Madison West ran in to foul trouble in their Big Eight game against Middleton, as the Cardinals out-scored the Regents 39-19 in the second half en route to a big win.
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Middleton 71, Madison West 47
In the first half, Madison West was able to survive foul trouble to one of its star players, Terrell Carey, and managed to keep the game within reach at the half, trailing 32-28 at the half.
The Regents were not able to overcome the foul trouble in the second half.
After a slow start in which Middleton scored just two points in the first 3:48, the Cardinals got it going as the first half progressed, getting 19 of their 32 halftime points from their two stars, Storm Murphy and Tyree Eady. A number of transition plays resulted in trips to the free throw line for Eady, who took two very hard fouls late in the first half and another in the second half on his way to a game-high 23 points.
Storm Murphy was often the catalyst for these transition bust-out plays, forcing turnovers and throwing the ball ahead to one of any number of Cardinals on the break. Murphy finished with 19 points in addition to several steals and a few key rebounds when the game was still close.
Early in the game, it was the bench for Middleton that got them into the game. Madison West took an early 10-4 lead after 3-pointers by Terrell Carey and Simeon Carter. The Cardinals' bench scored 7 of the first 9 points, trimming the deficit to 10-9 before Eady and Murphy got going.
The Regents lost Carey for a good chunk of the first half, as he picked up his third foul with 5:38 remaining before halftime. Thanks to the solid play of Carter and Casey Bradt, Madison West was able to stay close throughout the first half.
In the second half, Madison West was unable to stick with the transition play of Middleton, turning over the ball on their first three possessions to start. In addition, Terrell Carey picked up his fourth foul in short order, relegating him to the bench just a few minutes into the second half.
From there, the rout was on. Middleton's Eady dominated from the wing, and drew plenty of fouls to keep Middleton comfortably in front. Murphy's steals and tough shots in transition also helped propel the Cardinals down the stretch, as Madison West was unable to keep up. Terrell Carey fouled out with 6:22 to play, and Middleton led by double digits the rest of the way.
The Cardinals got solid contributions from their entire roster, with eight players getting into the scorebook.
Both teams play Big Eight games again on Saturday. The next Madison Taxi Game of the Week is January 31, when Madison La Follette takes on Waunakee in non-conference action.