Going streaking
Just when it seemed the Classic 8 race was figured out, it proved to be anything but.
Three days after Arrowhead defeated Kettle Moraine in convincing fashion, 72-52, in a battle for first place in the conference, Waukesha West sent the Warhawks right back into a tie in the loss column with the Lasers.
The Wolverines handed the Warhawks their second loss in Classic 8 play, 68-41, on Friday night thanks to a huge second half output. The Warhawks are 13-2 in conference play with both losses coming to the third-place Wolverines.
West got off to a slow start to the season, beginning 0-4 and 3-7, but has rattled off six consecutive wins. The young Wolverines seem to be playing their best basketball at a critical juncture of the season, with just one week left in the regular season.
Madeline Anderson (15.0 ppg) and Ashlyn Yow (11.5) are the team's double digit scorers, followed by Lilly Hanke, Caden Krohn, Jordyn Hudson, Nevaeh Thompson and Annyka Hellendrug, all of whom average between six and 10 a game.
With the WIAA's rearranging of sectionals and division assignments, the Wolverines were bumped up to Division 1. It's only fitting that they are placed in the same regional as three other Classic 8 foes, including Kettle Moraine, and the same sectional as Arrowhead.
Slinger in first
After a year of back-and-forth in the North Shore Conference race, it is Slinger sitting on top of the standings with two games to go.
Thanks to a five-game winning steak and a West Bend West loss to Hartford, the Owls can clinch at least a share of the title with a win over Nicolet on Tuesday.
After spending much of the season winning low-scoring games, the Owls have found a rhythm offensively, averaging 74 points over their past three games. That's nearly 20 points above their season average.
Slinger will likely have to beat the team it has battled atop the standings for much of the year, West Bend West, in order to win the outright title. The two teams face off to close out the regulars season on Friday.
Those two squads also will play in the same Division 1 regional along with the likes of Beaver Dam and Hartford.
Other conference races?
The only conference involving a southeast Wisconsin team to be clinched before the final week of the regular season is the East Central, which Waupun has wrapped up over second-place Kettle Moraine Lutheran.
Germantown and Brookfield Central are neck-and-neck at 13-1 in the Greater Metro. Racine Lutheran and Martin Luther are even in the loss column in the Metro Classic. Lake Country Lutheran holds a half-game lead in the Midwest Classic over University School, which it plays Tuesday and Thursday.
Badger and Union Grove are separated by a half-game in the Southern Lakes. Palmyra-Eagle can clinch the Trailways East with a win.
Greenfield will share the Woodland East with South Milwaukee with a win over Cudahy on Tuesday. In the Woodland West, Pewaukee trails New Berlin Eisenhower by half a game.
Which teams are hottest heading into the final stretch of the year?
Brookfield Central has won 12 straight Greater Metro Conference games, earning the top spot in the area rankings along the way.
Racine Lutheran, Greenfield and Pewaukee are all at seven consecutive wins. South Milwaukee, Waukesha West, Waterford and New Berlin Eisenhower are all situated just behind at six in a row.
Better late than never
The Racine Public Schools teams were allowed to begin competition this week, allowing them to get a handful of games in before the postseason begins.
Racine Case opened with a pair of games against Kenosha Indian Trail and Tremper while Racine Horlick played Kenosha Bradford. Case has four games scheduled between Tuesday and the end of the regular season.
Racine Park canceled its two games this past week but has three scheduled over four days.