Wisconsin boys basketball highschool state event evaluate – Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

The 2024 WIAA boys basketball high school state tournament begins Thursday with Division 3 and Division 4 semifinal video games on the Kohl Middle in Madison.
We can have stay updates for the 4 video games on the schedule right now. St. Thomas Extra and Lakeside Lutheran have already punched their tickets to the Division 3 state ultimate after profitable their semifinal video games. The Division 4 state semifinal video games are Thursday night.
You’ll want to refresh your browser for the most recent.
Landon Thousand’s three-pointer with six seconds left capped a outstanding 8-0 run for Mineral Level within the ultimate 22 seconds, giving the Pointers an exhilarating 62-61 victory over La Crosse Aquinas within the second Division 4 semifinal.
Level’s Drew Aschliman’s hit a three-pointer with 22 seconds left made it 61-57 and a steal and basket by Alex Ross with 13 seconds left made it 61-59. After one other turnover on the inbounds, Mineral Level missed a three-point try however in a combat for the rebound, a held ball stored the ball within the Pointers’ possession.
That set the stage for Thousand’s heroics, who calmly sank an open three out of a timeout with six seconds left. He completed with 24 factors on 10-of-19 taking pictures. The Pointers scored 8 factors in 16 seconds.
Mineral Level will face Kenosha St. Joseph within the championship recreation Saturday.
Within the second Division 4 semifinal recreation, Mineral level fell behind 17-9, earlier than an 11-0 run sparked them to a 28-23 halftime lead over La Crosse Aquinas.
Landon Thousand made six of his 9 pictures and leads Mineral Level with 14 factors. Logan Becker has eight factors for Aquinas.
Eric Kenesie’s 19 factors led Kenosha St. Joseph to a 46-37 victory over Marathon. The win advances the Lancers to the Division 4 state ultimate on Saturday.
A 9-0 first half run gave St. Joseph a nine-point lead on the break they usually led by as many as 12 factors.
It was solely Marathon’s second lack of the season however the Lancers’ shocking event run continued. Kenosha St. Joseph (20-9) has knocked off a pair of No. 1 seeds within the event and can face the winner of Mineral Level and La Crosse Aquinas.
Within the first Division 4 semifinal, a 9-0 run late within the first half has given Kenosha St. Joseph a 19-10 halftime lead over Marathon in a low-scoring recreation. Tommy Santarelli leads the Lancers with seven factors.
Marathon struggled from the ground, making solely 3 of 17 pictures within the half.
A yr in the past, Lakeside Lutheran fell within the Division 3 state event semifinal recreation, 57-55. A yr later, the Warriors flipped the script in the identical spherical to win their semifinal recreation over Kiel, 57-55, on Thursday afternoon.
And Lakeside Lutheran did it in probably the most dramatic style with Kaycee Guzman hitting a game-winning shot with 1.5 seconds left.
The Warriors will face St. Thomas Extra in Saturday’s state championship. Each groups are going for his or her first title.
Lakeside Lutheran was spectacular within the paint because the Warriors attacked Kiel’s zone. They scored 32 factors down low. General, Lakeside Lutheran shot 47.8%, scoring on 27 of its 48 possessions.
Along with Guzman, senior Wes Rahn was large for the Warriors. He had 20 factors and introduced down a game-high 18 rebounds, together with seven on the offensive finish.
Lakeside Lutheran, nonetheless, was simply 9 of 17 from the free-throw line.
Grant Manz led three Kiel gamers in double figures with 15 factors on 6 of 12 taking pictures. He additionally had 15 rebounds.
Pierce Arenz added 12 factors and Brandon Aprill contributed 10. Kiel had 28 factors within the paint. The Raiders completed 44.4% from the sphere however hit simply 10 of their 18 free throws. Kiel scored on 26 of its 48 possessions.
Kiel completed the season 28-1.
Was it going to be anybody else?
Kaycee Guzman, who has come up massive all day, etched his title in state lore with a game-winning shot to cap off a efficiency to recollect in main Lakeside Lutheran to the Division 3 state championship recreation.
After a timeout with the sport tied at 55, Guzman stored the ball on the high of the important thing, created area earlier than driving to the ring. He was tightly defended so his momentum pushed him off stability however as he light away he threw up the shot and hit it excessive off the glass with 1.5 seconds left. Lakeside Lutheran, 57, Kiel 55.
Clutch.
Kiel’s half-court shot was off the mark. Its good season was over. The Raiders entered the semifinal recreation 28-0.
In the meantime, Lakeside Lutheran executed its plan to perfection.
