Eight days earlier Platteville was on the turf at Camp Randall Stadium playing for the WIAA Division 4 football state championship.
     Friday night a number of those very same boys — minus senior William Cooley, who was out with a sprained foot that severely limited him in the aforementioned football state championship game — hit the hardwood for the 2013 boys’ basketball season opener.
     Platteville — with just four full-squad practices under its belt — quickly overcame a predictable slow start and outscored visiting Benton 26–7 over the second and third quarters to pull away for a 50–33 non-conference victory in the first game of the Platteville Thanksgiving Classic.
     Senior point guard Derek Schambow scored a team-high 15 points, passed out eight assists and grabbed five rebounds in the victory.
     Junior forward Blake Wagner added 11 points, including six in the fourth quarter, and sharp-shooting junior guard Jesse Gardner drilled a pair of  3-pointers in Platteville’s 11–0 run to close the third quarters and finished with nine points.
     “We got contributions from a lot of guys and that was nice to see in the first game,” said Hillmen coach Mike Huser. “Once we got into the rhythm of the game and started playing better defense we were able to pull away.”
     Saturday night the Hillmen improved to 2–0 on the young season with a 68–62 victory over the Milwaukee CEO Leadership Academy, an inner-city charter school.
     Schambow once again led the way with a career-high 28 points on 9 of 14 shooting, including 3 of 5 on 3-pointers, to lead three Hillmen in double figures in a game that never felt as close as the final score.
     Platteville led 52–37 after opening the fourth-quarter on an 8–0 run, but the Kings (0–1) made five 3-pointers and scored 25 points in the final six minutes to close the gap.
     Wagner added 15 points and eight rebounds, while senior forward Adam Brogley chipped in 12 points and seven boards.
     MLA committed 33 fouls in the game and Platteville took full advantage cashing in on 25 of 42 free throw attempts in the win.
     The Hillmen traveled to Iowa–Grant Tuesday night for a boys’–girls’ non-conference double header. They will return to action Friday, Dec. 13 when Prairie du Chien visits.

Platteville Thanksgiving Classic
Platteville 50, Benton 33
(from Friday, Nov. 29 @ Platteville)
Benton       14      6     1    12     —  33
Platteville    7    15    11    17     —  50
Benton (0–1) — Carver 6, White 1, Dixon 5, Bartell 2, Rozic 6, Lovell 4, Lesandrini 6, Coffee 3. Totals — 11 6-11 33.
Platteville (1–0) — Ryan Weber 2, Derek Schambow 15, Tanner Ames 3, Devin Briggs 3, Jesse Gardner 9, Blake Wagner 11, Adam Brogley 7. Totals — 20 5-14 50.
3-point goals — B: 5 (Carver, Dixon, Rozic 2, Coffee): P: 5 (Schambow 2, Briggs, Gardner 2). Team fouls — B: 15, P: 13. Fouled out — none.

Platteville Thanksgiving Classic
Platteville 68, Milwaukee Leadership Academy 62
(from Saturday, Nov. 30 @ Platteville)
Mil. Academy    9    10    18    25     —  62
Platteville           8    20    16    24     —  68
Milwaukee Leadership Academy (0–1) — Watson 13, Johnson 16, Tuckery 10, Haygood 14, Colson 7, Anderson 2. Totals — 24 5-13 62.
Platteville (2–0) — Derek Schambow 28, Tanner Ames 4, Jesse Gardner 6, Blake Wagner 15, Chance Kupersmith 3, Adam Brogley 12. Totals — 20 25-42 68.
3-point goals — MLA: 9 (Watson 3, Johnson 4, Haygood 1, Colson 1): P: 3 (Schambow 3). Team fouls — MLA: 32, P: 14. Fouled out — MLA: Johnson.