WIAA State Boys Basketball Preview: Division 2
Friday, March 16th, 2018 -- 10:35 AM
The 103rd Annual Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Boys Basketball State Tournament is going on through Saturday at the Kohl Center on the campus of the University of Wisconsin in Madison. Here's a preview of the Division 2 field....Friday, March 16
Division 2
#1 Kaukauna (23-3) vs. #4 Westosha Central (20-4) - 1:35 p.m.
#2 La Crosse Central (24-2) vs. #3 Milwaukee Washington (23-3) will begin approximately 15 minutes following the previous game.
STATE TOURNAMENT ON THE AIR: The State Tournament will be televised live in our area on WAOW-TV in Wausau, WXOW-TV in La Crosse, and WQOW-TV in Eau Claire. The championships will also be streamed on the statewide network station websites. Also, download the Magic of March app for your source for live streaming video, scores, highlights and more about the WIAA State Boys Basketball Tournament on iOS or Android phones and tablets.
ABOUT THE DIVISION 2 FIELD: Top-seeded Kaukauna will attempt to win its second State championship in the past three years after winning the title in 2016. The Galloping Ghosts are appearing in the State tournament for the fourth time overall. In addition to their one championship, they finished runner-up in 2012. This year’s advancement to the State semifinals comes by virtue of their 69-59 victory over Nicolet in the Manitowoc Lincoln Sectional final. They finished runner-up to Division 1 qualifier Oshkosh North in the Fox Valley Association standings this season. Defending champion La Crosse Central, the second seed, returns attempting to win back-to-back State titles. It’s the Red Raiders’ third straight appearance in the tournament and their 17th overall. Their previous experiences in the State tournament date back to the 1920s. They made nine consecutive appearances from 1920-28. That string of experiences produced a State title in 1925. Another notable finish came in 1979 when the Red Raiders placed runner-up in Division 1. They are the champions of the Mississippi Valley Conference this season, and they have earned the opportunity to continue their quest to retain their title with a 72-52 win over Marshfield in the Stevens Point Sectional final. Third-seeded Milwaukee Washington qualifies for the State tournament for the second consecutive season and for the 13th time overall. The Purgolders have won four State championships, gaining possession of the gold ball in 1985, 1987, 1990 and 1993. They have also finished runner-up on two occasions, in 1997 and 2000. This year, they are the champions of the Milwaukee City Conference. The Purgolders have advanced out of the Brown Deer Sectional following a 77-67 triumph over Pewaukee in the final. Fourth-seeded Westosha Central is a first-time qualifier to the State tournament following their 76-55 victory over Monona Grove in the Oregon Sectional final. The Falcons were runners-up in the Southern Lakes Conference this season behind champion Union Grove.
THREE-POINT CHALLENGE: The WIAA will conduct the fourth 3-Point Challenge prior to Saturday’s championship games. The event will begin at 9:30 a.m. at the Kohl Center. The top two players per division were selected for the contest based on the best 3-point field goal percentage with a minimum of 75 attempts during the regular season. The contestants representing Division 2 are freshmen Sam Kick of Onalaska and Zac Johnson of River Falls.
Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.