Sectionals Preview: Division 1

The WIAA playoffs will carry on with Thursday’s sectional semifinals. Prep Hoops Wisconsin breaks down a loaded race in Division 1....   SECTIONAL 1 (1) Kimberly vs. (4) Eau Claire North - Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln The Fox Valley Association champs look to atone for a surprising upset that knocked them out of last season’s sectional semifinal. At 21-3 overall, Kimberly have three double-digit scorers -- senior [player_tooltip player_id="544519" first="Jake" last="Buchanan"] (18.9 ppg), a Rockhurst commit, senior [player_tooltip player_id="935428" first="Logan" last="Pearson"] (13.8 ppg), and UW-Platteville commit, and sophomore [player_tooltip player_id="801149" first="Jackson" last="Paveletzke"] (13.5 ppg). Senior guard [player_tooltip player_id="544501" first="Dalton" last="Banks"] will be looking to pull off the upset. The Southern Illinois commit is putting up 24.6 points, 11.0 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game. If Ashton Kallstrom (17.2 ppg) and [player_tooltip player_id="880022" first="Chad" last="Kron"] (13.4 ppg) play well, the Huskies are a high-octane offense that can hang with just about everyone.   (2) Neenah vs. (3) Chippewa Falls - Marshfield One of the state’s hottest teams, Neenah has won 13-straight games, including an eye-popping 73-49 win over Kimberly. Wofford commit [player_tooltip player_id="544541" first="Max" last="Klesmit"] has been lethal all season, averaging 26.5 points per game. A state semifinalist a year ago, the Rockets will look to return to Madison for the second-stright season. At 19-5 overall, Chippewa Falls won a very good Big Rivers Conference. Peeking at the right time, the Cardinals have won 11 of their last 12 games, with the only loss coming to River Falls by just one point. Falls has a strong duo in junior [player_tooltip player_id="880014" first="Joe" last="Reuter"] (16.5 ppg) and senior [player_tooltip player_id="880982" first="Peyton" last="Rogers-Schmidt"] (17.2 ppg).   SECTIONAL 2 (1) Brookfield Central vs. (5) Brookfield East - at Hartford Despite being 20-4 overall, East will look to avenge two losses to crosstown rival Central from the regular season. Both defeats came by double-digits. The Spartans are getting a breakout season from junior guard [player_tooltip player_id="879993" first="Hayden" last="Doyle"] (20.7 ppg). Seniors [player_tooltip player_id="880991" first="Sam" last="McGath"] (15.9 ppg) and [player_tooltip player_id="881031" first="Michael" last="Poker"] (14.0 ppg) will look to get East back to state after reaching the title game two years ago. The Lancers have a loaded lineup led by junior forward [player_tooltip player_id="804893" first="David" last="Joplin"] (22.9 ppg, 10.1 rpg). Senior [player_tooltip player_id="935442" first="Eric" last="Radisevic"] (13.1 ppg), who just earned a pair of Division 2 offers, junior [player_tooltip player_id="879980" first="Ben" last="Nau"] (12.6 ppg), senior [player_tooltip player_id="553411" first="Malik" last="Abdul-Wahid"] (11.7 ppg), a Winona State, and sophomore Andrew Rohde (8.5 ppg) would be Plan A options on a lot of different teams. After their loss to La Follette, the Lancers have ripped off 17-straight wins, including a sweep of Sussex Hamilton. (2) Sussex Hamilton vs. (3) Arrowhead - at Germantown This is the most intriguing matchup that Thursday has to offer. This will pit five-star wing [player_tooltip player_id="544570" first="Patrick" last="BaldwinJr."] against Wisconsin commit and Mr. Basketball contender [player_tooltip player_id="544505" first="Carter" last="Gilmore"]. Baldwin and Sussex Hamilton are 21-3 overall with their only in-state losses coming to Greater Metro Conference champ and 1-seed Brookfield Central. The Chargers are also getting 15.1 ppg from Northern Michigan commit [player_tooltip player_id="811851" first="Carson" last="Smith"] and 14.6 ppg from junior sniper [player_tooltip player_id="879986" first="Tanner" last="Resch"]. Like Hamilton, Arrowhead’s only loss this season came to Brookfield Central. The Warhawks won the Classic Eight Conference by four games. In addition to Gilmore, junior wing [player_tooltip player_id="804923" first="Sam" last="Hytinen"] (12.5 ppg) and freshman Mac Wrecke (11.6 ppg) are top players to watch in this sectional.   