Wednesday, March 6, 2024

State Girls Basketball Tournament Preview

THE STATE TOURNAMENT:  The 48th Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Girls Basketball State Tournament will take place Thursday-Saturday, March 7-9, at the Resch Center in Green Bay, Wis.

PURCHASING TICKETS:  Ticket price for the tourney is $11 per session when purchased at the Resch Center. Tickets for the tournament will be available for purchase online at the Ticket Star website or by calling Ticket Star at 1-800-895-0071. Tickets can also be obtained through a link on the WIAA website at: https://www.wiaawi.org/Tickets#4269713-girls-basketball. All-sessions, as well as individual session tickets, are available online for $11, plus $2 for processing fees per session.

STATE TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE:  The single elimination tournament features a five-division format with four teams qualifying in each of the five divisions.

Thursday, March 7
Division 3
#1 Edgewood (25-3) vs. #4 Baldwin-Woodville (22-6) - 1:35 p.m.
#2 Kettle Moraine Lutheran (24-4) vs. #3 Xavier (21-7)*

Division 4
#1 Laconia (26-2) vs. #4 The Prairie School (25-3) - 6:35 p.m.
#2 McDonell Catholic (25-2) vs. #3 Cuba City (24-4)*

Friday, March 8
Division 5
#1 Argyle/Pecatonica (26-1) vs. #4 Albany/Monticello (25-3) - 9:05 a.m.
#2 Lena (27-2) vs. #3 Clear Lake (26-3)*

Division 2
#1 Pewaukee (27-1) vs. #4 West Salem (24-4) - 1:35 p.m.
#2 Notre Dame (27-1) vs. #3 Wauwatosa East (23-5)*

Division 1
#1 Arrowhead (25-3) vs. #4 Franklin (20-8) - 6:35 p.m.
#2 Hartford (26-2) vs. #3 Neenah (23-5)*

Saturday, March 9
3-Point Challenge - 9:30 a.m.
Division 5 Championship Game - 11:05 a.m.
Division 4 Championship Game*
Division 3 Championship Game*
Division 2 Championship Game - 6:35 p.m.
Division 1 Championship Game*

*Note: Subsequent games of each session will begin approximately 15 minutes following the previous game.

STATE TOURNAMENT ON THE AIR:  The State Tournament will be televised live on WKOW Madison, WAOW Wausau, WXOW La Crosse, WQOW Eau Claire, WCWF in Green Bay/Fox Valley and WVTV in Milwaukee. The finals will also be streamed live on the State Television Network’s websites. Also, download the Magic of March app for live streaming video, scores, highlights and more about the WIAA State Basketball Tournaments. Live coverage of the tournaments on iOS or Android phones and tablets are also available on the app.

POST-GAME MEDIA CONFERENCES STREAMED:  The post-game media conferences will be shown live without subscription on the WIAA.tv portal of the NFHS Network immediately following each game.

TEAM TOURNAMENT HISTORY:  The first WIAA State Girls Basketball Tournament was held in 1976. The tournament was held at the UW Field House from 1976-97 and also in 1999, 2000 and 2002. The championships were held at the Kohl Center in 1998, 2001, 2003, 2005 and 2010-12, and at the Alliant Energy Center in 2004 and 2006-09. The Resch Center in Green Bay has been the home of the tournament since 2013, except during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021 when the State Tournament was held at two separate locations, the La Crosse Center and the Menominee Nation Arena in Oshkosh. The tournament featured a three-class format until 1991, when a four-division format was adopted. In 2011, a fifth division was added. Cuba City has won the most State titles over the years with 11, followed by Barneveld and Notre Dame with six, and then Milwaukee Washington with five. Fall Creek, Flambeau, Kimberly and Marshall have won four. There have been 105 different schools that have won championships. Cuba City has the distinction of having appeared in the most State Tournaments with 17, including this season. Newman Catholic is next on the list with 13, and Fall Creek, Janesville Parker and Middleton have qualified 12 times. Barneveld, Durand, Kimberly, Monroe, and now Arrowhead and Notre Dame have qualified for 11 State Tournaments.

ABOUT THE DIVISION 1 FIELD:  Top-seeded Arrowhead is making its 11th appearance at State and its first since 2018. The Warhawks have claimed a pair of titles in their 10 previous appearances, one in 1988 and the other in 1991. They finished first in the Classic 8 Conference standings this season. The Warhawks are the representatives out of the DeForest Sectional following their 65-54 win over Oregon in the final. Second-seeded Hartford Union returns to the State Tournament field for the first time since 2000 and for the seventh time overall. The Orioles have advanced to the State title game once, which resulted in a championship in 1992. They are the co-champions with Homestead in the North Shore Conference this season. They navigated through the Manitowoc Lincoln sectional bracket to advance to the State semifinals following a 70-55 win over Brookfield East in the final. Neenah, the #3 seed, will be making its eighth appearance in the tournament and its first since 2009. The Rockets compiled a streak of six straight experiences from 1976-81. That string of appearances produced a championship in 1978 and runner-up finishes in 1976 and 1980. They placed third in the Fox Valley Association this season, and they won the Appleton East Sectional by virtue of an 82-72 win over Hortonville in the sectional final. It will be the fifth overall appearance at State for fourth-seeded Franklin and the first since 2021. The Sabers’ most notable result in their previous four experiences was a runner-up finish in 1999. They are the champions of the Southeast Conference in 2023-24. The Sabers defeated Muskego 54-50 in the sectional final hosted at Kenosha Bradford to advance to State.

