The WIAA high school boys basketball is set to begin next week with the first round of regional action on Tuesday, March 3. Below is a preview for each division and sectional by sectional breakdown.

For all the scores, streams, and game previews, head over to the game pages listed at the links below.

To see my state tournament picks, scroll to the bottom.

1A Half-Sectional
#1 Turtle Lake (19-4, Lakeland-West champion, #1 in Bound Power Index)
#2 Drummond (18-4, #3 in Bound Power Index)
#3 Webster (18-5, #2 in Bound Power Index)
#4 Washburn (17-5, #4 in Bound Power Index)

1B Half-Sectional
#1 Loyal (21-2, #2 in Bound Power Index, #4 in Bound/Zaleski Media Poll)
#2 Columbus Catholic (19-4, Cloverbelt-East champion, #1 in Bound Power Index, #7 in Bound/Zaleski Media Poll)
#3 Prentice (19-3, Marawood-North champion, #3 in Bound Power Index)
#4 Mellen (19-4, #7 in Bound Power Index)

Bryce Deegan, Loyal (sr)
Jed Henderson, Rib Lake (sr) - 17.2 ppg, 8.6 rpg
Mac Konieczny, Columbus Catholic (6-0, sr) - 16.4 ppg
Evan Lord, Prentice (sr) - 18.3 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 3.4 apg
Colten Lotts, New Auburn (sr) - 22.7 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 3.2 apg
Riley Schultz-Becker (sr) - 17.0 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 5.1 apg
Brandon Wagner, Turtle Lake (6-7, sr) - 17.7 ppg, 14.5 rpg, 3.8 apg, 2.6 bpg
Ben Weiland, Columbus Catholic (6-0, jr) - 15.8 ppg
Quinn Widiker, Webster (6-6, sr) - 21.1 ppg, 12.4 rpg
Jake Zimmerman, Eau Claire Immanuel Lutheran (jr) - 22.2 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 2.7 apg

Columbus Catholic and Loyal are the favorites in Sectional 1 as the Cloverbelt-East rivals split their season series and boast experienced, senior-led groups. The Dons are no stranger to deep playoff pushes and Kohl Center appearances under head coach Joe Konieczny and this group is built similar to those previous; great shooters, fundamental defenders, and willing next passers. The Greyhounds have a group that has been on varsity for 3-4 years and have waited their turn behind the Dons the past few seasons.

In the top half, Turtle Lake is the one-seed and was at the state tournament a season ago. On top of that, head coach Angela Wagner has a trump card in her son Brandon, who at 6-7 is a matchup nightmare for teams in Division 5. He can shoot, score inside, and dominate games with his rebounding and passing ability.

Eleven-seed Eau Claire Immanuel Lutheran could upset six-seed New Auburn. The Lancers are led by junior Jake Zimmerman, who is averaging 22.2 points per game and they compete in a Dairyland Conference that has division 3 and 4 teams in it, which that dropdown effect bodes well for teams in the lower divisions year after year.

(Not a top 2-seed)

Prentice has been ranked in the Bound/Zaleski Media Poll for multiple weeks this year and come into the playoffs having won 16 of 17 games (through Feb 24). The Buccaneers only losses are all by single digits with one of those coming to Division 4 power Marathon. Adam Blomberg’s group has a duo in Evan Lord and Aidan Hause that are both 1,000 point scorers and led the group to a regional championship a season ago.

Emphasis on the word ‘potential’

Loyal v Columbus Catholic in a sectional semifinal: This would be the third meeting between these two squads. The season series was split with both games coming down to one possession, the most recent a one-point win by Columbus Catholic. The trilogy would be must-watch basketball on that sectional Thursday.

Columbus Catholic v Turtle Lake in sectional final: A clash of styles would make this one interesting to watch. Turtle Lake has size and a dominant big while Columbus Catholic plays spread out, shares the ball well, and lights it up from deep. Both programs have been to the state tournament in the past two years.

