Five Most Intriguing Conference Matchups

High school offseasons have an undeniable craziness to them. Circumstances change and rosters shift in carousel fashion, and the balance that took a year to establish is, again, completely up in the air. So, here we are, a month before the season, looking at a new power struggle within respective conferences. Before the first tip-off of the 2019-20 season, Prep Hoops Wisconsin looks at the conference matchups most likely to dictate the top-half of the standings. Madison La Follete vs Madison East - Big Eight Given the task of defending either of these teams, to put this in the most professional wording possible, stinks. La Follete’s roster is built on dimensions and individual skillsets. They’ll count on an upswing from Derek Gray, who impressed this fall, bobbing and weaving through defenders as he attacked, usually quite effortlessly, through the paint. Their leader, Ben Probst, is a proven gunslinger, and more recently, an all-around scoring virtuoso at the Wisconsin Swing Fall League. Containing that highly-volatile skills-bomb is a tall task, even for an equally chockablock Madison East team. Led by Anthony Washington and Keonte Jones, East proved themselves as winners by notching a one-seed in last year’s playoffs. They’ve marinated this offseason, not facing any significant turnover, which begs the question: is there any reason to kick them off their pedestal? Well, depth favors La Follette, albeit narrowly, but starpower cedes to East’s high-flying, bucket-getting backcourt. And the fact that East won last season with essentially the same core stops me from getting too bold with predictions, at least not until there are live games to work with. Who Finishes Higher: Madison East Arrowhead vs Waukesha West - Classic Eight Both teams spent the past four months licking wounds. For Waukesha West, David Skogman, Chris Bready and Rocky Matrinez all departed, leaving question marks in their frontcourt. But Cam Palesse is still at the helm, so don’t expect this team to bottom out anytime soon. As for Arrowhead, they’ll deal with turnover, but overall it’s less dour then Waukesha’s. They return Carter Gilmore, a Wisconsin basketball commit and ideal piece to center a team around. At his simplest, he’s a dump-down option. At his savviest, he’s an overarching big and a candle on which Arrowhead can submit prayer. Either version can fend off a losing record. The other key player in Arrowhead’s supporting cast that dodged the turnover-cudgel is Sam Hytinen, who spent his summer as a marksman on Phenom University’s NY2LA squad. When it boils down to it, this matchup hinges on which supporting cast can out-play the other. Hytinen and others give Arrowhead the nod. Who Finishes Higher: Arrowhead Cuba City vs Mineral Point - SWAL The power balance reworked itself in the SWAL. Brayden Dailey transferred from Point to Cuba City (essentially the high school equivalent of balancing teams in a pickup game), establishing a new-look matchup between the two programs. But perhaps it’s not so different as to question the status quo. Mineral Point finished ahead of Cuba City last season and still has seniors Isaac Lindsey and Wesley Berget to work with. It’s certainly enough mold to make a title team from, even if it's a thinner, less talented core than last year. On the other hand, Cuba City, now led by Daily, returns with a fully-wired and constructed roster, their star accentuated by auxiliary prospects such as Brady Olsen, Jackson Noll and Jack Misky. It may be too early to discuss it in earnest, but it’s difficult to go against a senior stud in Lindsey. Who Finishes Higher: Mineral Point Milwaukee King vs Milwaukee Hamilton - Milwaukee City The Milwaukee City program rolodex made a habit out of being top-heavy, so I understand why choosing middling teams and slapping on an impactful intriguing label may attract skeptics. Allow me to explain. The conference may flip on its head this season. In fact, change of significant modicum is especially likely, and both of these teams have the ability to jump towards the top. As a roster of absurd wingspans and bungee cord length, King will cause disarray in backcourts across the state. Their roster complex runs through junior Quinton Murrell, the elastic forward that 14.5 points per game in his sophomore showcase. Hamilton sits behind King in most areas. It’s a battle, though, because of the quantity of talent. Hamilton guard Derrick Ousley dons a franchise-player demeanor and a sleek skillset of isolation moves and swift maneuvers. Terrion Oliver possess a steady jumper and scoring itch. Other guys such as Ja’Shawn Forrester also supply to the synergy and grit that, when the seasons whittles down, could give them a convenient edge over King and others. Who Finishes Higher: Milwaukee King Westosha Central vs Elkhorn - Southern Lakes Westosha Central took the NFL quarterback approach: fostering their next star (Jack Rose) under the guidance of another (Jaeden Zackery). Still, as a freshman, Rose did everything he could to break loose immediately, averaging 7.2 points per game while playing a key role in their offense. In addition to Rose, sophomore Bradley Bell returns with a new role in their frontcourt. Central will run into Elkhorn, though, a roster fresh off a trip to State. Jordan Johnson, Nick Brown and Devon Davey return for them, establishing a core to build around. Johnson, especially, has tightened screws this summer and fall, emerging as the frontrunner for their first option on offense. Ultimately, Rose claims best player honors from both teams, but Elkhorn benefits from experience plus more depth, which is enough to ward Westosha off from their mountaintop. Who Finishes Higher: Elkhorn