ABOUT THE DIVISION 2 FIELD:  Pewaukee, the State runner-up the past two seasons, is the top seed in the bracket. The Pirates are State bound for the fourth time overall and for the fourth straight season, but it will be the third time the Pirates will actually experience the tournament after qualifying in 2020 prior to the cancellation of games because of the COVID-19 pandemic. They defeated Beaver Dam 77-61 in the Watertown Sectional final to earn another attempt at the title. The Pirates were the champions in the West Division of the Woodland Conference this season. Three-time defending champion Notre Dame returns to the tournament as the #2 seed. The Tritons are making their fourth consecutive appearance and their 11th overall. They are on the brink of history, attempting to become the only program in State Tournament history to win four consecutive championships. The Tritons have six State titles overall. In addition to the past three seasons, the Tritons won the gold trophy in the program’s first-ever appearance at State in 2001 and then earned back-to-back titles in 2013-14. They also added a runner-up finish in 2005. Prior to joining the WIAA, the Tritons were the Division 1 runners-up in 1994 as a former member of WISAA. This season, they are the champions of the Fox River Classic Conference and return to the State semifinals following a convincing 82-37 win over Menomonie in the Wausau East Sectional final. Third-seeded Wauwatosa East will be experiencing State for the third time and for the first time in 43 years. The Red Raiders won the Class A championship the last time they qualified for the tournament in 1981. This season, they placed third in the Greater Metro Conference. They paved their way to the Resch Center through the Whitefish Bay sectional, which culminated with a 59-44 win over Union Grove in the final. Fourth-seeded West Salem returns to State for the second year in a row after qualifying in Division 3 in 2023, which resulted in a loss in the semifinals. The Panthers are making their fifth appearance in the history of the program. Each of the previous four experiences have resulted in a loss in semifinals. They are the champions of the Coulee Conference this season, and they are the representatives advancing out of the Baraboo Sectional following a 65-61 win over McFarland in the final.

ABOUT THE DIVISION 3 FIELD: Top-seeded Edgewood is making its third appearance in the State Tournament after back-to-back experiences in 2016-17. The Crusaders won the championship in 2017 after they were eliminated from title contention in the semifinals in 2016. Their return to the State semifinals comes following a convincing 57-42 victory over Waupun in the Evansville Sectional final. They were runners-up in the Small Division of the Badger Conference this year. Prior to joining the WIAA in the fall of 2000-21, The Crusaders won a Class A title in 1979 as a former member of WISAA. Second-seeded Kettle Moraine Lutheran returns to the field for the third time. The first two appearances came back-to-back in 2014-15. The first of those experiences resulted in a championship, and the second ended in a loss in the semifinals. The Chargers beat Catholic Memorial 47-34 in the Brown Deer Sectional final to earn their return to the tournament field. They are the co-champions of the East Central Conference with Waupun this season. Prior to joining the WIAA, the Chargers won a WISAA Class B championship in 1990 and finished runner-up on four other occasions. Xavier is the third seed in the bracket. The Hawks are appearing in their third State Tournament. The first two experiences came in succession in 2015 and 2016. Their most notable of the two appearances was the runner-up finish in 2015. The Hawks’ return to the final four this year is result of a 55-39 win over Wittenberg-Birnamwood in the Brillion Sectional final. They are the champions in the Bay Conference during the regular season this year. As a former member of WISAA, the Hawks won the title in 1978 when there was only one division of the tournament and were runners-up an additional nine times. Fourth-seeded Baldwin-Woodville will be making its first appearance in the program’s history following its 60-43 victory over Elk Mound in the Amery Sectional final. The Blackhawks are the champions of the Middle Border Conference this season.