“We wished to have the final shot,” Lakeside Lutheran head coach Todd Jahns mentioned in his post-game interview with the My24 broadcast. “Area it out, stuff we run in observe and put the ball in your finest participant’s palms and let him go to work.”
Guzman scored 17 of his game-high 21 factors within the second half. He’ll search for one other massive efficiency within the state title recreation on Saturday.
REQUIRED READING:WIAA basketball state-tournament buzzer beaters over the past 30 years
Down by three factors, the place does Kiel go?
To its finest three-point shooter: Jack Heckmann.
Trailing by three inside underneath 1 minute, Heckmann drilled an enormous 3-pointer to tie the sport at 55. Previous to that shot, Heckmann had been 0 for 4 from past the arc.
Lakeside Lutheran has known as a timeout with 38 seconds left.
This can be a enjoyable one to finish the day session.
Kaycee Guzman, who has led the best way for Lakeside Lutheran within the second half, has now put the Warriors again within the lead popping out of a timeout on a driving layup with 2:34 left.
Guzman will not be denied.
Lakeside Lutheran is sizzling.
The Warriors, on a 7-0 run, simply took their first lead since early within the first half after Kaycee Guzman’s basket. The sphere objective put Lakeside Lutheran forward, 50-48, with 4:02 left. His bucket got here after Kiel missed the entrance finish of a one-and-one on the free-throw line.
Guzman is now as much as 17 factors.
We’re in for end.
We now have a tie recreation at 48 after Kooper Mlsna drilled a three-pointer on an help from Kaycee Guzman with 4:27 left.
Kiel holds a 48-43 lead with 6:39 left.
The Raiders proceed to shoot nicely this half (7 of 13). Kiel is getting probably the most out of its possessions with solely 4 turnovers.
Kaycee Guzman is heating up for Lakeside Lutheran and it has sparked the Warriors.
He has scored 9 second-half factors by means of the primary eight minutes, together with two straight layups to get Lakeside Lutheran to inside one, 42-41, with 10:05 left.
Guzman is as much as 13 factors on 6 of 13 taking pictures.
Fouls are including up shortly for Lakeside Lutheran.
The Warriors have already got dedicated 5 fouls 6 minutes, 16 seconds into the second half.
Free throws might play an element if Kiel can compelled extra fouls on Lakeside Lutheran.
Kiel leads Lakeside Lutheran, 34-30, on the first media timeout of the second half (14:50).
Lakeside Lutheran is again to environment friendly basketball. After going extraordinarily chilly over the ultimate a part of the primary half, the Warriors have began the second half 4 of 5 (80%) early on. Kiel can be an environment friendly 4 of 6.
Keil took a six-point lead into halfitme. The Raiders are taking pictures 44%, in comparison with Lakeside Lutheran’s 38%.
Grant Manz has 9 factors on 4 of seven taking pictures to go along with 10 rebounds for Kiel.
Wes Rahn is main Lakeside Lutheran with 12 factors.
Lakeside Lutheran went right into a deep taking pictures hunch within the ultimate 10-plus minutes of the primary half.
After the Warriors took a 15-8 lead with 11:23 left on a bucket from Alex Reinke, Lakeside Lutheran went virtually 11 minutes with out a area objective.
Wes Rahn lastly snapped the sphere objective drought with 46 seconds left on a layup. He was fouled on the play and transformed the free throw. However they now path, 27-21.
Lakeside Lutheran took a 15-8 lead after a 9-2 run. However Kiel answered with 10 straight factors over 4 minutes to take the lead with 7:02 left.
We’re underway within the second Division 3 state semifinal.
And we’ve got a detailed one early on.
The groups are going backwards and forwards, tied 6-6 after the primary 4 minutes.
Who will face St. Thomas Extra within the Division 3 state championship recreation on Saturday?
Will probably be both second-seeded Lakeside Lutheran or third-seeded Kiel.
Kiel is 28-0 and completed 14-0 within the Japanese Wisconsin Convention. Pierce Arenz averages a team-leading 19.7 factors per recreation.
Lakeside Lutheran enters the sport with a 26-2 file and completed second within the Capital-North Convention.
Lakeside Lutheran’s Wes Rahn averages a double-double with 16.5 factors and 12.2 rebounds.
Whereas it was sluggish going for St. Thomas Extra at occasions in its Division 3 state semifinal win over Prescott, the top-seeded crew confirmed the way it can shortly flip issues round.
Its two senior stars had been the principle causes for this as they overwhelmed the Cardinals with their athleticism.
Sekou Konneh scored 22 factors on 9 of 16 taking pictures, whereas Amari McCottry scored 14 of his 18 factors within the second half.
