WIAA State Tournament Preview: Division 3

<p>Breaking down the WIAA Division 3 state tournament, which will be played  Friday at the Menomonie Nation Arena in Oshkosh...</p> <p><strong>(1) Racine St. Catherine’s (26-1)</strong></p> <p><em>Road to State: </em></p> <p>Defeated Shoreland Lutheran 69-53</p> <p>Defeated Racine Lutheran 51-33</p> <p>Defeated Saint Mary’s Springs 84-46</p> <p>Defeated Milwaukee Academy of Science 84-73</p> <p>After being denied a potential state championship last season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Angels reloaded behind their stellar senior trio of [player_tooltip player_id="804895" first="Tyrese" last="Hunter"], [player_tooltip player_id="879981" first="Kamari" last="McGee"], and [player_tooltip player_id="994508" first="Jameer" last="Barker"].  St. Catherine’s is making their seventh appearance at state, including their first since 2011. The Angels are undefeated with Hunter in the lineup this season and have won 24 of their 26 games by double digits.</p> <p><strong>(4) Wrightstown (24-4)</strong></p> <p><em>Road to State:</em></p> <p>Defeated Peshtigo 73-53</p> <p>Defeated Bonduel 69-54</p> <p>Defeated Wittenberg-Birnamwood 72-44</p> <p>Defeated Brillion 55-54</p> <p>The Tigers won a share of the North Eastern Conference title.  Making their first-ever appearance in the state tournament, Wrightstown is riding a 12-game winning streak heading to Oshkosh. Featuring a balanced scoring attack, the Tigers have four players averaging in double figures this season.</p> <p><strong>(2) Lake Country Lutheran (25-1)</strong></p> <p><em>Road to State:</em></p> <p>Defeated Markesan 81-33</p> <p>Defeated Columbus  74-55</p> <p>Defeated Poynette 89-48</p> <p>Defeated SJNA 94-68</p> <p>The Midwest Classic Conference champs haven’t lost since Jan. 16, winning each of their last 13 games. the Lightning have knocked off the likes</p> [caption id="attachment_1031545" align="alignright" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/08/Luke-Haertle-1.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1031545" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/08/Luke-Haertle-1-300x155.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="155" /></a> [player_tooltip player_id="761407" first="Luke" last="Haertle"][/caption] <p>of SJNA (twice), Lake Mills, Edgerton, Milwaukee Academy of Science, and Waukesha West as part of their loaded resume. Behind four players averaging double figures scoring this season, LCL secured the school’s first-ever state berth.</p> <p><strong>(3) Saint Croix Central (23-2)</strong></p> <p><em>Road to State:</em></p> <p>Defeated Unity 69-30</p> <p>Defeated Saint Croix Falls 79-39</p> <p>Defeated Neillsville 70-34</p> <p>Defeated Northwestern 80-57</p> <p>Saint Croix Central won the Middle Border Conference with an undefeated 14-0 record. Also making their first-ever appearance at state, the Panthers feature a top-notch defense, having held 14 opponents to 50 points or less. Central has yet to have been defeated by a Division 3 opponent this season, falling to D1 foes Hudson and River Falls. Cruising through the playoffs, the Panthers have won their four postseason games by an average margin of  34.5 ppg.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>PLAYERS TO WATCH</strong></p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="761407" first="Luke" last="Haertle"] (Lake Country Lutheran)</p> <p>A top 20 prospect in the class of 2022, Haertle leads his team in scoring (25.2 ppg), rebounding (10.7 ppg), and assists (4.6 apg). A blue collar wing and one of the toughest players in the state, Haertle has averaged at least 17 points per game over the last three seasons, leading the Lightning to a combined record of  64-10 during that span.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="994492" first="Sam" last="Haese"] (Wrightstown)</p> <p>A sweet-shooting wing, Haese gets 19.4 ppg for Wrightstown.  The 6-foot-3 senior has hit 69 triples this season while shooting 35.9 percent from downtown. When Haese scores 20 or more points, the Tigers are 10-1 this season with the lone loss coming to Division 1 power De Pere.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="804895" first="Tyrese" last="Hunter"] (Racine St. Catherine’s)</p> <p>A top contender for Mr. Basketball, Hunter has the Angels undefeated when he’s in the lineup.  The explosive guard is averaging  19.9 points, 6.5 rebounds, and  4.6 assists per game this season. Committed to Iowa State, Hunter has led St. Catherine’s to a 72-5 record over the past three seasons, including an undefeated campaign in 2019-20.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="879981" first="Kamari" last="McGee"] (Racine St. Catherine’s)</p> <p>McGee is committed to UW-Green Bay.  The senior guard gives the Angels  17 points, seven rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game.  An all-around floor general and leader for St. Catherine’s, McGee is a top 10 prospect in the 2021 class.</p> <p><strong>Jackson Pettit (Saint Croix Central)</strong></p> <p>Pettit leads Saint Croix Central at 17 points per game this season. The senior wing is shooting 52.0 percent from the field and has knocked down 62 triples this season.</p>