Pairings for 8th annual Wisconsin vs. Illinois Border Battle set

The 8th annual Wisconsin vs. Illinois Border Battle is set for January 31, 2026 at The Prairie School in Racine.

Each year, this event attracts some of the better teams and individual players from both states. Over the years, Wisconsin has posted a 27-21 edge in the series.

Here is a look at the schedule of games:

Wisconsin vs. Illinois Border Battle
January 31, 2026
At The Prairie School (Racine)

9:45 a.m. -- Milwaukee South (WI) vs. Prospect (IL)
Milwaukee South won the Blue Division title of the Milwaukee City Conference in 2024-25 and finished with an overall record of 20-6 under coach Thomas Shumpert ... South's top returning players include second-team all-league choice Gary Thorpe Gary Thorpe 6'0" | PG/CG Milwaukee South Division | 2027 WI (6-0) along with senior Harry Garcia (6-1) and Kendrick Jackson (6-4) ... Prospect went 7-3 in the Mid-Suburban East Conference and 13-18 overall last winter ... Senior center Luke Christopulos Luke Christopulos 6'7" | C Prospect | 2026 State IL (6-7) is the top returning player for coach Brad Rathe ... Senior guards Will Stratigos (5-11) and Johnny Nelson (5-11) also return for the Knights.

11:15 a.m. -- Oak Creek (WI) vs. Buffalo Grove (IL)
Oak Creek finished 20-7 under coach Eric Hollow ... Three players who received all-league laurels in the Southeast Conference return for the Knights in senior Noah Daniel Noah Daniel 6'0" | CG Oak Creek | 2026 State WI (6-1), junior Tyson Busch Tyson Busch 6'1" | SG Oak Creek | 2027 State WI (6-2) and sophomore Ja’Quan Turner Ja’Quan Turner 6'4" | SF/SG Oak Creek | 2028 State WI (6-4) ... Turner ranks among the better class of 2028 propsects in the state while Busch is a very good long-distance shooter ... Buffalo Grove finished 4-6 in the Mid-Suburban East Conference and 10-21 overall last winter ... Top returning players for the Bison include junior forward Alex Sirbu Alex Sirbu 6'6" | PF Buffalo Grove | 2027 State IL (6-9), sophomore guard Edwin Karnauchovas Edwin Karnauchovas 6'0" | PG Buffalo Grove | 2028 State IL (5-10) and junior guard Dylan Ronczkowski Dylan Ronczkowski 6'0" | CG Buffalo Grove | 2027 IL (6-1).

12:45 p.m. -- New Berlin West (WI) vs. Niles North (IL)
New Berlin West is looking to challenge for the top spot in the highly respected Woodland West Conference, a league that includes the likes of Pewaukee, West Allis Central and Wisconsin Lutheran, among others ... Coach Scott Cook has three regulars back from a club that went 17-9 in senior Evan Kern Evan Kern 6'2" | SG New Berlin West | 2026 State WI (6-2) along with juniors Jayce Cook Jayce Cook 6'1" | SG New Berlin West | 2027 State WI (6-1) and Zach Hewitt Zach Hewitt 6'4" | SF New Berlin West | 2027 State WI (6-4) ... Seniors Luke Krueger Luke Krueger 6'0" | PG/SG New Berlin West | 2026 WI (6-1) and Elijah Gammage Elijah Gammage 6'3" | SF New Berlin West | 2026 WI (6-3) also return for the Vikings ... Niles North is a perennial power among the large schools in Illinois ... Coach Glenn Olson directed the squad to a 27-7 mark a year ago, including a 10-0 record and the league crown in the Central Suburban North Conference ... While Niles North was hit hard by graduation, Olson always seems to put together a very competitive squad and that figures to be the case again in 2025-26.

2:15 p.m. -- Kenosha St. Joseph (WI) vs. Chicago St. Francis de Sales (IL)
A pair of programs with deep tradition square off in the 2:15 p.m. contest ... St. Joseph finished second in the WIAA Division 4 State Tournament in both 2023 and 2024, and is led by the experienced and talented backcourt trio of senior Tomas Baez Tomas Baez 5'11" | PG Kenosha St. Joseph | 2026 State WI (5-11), junior Christopher Kenesie Christopher Kenesie 6'0" | PG Kenosha St. Joseph | 2027 State WI (6-0) and sophomore Reymundo Garibay (5-10) ... The Lancers finished 13-14 last season and hope to get some frontline production from seniors Sincere Williams Sincere Williams 6'7" | C Metea Valley | 2028 State IL (6-1) and Berkley Kuiper (6-2) under coach Kyle Clark ... St. Francis de Sales, located a mere six miles from the home parish of Pope Leo XIV on Chicago's far southside, competes in the Chicago Catholic League and is led by senior forwards Stephen George Stephen George 6'7" | C St. Francis De Sales | 2026 State IL (6-7) and Jacob Thompson Jacob Thompson 6'6" | PF Chicago St. Francis De Sales | 2026 State IL (6-6) ... Junior Kalvin Leonrad (6-1) is another key performer for the Pioneers.

