Area boys hoops teams set for sectionals
The opening week of the WIAA postseason boys high school basketball tournament saw 24 Milwaukee-area teams advance through the regional rounds to sectional competition. As many as nine could punch tickets to state with two more wins this week. Here is a breakdown of each sectional semifinal scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday, along with predictions of who will bring home sectional titles.
DIVISION 1 Sectional 2 No. 1 De Pere (25-1) vs. No. 4 Homestead (20-6)
De Pere’s lone loss of the season so far came by two points to undefeated Wisconsin Lutheran on Jan. 13, as it has looked dominant in its WIAA D1 title defense thus far this year. Homestead meanwhile beat No. 13 seed Manitowoc Lincoln 86-53 and sneaked by No. 5seed Sussex Hamilton, 61-59, to reach the sectional final.
These two teams met on a neutral floor at the Rick Majerus WBY Shootout on Dec. 29 in a game that went 73-58 to De Pere. It is hard to see the rematch at Sheboygan South going a different direction, despite Homestead’s gritty showings late this season. Prediction: De Pere, 80-67
No. 2 Arrowhead (24-2) vs. No. 6 Germantown (19-7)
Germantown has reached the sectional semifinal for the first time since 2016 with wins over No. 11 Hartford (96-57) and No. 3 Oshkosh North (87-59). Arrowhead has similarly begun its quest for a second straight trip to state with victories over No. 15 Oshkosh West (66-36) and No. 7 Sheboygan North (82-54).
The matchup at forward between two standout performers in the game at Hartford will be one to watch. Arrowhead senior Jace Gilbert (28 points and 27 rebounds through two postseason games), and Germantown senior Mason Freiburger (33 points and 27 rebounds) have set the tone for their squads Prediction: Arrowhead, 68-60 Sectional final prediction: De Pere over Arrowhead
Sectional 3 No. 1 Kettle Moraine (23-3) vs. No. 5 Beloit Memorial (21-5)
While not the offensive juggernaut it was when it went to state a season ago, Kettle Moraine has seen offensive production come at just the right time during the current run. Wins of 81-61 over No. 17 Madison La Follette and 78-72 over No. 8 Oregon have shown that the Lasers are not just a defensiveminded outfit.
Beloit Memorial squeezed past No. 13 Madison Memorial 53-50 in the regional finals but may find it more difficult keeping pace with KM in the game at Milton.
Prediction: Kettle Moraine, 72-58 Sectional final prediction: Sun Prairie West over Kettle Moraine
Sectional 4 No. 1 Marquette (22-4) vs. No. 5 Racine Case (17-9)
Racine Case has found a way in its first two postseason games last week, beating No. 12 Oak Creek 61-57 before shocking No. 4 Brookfield Central, 4544, on a winning fadeaway three-pointer from junior Anthony Bull in the regional final. Marquette’s wins over No. 17 West Allis Hale (101-50) and No. 9 Kenosha Indian Trail (82-34) have been far less dramatic.
The Hilltoppers have been slowed offensively in some tougher matchups this season but rarely stopped. Marquette’s depth of scoring provides unfavorable matchups for Case as it seeks to continue its run beyond this game at Westosha Central. Prediction: Marquette, 92-73
No. 2 Milwaukee Hamilton (19-5) vs. No. 6 West Allis Central (15-11)
In another matchup between a team that has found a way and another that has won convincingly in its two playoff games, West Allis Central looks to complete one more upset after a 61-60 win over No. 3 Westosha Central in the regional finals. Milwaukee Hamilton meanwhile has secured wins of 89-54 over No. 18 Racine Horlick and 78-55 over Kenosha Bradford. Hamilton’s transition attack could provide challenges for West Allis Central to keep pace in their game at Kenosha Tremper as it seeks to keep its run alive. Prediction: Milwaukee Hamilton, 85-67 Sectional final prediction: Marquette over Milwaukee Hamilton
DIVISION 2 Sectional 2 No. 1 Nicolet (22-4) vs. No. 2 Cedarburg (18-8)
The North Shore Conference foes split their two meetings this season, with a notable asterisk on the 79-74 Cedarburg win in the second meeting: Nicolet was without star forward and rising class of 2025 recruit Davion Hannah, who has since returned to the lineup. In the first meeting with both teams relatively healthy, Nicolet won, 88-65, on Dec. 14.
Teams having their best players healthy and playing at their highest levels is often the difference in postseason games, and there is little reason to discount Nicolet’s chances in the semifinal at Brown Deer if that is the case. That talent for the Knights also projects nicely against their potential sectional final opponents from Ashwaubenon and Plymouth, putting a repeat state tournament appearance within reach this week.
Prediction: Nicolet, 85-72
Sectional final prediction: Nicolet over Ashwaubenon
Sectional 3 No. 1 Pewaukee (22-4) vs. No. 3 Wauwatosa West (18-8)
Pewaukee has not had much cause to miss the one-two punch of 2024 guard Nick Janowski and 2023 forward Milan Momcilovic during its run for a fourthstraight WIAA Division 2 state title this year.
An 85-66 regional final win over Milwaukee Lutheran may have even had fans harkening back to that duo, as Janowski (39 points, 10 rebounds) and Milan’s younger brother Luka Momcilovic (32 points, 11 rebounds) put up stat lines reminiscent of the prime days of Milan and Janowski. That performance was certainly an outlier for the younger Momcilovic, who has averaged 12.2 points per game this season. Whether Pewaukee continues to advance will hinge heavily on how it handles Wauwatosa West’s NCAA Division I recruits, Jake Hansen and Kai Rogers, defensively in the game at Oconomowoc. The depth of each team also slightly favors Wauwatosa West, but the battle-tested Pirates cannot be overlooked for their postseason experience and top-end talent.
