Each week we are going to preview the best matchups, storylines, etc twice a week for the entirety of the boys basketball season. Monday we will preview the games played Monday-Wednesday, then on Wednesday we'll preview Thursday-Saturday's slate.
See below the best matchups for Monday, February 23 through Wednesday, February 25.
Don't forget to use the hashtag #wisbb when talking about any Wisconsin high school basketball stories, scores, and big performances this season.
Click the links for the games and see the preview of each game with a tale of the tape in terms of numbers, stat comparison, and other info on Bound.
Follow Colton on ‘X’ for more basketball content throughout the year.
Monday, February 23
The Scenic Bluffs title is on the line on Monday night as Royall heads to Bangor for the opportunity to win the conference title outright. The Panthers stand one game ahead of both Bangor and Hillsboro in the standings, and already have a 14-point win over the Cardinals this year. If Royall can secure the win, it’s an outright title. If Bangor takes home the ‘W’, and Hillsboro beats Cashton, there will be a three-way split of the conference title in 2025-26.
These are two very good Division 3 teams that will be looking to make a deep playoff push starting next week. This week, they’ll do battle in this non-conference, Monday night tilt. Luther Prep will likely finish behind Lake Country Lutheran in the Midwest Classic standings but boasts a talented squad behind brother Gabe and Levi Nottling. Lake Mills has serious gold ball aspirations, and are led by the junior point-forward Tyler Wollin.
This is a tune game for both the Warhawks and Wolverines as both are still in the thick of a conference title race as both can win shares of their league with wins later in the week. Also, these two have aspirations come tournament time. Cahlil Jones is a Mr. Basketball semi-finalist and one of the top players in the state and will do battle with Waterford’s Caden Gustafson in a top player matchup.
Waunakee can secure a share of the Badger-Large conference title with a win on Monday night. After madness in the league last week, the Warriors are in the drivers seat, sitting one game ahead of Oregon and Beaver Dam. To get that share, the Warriors will have to be at a Monona Grove team for a second time this season. In game one between these two, Jacob Muniz and Wes DuCharme each had 20+ points while the Warriors out-rebounded the Silver Eagles 34-21.
Another big time non-conference matchup in the southeast part of the state pits ranked Division 2 squads with state championship aspirations. This is a game with top-tier individual talent as Tosa West boasts two D1 athletes in Green Bay commit Matthew Kloskey and Jalen Brown while Slinger has Jack and Joey Kohnen.
Others to Watch
Prentice secures the Marawood-North outright with a win
East Troy secures the Rock Valley-Valley outright with a win
Osseo-Fairchild secures the Dairyland-Large outright with a win
Tuesday, February 23
Appleton North will look to clinch a share of the FVA title later this week, but before the Lightning can look too far ahead, they’ll welcome in a Bay Port team that is playing well. AJ Ivy and JT Meyer are a very good 1-2 duo with the Pirates while the anyone 1-6 can go off on any night for the Lightning.
River Falls got the top seed in their half of the Division 2, Sectional 1. La Crosse Central got the second seed in the bottom half. This could very well be a sectional final matchup if each school wins three games. For now, it’s a great end-of-the-season non-conference matchup between two very good teams on the western part of the state.
Seymour is looking to finish the season a perfect 24-0, but to do so they’ll need to get a win over a Division 1, FVA squad that is coming off wins over Appleton North and Beaver Dam. It'll be no easy feat for coach Bobby Kuchta’s squad, but they’ve prepared all year for big games, and this is just the last of the regular season.
Others to Watch
Mauston secures a share of the South Central with a win
Wednesday, February 24
Wisco has been a wagon this season and the game early in the season that sticks out as maybe a preview on that being the case was the first matchup between these two teams, a 69-20 win by the Vikings of Wisconsin Lutheran. New Berlin West is a very good team, and one that has playoff aspirations come next week. The Woodland-West conference title is on the line in this one, as Wisconsin Lutheran wins the title outright with a win, while West will force a share with their own victory. To do so, New Berlin West will need to shoot better than 15% from the floor which Wisco limited them to in the first matchup.
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].