Preview: WIAA Division 2 State Playoffs
Preview of the 2019 WIAA boy’s basketball Division 2 playoffs… SECTIONAL 1 The Favorite – La Crosse Central The Red Raiders are looking to reach the state tournament for the fourth-straight season. Central (20-2) has just one loss to…
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Continue ReadingPreview of the 2019 WIAA boy’s basketball Division 2 playoffs…
SECTIONAL 1
The Favorite – La Crosse Central
The Red Raiders are looking to reach the state tournament for the fourth-straight season. Central (20-2) has just one loss to an in-state foe (Brookfield Central) and have one of the best most loaded starting lineups in the state. Johnny Davis (23.3 ppg) and company have won the Mississippi Valley Conference all three years of their careers and have never missed a trip to the Kohl Center.
The Darkhorse – Onalaska or Merrill
In most sectionals, this would be a strong favorite to reach the state tournament. Carson Arenz (16.0 ppg) and Tyrell Stuttley (15.7 ppg) lead a Hilltopper (18-4) squad that’s good enough to beat anybody. Paired with Central, the question remains, is this the year Onalaska finally gets over the hump? The Hilltoppers lost both regular season meetings, but played very competitive first halves. A third matchup potentially looms in the sectional finals.
Merill (18-4) is the No. 1 seed in the bottom half of the sectional. Led by Quinn Steckbauer (18.4 ppg), the Blue Jays shared the Wisconsin Valley Conference championship with Marshfield. Merrill doesn’t have as strong of a resume as some of the other teams in this sectional, but have shown promise with quality wins over Seymour and Northwestern.
Potential Cinderella – River Falls
Onalaska isn’t going to sneak up on La Crosse Central, leaving a potential opening for River Falls (15-6). The Big Rivers Conference champs have a young, but balanced lineup led by sophomore Zac Johnson (15.5 ppg). The 3-seed in the top half of the sectional, River Falls has an extremely difficult road, likely having to go through both Central and Onalaska just to get to a sectional final.
SECTIONAL 2
The Favorite – Nicolet
This isn’t just the favorite in Sectional 2, but all of Division 2. Aside from a back and forth contest with Sussex Hamilton, who may very well win the Division 1 state championship, the Knights (21-1) have looked untouchable when they turn it on. Jalen Johnson (20.3 ppg) and Jamari Sibley (20.0 ppg) is as good of a 1-2 punch as there is in the state. Nicolet rounds things out with promising sophomores Kobe Johnson and James Graham and a few hungry seniors. The North Shore Conference champs haven’t lost a game to an in-state foe this season. In fact, 11 of their 20 wins have come by 30 points or more.
The Darkhorse – Kaukauna or Green Bay Southwest
Green Bay Southwest (20-2) is the other No. 1 seed in this sectional. Like Madison East, we’re just not sure if they’re for real yet. The Trojans did win a very strong Fox River Classic Conference, but suffered two strange losses along the way. They’ve also had to eek out a number of games that shouldn’t have been all that close. Will Pytleski (20.4 ppg) and Lucas Stieber (13.8 ppg) are good enough to get this team to sectionals, but we’ll find out if this is truly a contender to reach Madison here in the coming weeks.
The defending Division 2 state champions have been up and down at times. Kaukauna (17-5) have had games where they look like they could return to the Kohl Center and others where the losses they’ve sufffered from last season, mainly Jordan McCabe, are just too much. The Ghosts have a really strong trio in Donovan Ivory (20.7 ppg), Logan Jedwabny (17.0 ppg), and Keaton Ferris (13.9 ppg). If Jacob Newhouse can have a big run, they can match up with Nicolet and Southwest and give them some problems.
Potential Cinderella – Milwaukee Madison
A team that should feel absolutely disrespected, Milwaukee Madison (16-5) is a five-seed behind teams they have a significantly better record than. Kyran Gaines (25.0 ppg) is one of the most difficult matchups in the state. He’s getting a huge lift from sophomore Brandon Leach (17.0 ppg) this season. A team that has scored 96 or more points in three of their last four games, the Knights feel like a sectional bound squad.
SECTIONAL 3
The Favorite – Westosha Central
Looking to return to the state tournament for the second consecutive season, the Falcons (21-1) have looked fantastic in 2018-19. The Southern Lakes Conference champions have knocked off the likes of Racine St. Catherine’s and Waukesha West this season. Jaeden Zackery (22.1 ppg) has also proved to be one of the state’s top players.
The Darkhorse – Mount Horeb or East Troy
Like Westosha Central, East Troy (20-1) also reached the state tournament last season, just in Division 3. The Trojans owned the Rock Valley Conference with a perfect 18-0 record and A.J. Vukovich (26.6 ppg) is one of the state’s best-kept secrets. Making the jump to Division 2 this season, East Troy has some big wins over Milwaukee Academy of Science, Milwaukee Madison, and a competitive loss to Martin Luther that proves the step up won’t be too much to handle.
Not enough people are talking about the Vikings (19-3) either. The Badger North champs have just three losses to top teams — Racine Park, Milwaukee Lutheran, and Onalaska — all of which have come by six points or less. Mount Horeb is also extremely hot right now, having won 12-straight games going into the playoffs.
Potential Cinderella – Elkhorn
This is a 3-seed with 19 wins, two of which came against Westosha Central. In both defeats to the Falcons, Elkhorn (19-3) was competitive in both before letting the game slip away in the second half. A third potential meeting could await in the sectional semifinals, but the Elks would likely have to get through East Troy first.
SECTIONAL 4
The Favorite – Milwaukee Washington
Last season’s D2 runner-up, the Generals (17-5) won the Milwaukee City Conference. Having won 14-straight games, Washington has only dropped two contests against in-state foes, one of which came without Deontay Long (20.5 ppg) in action. Super sophomore Michael Foster (20.0 ppg) has been superb and Washington has also recently gotten a lift from stud freshman guard Tre White.
The Darkhorse – Milwaukee Bay View or Pewaukee
The Pirates (18-4) are going to be a very tough out. On paper, they don’t raise any eyebrows. Watch them play, this is one of the most disciplined team-oriented squads in the state. Pewaukee has solid wins over Homestead, Kettle Moraine, Greenfield, West Allis Central, Wisconsin Lutheran, and Grafton. They’ve also won five-straight games heading into the playoffs.
Bay View (18-2) was just shy of winning the Milwaukee City Conference, falling to Washington on Feb. 15. One of the biggest surprises in the state this season, the Red Cats got a breakout senior season from double-double machine Kevin Cook (18.4 ppg). Bay View and Washington could meet again in the sectional finals.
Potential Cinderella – Milwaukee Lutheran or Greenfield
They may not have the size to compete with some of these teams, but they’ll have the guard play. Jourdan Weddle (16.9 ppg), JaVeon Tolliver (15.3 ppg), and Xavier Evans (15.5 ppg) are a strong backcourt trio that led Milwaukee Lutheran (18-3) to a runner-up finish in the Woodland East Conference. The Knights lost two very hard-fought games to champion Greenfield and have beaten the likes of Brown Deer, Mount Horeb, and the Milwaukee Academy of Science.
Another one of those teams that we’re eager to see how they perform with the pressure on, Greenfield (18-4) surprised by winning the Woodland East with a perfect 14-0 mark. The Hawks didn’t have a good showing in the Woodland crossover title game, getting hammered by West Allis Central and don’t have many quality non-conference wins. We’ll see if Mo Jamaleddin (12.6 ppg) and company can silence the doubters in the playoffs.