Prediction: Pewaukee, 67-63 Sectional final prediction: Pewaukee over Stoughton
Sectional 4 No. 1 Wisconsin Lutheran (26-0) vs. No. 3 Pius XI (17-8)
A pair of Mr. Basketball candidates square off for the third time this season, as Wisconsin Lutheran’s Kon Knueppel and Pius XI’s Jaquan Johnson renew a Woodland West Conference rivalry.
The first two meetings of these teams this year were largely uncompetitive, as Wisconsin Lutheran took wins of 98-69 on Dec. 5 and 88-73 on Jan. 19. The Vikings have shown little sign of slowing down a historic run, and Pius does not match up well enough in the paint with Knueppel and company to be up to the task in their game at Wilmot. Prediction: Wisconsin Lutheran, 90-73
No. 1 Racine Park (19-7) vs. No. 6 Milwaukee Bradley Tech (19-8)
Park and Bradley Tech run back a matchup from earlier this season that went to Park, 80-70, Dec. 2 in a game in Waterford.
Tech limped into the postseason, losing six of nine down the stretch before rattling off wins over No. 11 Milwaukee Bay View (83-36), No. 3 Milwaukee South (75-73) and No. 10 Union Grove (86-67). Another upset seems unlikely in this game at South. The Park guard duo of Isiah Robinson and Jaxson Moss has put together an impressive postseason thus far, impacting the game in a variety of ways on both ends of the floor.
Prediction: Racine Park, 77-65 Sectional final prediction: Wisconsin
Lutheran over Racine Park
DIVISION 3 Sectional 4 No. 2 Lake Country Lutheran (22-4) vs. No. 4 Carmen Northwest (19-7)
Do not let the record mislead; Carmen Northwest is a couple of bounces away from having an extremely impressive résumé worthy of its current standing just two games away from state. Mr. Basketball candidate Dupree Fletcher Jr. and the Eagles are starting to see more of those bounces go their way in the postseason as well. Narrow wins over No. 12 Catholic Memorial, 56-51, and No. 1 Dominican, 91-87, to secure a regional title also showed this is a team that can win a high- or low-scoring playoff battle, heading into the sectional at Oostburg.
LCL is a deep team that showed in its 64-49 win over No. 10 Sheboygan Falls it can withstand an off night from top scorer Samuel Hans and find offensive production from other players such as Carter Leibham, Daniel Cleary or Gavin Skrzypchak.
Prediction: Carmen Northwest, 84-77
No. 1 St. Thomas More (25-1) vs. No. 2 Milwaukee Academy of Science (18-7)
Few sectional semifinal matchups boast the talent top to bottom of this sectional final rematch that went to MAS in overtime a season ago. The two teams also met this season at the MLK Dream Classic on Jan. 15, a game won by STM, 78-71.
There will be two NCAA Division I prospects with Devin Brown and Jamarion Batemon to counter STM’s senior duo of Mr. Basketball candidate Amari McCottry and Sekou Konneh. If those four more or less cancel one another out, the matchups further down the line could prove pivotal. A few conversions for third-leading scorers Evan Oleson for STM and Agape Keys Jr. for MAS may just end up being the difference in what should be another instant classic at Oak Creek.
Prediction: St. Thomas More, 88-83 Sectional final prediction: St. Thomas More over Carmen Northwest
DIVISION 4 Sectional 4 No. 1 Milwaukee Juneau (18-4) vs. No. 3 Kenosha St. Joseph (17-9)
Whether Milwaukee Juneau is simply a young team happy to be there or a legitimate contender will be answered this week, starting with a sectional semifinal matchup at Mukwonago with a Kenosha St. Joseph Catholic team that reached the WIAA D4 state title game a season ago.
Juneau freshman guard Dooney Johnson has been a breakout star, and thirdleading scorer Takis Tyler has come on strong late with 30-plus points in two of his last three games.
St. Joseph senior guard Eric Kenesie has been here before however and performed at the highest levels, highlighted by a 51-point game against St. Mary Catholic in the state semifinal a season ago in a record-setting tournament. The scoring around Kenesie however does not appear to be there, and a well-rounded effort from Juneau could limit his impact.
Prediction: Juneau, 75-69
Sectional final prediction: Kohler over Juneau
DIVISION 5 Sectional 4 No. 1 Salam (23-4) vs. No. 6 Ozaukee (16-11)
Ozaukee has managed to advance in part by taking the air out of the ball offensively, exemplified by a 35-33 win over Oakfield in the their regional final. That strategy may be put to the test against a Salam team that presses the attack whenever it has the ball. Ahmad Badwan is again one of the state’s leading scorers, averaging 30.4 point per game. This year however, other teammates are getting involved offensively in ways not previously seen for long stretches. Ismail Bektesi (14.5 points per game) broke out with a 32point performance in a 78-70 win over No. 9 Elkhart Lake-Glenbeulah in the regional semifinal.
Salam being able to run with the hot hand will help it avoid the occasional letdown in Badwan’s streaky shooting. Ozaukee will have to hope its defense and rebounding can limit second chance opportunities for the Stars at Waukesha South.
Prediction: Salam, 77-55
Sectional final prediction: Abundant Life Christian over Salam