Preview: WIAA Division 3 Playoffs

Preview of the 2019 WIAA Division 3 playoffs... SECTIONAL 1 The Favorites - Stratford and Prescott Stratford went a perfect 22-0 during the regular season, winning the Marawood South Conference. The Tigers are led by Wisconsin football recruit Ben Barten, who's averaging 15.3 ppg this season. Stratford won seven games by 30 or more points in 2018-19. Looking to return to the state tournament, Prescott (18-4) split the Middle Border Conference championship with New Richmond. The Cardinals enter the playoffs on a 12-game winning streak. Junior guard Parker Nielsen is having a huge season, putting up 26.4 ppg. The Darkhorses - Northwestern and Bloomer Had these two teams been in different conferences, both could make cases for 1-seeds. Northwestern edged Bloomer 58-53 to win the Heart O' North Conference outright. Both squads are likely to meet in a regional semifinal. Potential Cinderella - Mauston At 16-5, Mauston saw junior forward Cade Hall (18.9 ppg) put up substantial numbers this season. A 3-seed in the Division 3 tournament, the Golden Eagles finished second in the South Central Conference. Mauston also has a recent win over 2-seed Wisconsin Dells.   SECTIONAL 2 The Favorites - Southern Door and Wrightstown A pair of 18-4 squads, both are hot entering the playoffs. Wrightstown has won 14 of their last 15 games, while Southern Door came out victorious in 16 of their last 18 contests. The Tigers, who are getting 24.6 ppg from senior guard Mayson Hazaert, split the North Eastern Conference title with Freedom and Denmark. Kyle Daoust (23.6 ppg) and the Eagles won the Packerland Conference. The Darkhorses - Freedom and Denmark Both teams won a share of the North Eastern Conference title and have identical 18-4 records. The difference? Freedom was able to beat 1-seed Wrightstown during the regular season, taking a 62-52 decision on Feb. 21. Potential Cinderella - Xavier The Hawks were denied a trip to state last season after a dominant 2017-18 season. Xavier also lost a number of key seniors, yet managed to compile an 18-4 record this season and win the Bay Conference. Senior sharpshooter Nick Otto (20.4 ppg) has plenty of big game experience and could get the Hawks over the hump this season.   SECTIONAL 3 The Favorites - Martin Luther and Racine St. Catherine's These two teams split the two regular season meetings and the Metro Classic Conference crown and are loaded with talent. Martin Luther (19-3), who got the 1-seed, has three top 15 ranked seniors in the state -- Trequan Carrington (20.0 ppg), Ace Evans (16.8 ppg), and Xzavier Jones (12.2 ppg). 2-seed St. Catherine's features a quality mix of youth and experience with sophomores Kamari McGee (9.8 ppg) and Tyrese Hunter (14.0 ppg), paired with seniors Quinn Cafferty (12.9 ppg) and Azarien Stephens (13.4 ppg). The Darkhorses - SJNMA and Prairie Du Chien Saint John's Northwestern Military Academy probably had a good case to be a 1-seed. SJNMA went 21-1 and won a very good Midwest Classic Conference. They also knocked off the likes of West Allis Central, Brookfield Academy (twice), and Lake County Lutheran (twice). Watch out for sleeper sophomore Brandin Podziemski, who's putting up 23.4 ppg this season. Prairie Du Chien (19-3) earned a 1-seed in the top half of the sectional. The Black Hawks aren't a trendy pick in March after splitting the SWC with a 9-3 record in league play. Potential Cinderella - Lakeside Lutheran It's likely that someone from the bottom half of this sectional makes it to state. Lakeside Lutheran (15-3) might be a 4-seed, but they've got 2-seed talent. The Capitol North Conference champs have a trio of seniors -- Jack Monis (15.3 ppg), Cameron Paske (14.4 ppg), and Will Denoyer (11.9 ppg) that are hungry for a deep run. The size and skill level of Lakeside Lutheran could surprise some people in March.   SECTIONAL 4 The Favorites - Waupun and Brookfield Academy Waupun's lone loss came to Martin Luther in what might have been a preview of the D3 title game. The Warriors have a terrific 1-2 punch in Marcus Domask (27.9 ppg) and Quintin Winterfeldt (11.3) as well as some unsung heroes who like Reece Homan and Trevor VandeZande that always seem to rise to the occasion. After winning a state championship three seasons ago, Domask and company are primed for another run to Madison. Brookfield Academy might be a year away, but the talent is there. The other 1-seed in this sectional, the Blue Knights are deep, led by Aidan Clarey (20.3 ppg) and Logan Landers (14.4 ppg). Brookfield Academy has a number of players who are stars in their role and/present matchup problems. The Darkhorses - Dominican and Lake County Lutheran Dominican (15-7) was supposed to struggle this season, but thanks to Alex Antetokounmpo (19.0 ppg), the Knights earned a 3-seed in the playoffs. Finishing third in a very good Metro Classic Conference, Dominican's only four losses from in-state came against Martin Luther and Racine St. Catherine's by an average of 11.3 ppg. They're not a household name, but don't sleep on Lake County Lutheran (18-4). Finishing second in a very strong Midwest Classic Conference, the Lightning are led by high scoring senior Bryce Haertle 21.6 ppg and promising freshman Luke Haertle (16.6 ppg). Potential Cinderella - Brown Deer If Brooklyn Jagers (21.6 ppg) and Jaylon Gentry (20.4 ppg) get hot, why not Brown Deer (11-11)? The Falcons probably don't have the depth to go all the way, but as a 5-seed, are still capable of making plenty of noise.