Columbus Catholic

1A Half-Sectional
#1 Tigerton (23-0, CWC-North champion, #1 in Bound Power Index, #3 in Bound/Zaleski Media Poll)
#2 Wabeno/Laona (18-5, Northern Lakes champion, #2 in Bound Power Index)
#3 Three Lakes (13-9, #4 in Bound Power Index)
#4 Pacelli (11-12, CWC-South champion, #5 in Bound Power Index)

1B Half-Sectional
#1 Reedsville (20-3, Big East-North champion, #1 in Bound Power Index, #2 in Bound/Zaleski Media Poll)
#2 Elkhart Lake-Glenbeulah (14-9, #2 in Bound Power Index)
#3 Oneida Nation (13-7, #9 in Bound Power Index)
#4 Providence Academy, Green Bay (10-11, #8 Bound Power Index)

Cooper Albrecht, Wabeno/Laona (jr) - 16.0 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 3.3 apg
James Brady, Tigerton (jr) - 24.8 ppg, 11.9 rpg, 2.8 apg, 2.7 bpg
Canton Chrisman, Wabeno/Laona (jr) - 18.2 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 2.5 apg
Jake Farley, Saint Thomas Aquinas (jr) - 27.1 ppg, 10.9 rpg, 2.5 apg
Kayin Jackson, Gibraltar (sr) - 17.3 ppg
Easton Lurvey, Three Lakes (soph) - 26.0 ppg, 11.6 rpg, 2.5 apg
Quincy Pfender, Newman Catholic (sr) - 20.6 ppg, 4.5, 4.5 apg
Ben Prochnow, Reedsville (sr) - 21.3 ppg, 11.2 apg, 4.8 rpg
Brayden Smith, Elkhart-Lake Glenbeulah (soph) - 22.0 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 4.2 apg
Aaron Wickersheim, White Lake (sr) - 26.7 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 2.6 apg

Tigerton is the favorite in the top half and they’ve got a difference maker on the interior in James Brady. At 6-7, the junior big man can dominate games on the inside, but also has a soft touch around the rim or can step out and shoot it. In Division 5, having a big man that can dominate games gives you a leg up, but having shooters around him is even better, and Tigerton has that.

Reedsville plays in a Big East conference that consists of a plethora of Division 4 and 5 teams. That drop down effect will come in hand for the Panthers here. On top of the challenging schedule, Ben Prochnow is a difference maker at the point guard position. He can take games over with his scoring and passing ability.

Twelve-seed Gibraltar plays in the Packerland conference which is mostly consisted of division 3 and 4 teams. The opponent, five-seed Suring competes in a much weaker Marinette & Oconto conference. Kayin Jackson can light it up for the Vikings, who are a prime pick to be a first round upset.

(Not a top 2-seed)

Newman Catholic competes in the Marawood-South conference and was battle tested with two games against Marathon, Auburndale, Assumption and more. On top of that, the Cardinals have two 1,000 point scorers in seniors Quincy Pfender and Lucas Pfiffner. In order to get three wins and to a sectional semi however, they would likely need to avenge a 21-point loss to Tigerton in the regular season.

Emphasis on the word ‘potential’

Reedsville v Elkhart Lake-Glenbeulah in the sectional semifinal: Reedsville went 2-0 against the Resorters this season with the first win being a 37-point blowout, but the second being just a 14-point Panther win. It’s not easy to beat a team three times a season, especially one that knows you as well as a conference foe.

Reedsville v Tigerton in sectional final: This potential matchup is similar to the one listed from Sectional 1 where a team with a big man meets a guard oriented squad. The contrast in styles and possible shooting displays would make this a fun one.

