The 2026 WIAA Boys Basketball State Tournament is finally here. The year end showcase where four teams each in five divisions have earned their way to the Kohl Center for a chance at a gold ball.
The Division 2 playoffs will kick off with the afternoon session on Friday where the two semifinal games will be played, and the championship game will be the penultimate game on Saturday night, putting a cap on the 2025-26 basketball season.
Below we’ll preview each team, their journey here, and then give a prediction at the bottom.
To see the full tournament field with game times, click here.
Division 2 State Tournament Schedule
Semifinals - Friday, March 20 - 1:35 p.m.
Game 1: #1 Slinger (24-4) vs. #4 McFarland (23-5)
Game 2: #2 West Salem (24-4) vs. #3 Whitefish Bay (22-6)
Championship Final - Saturday, March 21 - 6:35 p.m.
The Teams
Record: 24-4
Bound Power Index Ranking: #1 in Division 2; #3 Overall
Strength of Schedule Ranking: #12
Head Coach: Alex Lavine - 8th year at Slinger, 101 career wins
Conference: 10-2, North Shore Champions
Points Per Game: 69.1
Opponents Points Per Game: 49.9
Previous State Appearances: 2nd trip this year: 1977
Previous State Championships: None
Playoff Path
Beat Kewaskum 70-47 in Regional Semifinal
Beat Nicolet 55-45 in Regional Final
Beat Port Washington 62-33 in Sectional Semifinal
Beat Notre Dame 53-42 in Sectional Final
Top Players
Jack Kohnen, 6-6, jr, 1st Team All-North Shore (multiple Division 1 scholarship offers) - 20.4 ppg, 11.2 rpg, 4.6 apg, 1.8 spg, 1.5 bpg
Joey Kohnen, 6-5, soph, 2nd Team All-North Shore (multiple Division 1 scholarship offers) - 16.2 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 1.7 apg
Bryson Fogle, 6-1, sr, HM All-North Shore - 10.1 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 2.5 apg, 2.1 spg
Brett Palm, 5-11, sr, HM All-North Shore - 7.9 ppg, 2.2 rpg
Jue Siikarla, 6-6, jr - 5.9 ppg, 4.3 rpg
Colton Mantz, 6-4, sr (UW-Superior recruit) - 3.8 rpg, 2.5 apg
Notes
Slinger head coach Alex Lavine won game number 100 during their playoff run that has been nothing short of dominant, specifically on the defensive side, where they have bought completely in to stopping their opponent’s offense. With good size across the board, the Owls have held teams to 41.8 points per game in their four playoff games. Brothers Kohnen, Jack (2027) and Joey (2028), are high level Division 1 college prospects and can take games over at any moment with their shot making ability. The supporting cast is talented behind that duo and are plenty capable of scoring the ball, rebounding, and defending. Slinger challenged themselves and had wins over Whitefish Bay (x2), Mount Horeb, Arrowhead, Oshkosh North, Nicolet (x2), Wauwatosa West, and their playoff victories.
Record: 24-4
Bound Power Index Ranking: #12 in Division 2; #43 Overall
Strength of Schedule Ranking: 160
Head Coach: Shane Schmelling - 1st year at West Salem, 196 career wins
Conference: 12-0; Coulee Champion
Points Per Game: 75.7
Opponents Points Per Game: 58.5
Previous State Appearances: 4th trip this year: 2022, 2023, 2024
Previous State Championships: None
Playoff Path
Beat New London 62-61 in Regional Semifinal
Beat Onalaska 50-48 in Regional Final
Beat La Crosse Central 73-70 in Sectional Semifinal
Beat Menomonie 61-54 in Sectional Final
Top Players
Tyson Labus, 6-6, sr, 1st Team All-Coulee (UW-Superior recruit) - 15.5 ppg, 7.6 rpg
Drew McConkey, 6-3, jr, Coulee Player of the Year- 14.3 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 2.4 apg, 2.3 spg
Nathan Dillaber, 6-0, sr, 2nd Team All-Coulee - 13.6 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 2.1 spg
Elliott Corcoran, 6-4, jr, HM All-Coulee - 10.2 ppg, 4.4 rpg
Spencer Kammel, 6-3, sr, HM All-Coulee - 6.6 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 3.0 apg
Notes
It’s been a playoff run full of attrition and redemption for West Salem as they held off New London in the opening round while avenging regular season losses to Onalaska and La Crosse Central in subsequent rounds. Head coach Steve Schmelling is no stranger to state tournament runs having been on the boys Panthers staff for the past three years. He also has led the Bangor girls and Onalaska girls to the state tournament in his past stints. This Panther team has a great group that defends at a high rate and moves the ball well and with a purpose. There is plenty of size and strength across the board with this squad that can slow things down if need be.
