WIAA State Tournament Preview: Division 2

<p>Breaking down the WIAA Division 2 state tournament, which will be played  Saturday at the La Crosse Center...</p> <p><strong>(1) Onalaska (18-0)</strong></p> <p><em>Road to State: </em></p> <p>Defeated Black River Falls 65-36</p> <p>Defeated Tomah 65-48</p> <p>Defeated Altoona 67-42</p> <p>Defeated Rice Lake 49-23</p> <p>After fielding one of the state’s top teams over the past couple of seasons, Onalaska has finally broken through  to the state tournament for the first time since 2013. Despite not beginning their season until Dec. 29, the Hilltoppers have an unblemished record, winning  14 of their 18 games by double digits Behind the trio of [player_tooltip player_id="764106" first="Gavin" last="McGrath"], [player_tooltip player_id="879989" first="Sam" last="Kick"], and [player_tooltip player_id="880003" first="Victor" last="Desmond"], Onalaska has a senior-laden, experienced group.</p> <p><strong>(4) Xavier (23-4)</strong></p> <p><em>Road to State: </em></p> <p>Defeated Ripon 95-61</p> <p>Defeated Little Chute 60-38</p> <p>Defeated Luxemburg-Casco 69-67</p> <p>Defeated Seymour 78-61</p> <p>Winners of the Bay Conference, Xavier has ripped off 18-straight wins to reach La Crosse.  Becoming a regular at the state tournament, the Hawks are making their fifth appearance at state, including their fourth since 2015.  Thanks to a breakout season from sophomore [player_tooltip player_id="1024438" first="Alex" last="Sherwood"] and some excellent guard play from [player_tooltip player_id="865856" first="Charlie" last="Pfefferle"] and <strong>Ray Zuleger</strong>, Xavier is a very dangerous 4-seed.</p> <p><strong>(2) Pewaukee (25-3)</strong></p> <p><em>Road to State: </em></p> <p>Defeated Wilmot 89-56</p> <p>Defeated East Troy 59-40</p> <p>Defeated Brown Deer 99-68</p> [caption id="attachment_1113688" align="alignright" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/01/Ashton-Janowski.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1113688 size-medium" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/01/Ashton-Janowski-300x155.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="155" /></a> [player_tooltip player_id="761419" first="Ashton" last="Janowski"][/caption] <p>Defeated Wisconsin Lutheran 76-63</p> <p>Perhaps no team in the state challenged themselves in non-conference play more than Pewaukee. The Pirates faced a grueling schedule that included Brookfield East, Kimberly, Arrowhead, Neenah, Sussex Hamilton, SJNA, and Westosha Central. Pewaukee is riding a  13-game winning streak and playing some of their best ball of the season at the right time.  The Pirates feature four players who average double figures in [player_tooltip player_id="953944" first="Milan" last="Momcilovic"], [player_tooltip player_id="801168" first="Josh" last="Terrian"], [player_tooltip player_id="761419" first="Ashton" last="Janowski"], and [player_tooltip player_id="1089682" first="Nick" last="Janowski"], and plenty of role players capable of doing damage.</p> <p><strong>(3) Lake Mills (23-5)</strong></p> <p><em>Road to State: </em></p> <p>Defeated Whitewater 55-36</p> <p>Defeated Stoughton 72-52</p> <p>Defeated Wisconsin Dells 65-51</p> <p>Defeated Monroe 66-65</p> <p>One of the biggest surprises in the state tournament, Lake Mills won a thrilling one-point victory at Monroe to advance to La Crosse.  The L-Cats have quietly had a great year, also defeated SJNA and DeForest during the second half of the season. UW-Platteville commit [player_tooltip player_id="994395" first="Charlie" last="Bender"] leads three seniors averaging in double figures this season.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>PLAYERS TO WATCH</strong></p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="994395" first="Charlie" last="Bender"] (Lake Mills)</p> [caption id="attachment_1082872" align="alignright" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/11/20200704_134024.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1082872" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/11/20200704_134024-300x154.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="154" /></a> [player_tooltip player_id="994395" first="Charlie" last="Bender"][/caption] <p>Bender does a little bit of everything for Lake Mills, averaging 19 points, seven rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game. The senior guard initiates the offense, shoots it well off the catch, and can defend multiple positions. Taking his talents to UW-Platteville next season, Bender was the Capitol North Player of the Year this season and a two-time first-team All-Conference pick.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="764106" first="Gavin" last="McGrath"] (Onalaska)</p> <p>Committed to North Dakota, McGrath is a 6-foot-10 shot-blocking presence who controls the paint. Making strides offensively, McGrath averages 13  points and seven rebounds per game for a balanced Onalaska squad.</p> <p>Milan  Momcilovic (Pewaukee)</p> <p>Momcilovic was named the Woodland West Player of the Year as a sophomore after putting up 17.2 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. A skilled and versatile 6-foot-8 forward can shoot and handle the ball from the perimeter.  A legit high major prospect, Momcilovic is the top-ranked sophomore in the state.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1024438" first="Alex" last="Sherwood"] (Xavier)</p> <p>Sherwood as a first-team All-Bay Conference selection this season. The sweet-shooting wing/forward averaged 17.6 points and 10.4 rebounds per game this season.  Sherwood is ranked No. 27 in Wisconsin’s 2023 class.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>