ABOUT THE DIVISION 4 FIELD: Defending champion Laconia is the top seed in the bracket. The Spartans are making their fourth appearance at State overall, all coming in the last six seasons. In each of the three previous trips to the tourney, they have advanced to the championship game. They finished runner-up in 2019 and in 2022. The Spartans return to the semifinals this season by defeating Sheboygan Lutheran 69-58 in the Oshkosh West Sectional final. They are the champions of the Flyway Conference this season. McDonell Catholic, last year’s Division 5 champion, moves up a division in pursuit of a second straight championship. The Macks are seeded second in the bracket. They make their fourth consecutive State Tournament appearance, which accounts for their overall number of appearances as well. Their first two experiences resulted in losses in the Division 5 semifinals. The Macks qualify this season with a 58-38 victory over Fall Creek in the sectional final held at Eau Claire North. They finished the regular season this year as champions in the Western Division of the Cloverbelt Conference. Prior to joining the fall of WIAA 2000-2001, the Macks most notable finish as a member of WISAA was a runner-up finish in Division 2 in 2000. Third-seeded Cuba City makes its membership-leading 17th appearance at State and its first since 2015. The Cubans have also won more State titles than any other program with 11, winning championships in 1977, 1980, 1990, 1991, 1993, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2014 and 2015. They also have a runner-up finish in 2009. The Cubans won the Southwest Wisconsin Activities League title this season and advanced to State through the Wisconsin Dells Sectional with a 67-52 win over Neillsville in the final. The Prairie School, the #4 seed, will be making its third State Tournament appearance. The first time they qualified was in 2004, which resulted in a championship. They lost in the semifinals in their only other experience in 2013. The Hawks are back in the semifinals after trouncing Winnebago Lutheran 71-21 in the Oconomowoc Sectional final. They are the champions of the Metro Classic Conference this season.

ABOUT THE DIVISION 5 FIELD: The Argyle/Pecatonica co-op is the bracket’s #1 seed. The program qualifies for the State Tournament for the first time. Pecatonica, as a stand-alone program, had five trips to State and advanced to the championship game in each of those experiences, including back-to-back championships in 1993 and 1994, and runner-up finishes in 1992, 2001 and 2002. The Orioles are the champions of the East Division of the Six Rivers Conference this season. They navigated through the Portage Sectional, capped by a 59-46 win over Cochrane-Fountain City in the final to advance to State. Lena, seeded second, will make its fourth appearance at State and the first since 1991 when the Wildcats finished runner-up in Division 4. Their most notable result at State was being crowned the Class C champion in 1980. The Wildcats are the champions of the Marinette & Oconto Conference this season. They downed Pittsville 66-57 in the Antigo Sectional final to return to State for the first time in 33 seasons. Third-seeded Clear Lake qualifies for State for the third time. The Warriors fell in the Division 4 semifinals in 1997, and they qualified again in 2020, but didn’t participate because the tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This season, the Warriors are the champions of the West Division of the Lakeland Conference. They earned a berth in the State semifinals with a 60-38 win over Owen-Withee in the Hudson Sectional final. Fourth-seeded Albany/Monticello makes the co-op’s first appearance in the State Tournament this year after Albany had its first experience as a stand-alone program at State last season, which resulted with a loss in the semifinals. Monticello also has a history in the State Tournament as a stand-alone program, winning the Division 4 championship in their only appearance in 1991. The Comets advance to the State semifinals this season with a 47-45 triumph over Assumption in the Hartford Sectional final. Albany/Monticello was the runner-up in the East Division of the Six Rivers Conference this season behind top-seeded Argyle/Pecatonica.

THREE-POINT CHALLENGE PARTICIPANTS: The 3-Point Challenge will be held prior to Saturday’s championship games beginning at 9:30 a.m. at the Resch Center. A ticket for the Division 3, 4 and 5 championship games session is required for admittance into the event. 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 Rainey Welson of Hortonville and Natalie Mueller of Homestead. Representing Division 2 are Addison Pytleski of Green Bay Southwest and Sarah Aleknavicius of Grafton. The Division 3 participants are Lucia Jensen of Brookfield Academy and Tannah Radloff of Prairie du Chien. Division 4 will be represented by Lindsey Schadewalt of New Glarus and Kacy Eggebrecht of Phillips, and the Division 5 contestants are Madolyn Haffner of Gresham and Reese Grimm of Pittsville. Visit the information on the WIAA website for more details about the 3-Point Challenge.

NEED RESULTS?:  The quickest way to get results will be to access the WIAA website wiaawi.org and choose the Tournament Information link on the home page or the girls basketball home page.

ORDER STATE TOURNAMENT APPAREL:  WIAA licensed apparel is available online for the 2024 State Girls Basketball Tournament. To browse and purchase branded merchandise, visit the WIAA Girls Basketball Store at: https://foxcitiesembroidery.chipply.com/GirlsBB2024WIAAState/. The store closes Friday, March 15 before midnight. Online purchases will be shipped after the online store closes. State Tournament apparel will also be available at the Resch Center.

FOLLOW STATE TOURNEY ON SOCIAL MEDIA:  Receive updates of the State Girls Basketball Tournament on the WIAA State Tournament Twitter account @wiaawistate with the hashtag #wiaagb, and also like us on Facebook.

RUSH TO THE RESCH:  One school qualifying for the State Girls Basketball Tournament in each of the five divisions will receive $2,000 from the Greater Green Bay Community by selling the most pre-sale tickets in their respective division.

BELLIN ATHLETIC TRAINING:  Bellin Health Sports Medicine is the exclusive provider of licensed athletic training services for the State Girls Basketball Tournament.

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State Girls Basketball Tournament Preview

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