Reedsville

1A Half-Sectional
#1 Royall (20-3, Scenic Bluffs champion, #1 in Bound Power Index, #9 in Bound/Zaleski Media Poll)
#2 Hillsboro (18-6, #2 in Bound Power Index)
#3 Cochrane-Fountain City (16-7, Dairyland-Small champion, #3 in Bound Power Index)
#4 Assumption (13-10, #4 in Bound Power Index)

1B Half-Sectional
#1 North Crawford (19-4, #2 in Bound Power Index, #8 in Bound/Zaleski Media Poll)
#2 Kickapoo (21-2, Ridge & Valley champion, #1 in Bound Power Index, #1 in Bound/Zaleski Media Poll)
#3 Southwestern (18-5, #3 in Bound Power Index)
#4 Belmont (20-2, #4 in Bound Power Index, #5 Bound/Zaleski Media Poll)

Brandon Davis, River Ridge (sr) - 19.8 ppg, 9.1 rpg, 4.5 apg
CJ Dummer, Blair-Taylor (sr) - 20.2 ppg, 5.1 rpg
Thomas Freeman, Belmont (soph) - 16.6 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 2.6 apg
Cullen Jacobus, North Crawford (sr) - 20.3 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 4.6 apg
Aiden Keleher, Southwestern (sr) - 16.1 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 2.1 apg
Malachi McCauley, Kickapoo (sr) - 15.4 ppg, 4.5 rpg
Miles Ravenscroft, Hillsboro (sr) - 17.7 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 5.1 apg
JT Schlaefer, Assumption (sr) - 20.8 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 3.3 apg
Jack Tarrell, Highland (sr) - 22.3 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 2.3 apg
Wyatt Temperly, Belmont (soph) - 16.1 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 4.0 apg
Cam Thellefsen, Wonewoc-Center (jr) - 20.2 ppg, 13.1 rpg
Arlon Walter, Kickapoo (sr, UW-La Crosse recruit) - 16.8 ppg, 10.8 rpg, 1.5 bpg
Trey Wildes, Royall (sr) - 16.0 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 2.6 apg

Picking a favorite in this sectional isn’t easy as there’s four teams in the top ten in the Bound Power Index, and nine in the top twenty.

However, the two favorites would likely be North Crawford and Kickapoo, both out of the Ridge & Valley conference. The Trojans and Panthers split the season series, with both games needing overtime to determine a winner. Cullen Jacobus leads a high scoring Crawford offense that has five or six different players than can score 20-plus points a night. Kickapoo plays gritty, defends at a high level, and has senior big man Arlon Walter that is a matchup nightmare.

There is no obvious first round matchup that sticks out as an upset, so I’ll go nine-seed Ithaca over eight-seed Seneca. A bit of a cop-out, but these two did split the season series. Seneca is led by junior forward Devin Ihm who averaged nearly 18 points and 12 rebounds per game. The Bulldogs beat North Crawford earlier in January and with a win at Seneca, could set up another matchup with the Ridge & Valley foe.

(Not a top 2-seed)

Where there was not much to choose as a first-round upset victor, there are a handful of options to choose here, as five teams in the bottom half have beaten teams seeded ahead of them, and that doesn’t include the three or four seed. Here, I’m going to go with Southwestern. The Wildcats are no stranger to sectional runs under head coach Clint Nemtiz. Southwestern competes in the SWAL all regular season and are led by seniors Aiden Keleher and Carsen Splinter. Just last week they beat SWAL champion Darlington.

Emphasis on the word ‘potential’

Cochrane-Fountain City v Royall in sectional semifinal: This would be a rematch of the sectional final from a year ago where Royall survived the half sectional of death, but CFC came out on top and went on to win the Division 5 state championship.

River Ridge v Belmont in regional semifinal: Six Rivers-West foes, these two split their season series. A 4/5 matchup in a regional semifinal would be one of the better lower level games in the state on that Friday.

North Crawford v Kickapoo in sectional semifinal: It is no easy task for either of these teams to get to three straight wins in this half sectional, but if they do, the ending to this trilogy would be must watch for any basketball around the state. Both regular season games went into overtime between these two and a neutral site third game would likely be another dog fight. When picking my sectional winner, I’ve gone back and forth multiple times today on which to choose.

