Predictions and thoughts on D3-D5 sectional semifinals

Some thoughts and my predictions for the boys' basketball sectional semifinal games at the Divisions 3-4-5 levels set for Wednesday and Thursday across the state.   Predictions Results To Date Division 1 -- 47-9 (84 percent) Division 2 -- 62-11 (85 percent) Division 3 -- 67-17 (80 percent) Division 4 -- 66-16 (80 percent) Division 5 -- 96-14 (87 percent) TOTAL -- 338-67 (83 percent)   DIVISION 3 Sectional 1   #1 St. Croix Central (17-9) vs. #3 Osceola (21-5), 7 p.m. Thursday at Somerset These two Middle Border Conference schools played highly competitive contests during the regular season with each team winning by a narrow margin on its home court. St. Croix Central and Osceola also tied for the league title along with Prescott. There isn't much that separates the two western Wisconsin teams so it might come down to free-throw shooting and Osceola is better from the line. My Pick: Osceola. #4 Stanley-Boyd (22-4) vs. #2 Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau (22-4), 7 p.m. at Osseo-Fairchild Stanley-Boyd has the edge in this matchup along the baseline with junior [player_tooltip player_id='2411648' first='Charlie' last='Hoel'] (6-9) and sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='2696683' first='Josiah' last='Demske'] (6-6) playing vital roles for the Orioles. Stanley-Boyd finished one game behind Regis and Fall Creek in the Western Cloverbelt standings while Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau was second in the Coulee Conference behind West Salem. G-E-T boasts a stellar backcourt performer in Stevens Point recruit [player_tooltip player_id='1561902' first='Mason' last='Brone'] (6-3). My Pick: G-E-T. Sectional 2 #1 Freedom (25-1) vs. #2 Seymour (25-1), 7 p.m. Thursday at Ashwaubenon It's been anticipated this matchup would take place from the very beginning of the season. So here we are. Two of the best teams in the state, regardless of division, squaring off in a sectional semifinal. Both teams have several offensive options and both teams share the ball exceptionally well. They also both defend at a high level. Freedom won the North Eastern Conference title while Seymour won the Bay Conference title. Freedom's lone loss came at the hands of D2 power Slinger while Seymour's lone setback took place at D1 sectional qualifier Oshkosh North. Junior standout [player_tooltip player_id='1847792' first='Donovan' last='Davis'] (6-8) of Freedom might be the difference as he can affect a game in a positive manner in many different ways. My Pick: Freedom. #1 Brillion (23-3) vs. #3 Xavier (19-7), 7 p.m. Thursday at Oshkosh North These two squared off three years ago in a sectional final, with Brillion advancing to state and winning the D3 state title. The Lions won the Eastern Wisconsin Conference and have won 15 in a row, including regional triumphs over Ripon and Little Chute. Coach Chad Shimek's squad is led by junior forward Colten Larson (6-4), who is averaging 18.3 points and 6.2 rebounds. Xavier, as usual, likes to play up-tempo, shoot a ton of threes and rely on stick defense. Junior [player_tooltip player_id='2434543' first='Logan' last='Ramczyk'] (23.8 ppg) and senior Kyle Bleck (18.6 ppg) form a prolific backcourt tandem for Xavier, which finished second in the Bay Conference. My Pick: Xavier. Sectional 3 #4 Lancaster (18-9) vs. #6 Platteville (18-9), 7 p.m. Thursday at Prairie du Chien No 1 seed Mineral Point, No. 2 seed Aquinas and No. 3 seed Mauston all lost at the regional level, setting up this contest between a pair of Southwest Wisconsin Conference foes. Lancaster, Platteville and Dodgeville shared the league title with 7-3 records. Lancaster drilled Platteville in Lancaster 84-53 back on December 18. Platteville returned the favor in early February by blasting visiting Lancaster 83-59. This time around, the game is on a neutral floor. Platteville is playing very well with wins in 13 of its last 14 outings, including regional victories over River Valley, Mauston and Lodi. Lancaster is 6-1 over its last seven outings and posted regional wins over Richland Center, New Glarus and Mineral Point. My Pick: Lancaster. #1 Lake Mills (24-2) vs. #3 Watertown Luther Prep (21-3), 7 p.m. Thursday at Watertown Lake Mills beat Luther Prep in a non-league game on February 23 by a score of 77-69. The L-Cats boast one of the best all-around athletes in Wisconsin in junior [player_tooltip player_id='2346694' first='Tyler' last='Wollin'] (6-4) while also having a stellar long-distance shooter in senior [player_tooltip player_id='1745860' first='Brady' last='Benish'] (5-10). Luther Prep beat two of Lake Mills' rivals from the Capitol