Nimrod Hilliard, Madison East
Many describe Madison East's Nimrod Hilliard as a blur on the basketball court. But who knew what the 6'0 point guard could accomplish in 10 seconds. 
After burying a wide-open three pointer to tie the game at 54 with under 10 seconds remaining in overtime, the junior guard stole the ball cleanly from Madison Memorial guard Tre Creamer and converted a blue-collar three-point-play to steal a rare and hard-fought road victory over defending Division 1 State Champion Madison Memorial.
The win kept top-ranked and undefeated East (10-0, 7-0 Big Eight) atop the league standings, now two games ahead of the Spartans.
For more about Saturday's epic East/Memorial battle, check out Mark Miller's post here.
Playing three games in five days, Hilliard was key in all three of the team's Big Eight wins last week. Tuesday, he went for 19 points in a 52-45 win at Verona and experienced deja-vu Friday as he again scored 19 in a 52-45 win, this time over Sun Prairie.
Hilliard, currently the #12 ranked junior by Mark Miller, is second in Big Eight scoring behind fellow Purgolder Marquis Mason with 19.1 points per game.
Honorable Mention:
Belleville (Girls Basketball): Last Monday, the Wildcats did something no other team had been able to do since before most of their players were even in high school. Hosting the #3-ranked and undefeated Columbus, Belleville overcame a 12-point third-quarter deficit to beat the Cardinals 51-47--handing them their first non-WIAA Tournament loss in almost three years. Columbus had won 63 consecutive regular season games over that span, its last loss coming in a 43-41 loss to DeForest on Nov. 21, 2006. Junior Quinn Rear led the way for Belleville with a game-high 22 points, and junior Olivia Ace hit four of five from behind the arc to lead the charge. The Wildcats are now 8-1 on the season.
Racine Lutheran (Boys Basketball): Much like Belleville's story, the Crusaders knocked off a perennial powerhouse in St. Catherines, who has won four State Championships in the last five years. Down 24-14 at the half, Racine Lutheran chipped away at the Angels' lead before using a 17-8 fourth quarter to seal the 45-41 win. Junior Dylan Graf led all scorers with 17 points. It was their first victory over the Angels since 2001 (a streak of 9 losses) and the first win at John McGuire Gym since at least before 1954.
Jordan Vitek (Hudson) & Nick Krause (Gillett): It isn't often players score more than 40 points in a single game, but on Friday night a pair of seniors went for 42. Hudson guard Jordan Vitek's came in a 72-65 win over Big Rivers foe Rice Lake, while Gillett guard Nick Krause did the same feat against M&O rival Coleman. The pair of 42-point postings tie for fourth-best in the state's single-game scoring so far this season.
The Splash of the Week is sponsored by PlayInTheDells.com. It highlights the player, coach or team that has "made a splash" in the world of high school sports. Coming out of nowhere to do something great, going above and beyond the call of duty, etc. Basically making something big happen and having the ripples of the accomplishment resonate throughout your sport. Please contact us to nominate your hometown heroes today.
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