Kickapoo

1A Half-Sectional
#1 Abundant Life Christian (17-6, #3 in Bound Power Index)
#2 Barneveld (18-5, Six Rivers-East champion, #1 in Bound Power Index)
#3 Saint Ambrose (17-6, #4 in Bound Power Index)
#4 Pecatonica (16-7, #3 in Bound Power Index)

1B Half-Sectional
#1 Oakfield (20-3, Trailways-East champion, #2 in Bound Power Index, #10 in Bound/Zaleski Media Poll)
#2 Sheboygan Lutheran (18-5, #1 in Bound Power Index, #6 in Bound/Zaleski Media Poll)
#3 Chesterton Academy (18-4, #4 in Bound Power Index)
#4 Central Wisconsin Christian (15-8, #3 in Bound Power Index)

Bo Bijl, Oakfield (sr) - 11.4 ppg, 12.4 rpg
Jeremiah Collins, Argyle (sr)
Sam Fait, Catholic Central (jr) - 28.4 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 2.4 apg
Cameron Ferriano, Sheboygan Christian (sr) - 18.5 ppg, 5.9 rpg
Brayden Glugla, Oakfield (sr) - 14.9 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 2.9 apg
Brennen Hackbarth, Sheboygan Lutheran (sr, St. Norbert recruit) - 22.5 ppg, 7.9 rpg
Hunter Larson, Barneveld (sr)
Griffin Noll, Pecatonica (jr)
Zach Leonhard, Sheboygan Lutheran (sr) - 13,0 ppg, 4.5 rpg
Quinn Peyer, Williams Bay (sr) - 23.3 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 2.5 apg
Nick Thies, Abundant Life Christian (jr) - 17.0 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 3.0 apg

Oakfield and Sheboygan Lutheran are on the bottom half of the sectional and the two favorites in this specific sectional.

Oakfield came one game shy of the state championship last year, losing to Abundant Life, but returned nearly the entire rotation. The Oaks are balanced with three double-digit scorers and three more that average over five points per game.

Sheboygan Lutheran is the Division 5 state runner-up from a season ago, and got a major boost to an already very good rotation a week ago. Senior Zach Leonhard missed the first 21 games of the season due to injury, but is back and adds to a lineup that already boasts Brennen Hackbarth, Oliver Leibham, and McCoy Michael.

Six Rivers teams tend to have success over the Trailways in boys basketball playoffs and I’m picking one of those as a first round upset with ten-seed Argyle going to seven-seed Fall River and pulling the upset. Jeremiah Collins is a talented senior wing with Argyle and a likely tough matchup for the Pirates.

(Not a top 2-seed)

Four-seed Pecatonica could rattle off a few wins and make a run at the sectionals as they avoid Barneveld, who sits in the bottom half of their half-sectional. The Vikings would need to knock off a potential five-seed Johnson Creek and one-seed Abundant Life Christian to do it, but junior Griffin Noll is a difference maker in this sectional, and on most nights will be the best player on the court.

Emphasis on the word ‘potential’

Abundant Life Christian v Barneveld in sectional semifinal: Abundant Life has been to back-to-back state tournaments, so the Challengers know what it takes to win in the playoffs. Barneveld got challenged in the Six Rivers, but also have Hunter Larson leading the way on the hardwood.

Oakfield v Sheboygan Lutheran in sectional semifinal: What I would consider the two best teams in this sectional; these two would do battle on a neutral site court. Both the Oaks and Crusaders are very balanced. Lutheran and coach Nick Verhagen have been to the Kohl Center, so that experience is on their side. However, the Oaks have the distaste of last year’s sectional final loss still in their mouth.

Sheboygan Lutheran

Kickapoo over Sheboygan Lutheran
Columbus Catholic over Reedsville

Columbus Catholic over Kickapoo

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