfield Central, 10.8

Boys

1. William Pelkofer, Whitnall, 23.4
2. Nick Romanowski, Franklin, 22.5
3. Chad Mathwig, New Berlin West, 18.6*
4. J.P. Tokoto, Menomonee Falls, 18.6
5. Alex Diciaula, Brookfield Central, 18.0
6. Zak Showalter, Germantown, 17.2
7. Mitch Sperka, Eisenhower, 16.7
   
8. Coy Smith, Homestead, 16.2
9. Alec Molter, Greenfield, 16.1
10. Anthony Carroll, Wauwatosa West, 15.8*
11. Sam Krenzien, Wauwatosa West, 15.4
12. Myles Henry, Nicolet, 15.3
13. John Johnston, Whitefish Bay, 14.7
14. Nick Stout, Oak Creek, 14.1
15. Danny Sayles, Wauwatosa East, 14.0

Most averages are taken from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel online database, which does not take into account games missed due to injuries or other reasons. Adjustments will be made only if submitted by that player's coach to David Cotey at dcotey@cninow.com. Averages through March 16.

Current active leading scorers among all 21 NOW-area high schools. All seniors, unless noted.

Boys

1. William Pelkofer, Whitnall, 1,166
2. Myles Henry, Nicolet, 928
3. Ray Sterling, Wauwatosa West, 797
4. Nick Romanowski, Franklin, 754*
5. John Johnston, Whitefish Bay, 747
6. J.P. Tokoto, Menomonee Falls, 742**
7. John Laihinen, Homestead, 674
8. C.J. Gregg, Brookfield East, 670*
9. Chad Mathwig, New Berlin West, 659*
10. Sam Krenzien, Wauwatosa West, 643

Girls

1. Katie Ellerson, Muskego, 941
2. Lauren Hibbard, West Allis Central, 938
3. Eliza Wortman, Germantown, 920
4. Angela Rodriguez, Oak Creek, 917
5. Mary Merg, Greendale, 886
6. Erin Lueder, Brookfield Central, 848
7. Sarah Mlachnik, Muskego, 802
8. Ashley Green, Nicolet, 759*
9. Alex Cohen, Nicolet, 671*
10. Anna Hahn, New Berlin Eisenhower, 643* 

* juniors

** sophomore

Stats accumulated from JS Online database as of March 23.

Lake Country Publication's Chuck Delsman takes a look at the best players from some area programs in this four-part series.

The best of Pewaukee girls basketball

The best of Kettle Moraine girls basketball

The best of Arrowhead girls basketball

The best in the area

State appearances by NOW teams:

Boys

• 16: Wauwatosa East (last: 2008)
• 9: Brookfield Central (last: 2008)
• 8: Shorewood (last: 1981)
• 5: Whitefish Bay (last: 1998)
• 3: Brookfield East (last: 1979), Whitnall (last: 2004)
• 2: Brown Deer (last: 2002), Germantown (last: 2009), Homestead (last: 1994); New Berlin Eisenhower (last: 2008), Nicolet (last: 1993), West Allis Hale (last: 1970)
• 1: Greendale (1995), Muskego (1986), New Berlin West (2000), Oak Creek (1980), West Allis Central (1947)
• 0: Greenfield, Franklin, Menomonee Falls, Wauwatosa West

Girls

• 7: West Allis Hale (last: 2000)
• 6: Whitefish Bay (last: 2006)
• 5: Brookfield East (last: 2004), Greendale (last: 2007)
• 4: Oak Creek (last: 2008)
• 3: Brookfield Central (last: 2009), Franklin (last: 2007), Nicolet (last: 1998), Whitnall (last: 2005)
• 2: Brown Deer (last: 1993), Homestead (last: 1995); Wauwatosa East (last: 1981)
• 1: New Berlin Eisenhower (1988), New Berlin West (1986)
• 0: Germantown, Greenfield, Menomonee Falls, Muskego, Shorewood, Wauwatosa West, West Allis Central

State titles:

Boys

• 3. Wauwatosa East (1948, 1989, 2008)
• 2: Whitefish Bay (1996, 1998)
• 1: New Berlin Eisenhower (2008), New Berlin West (2000), Shorewood (1942), Whitnall (1988)

Girls

• 1: Brookfield Central (1985), Wauwatosa East (1981)