North Conference at the regional level, posting a home win over Columbus and then winning the regional title by beating Lakeside Lutheran on the road. My Pick: Lake Mills. Sectional 4 #1 Oostburg (23-3) vs. #3 Kettle Moraine Lutheran (18-8), 7 p.m. Wednesday at Germantown Oostburg features two seniors who rank with the best in the state in point guard [player_tooltip player_id='1970502' first='Cade' last='Dirkse'] and small forward [player_tooltip player_id='2117025' first='JJ' last='Zavatchin']. Both are experienced. Both are talented. And both are hungry to get the Flying Dutchmen to the WIAA State Tournament for the first time since 2011. Kettle Moraine Lutheran registered impressive regional wins over Brown Deer and Lake Country Lutheran and is playing its best basketball of the season.Finding a way to slow down Dirkse and Zavatchin will be the trick for KML, and that won't be easy by any stretch of the imagination. My Pick: Oostburg. #1 Racine Lutheran (23-3) vs. #2 Racine St. Catherine's (21-4), 7 p.m. Thursday at Racine Horlick Like Seymour vs. Freedom, this game has been highly anticipated since the start of the season. The Crusaders and Angels split during the regular season with each game being decision by a single possession. Racine Lutheran might have a bit more firepower and is led by senior standout [player_tooltip player_id='2224532' first='Sam' last='Pitrof'], the Player of the Year in the Metro Classic Conference. St. Catherine's has tons of tradition and a difference maker in senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1959723' first='LaMont' last='Hamilton'], a four-year starter headed to Minnesota in the fall to play football for the Gophers. Horlick's gym will be rocking with this game likely to attract a huge crowd.My Pick: Racine Lutheran. DIVISION 4 Sectional 1 #4 McDonell Central Catholic (14-13) vs. #2 Clear Lake (19-7), 7 p.m. Thursday at Amery McDonell Central Catholic played much of the season without senior [player_tooltip player_id='2389848' first='Elijah' last='Stepp'] and that certainly hindered the Macks' chances of contending in the Western Cloverbelt Conference. Stepp is back in the lineup now and helped his squad to regional victories over Cumberland, Ladysmith and Prairie Farm/Clayton. Now McDonell takes on Clear Lake, which finished third in the Dunn-St. Croix Conference and features one of the better players in the league in junior [player_tooltip player_id='2429609' first='Caleb' last='Arcand'] (6-0), who is averaging 19.6 points per game. My Pick: McDonell Central Catholic. #4 Durand-Arkansaw (22-5) vs. #2 Regis (21-5), 7 p.m. at Eau Claire Memorial Regis has to travel down the street a bit to play at Durand-Arkansaw squad that beat top-seeded Fall Creek by a single point in the regional final. Regis has a prolific-scoring team led by senior [player_tooltip player_id='2375323' first='Blake' last='Risler'] (6-3), who tossed in 56 points for the Ramblers in a regional-final win over Luther, and sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='2615520' first='DJ' last='Cooper'] (6-0), who is averaging xx.x ppg. Durand-Arkansaw won the Dunn-St. Croix Conference title and has won eight games in a row, including that impressive win over Fall Creek and a big league triumph during the regular season over Altoona. Junior [player_tooltip player_id='2509446' first='Luke' last='Weber'] (6-0) leads the way for Durand-Arkansaw as he is averaging 16.4 ppg. My Pick: Regis. Sectional 2 #1 Marathon (24-2) vs. #2 Hurley (22-3), 7 p.m. Thursday at Lakeland A pair of league champions square off at Lakeland with Marawood South champion Marathon taking on Northern Lights winner Hurley. Both programs have very deep basketball traditions and figure to bring plenty of fans to the contest. Marathon plays in a more difficult conference and is led by a talented senior group led by [player_tooltip player_id='2542530' first='True' last='Thurs'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2500057' first='Drew' last='Woelfel']. Thurs and Woefel earned unanimous all-league honors with Thurs also being tabbed as the Player of the Year. Hurley proved its mettle at the regional level as the Northstars got past a pair of Marawood South opponents in Edgar (60-52) and Auburndale (53-48). My Pick: Marathon. #1 Kewaunee (26-0) vs. #2 Bonduel (23-3), 7 p.m. Thursday at Kaukauna Two outstanding teams clash in Kaukauna with Kewaunee, one of three unbeaten teams in the state along with Wisconsin Lutheran and Tigerton, taking on Central Wisconsin East Conference champion Bonduel. Kewaunee raced through the Packerland Conference and then beat Manawa and St. Mary Catholic at the regional level while