Five Potential Upsets to Watch in Sectional Semifinals

<p>With sectional play kicking off Wednesday, here’s a look at five potential upsets to watch...</p> <p><strong>(5) KIMBERLY OVER (1) NEENAH</strong></p> <p>Neenah won both meetings in the regular season by a combined three points.  The most recent victory came with a questionable call at the finish as well.</p> <p>Anytime you have a player like [player_tooltip player_id="801149" first="Jackson" last="Paveletzke"] (29.9 ppg), you have a chance.  He had 29 and 46 in both previous meetings with the Rockets. If the Papermakers can get a little more defensively against Neenah’s bigs, [player_tooltip player_id="1244880" first="Eli" last="Schmidt"], [player_tooltip player_id="988975" first="J.J." last="Paider"], and [player_tooltip player_id="950099" first="Carter" last="Thomas"], who have all had their way in this series, it’s likely enough to put them over the top. </p> <p>Neenah is in the midst of a special season. The Fox Valley Association champs did it without sophomore guard [player_tooltip player_id="963148" first="Cal" last="Klesmit"], who may have been the team’s leading scorer this year. Leading his team to a 25-1 mark and getting it done on both ends, [player_tooltip player_id="865837" first="Chevalier" last="Emery Jr"]. (18.4 ppg) deserves more consideration for Mr. Basketball.</p> <p>It’s very hard to beat somebody three times in a season, especially in a rivalry series like this one. The Rockets will certainly have their work cut out for them is they’re going to keep marching towards a state title. </p> <p><strong>(3) HOMESTEAD OVER (2) DE PERE<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/09/101-Tim-Franks.jpg"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-1290013" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/09/101-Tim-Franks-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></a></strong></p> <p>De Pere and Menomonee Falls may be on a collision course in the sectional finals, but the Redbirds cannot overlook this Homestead squad. The Highlanders won the North Shore Conference with a perfect 18-0 record and have a win over Whitnall.  Their roster may not jump out on paper, but this is a deep, well-coached group that’s very connected. Homestead had four players averaging double figures, led by sophomore  guard [player_tooltip player_id="1142121" first="Tim" last="Franks"] (18.7 ppg), who’s a difficult matchup at 6-foot-4.</p> <p>At 24-2, De Pere survived a scare in the regional finals against Manitowoc Lincoln, winning 59-54. The 1-2 punch of [player_tooltip player_id="953943" first="John" last="Kinziger"] (20.6 ppg) and [player_tooltip player_id="1193234" first="Will" last="Hornseth"] (17.4 ppg) is as good of an inside-out duo as there is the state.</p> <p><strong>(3) ONALASKA OVER (1) LA CROSSE CENTRAL</strong></p> <p>Again, beating somebody in a season three times in one season is very difficult to do, especially when it’s your rival. La Crosse Central won both meetings by a combined 13 points, including a 40-38 decision in January. The 72-61 victory for the River Hawks wasn’t quite indicative of how close that game was as well.</p> <p>Onalaska went 19-5 and finished second in the Mississippi Valley Conference. The Hilltoppers always have quality seniors. If freshman TJ Stutley (11.9 ppg) can  elevate his game and play beyond his years, Onalaska could be looking at a sectional final berth if not a trip to state.</p> <p>However, they’ll have to get through the senior duo of [player_tooltip player_id="990740" first="Devon" last="Fielding"] (15.0 ppg) and [player_tooltip player_id="865862" first="Noah" last="Compan"] (11.6 ppg), who have four years of varsity experience and are looking to put their stamp on a storied program. </p> <p><strong>(4) EDGEWOOD OVER (2) COLUMBUS<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/04/Mateo-Jimenez-1.jpg"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-1179974" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/04/Mateo-Jimenez-1-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></a></strong></p> <p>Columbus is 20-4 and ran through the Capitol North Conference. The Cardinals haven’t played a great non-conference schedule and barely edged the only team from the Badger Conference, Monona Grove, they’ve faced all season -- not to take away from the season they’ve had as there are some quality wins, including a sweep against Lakeside Lutheran, Laconia, and South Central champ Wisconsin Dells. </p> <p>Edgewood is hot right now, having won 13 of their last 14 games. That includes a victory over Badger West champ Monroe. The Crusaders are also blowing through the playoffs right now. winning two games by an average of  26 points.</p> <p><strong>(4)  OSHKOSH NORTH OVER (2) ASHWAUBENON</strong></p> <p>Think it’s very safe to say that Oshkosh North is underseeded a 4-seed.  The computers didn’t seem to  reward them for playing in the Fox Valley Association, arguably the state’s top conference top to bottom. The Spartans went 19-7 and finished fourth in the league, behind three teams are still playing in Division 1. The frontcourt duo of freshman [player_tooltip player_id="1282617" first="Xzavion" last="Mitchell"] (21.6 ppg) and sophomore [player_tooltip player_id="1089684" first="Stevie" last="Clark"] (19.8 ppg) is going to be a handful for Ashwaubenon.</p> <p>The Jaguars have a very good chance of advancing to the state tournament as well.  At 22-4, Ashwaubenon finished third in a very top-heavy Fox River Classic Conference. Michigan Tech commit [player_tooltip player_id="865854" first="Marcus" last="Tomashek"] (25.8 ppg) is having a monster season. UW-Oshkosh commit [player_tooltip player_id="865851" first="Matt" last="Imig"] (15.8 ppg) is also good enough to be a first option on a lot of different teams.</p>