WIAA State Tournament Preview: Division 1

<p>Breaking down the WIAA Division 1 state tournament, which will be played Saturday at Menomonie Nation Arena in Oshkosh...</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>(1) Kimberly (24-2)</strong></p> <p><em>Road to State:</em></p> <p>Defeated West De Pere 82-61</p> <p>Defeated Neenah 73-65</p> <p>Defeated  Oshkosh North 94-63</p> <p>Defeated Menomonee Falls 78-46</p> <p>The Papermakers are making their 14th appearance in the state tournament and first since 2007. Since a Dec. 29 loss to Menomonee Falls, Kimberly has ripped off 18-straight wins. Putting together a dominant season, the Papermakers had collected 18 wins by 20 points or more. Kimberly has a roster loaded with college talent, including [player_tooltip player_id="801149" first="Jackson" last="Paveletzke"], [player_tooltip player_id="701973" first="Grant" last="Asman"] (Lipscomb), [player_tooltip player_id="1035872" first="Jackson" last="Dudek"] (Northern Michigan), and [player_tooltip player_id="1017073" first="Owen" last="Pawlikowski"].</p> <p><strong>(4) DeForest (16-5)</strong></p> <p><em>Road to State:</em></p> <p>Defeated Sun Prairie 66-51</p> <p>Defeated Verona 70-54</p> <p>Defeated Janesville Parker 69-67</p> <p>Defeated Arrowhead 77-69</p> [caption id="attachment_1036533" align="alignright" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/08/Max-Weisbrod.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1036533 size-medium" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/08/Max-Weisbrod-300x155.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="155" /></a> [player_tooltip player_id="801146" first="Max" last="Weisbrod"][/caption] <p>A gritty group that arrived a year earlier than expected, DeForest has opened a lot of eyes during their playoff run. Despite having just one senior among their regular rotation, the Norskies have played beyond their age as of late, coming from behind to knock off Arrowhead in the sectional finals. [player_tooltip player_id="801146" first="Max" last="Weisbrod"], a top 25 prospect in the 2022 class,  leads the way for DeForest, who is making just their second-ever appearance at state.</p> <p><strong>(2) Wauwatosa East (21-3)</strong></p> <p><em>Road to State:</em></p> <p>Defeated Marquette 65-36</p> <p>Defeated Brookfield Central 77-74</p> <p>Defeated Kenosha Indian Trail 57-53</p> <p>Defeated Franklin 76-61</p> <p>One of the state’s most improved teams, Tosa East was 12-12 last season. Winning the loaded Greater Metro Conference by an impressive three games, the Red Raiders only lost one game all season when at full strength.  With one of the most balanced starting lineups, Tosa East is extremely hard to guard with [player_tooltip player_id="804904" first="Brian" last="Parzych"], [player_tooltip player_id="804959" first="Jay" last="Hinson"], [player_tooltip player_id="963676" first="Alex" last="Singleton"], [player_tooltip player_id="761404" first="Leon" last="Bond"], and [player_tooltip player_id="764135" first="Marcus" last="Mbow"] on the floor. This will mark East’s 17th appearance at state, but first since 2008 when they won the gold ball.</p> <p><strong>(3) River Falls (21-2)</strong></p> <p><em>Road to State:</em></p> <p>Defeated Menomonie 65-53</p> <p>Defeated Hudson 66-61</p> <p>Defeated Eau Claire North 48-36</p> <p>Defeated De Pere 53-52</p> <p>The Wildcats advanced to state in thrilling fashion over a very good De Pere club. River Falls will be making their ninth appearance at state and first since 2005.  Augustana commit [player_tooltip player_id="804899" first="Zac" last="Johnson"] is having a huge senior season. His running mates, [player_tooltip player_id="880013" first="Liam" last="Dougherty"] (Mary) and [player_tooltip player_id="879999" first="Jameson" last="Dougherty"] (Army) form a pair of 6-foot-7 twin towers in the middle.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>PLAYERS TO WATCH</strong></p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="701973" first="Grant" last="Asman"] (Kimberly)</p> <p>Signed with Division 1 Lipscomb, Asman is averaging 15.3 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. The senior forward is an excellent 3-point shooter and excels in the pick n’ pop game. One of the state’s most improved players from last season, Asman  is shooting 52.0 percent from the floor and has knocked down 46 triples for the Papermakers.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="761404" first="Leon" last="Bond"] (Wauwatosa East)</p> [caption id="attachment_1032328" align="alignright" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/08/phcircuit-42.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1032328" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/08/phcircuit-42-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> [player_tooltip player_id="761404" first="Leon" last="Bond"][/caption] <p>The third-ranked junior in the state, Bond has scholarship offers from Western Illinois, UW-Milwaukee, and Eastern Michigan. A high-upside, athletic combo forward, Bond is just scratching the surface of his potential. Bond is averaging 12.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks per game this season.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="804899" first="Zac" last="Johnson"] (River Falls)</p> <p>Johnson hit the game-winning 3-pointer against De Pere. The Augustana commit is averaging 24.1 points, 6.0 rebounds, and nearly four assists per game this season. One of the state’s most lethal shooters, Johnson is shooting nearly 40 percent from downtown for the Wildcats. When Johnson scores 20 or more points, River Falls is 16-1 this season.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="804904" first="Brian" last="Parzych"] (Wauwatosa East)</p> <p>One of the most valuable players in the state, Parzych has taken Tosa East to another level this season. The Northern Michigan signee  averages 14.5 points and five assists per game for a very balanced lineup.  A high-energy, competitive floor general, Parzych has a knack for sparking the Red Raiders and generating game-changing plays on both ends of the floor.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="801149" first="Jackson" last="Paveletzke"] (Kimberly)</p> <p>Paveletzke is averaging 19.0 points and 6.0 assists per game this season. A rising prospect in the 2022 class, Paveletzke is a lethal scorer and facilitator.  Paveletzke holds a scholarship offer from Toledo.  Paveletzke can completely control games and has the ability to heat up in a hurry and stay hot for 36 minutes.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="801146" first="Max" last="Weisbrod"] (DeForest)</p> <p>Weisbrod is averaging 18 points, eight assists, and five rebounds per game this season. A skilled, high-IQ combo guard that plays mistake-free basketball, Weisbrod holds a scholarship offer from Northern Michigan. While he’s very unselfish, Weisbrod has the ability to go off offensively, scoring 33 points against Arrowhead to push the Norskies to Oshkosh. </p>