SECTIONAL 3 (1) Madison La Follette vs. (5) Waunakee - at Verona These two teams met in January with La Follette winning 71-56 in Waunakee. The Lancers won the Big Eight Conference this season. Currently one of the biggest surprises in the state, La Follette is 22-1 heading into Thursday. Built around a smaller lineup that can play 36 minutes of organized chaos, the Lancers have three senior guards who can go off on any given night -- [player_tooltip player_id="880977" first="Ben" last="Probst"] (15.6 ppg), [player_tooltip player_id="811848" first="Isaiah" last="Stewart"] (15.3 ppg), and [player_tooltip player_id="774515" first="Derek" last="Gray"] (14.1 ppg). A dangerous 5-seed, the Warriors are 19-5 overall this season and won the Badger North Conference. They also upset 4-seed Sun Prairie last week to reach sectionals. Led by sophomore [player_tooltip player_id="761421" first="Andrew" last="Keller"] (12.4 ppg), Waunakee has a balanced lineup and can space the floor with countless 3-point shooters. (2) Madison East vs. (6) Oconomowoc - at Middleton At 19-4 overall, East finished second in the Big Eight Conference. The Purgolders knocked off Kettle Moraine and Beloit Memorial to reach sectionals. East has a long, athletic lineup led by seniors [player_tooltip player_id="811017" first="Anthony" last="Washington"] (16.6 ppg), [player_tooltip player_id="694814" first="Keonte" last="Jones"] (14.1 ppg), and junior [player_tooltip player_id="880032" first="Jevan" last="Boyton"] (10.1 ppg). Oconomowoc upset 3-seed Madison Memorial in the regional finals. The Raccoons have a solid 1-2 punch in senior forward Caleb Flaten-Moore (17.8 ppg) and senior guard Drew Fisher (15.1 ppg), a UW-Whitewater commit. With last week’s win over the Spartans, Oconomowoc improved to 4-1 against the Big Eight Conference this season.   SECTIONAL 4 (1) Racine Case vs. (4) Kenosha Bradford Bradford finished second in the Southeast Conference. The Red Devils have been tested in the playoffs early on, hanging on for single-digit victories against Racine Park and Muskego. Senior forward [player_tooltip player_id="881025" first="Maxwell" last="Glass"] (15.4 ppg, 6.7 rpg) helped lead Bradford to 18 wins thus far. Case won the Southeast Conference by three games. Sophomore guard JaKobe Thompson (21.4 ppg) is one of the state’s top scorers. The Eagles have an intriguing balance of youth and experience with a supporting cast that features sophomore [player_tooltip player_id="865835" first="Terryon" last="Brumby"] (14.4 ppg), senior Jonathan Rankins (10.8 ppg), sophomore [player_tooltip player_id="865834" first="Amari" last="Jedkins"] (8.6 ppg), and senior [player_tooltip player_id="881003" first="Nick" last="Fugiasco"] (8.3 ppg). Case will enter Thursday’s contest having won 16 of their last 17 games, with the lone loss coming to Sussex Hamilton. (2) Kenosha Tremper vs. (3) West Allis Central - at Racine Park Last season’s state semifinalist, the Bulldogs have knocked off Racine Horlick and Marquette en route to their trip to sectionals. Senior forward [player_tooltip player_id="694830" first="Shilo" last="Bowles"] (17.8 ppg, 9.4 rpg) is one of the state’s top unsigned seniors. If sophomore [player_tooltip player_id="761411" first="Najashi" last="Tolefree"] (14.0 ppg) and junior Jaqunis Rhodes (11.7 ppg) can continue to elevate their play in March, West Allis Central has a great shot to return to Madison. Tremper has one of the state’s best kept secrets, [player_tooltip player_id="947268" first="Jyon" last="Young"], who’s averaging better than 20 points per game this season. The Trojans routed Milwaukee Bradley Tech before survivng a scare from Franklin to advance to sectionals.