WIAA Playoffs Preview: Division 2 Sectional 3

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>The WIAA boy's basketball playoffs continue this week. Here's a closer look at the field in Division 2 Sectional</strong> <strong>3...</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>THE FAVORITES</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>(1) Westosha Central</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Losing a bunch of starters, including a Division 1 guard, Westosha Central was not supposed be a state tournament contender this season. Yet somehow, the Falcons have somehow gotten better from last season's 25-3 squad. The Southern Lakes champs went 21-2 and haven't dropped a game since Dec. 16. Central is also the only team to defeat D3 title contender Racine St. Catherine's. Led by sophomore guard [player_tooltip player_id='1289064' first='Elijah' last='Griffin'], who is averaging 13 points and eight assists per game, the Falcons are riding a 16-game winning streak heading into March.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>(2) Whitnall</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>At 20-3 overall, the Falcons won the Woodland East. This was supposed to be somewhat of a rebuilding year, but Whitnall has been far ahead of schedule. The guard-play on this team has been fantastic, headlined by sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1362736' first='Jack' last='Lutz'] (16.7 ppg) and senior [player_tooltip player_id='963147' first='Austin' last='Herro'] (14.6 ppg). Of their three losses, the Falcons have lost two of them while not at full strength. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>TOP CONTENDERS</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>(1) McFarland</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Spartans rolled to a Rock Valley Conference title, finishing 21-3 overall. Senior wing Dadon Gillen (18.1 ppg) has gone a bit unnoticed with his breakout season, adding to what's a very solid core that features senior [player_tooltip player_id='1377140' first='Deven' last='Kulp'] (15.6 ppg), senior [player_tooltip player_id='1019163' first='Aidan' last='Chislom'] (15.5 ppg), and junior [player_tooltip player_id='1160072' first='Andrew' last='Kelley'] (8.3 ppg). McFarland has won seven-straight games and have knocked off the likes of Oregon and Turner (twice). </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>(2) Stoughton</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Vikings finished second in the Badger East conference. Junior guards [player_tooltip player_id='1144570' first='Ty' last='Fernholz'] (20.2 ppg) and [player_tooltip player_id='1412223' first='Sawyer' last='Schipper'] (13.3 ppg) lead an excellent backcourt. Stoughton has been right there in some high level games, falling to Waunakee, Middleton, and Newman Catholic.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>DARK HORSE</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>(3) Burlington</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Think you could possibly move these guys up into the top contenders category. For a large chunk of the season, Burlington was looking like the 1-seed in this region. The Demons finished 19-5 overall and one game back of Westosha Central for the Southern Lakes title. Following a three-game losing streak, Burlington has bounced back to win four-straight heading into the playoffs. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='1200578' first='J.R.' last='Lukenbill'] (17.3 ppg) and junior [player_tooltip player_id='1182503' first='Connor' last='Roffers'] (16.5 ppg) make up arguably the best duo in this sectional. </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>(2) Stoughton over (1) McFarland</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>(2) Whitnall over (1) Westosha Central</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Sectional Finals</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>(2)Whitnall over (2)Stoughton</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->