WIAA Playoff Preview: Division 1 Sectional 3

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The WIAA boy's basketball playoff brackets were revealed on Sunday. Here's a closer look at the field in Division 1 Sectional 3...</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>THE FAVORITES</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>(1) Arrowhead</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>At 21-2 overall, the Warhawks won the Classic Eight Conference by three games. Arrowhead features one of the best trios in the state -- UW-Green Bay commit [player_tooltip player_id='953945' first='Mac' last='Wrecke'] (16.9 ppg), senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1141628' first='Austin' last='Villareal'] (18.6 ppg), and junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1142119' first='Bennett' last='Basich'] (16.3 ppg). Considered one of the top two teams in Division 1 heading into the season, the Warhawks have shown little if any signs of being anything but that. If there's any team that can match up and take down undefeated De Pere, many people think this is it. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>(2) Middleton</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Granted Arrowhead was dealing a key injury, but keep in mind these two teams met in the playoffs last season with Middleton running away with a road win. The Cardinals won the Big Eight Conference by three games with just one hiccup along the way during a 21-1 season. Winona State commit [player_tooltip player_id='1141638' first='Gavyn' last='Hurley'] (19.0 ppg) leads a deep and talented group that plays hard on both ends have various pieces that can cause problems. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>TOP CONTENDERS</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>(5) Sussex Hamilton</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Chargers have been one of the hottest teams in the state during the second half of the season. Take the computers away and let the coaches vote, Hamilton is probably the 3-seed in this region with an overall record of 18-5 and wins over Wauwatosa West, Marquette, Pius XI, and Milwaukee Hamilton. Interested to see what senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='953956' first='Luther' last='Smith'] (27.2 ppg) has in store for his encore. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>(7) Brookfield Central</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Lancers have been fading a bit over the last month, but still feature a dangerous squad. Junior forward [player_tooltip player_id='1142131' first='Jack' last='Daugherty'] (17.9 ppg) leads a 15-8 squad that's very battle-tested, not only having gone through the grind of the Greater Metro Conference, but games against Wisconsin Lutheran, Franklin, and Neenah. If role players such as [player_tooltip player_id='1023255' first='Drew' last='Edmond'] (6.6 ppg), [player_tooltip player_id='1272671' first='Anthony' last='Rise'] (13.1 ppg), and [player_tooltip player_id='1463408' first='Charlie' last='Geske'] (15.0 ppg) play well, Central is capable of another run.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>DARK HORSE</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>(8) Madison La Follette</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Lancers are about as scary as an 8-seed gets. On paper, their roster is closer to a 3-seed. La Follette also took down Big Eight champion and 2-seed Middleton earlier this season. If senior guard and Augustana commit [player_tooltip player_id='1028255' first='Arhman' last='Lewis'] (18.6 ppg) is healthy, the Lancers are capable of getting to Madison. [player_tooltip player_id='1151841' first='Mason' last='Kleinsmith'] (14.5 ppg), [player_tooltip player_id='1089686' first='Quinton' last='Lomack'] (14.2 ppg), [player_tooltip player_id='1200582' first='Reak' last='Riak'] (10.8 ppg), and [player_tooltip player_id='1561953' first='Thian' last='Riak'] (10.2 ppg) are capable of leading this team in scoring on any given night.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>PREDICTIONS</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Sectional Semifinals</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>(1) Arrowhead over (5) Sussex Hamilton</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>(2) Middleton over (6) Milwaukee Hamilton</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Sectional Finals</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>(1) Arrowhead over (2) Middleton</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->