WIAA State Boys Basketball Preview: Division 1
Friday, March 16th, 2018 -- 10:38 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 1 field....Friday, March 16
Division 1
#1 Oshkosh North (25-1) vs. #4 Hamilton (17-9) - 6:35 p.m.
#2 Sun Prairie (25-1) vs. #3 Brookfield East (24-2) 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 1 FIELD: Top-seeded Oshkosh North is making its seventh overall appearance and the first since 2013. The Spartans’ most notable advances in the State Tournament were to the semifinals in 1992 and 2009 when eight teams qualified. They are the champions in the Fox Valley Association Conference this season, and they advanced to State through the Marshfield Sectional with a 57-42 win over former three-time defending champion Stevens Point in the final. Second-seeded Sun Prairie advances to the State tournament for the first time in the school’s history. They defeated Madison East 82-58 in the sectional final played at Oregon to advance to the State semifinals. The Cardinals are the champions of the Big Eight Conference this season. Third-seeded Brookfield East returns to the State tournament for the first time since 1979 and for the fourth time overall. The Spartans’ furthest advance in the tournament has been to the semifinals in Class A in 1968 and 1977. They finished runner-up to Brookfield Central in the Greater Metro Conference standings this season, and they are the champions of the West Allis Central Sectional following an 81-63 victory over Racine Park in the final. Hamilton, the fourth seed, is back in the State tournament for the first time since 1987 and for the sixth time in the program’s history. The Chargers advanced to the semifinals in Class A in 1979, 1980 and 1987, which represents the closest they have come to winning a State title. They placed third in the Greater Metro Conference this season behind Brookfield Central and fellow qualifier Brookfield East. The Chargers will represent the Oconomowoc Sectional following a 63-46 win over Kettle Moraine in the final.
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 1 are seniors Bennett Laubenstein of De Pere and Kyle Abatto of Kettle Moraine.
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