3:45 p.m. -- Racine Lutheran (WI) vs. Warren Township (IL)
This game pits a pair of teams with legitimate aspirations of winning a state championship ... Racine Lutheran is coming off a 24-3 season and a Metro Classic Conference title under coach Justin Hullum ... Four key players return for the Crusaders in seniors Sam Pitrof Sam Pitrof 6'4" | CG Racine Lutheran | 2026 State WI (6-4) and Isaiah Cosey Isaiah Cosey 5'11" | PG Racine Lutheran | 2026 WI (5-11) along with juniors Bryce Austin Bryce Austin 6'2" | SG Racine Lutheran | 2027 State WI (6-1) and Deeon Brumby Deeon Brumby 6'1" | CG/SF Racine Lutheran | 2027 State WI (6-1) ... Warren finished second in the Illinois 4A State Tournament, losing to Benet Academy in the title game of the state's largest division ... Junior guard Jaxon Davis Jaxon Davis 6'5" | SF IL (6-1) is a high-major NCAA Division I prospect and is the top returning player for coach Zack Ryan Ryan 6'0" | C St John Fisher | 2030 IL ... Senior Braylon Walker Braylon Walker 6'1" | SG Warren | 2026 State IL (6-3) also returns to the starting rotation for the Blue Devils, who went 27-11 in 2024-25.

5:15 p.m. -- Milwaukee Marquette (WI) vs. Chicago St. Ignatius (IL)
A matchup of two of the more prestigious Jesuit-run schools in the Midwest ... Marquette, winners of the 2024 WIAA Division 1 state title, has a veteran squad returning under coach Casey Kowalewski ... Senior guard Tommy Novotny Tommy Novotny 6'0" | CG Marquette | 2026 State WI (6-0), one of the state's better football prospects, leads the way for the Hilltoppers, who finished 8-8 in the Greater Metro Conference and 11-14 overall in 2024-25 ... Other returning players who earned starting spots at some point last winter include seniors Cal Ferber (6-0), Gavin Coury (6-3), Luke Gundrum Luke Gundrum 5'11" | SG Marquette University | 2026 State WI (6-0) and Frank Briscoe (5-10) along with junior Christian Miller Christian Miller 6'3" | SG/SF Marquette | 2027 State WI (6-3) ... St. Ignatius is coming off a 25-7 season and boasts several standout returnees, including seniors Chris Bolte Chris Bolte 6'6" | PF St. Ignatius | 2026 State IL (6-5) and Hapolean Harris (6-1); juniors Christopher Chittaro Christopher Chittaro 6'2" | PG Saint Ignatius | 2027 State IL (6-2) and Duke Ross Duke Ross 6'3" | SG St. Ignatius | 2027 State IL (6-3); and sophomore Amir Tucker Amir Tucker 6'0" | PG St. Ignatius | 2028 State IL (6-0).

6:45 p.m. -- West DePere (WI) vs. Yorkville Christian (IL)
Another game with some big-time prospects on the floor ... West De Pere juniors Tref Rademaker Tref Rademaker 6'9" | PF West De Pere | 2027 WI (6-9), Carson Samson Carson Samson 6'0" | PG/SG West De Pere | 2027 State WI (6-0) and Cooper Borowcz (6-2) form a solid trio for coach Todd Deschane, who guided the Phantoms to the Bay Conference title and a 16-9 record in 2024-25 ... Senior Patrick Greisen (6-2) also is slated to return for West De Pere ... Yorkville Christian has churned out some stellar collegiate prospects in recent years and that figures to hold true in the future as well ... Yorkville Christian is led by senior Jayden Riley Jayden Riley 6'1" | PG Yorkville Christian | 2026 State IL (6-1) along with juniors Jordan Purvis Jordan Purvis 6'3" | SG Yorkville Christian | 2027 State IL (6-3) and Blake Wells Blake Wells 6'2" | PG Yorkville Christian | 2027 State IL (6-2).

8:15 p.m. -- The Prairie School (WI) vs. Niles West (IL)
The nightcap of the Wisconsin vs. Illinois Border Battle pits the host school Prairie School Hawks against Niles West ... Prairie is hoping to improve upon a 14-16 record and parlay the late-season success it enjoyed a year ago that ended with a trip to the WIAA Division 4 State Tournament into a big season in 2025-26 ... Coach Jason Atanasoff has four starters and a key reserve returning as the Hawks look to better their finish in the Metro Classic Conference ... Returning regulars include juniors Chandler Perry Chandler Perry 6'3" | CG The Prairie School | 2027 State WI (6-3), Dalton Ahlensdorf Dalton Ahlensdorf 6'5" | SF The Prairie School | 2027 State WI (6-5) and Ryan Vanoss Ryan Vanoss 6'2" | CG The Prairie School | 2027 State WI (6-2) along with sophomore Emmett Wassil Emmett Wassil 6'3" | SF/CG The Prairie School | 2028 State WI (6-3) ... Senior Nolan Grebb (6-1) and sophomore Hunter Greb Hunter Greb 5'10" | PG/SG The Prairie School | 2028 State WI (5-11) also figure to play key roles ... Niles West finished 10-21 a year ago while playing against stellar competition ... Senior Trey Nguyen Trey Nguyen 5'10" | PG Niles West | 2026 State IL (5-9), a quick point guard, is one of the key returning players for Niles West.