The Flisakowski Times
Ben Flisakowski, Hour 4
The Sports Corner
Big 10 Championship Turns into a Title Fight
Indianapolis, Indiana. March 15th, 2015 - With the 2015 NCAA Tournament just around the corner, Wisconsin and Michigan State were preparing to square off for the Big Ten Championship.
Before the contest began, there was a lot on the line; bragging rights for both opponents and the opportunity for Wisconsin to earn their first ever tournament number one-seed. Sitting at 30-3, the Badgers were heavy favorites. However, Michigan State put up quite a fight.
In the first half, the Spartans lead by as many as seven, where the score with five minutes remaining was 28-21. Sparty was able to preserve the lead into halftime as well, holding a one-point advantage heading into the break.
In the second half, they came out firing, lead by Travis Trice, a senior guard and captain. With just seven minutes remaining, Michigan State lead by double digits, an extremely unexpected score. But with a one-seed on the line, the Badgers finally began to wake up. They went on an eleven point run to tie the score at the end of regulation. The score read 69-69. In the overtime period, Bucky prevailed over Michigan State, out scoring the Spartans 11-0, with a final score of 80-69. In doing so, Wisconsin triumphantly earned their first tournament one-seed in school history.
Kentucky's Dream of Perfection Ends in the Final Four
With the dreams of a perfect 40-0 season, (which would be the only one in basketball history) Kentucky stood 2 games shy at 38-0 in this year's Final Four.
After beating Notre Dame in a thrilling fashion, the Wildcats went on to face Wisconsin, a rematch from last season's national semifinal. The Badgers were out for redemption; as they had been beaten in the previous season. The game proved to be one of the best in tournament history.
Coming off of convincing wins against North Carolina and Arizona, red-hot Wisconsin led by Frank Kaminsky and Sam Dekker, Kentucky knew they were up against a formidable opponent. The game went back and forth with one lead change after another, including a 7-minute span where the Badgers did not make a field goal.
With 5 minutes remaining, the score read 60-56, Kentucky in the lead. But, down the stretch, Wisconsin tightened it's defense and forced multiple turnovers, including back-to-back shot clock violations, and eventually went on to win by a score of 71-64. Just like that, Kentucky's chance at history fell a mere 2 games shy of their goal. It was arguably the biggest victory in Badger history.
School News
The Success of Say Boo to Bullying
On October 24th, 2014, the Aquarius House at Bay View Middle School hosted a themed dance. This year's theme, "Say Boo to Bullying," was to raise awareness on the under stressed topic of bullying.
Aquarius House students were in charge of ticket sales, decorations, and concessions. These sales, along with money collected, would be used to have a nationally recognized speaker come and speak to local students about bullying. The speech, given by Jodee Blanco, was centered around the idea that bullying is a serious issue no matter how minor. "They thought they were just joking around," said Jodee, who was a victim of bullying herself.
Her speech resonated greatly with the audience; her tragic experiences even brought some students to tears. But overall, her message was clear: for those who are involved in school bullying, whether on the receiving end or not, they need to make their absolute best effort to douse the flames of hatred and include everyone in their activities.