Senior Jordan Malmlov fifth in the state in scoring

The Prescott High School boys basketball team notched its fourth win of the season and remained undefeated with an 81-71 victory against the Fall Creek Crickets at the Northwest Classic at the University of Wisconsin-Stout on Saturday Dec. 10. The meeting between Prescott and Fall Creek was a battle of two teams ranked in the top ten in their respective divisions based on the Wissports.com weekly coaches’ poll. Prescott entered ranked No. 6 in Division 3 and Fall Creek held the No. 6 spot in the Division 4 poll.

Fall Creek hasn’t been on Prescott’s schedule in more than four years. The two programs are in distant conferences and aren’t in the same division because of enrollment size. That meant Saturday afternoon was the first instance that longtime Fall Creek head coach Rick Storlie had to game plan for and coach against Prescott senior point guard Jordan Malmlov.

Malmlov quickly made his presence apparent, as he came out of the gate firing on all cylinders. Malmlov began the game with four deep three-pointers that set the tone for the entirety of the contest. As the defense began picking him up several feet beyond the three-point line, Malmlov used his speed and athleticism to blow by defenders and attack the rim.

His offensive explosion throughout the opening frame helped Prescott build a double- digit lead, 45-31, going into the halftime intermission. Prescott head coach Nick Johnson spoke about Malmlov’s start to the season and what he’s done offensively.

“They’re a quiet 36 (points), a quiet 42 because he’s not taking bad shots,” Johnson said of the senior guard. “He’s not forcing things or shooting too much. He can score so easily at times and you just have to sit back and watch it. This kid is just a bucket.”

Fall Creek did a better job of defending Malmlov in the second half and it led to the Crickets slowly working their way back into the game. Fall Creek took advantage of their size, started controlling the paint, and at one point grabbed a lead with five minutes left to play in regulation.

However, Malmlov and the Cardinals strung together a scoring run in the closing minutes that helped Prescott secure the 81-71 victory to knock off one of the top-ten teams in Division 4. Malmlov finished as the gamehigh scorer with 36 points.

See Prescott BBB, Page B-5 “Against Fall Creek he hit four threes early and then made four or five layups,” Johnson said of Malmlov. “The Fall Creek coach said Jordan is one of the best he’s ever seen, and he’s been coaching for 30 years. It’s just tough to slow him down because he’s so good off the dribble and is such a good shooter.”

With the win, Prescott improved to 4-0 for the season, including a 2-0 record in Middle Border Conference play. The Cardinals’ four wins include the season opener on the road against Somerset, a 98-66 win over Durand, an 83-60 win over Saint Croix Central and the aforementioned victory against Fall Creek.

While Malmlov is certainly Prescott’s primary scoring option, junior forward Dallas Wallin serves as a perfect complimentary player. Wallin’s 6’6” frame has made him an elite playmaker who can shoot, attack off the bounce and score around the bucket. Coach Johnson spoke about how Wallin and Malmlov play off one another.

“Those two work so well together because the more attention you give Jordan, the more it opens up for Dallas and vice versa,” Johnson said. “When we run those two together with ball screens and dribble handoffs it puts a lot of pressure on the defense. We’re trying to get them on the same side of the floor so they can go to work. We’re fortunate to have two of the top players in the state.”

As of Monday, Dec. 12, Malmlov currently ranks fifth in the state across all divisions in points per game with 30.7 and 13th in the state for assists per game with 6.7. Wallin currently ranks third in the state for rebounds per game with 16.3.

Last year’s Prescott Cardinals roster finished the season ranked No. 3 in the final Wissports.com coaches’ poll and had a 22-2 record heading into the postseason before the loss to Osceola in the second round.

That team, by any metric, was stacked with talent. However, Prescott head coach Nick Johnson stated that this team is different and he feels that with the continued development of Malmlov, Wallin and added role players, the team has increased its firepower.

“I think we’ve got guys that fit and understand their roles this year,” Johnson said. “Brady (Block) has become a very good player for us. He played a bit last year, but this year he’s fit in and is playing well. Another is Brandon Stuart, now he’s got some confidence and is playing really well. Our role players all understand it. No disrespect to the kids before, but these kids want to play and are working very well together.”

Although Prescott’s firepower has increased, the defense continues to be the only true concern for Johnson’s squad. Last year, poor defense throughout the season plagued what was otherwise a nearly unbeatable team.

This season, although better, has still seen some defensive issues through the first four games. Johnson has experimented with zone and man defense regularly to try to throw opposing offenses off their game but hasn’t completely committed to one defensive plan.

“The defense isn’t where it needs to be,” Johnson said. “Even against Fall Creek, we went through that spurt where we couldn’t get a stop. It needs to get better. For us to get stops against a really, really good team, it worries us right now. It’s early and we think we’ll get there, but we’ve got to start on the defensive side of the floor.”

Prescott will look to continue its undefeated season on Tuesday, Dec. 13, when the Cardinals go on the road to face Altoona in the third Middle Border Conference game of the season. That contest is slated to begin at 7 p.m.

Prescott senior forward Brady Block absorbs contact and makes a layup during a game earlier this year. Prescott head coach Nick Johnson praised Block for embracing his role and playing well through the first four games of the season. Photo by Reagan Hoverman