Zach Hermsen and Lancaster went on the road to score an impressive regional final victory on Saturday
Below are some quick takeaways from the regional semifinal round of the boys basketball playoffs.
For the full first round results on the Bound Wisconsin scoreboard, please click here.
MORE #1’s GO DOWN
We saw the first number one seed go down in the regional semifinal round.
In Sectional 1 of Division 1, ninth-seeded Neenah made the trip to top-seeded D.C. Everest and left with a 66-52 victory.
The top seed in Sectional 1(A) of Division 2 lost as well, with River Falls falling to New Richmond. Staying in the bottom portion of that bracket, fourth-seeded West Salem downed rival and #1 seed Onalaska 50-48.
Fourth-seeded Stanley-Boyd took down top-seeded Altoona 58-54 in Division 3.
In Division 4, fourth-seeded Lancaster handled top-seeded Mineral Point with little problem in a 79-62 victory, after losing to the Pointers during the regular season. In another D4 contest, fourth-seeded Durand-Arkansaw scored a 47-46 heart-stopping win over top-seeded Fall Creek, with a potential game-winning three-pointer for the Crickets glancing off the rim at the buzzer.
Finally, in Division 5, fourth-seeded Assumption went on the road and defeated top-seeded Royall 57-48.
All told, 27 of 36 #1 seeds advanced to sectional play.
CINDERELLA’S STILL DANCING
Higher seeded home teams went 57-23 in regional finals, good for a winning percentage of 71.25%, compared to an 80% win percentage in the regional semifinal round and 84.5% winning percentage for home teams in the opening round.
Lowest-seeded teams still remaining:
#9 Neenah (D1)
#10 Oshkosh North (D1)
#10 Muskego (D1)
#7 Burlington (D2)
#6 Platteville (D3)
DOMINATING SCORES RULE THE NIGHT, AGAIN
The overall average margin of victory was 16.81 points, compared to 18.9 points in the regional semifinals and 24.1 points in the opening round. That includes some sizable blowouts on Saturday. Undefeated Wisconsin Lutheran once again scored the most dominating victory on the day, 74-18 over Oak Creek.
The biggest road victory was courtesy of Xavier, who defeated Berlin 76-52.
On the other end of the spectrum, there were 24 of the 80 games played that were decided by single digits, though just one, one-point victories. Four games were decided by three or less points.
TRACKING THE CHAMPIONS
The first defending state champion went down on Friday night, as Aquinas fell to a very good Lodi team in a seven versus two upset.
D1: Wisconsin Lutheran beat Oak Creek 74-18
D2: Wauwatosa West beat Beaver Dam 75-61
D3: Milwaukee Academy of Science beat Waukesha South 79-48 (Elevated to D2)
D4: Aquinas lost to Lodi 54-52 in regional semifinal
D5: Cochrane-Fountain City beat Hillsboro 70-57
SECTIONAL SEMI-FINAL GAMES
Sectional Semi-Final locations will be announced over the next couple days. All games are scheduled for Thursday at 7 pm, unless otherwise noted.
Division 1
#4 Kaukauna vs #9 Neenah
#2 Appleton North vs #3 Marshfield
#1 De Pere vs #5 Germantown
#3 Brookfield East vs #10 Oshkosh North
#1 Madison Memorial vs #5 Middleton
#2 Beloit Memorial vs #3 Verona
#1 Wisconsin Lutheran vs #4 Milwaukee Hamilton
#3 Racine Case vs #10 Muskego
Division 2
#3 Menomonie vs #4 New Richmond
#2 La Crosse Central vs #4 West Salem
#Notre Dame vs #2 West De Pere
#1 Port Washington vs #2 Slinger
#1 New Berlin West vs #3 Wauwatosa West
#1 McFarland vs #2 Mount Horeb
#1 Whitefish Bay vs #3 Milwaukee Academy of Science
#1 Waterford vs #7 Burlington
Division 3
#1 Saint Croix Central vs #3 Osceola
#2 G-E-T- vs #4 Stanley-Boyd
#1 Freedom vs #2 Seymour
#1 Brillion vs #3 Xavier
#4 Lancaster vs #6 Platteville
#1 Lake Mills vs #3 Watertown Luther Prep
#1 Oostburg vs #3 Kettle Moraine Lutheran
#1 Racine Lutheran vs #2 Racine St. Catherine’s
Division 4
#2 Clear Lake vs #4 McDonell Central
#2 Regis vs #4 Durand-Arkansaw
#1 Marathon vs #2 Hurley
#1 Kewaunee vs #2 Bonduel
#1 Darlington vs #2 Cambridge
#1 Lomira vs #3 Pardeeville
#1 Howards Grove vs #3 Roncalli
#1 Milwaukee Juneau vs #2 Cedar Grove-Belgium
Division 5
#1 Turtle Lake vs #2 Drummond
#3 Prentice vs #5 Rib Lake
#1 Tigerton vs #2 Wabeno/Laona
#1 Reedsville vs #2 Elkhart Lake-Glenbeulah
#3 Cochrane-Fountain City vs #4 Assumption
#1 North Crawford vs #3 Southwestern
#1 Abundant Life vs #2 Barneveld
#1 Oakfield vs #2 Sheboygan Lutheran
Travis Wilson serves as the Bound Wisconsin Manager. Wilson was selected as part of the Sports 40 Under 40 list by Coach & AD Magazine and the National High School Athletic Coaches Association for 2019. The Wisconsin Football Coaches Association (WFCA) named Travis the 2015 recipient of the Dave McClain Distinguished Service Award. He currently serves on the WFCA Executive Board and is a member of the Executive Board of the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association. A graduate of Richland Center High School and Mount Mercy College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Travis was a three-sport athlete in high school (football, baseball, basketball), inducted to the Richland Center High School Hall of Fame in 2023, and currently resides in Reedsburg. You can follow him on Twitter at @travisBound or reach him at [email protected].
