Regionals: Top Five

<p>The playoffs mark the climax of the high school basketball season, and after a weekend of action-packed games, it’s time to unpack the best performances across all divisions.</p> <p>Underrated Contender: Saint John’s Northwest Military Academy - <br /> SJNMA’s late boost in stock comes after a convincing victory over second-seeded East Troy, and though they’re still a heavy underdog in their next game versus Racine St. Catherine’s, they could become the division three favorite with an upset victory.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="804898" first="Brandin" last="Podziemski"], [player_tooltip player_id="694801" first="Gerald" last="Gittens"] and [player_tooltip player_id="879998" first="Brennan" last="Timm"] are all producing consistently bloated stat lines, DC Jensen is providing the occasional shooting presence along with size and physicality, and Haydn Bensch is able to force turnovers and score as a secondary option. SJNMA has more than enough explosive offense and playmaking defense to continue their postseason run, making them the perfect underrated contender. </p> <p>Balanced Roster: Catholic Memorial - <br /> As a six seed wreaking havoc in the division two bracket, Prep Hoops Wisconsin was bound to take a closer look into Catholic Memorial’s roster.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="880989" first="Cole" last="Dakovic"] paces them statistically. The Wisconsin football commit exploits his division one size to control the paint, as he averages nearly a double-double with points and rebounds. George Hermes is a patient guard on offense that pitches in beyond the arc and as a scrappy, hard-working defender. Behind him, Luke Fox, Daniel Fynaardt, Ben Kreul and Ty Hubley all score over five points a game and have stepped up during Regionals.</p> <p>One Man Show: [player_tooltip player_id="544505" first="Carter" last="Gilmore"] - <br /> Arrowhead’s roster is laden with young prospects. Typically, Gilmore doesn’t carry this team alone, but as for the playoffs, he’s outperformed everyone during a historic scoring tear. Against Sheboygan North, he dropped an easy 27 points. It’s an impressive feat by most standards, but he managed to blow that out of the water the next night, scoring 49 points versus Menomonee Falls. He’s the must-see player right now and has fueled Arrowhead’s state aspirations despite serious competition in their sectional.</p> <p>Best Matchup: Brookfield East versus Milwaukee King - <br /> This game certainly should’ve come later in the postseason. Milwaukee King (undefeated in the regular season) came in as a four seed. Brookfield East, a four-loss powerhouse that’s undefeated against teams not named Sussex Hamilton or Brookfield Central, entered as a five seed.</p> <p>East would come out victorious, winning by just two points, and while it may not have been the most eventful game, it was a marquee matchup due to its prospects. King’s [player_tooltip player_id="879985" first="Quinton" last="Murrell"] spent the season proving why he deserves to be on our radar, and he finished with a solid 12 points. Teammate Ricky Bradley dropped 17 without missing from the stripe. Brookfield East’s [player_tooltip player_id="879993" first="Hayden" last="Doyle"] dropped 22 in another explosive performance from the guard. Fellow backcourt-mate [player_tooltip player_id="880991" first="Sam" last="McGath"] also chipped in 16 points in the win.</p> <p>Powerhouse Program: Onalaska - <br /> There’s not much to say about Onalaska that hasn’t already been said. This weekend was another example of their dominance and ability to control the game.</p> <p>In their first two wins, Onalaska held their opponents to a combined 72 points, as they had a stranglehold on their opponents’ offensive flow. They face La Crosse Central for the third time next weekend. Although it’s even talent-wise, Onalaska seems to rise above the division two talent with dominance each week.</p>