Seniors leading Kaukauna to another possible FVA title

KAUKAUNA - The Kaukauna boys basketball team is shooting for its third Fox Valley Association title in the last five seasons and two of the biggest reasons for the Ghosts' success this year is the senior leadership of Jason Miller and Kyle Schuh.

Miller is a 6-foot-5 wing player who’s averaging a team-best 16.4 points per game, while Schuh is a 6-5 post who adds 11.6 ppg.

"Jason Miller's not just a talented player, but a winner,” Kaukauna coach Michael Schalow said. “He won a conference championship his sophomore year. He played a lot of minutes last year as a junior. He's a very experienced player.

“Kyle Schuh is someone who sometimes gets overlooked by some teams. His post presence; his soft hands. He's got a soft touch, he has a big body. You really have to account for him on the offensive end as well as the defensive end. He takes up space and is having a tremendous year."

Kaukauna is 15-2, 12-1 this season but the success of the Ghosts is hardly by accident. First of all, Kaukauna has won two of the last four FVA titles, and second, Miller said he and his teammates have been aiming for this season well before their high school days.

"From third grade or so we've been playing together, so we knew this was going to be a special team,” Miller said. “We've been working hard our whole lives, so it's been really good."

As well as Miller, Schuh and their teammates have played, the Ghosts have not won anything yet. Thursday, they play at Kimberly, the only team to beat them in the FVA, and the winner will stand a lone on top as the conference season approaches its end.

Kimberly won the teams’ first meeting, 49-48, and when asked about the rematch Miller smiles.

"Huge game,” he said. “Even just Kimberly and Kaukauna, it's a rivalry. You always want to play your best when you go there; looking forward to it.”

While the winner will have its destiny in its hands in terms of winning the FVA, Schalow isn’t thinking FVA title with four league games following Thursday.

“Whatever happens Thursday night, there’s still lots of work to be done,” Schalow said.

Kimberly, which is second in the FVA in points scored per game at 57.2, knows it’ll have to work Thursday to beat Kaukauna, mainly because the Ghosts’ style of play is a grind.

Kaukauna has the top-ranked defense in terms of points allowed in the FVA at 43.2 points per game, so you know you’re going to work to score on the Ghosts. But the Ghosts don’t just limit points by playing tough defense, they also are patient on offense, making other teams defend, at times, for long periods. This lessens the possessions in a game.

Opponents have to outwork Kaukauna to beat it, therefore you better bring your hard hat.

“We start at the defensive end,” Schalow said. “We have guards that are good at pressuring the ball. The group has bought in to playing real good, solid defense and that sets the tone for the other side. On the other side we practice patience and balance.”

Kaukauna’s two losses this season have each come by one point, meaning a basket here or there and the Ghosts could be 17-0. Notwithstanding, Kaukauna doesn’t worry about that, it’s over with.

What it’s thinking about now is winning another game and if the title eventually comes with it, then great.

“Coming into this season we thought we had the makings of a pretty good team,” Schalow said. “At the beginning of the year, you never know. Oshkosh North had a lot of people coming back and was predicted to win the league.”

doug.ritchay@wluk.com