Tosa West clinches first conference title ever
The boys basketball regular season is winding down. Here's a look at some of the action Friday night around the Milwaukee area.
Tosa West clinches its first conference title share
Wauwatosa West has fielded a boys basketball team for more than six decades, but had never had a conference champion until this week. The Trojans defeated Brookfield East, 85-73 on Friday, and in doing so, clinched at least a share of the Greater Metro Conference title.
Tosa West moved from the Woodland West in the 2017-2018 season and had rarely threatened a Greater Metro title, even finishing winless in the conference as recently as the 2020-2021 season. A 2-3 start in conference play suggested a similar middle-of-thepack finish, but the Trojans rattled off 11-straight wins over Greater Metro opponents to clinch their conference title share with a 13-3 record.
Marquette (12-3) and Sussex Hamilton (12-3) both have one more conference game to play and could move into a tie for the title. For Sussex Hamilton, a share would be its first since an outright title in 2018-2019. Marquette last took the title outright in 2015-2016.
Franklin wins the Southeast title again, outright this time
Franklin split the Southeast Conference title with Racine Case last year, but will stand alone atop the conference this season.
Franklin defeated Kenosha Indian Trail, 65-61, Friday, led by 29 points from Will Gardner, a senior who has committed to UW-Platteville. The Sabers (11-2) won their fourth straight conference game, helping them pull away from 9-4 teams Indian Trail, Case and Oak Creek. Franklin last secured an outright title in the 2017-2018 season.
Case was the team that ended Franklin's 2021-2022 season in a 69-56 victory in a WIAA Division 1 sectional semifinal.
The Sabers conclude their regular season Thursday at Kenosha Bradford.
Woodland East and West races down to one game
The stage is set for an intriguing finish in both divisions of the Woodland Conference with one game to play.
In the Woodland East, Whitnall (11-1) leads Greenfield (10-2) by a single game. The same goes for Pewaukee (11-1), which leads Wisconsin Lutheran (10-2) in the West.
The only conference game remaining for all four teams is an East-West crossover. On Wednesday night, Greenfield will play host to Wisconsin Lutheran in a game between the second-place teams while Pewaukee travels to Whitnall in a matchup of the leaders. Pewaukee or Whitnall needs a win for an outright title, while Greenfield and Wisconsin Lutheran need a victory as well as a loss by its division's current leader for a share of the title.
Pewaukee and Wisconsin Lutheran split the West last year at 11-1 records, while Whitnall is looking for its third straight outright title in the East.