Record: 22-6
Bound Power Index Ranking: #3 in Division 2; #14 Overall
Strength of Schedule Ranking: 47
Head Coach: Ryan Fiet - 4th year at Whitefish Bay, 66 career wins
Conference: 9-3 in North Shore
Points Per Game: 72.3
Opponents Points Per Game: 55.3
Previous State Appearances: 7th trip this year: 1967, 1990, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2011
Previous State Championships: 3x state champion: 1996, 1998, 2011
Playoff Path
Beat Shorewood 78-55 in Regional Semifinal
Beat Wauwatosa East 66-48 in Regional Final
Beat Milwaukee Academy of Science 85-62 in Sectional Semifinal
Beat Waterford 60-40 in Sectional Final
Top Players
Colin Julien, 6-4, jr, 1st Team All-North Shore - 18.5 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 3.7 apg, 2.5 spg, 1.3 bpg: shooting splits; 53/41/78
Marcus Webb, 6-1, sr, 2nd Team All-North Shore - 13.9 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 3.2 apg
Mace Miskel, 5-11, soph, HM All-North Shore - 12.4 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 5.0 apg, 1.8 spg
Jack Brodersen, 6-2, jr - 12.0 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 2.2 apg
Matt Schoenfeldt, 6-3, sr - 8.8 ppg, 3.6 rpg
Notes
Slinger is one of two North Shore teams in this Division 2 state tournament field, proving the strength of that conference this season. The boys team also joins the girls team that won gold at state this past weekend. Ryan Fiet is in year four with the Blue Dukes and has a group that can really shoot it from deep and share the ball to get that great outside look. Colin Julien is an ever-rising player in the junior class, and both Marcus Webb and Mace Miskel push the tempo for the Whitefish offense, a team that can excel in the open court. Whitefish Bay had a great non-con schedule with games against Arrowhead, Madison memorial, Milwauke Lutheran, Beaver Dam, and Wauwatosa West.
Record: 23-5
Bound Power Index Ranking: #13 in Division 2; #44 Overall
Strength of Schedule Ranking: 106
Head Coach: Jeff Meinholdt - 20th year at McFarland, 296 career wins
Conference: 11-3, Badger-Small co-Champion
Points Per Game: 74.8
Opponents Points Per Game: 55.3
Previous State Appearances: 3rd trip this year: 1973, 1974
Previous State Championships: 2x state champion: 1973, 1974
Playoff Path
Beat Edgewood 70-40 in Regional Semifinal
Beat Waukesha West 75-46 in Regional Final
Beat Mount Horeb 64-54 in Sectional Semifinal
Beat New Berlin West 86-60 in Sectional Final
Top Players
Eli Krueger, 6-9, jr, 1st Team/DEF All-Badger Small -
Garrett Crull, 6-4, jr, 1st Team All-Badger Small -
Braydon Fischer, 5-11, soph, HM All-Badger Small -
Kamden Meinholdt, 5-8, jr, HM All-Badger Small -
Notes
McFarland has been nothing short of dominant in their postseason run, winning their games by an average of 23.75 points. It’s been a very impressive run for junior big man Eli Krueger, who put up a 20-plus point double-double in their sectional championship win over New Berlin West. Krueger can play close to the rim, but is equally comfortable on the perimeter with the ball in his hands. Garrett Crull is the steady leader at point guard for head coach Jeff Meinholdt. Kamden Meinholdt, the son of Jeff, had a big night in the sectional final as well, where he buried a handful of triples.
Prediction
Semifinals:
Slinger over McFarland
Whitefish Bay over West Salem
Championship:
Slinger over Whitefish Bay
Colton Wilson serves a contributor and member of Bound Wisconsin. Wilson has worked in high school sports for 10 years, covering the state of Wisconsin in various sports. He has had roles in content creation, boys basketball coverage, director of events, and data management. Wilson is a graduate of Richland Center High School where he will currently serves as the Varsity Reserve boys basketball coach, entering his eleventh year coaching at the high school level. Wilson also has officiated basketball and organized youth tournaments for multiple years. You can follow him on Twitter at @ColtonWilson23 or reach him at [email protected].