Bonduel survived a third meeting with league-rival Iola-Scandinavia. Bonduel has an edge in the paint with senior [player_tooltip player_id='2391085' first='Ryan' last='Westrich'], but Kewaunee possesses great balance with four different players averaging in double-scoring figures. My Pick: Bonduel. Sectional 3 #1 Darlington (23-3) vs. #2 Cambridge (17-9), 7 p.m. Thursday at Dodgeville Darlington has been dominant at times as the Redbirds are outscoring their opponents by an average of nearly 22 points per outing. Darlington won the Southwest Wisconsin Activities League and is led by the Player of the Year from that league in senior Broker Buscher (6-3), Coach Tom Uppena has other scoring options as well in junior [player_tooltip player_id='2505508' first='Zeke' last='Zuberbuhler'] (6-1) and sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='2369903' first='Ryder' last='Fitzsimons'] (6-3). Darlington throttled Cambridge at the Lodi Classic over the Christmas break, 77-46. Cambridge, though, has improved under coach Alex Ranney and this second meeting figures to be much closer. My Pick: Darlington. #1 Lomira (25-1) vs. #3 Pardeeville (19-7), 7 p.m. Wednesday at Portage Lomira's lone loss came at the hands of D3 power Oostburg and the Lions are led by 6-foot-10 senior [player_tooltip player_id='1561934' first='Jake' last='Broeske'], the Player of the Year in the Wisconsin Flyway Conference. Pardeeville scored regional wins over Marshall and Horicon after entering the playoffs with losses in four of its previous seven games. Pardeeville finished second to Markesan in the Trailways West Conference, ending the league campaign one game behind the Hornets. My Pick: Lomira. Sectional 4 #1 Howards Grove (20-6) vs. #3 Roncalli (21-5), 7 p.m. Thursday at Chilton Howards Grove finished one game behind Reedsville in the Big East North while Roncalli ended the regular season two games in back of Brillion in the Eastern Wisconsin. Howards Grove split with Manitowoc Lutheran in league outings while Roncalli went 2-0 versus the Lancers, winning a non-league game and a regional final on the road. Roncalli has been less than 100 percent for much of the season. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='2420137' first='Dominik' last='Frozena'] missed some early games for the Jets with an injury while senior [player_tooltip player_id='1561958' first='Donovan' last='Cowley'] missed a good chuck of the middle part of the campaign with an injury. Both are back and team with junior [player_tooltip player_id='2416199' first='Maddix' last='Gulseth'] to give the Jets a potent attack. Howards Grove is led by talented junior [player_tooltip player_id='2417144' first='Trace' last='Damrow'], a first-team all-league performer for coach Wade Georgeff. My Pick: Roncalli. #1 Milwaukee Juneau (24-1) vs. #2 Cedar Grove (21-5), 7 p.m. Thursday at Milwaukee Lutheran Juneau has been on a roll for virtually the entire season. Led by Gonzaga recruit [player_tooltip player_id='2194315' first='Dooney' last='Johnson'], the Pioneers won the Milwaukee City Gold Division title and enter the playoffs on a 23-game winning streak. The lone loss for coach torre Johnson's crew came back in early December against West Allis Central. [player_tooltip player_id='2194315' first='Dooney' last='Johnson'], [player_tooltip player_id='2045272' first='Takis' last='Tyler'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2400094' first='Jaden' last='Hardiman'] form a dynamic trio that is very difficult to stop. Cedar Grove finished behind Oostburg in the Big East South standings and has a senior-dominated squad led by talented senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2224528' first='Owen' last='Gulke']. The Rockets beat Heritage Christian and Dominican at the regional level.My Pick: Milwaukee Juneau. DIVISION 5 Sectional 1 #1 Turtle Lake (23-4) vs. #2 Drummond (22-5), 7 p.m. Thursday at Spooner Turtle Lake is back at the sectional level after winning this grouping a year ago. Like last winter, Turtle Lake is led by senior forward [player_tooltip player_id='2406762' first='Brandon' last='Wagner'] (6-6), who is averaging 18.6 points and 14.9 rebounds for the Lakeland West Conference champions. Drummond comes in as runner-up of the Northern Lights Conference and with regional victories over Lac Courte Oreilles, Bruce and Webster. My Pick: Turtle Lake. #5 Rib Lake (21-5) vs. #3 Prentice (23-3), 7 p.m. Thursday at Medford These two Marawood North Conference rivals posted upset wins at the regional final level with Rib Lake turning back Owen-Withee, which had upset top-seeded Loyal at the regional semifinal level, and Prentice winning at second-seeded