State Tournament Preview: Division 2

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>MADISON -- </strong>Who will take home the gold ball in Division 2? Prep Hoops Wisconsin takes a closer look at the four finalists headed to the Kohl Center this weekend...</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>NO. 1 PEWAUKEE vs. NO. 4 NICOLET</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>At 24-4 overall, Nicolet very well could feel some type of way about their seed. The Knights have a viable case for being as high as a 2-seed, certainly a 3. Instead, they get the two-time defending state champs in the semifinals.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Touted sophomore wing [player_tooltip player_id='1390443' first='Davion' last='Hannah'] (19.8 ppg) has been the real deal all season. Leading a young team, Nicolet figures to be a mainstay in Madison for a while, featuring sophomore guard [player_tooltip player_id='1598239' first='David' last='Bolden'] (12.1 ppg) and freshman guard [player_tooltip player_id='1781157' first='Rashad' last='Davis'] (10.1 ppg). </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Pirates aren't as untouchable as they've been, but they're still the cream of the crop in this field. Junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1089682' first='Nick' last='Janowski'] (23.7 ppg) and Iowa State commit [player_tooltip player_id='953944' first='Milan' last='Momcilovic'] (23.0 ppg) are good enough to get Pewaukee by most teams. As usual, they've also got a handful of role players you can't forget about -- sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1412882' first='Luka' last='Momcilovic'] (8.7 ppg), sophomore guard [player_tooltip player_id='1815635' first='Isaiah' last='Robinson'] (7.0 ppg), and senior [player_tooltip player_id='1843633' first='Kaeden' last='Osterman'] (5.4 ppg). </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sitting at 25-3 overall, Pewaukee has lost just one game while at full strength. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>NO. 2 LA CROSSE CENTRAL vs. NO. 3 WHITNALL</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This has a chance to be a sneaky good game. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>La Crosse Central was the runner-up a year ago and upended favorite Onlaska to get back to Madison for the eighth time in essentially nine years (tournament wasn't held in 2019-20, but they did qualify). Senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1349129' first='Nic' last='Williams'] (16.8 ppg) senior wing [player_tooltip player_id='1022499' first='Bennett' last='Fried'] (16.3 ppg) have been around the block, paid their dues, and been in this moment before. Junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1702897' first='Henry' last='Meyer'] (16.3 ppg) has come out of nowhere this season and is having one of the better years people aren't talking about. The River Hawks plays a methodical style that's tough to prepare for, and most importantly, they don't beat themselves i.e. turnovers, bad shots, defensive breakdowns. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Despite losing their best two players from last season, Whitnall has made a surprisingly quick turnaround. Sophomore guard [player_tooltip player_id='1362736' first='Jack' last='Lutz'] (17.7 ppg) has emerged as a bonafide scorer. Senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='963147' first='Austin' last='Herro'] (15.3 ppg) and sophomore guard [player_tooltip player_id='1300316' first='Myles' last='Herro'] are also two of the better on-the-ball playmakers in the state. This team gets really scary when senior center [player_tooltip player_id='981028' first='Ethan' last='Thomas'] gets involved and dominates games on the interior.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>PREDICTIONS</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Semifinals</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>(1) Pewuakee over (4) Nicolet</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>(3) Whitnall over (2) La Crosse Central</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>State Championship</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>(1) Pewaukee over (3) Whitnall</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->