Columbus Catholic. Prentice won the league crown and swept Rib Lake in the process. Can the Buccaneers capture a third win over Rib Lake? It promises to be very close. My Pick: Prentice. Sectional 2 #1 Tigerton (27-0) vs. #2 Wabeno/Laona (22-5), 7 p.m. Thursday at Antigo Tigerton is 27-0. Yes, that is unusual. Of course, coach Dan Hoffa has one of the more effective frontline players in the state in physical 6-foot-10 junior power forward [player_tooltip player_id='2382317' first='James' last='Brady'], a mountain of a man who is averaging 24.4 points and 11.8 rebounds. Wabeno/Laona won the Northern Lakes Conference crown and is led by junior [player_tooltip player_id='2634236' first='Canton' last='Chrisman']. My Pick: Tigerton. #1 Reedsville (24-3) vs. #2 Elkhart Lake (18-9), 7 p.m. Thursday at Menasha Big East North counterparts Reedsville and Elkhart Lake square off for the third time this season in a sectional semifinal with the Panthers favored to beat the Resorters for a third straight time. Led by Big East North Player of the Year [player_tooltip player_id='1561897' first='Ben' last='Prochnow'], Reedsville beat Elkhart Lake 89-51 on December 12 in Reedsville, and then beat the Resorters again 58-44 on January 29 in Elkhart Lake. Elkhart Lake boasts some stellar perimeter shooting, led by sophomore sharpshooter [player_tooltip player_id='2613973' first='Brayden' last='Smith']. The Resorters will battle tooth-and-nail, but just don't appear to have enough firepower to upset the Panthers. My Pick: Reedsville. Sectional 3 #4 Assumption (17-10) vs. #3 Cochrane-Fountain City (20-7), 7 p.m. Thursday at Black River Falls Cochrane-Fountain City is the defending WIAA Division 5 state champion and beat a couple of strong teams in Alma Center Lincoln and Hillsboro at the regional level. The Pirates won the Dairyland Small Conference championship and are led by a pair of first-team all-league performers in [player_tooltip player_id='2709983' first='Aidan' last='Lisowski'] and [player_tooltip player_id='3019492' first='Tucker' last='Bambenek']. Assumption competes in the very difficult Marawood South Conference and boasts two stellar scorers in seniors [player_tooltip player_id='1561916' first='JT' last='Schlaefer'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2500891' first='Logan' last='Nystrom']. Assumption went 8-8 in conference play and then beat Cashton, Blair-Taylor and Royall at the regional level. My Pick: Assumption. #3 Southwestern (21-6) vs. #1 North Crawford (23-4), 7 p.m. Thursday at Richland Center Southwestern plays in the Southwest Wisconsin Activities League against many Division 4 schools and that always prepares the Wildcats for the D5 playoffs. But coach Clint Nemitz's squad is facing one of the top teams in all of D5 in North Crawford, a team that beat Southwestern 86-66 in Hazel Green on January 13. Still, Southwestern has improved throughout the season and has a star player in senior [player_tooltip player_id='2551616' first='Aiden' last='Keleher']. Will that be enough to overcome a balanced, deep and experienced North Crawford squad? My Pick: North Crawford. Sectional 4 #1 Abundant Life Christian (21-6) vs. #2 Barneveld (22-5), 7 p.m. Thursday at Sun Prairie East Barneveld has five losses but four came at the hands of D4 opponents from the Southwest Wisconsin Conference. The Six Rivers East Conference champions lone loss to a D5 school took place January 9 when Potosi-Cassville posted a 32-30 triumph. Abundant Life has won this sectional in each of the past two seasons and is led by ever-improving junior forward [player_tooltip player_id='2399579' first='Nick' last='Thies'], the son of Abundant Life Christian coach Mike Thies.My Pick: Barneveld. #1 Oakfield (23-3) vs. #2 Sheboygan Lutheran (21-6), 7 p.m. Thursday at Campbellsport This promises to be a close game with Sheboygan Lutheran having an edge on the perimeter and Oakfield maybe have a slight edge in the paint. Sheboygan Lutheran is led by versatile senior forward [player_tooltip player_id='2224503' first='Brennen' last='Hackbarth'] (6-4), a St. Norbert College recruit who is averaging 22.0 ppg and 7.6 rpg. Oakfield is led by senior forward [player_tooltip player_id='2447322' first='Bo' last='Bijl'] (6-6), who is averaging 10.8 ppg and 11.0 rpg. The Oaks also are getting solid production from senior [player_tooltip player_id='2447325' first='Brayden' last='Glugla'] (15.2 ppg) and senior [player_tooltip player_id='2836864' first='Broede' last='Collien'] (15.0 ppg). My Pick: Oakfield.

Some thoughts and my predictions for the boys' basketball sectional semifinal games at the Divisions 3-4-5 levels set for Wednesday and Thursday across the state.