“We knew we needed to flip it up,” Konneh mentioned in an on-court post-game interview about his crew’s robust second half. He had 14 of his 22 factors within the second half.
McCottry added about his mindset within the ultimate 18 minutes: “Simply win. I knew my crew wanted me to step up in a giant means.”
St. Thomas Extra will play for its first state championship on Saturday after its pulled away for a 68-45 victory in a semifinal recreation over Prescott.
It was only a three-point lead at halftime and nonetheless only a five-point benefit with 8:43 left. However then the Cavaliers went on a game-changing run to place it away.
St. Thomas Extra scored 14 unanswered factors in lower than 4 minutes to take full management. The Cavaliers did it with their run and gun model, leading to a number of layups and dunks.
Requested about his crew’s response within the second half, head coach Tony Mane mentioned: “We have been in some very tight video games towards some nice competitors. We loaded up our schedule to see what tight video games appear to be. I’ve confidence in our children that they’d reply nicely.”
An Amari McCottry dunk alongside the baseline put the Cavaliers up 64-43 late on this recreation.
He can placed on a present.
After simply 4 first-half factors he’ll finish his day with 18.
St. Thomas Extra has discovered its rhythm within the second half. The Cavaliers are doing what it does finest: run.
An extended cross from Amari McCottry after a Prescott miss arrange a straightforward layin by Omar Fofana to place the Cavaliers up, 56-41.
St. Thomas Extra is rolling now. They’ve 21 fast-break factors. Prescott has zero.
St. Thomas Extra continues to carry a lead within the second half and is taking pictures a lot better than it did within the first half, however Prescott is not going away.
After a three-pointer by Prescott, the Cavaliers’ lead was simply 5 with 8:43 left.
However then two spotlight reel dunks compelled Prescott right into a timeout to aim to cease the momentum.
First, St. Thomas Extra senior Amari McCottry delivered a two-handed jam after which after a steal Sekou Konneh had considered one of his personal.
St. Thomas Extra leads 50-41 with 7:43 left within the recreation.
It is halftime of the primary Division 3 state semifinal recreation on the Kohl Middle with top-seeded St. Thomas Extra main fourth-seeded Prescott, 26-23.
Prescott senior Dallas Wallin scored a driving layup with 5 seconds left because the Cardinals have clawed their means again within the recreation.
St. Thomas Extra’s offense has been uncharacteristically off within the first 18 minutes. The Cavaliers are taking pictures simply 30.3% from the sphere and 14.3% from three-point vary.
Head coach Tony Mane mentioned the Cavaliers must “be extra mentally ready and targeted” within the second half.
The Cavaliers have been very energetic on protection, although. They’ve compelled 9 Prescott turnvoers. The Cavaliers have seven steals.
It is a recreation of runs.
And St. Thomas Extra seems to have discovered its taking pictures contact.
Simply as Prescott obtained again within the recreation, the Cavaliers went on a 13-4 run to push their result in 25-15. It is their largest lead of the day. St. Thomas Extra sophomore Brayden Alivo hit two 3-pointers throughout this stretch.
A Max Montieth three-pointer obtained the Cardinals again inside single digits, 25-18, on the ultimate media timeout (2:12).
Prescott has gone on an 8-0 run of its personal to chop St. Thomas Extra’s result in 12-11 with 6:45 left within the first half on the third media timeout.
However each groups are scuffling with their taking pictures.
Prescott is 3 of 18 (16.7%) from the sphere and a pair of of 11 (18.2%) from deep.
St. Thomas Extra, in the meantime, is taking pictures simply 25%, making solely 5 of their 20 pictures and is 0 for 9 from three-point vary.
After going scoreless for the primary 8 minutes, 25 seconds of the sport, Prescott is on the board.
A 3-pointer by sophomore Kobe Russell at 11:35 minimize St. Thomas Extra’s result in 8-3.
On the second media timeout, St. Thomas Extra leads Prescott, 12-6, with 9 minutes, 53 seconds left.
St. Thomas Extra hasn’t been as sharp early on, both, because the Cavaliers have not been environment friendly on offense.
St. Thomas Extra loves the quick tempo and it’s setting the tone early towards Prescott.
A fastbreak basket by senior Evan Oleson that pushed the Cavaliers’ result in 8-0 compelled Prescott to name a timeout on the 13:08 mark.
Prescott is a metropolis in Pierce County on the far west aspect of the state. Town is situated on the confluence of the St. Croix and Mississippi rivers. 
Only for some context for anybody not aware of these colleges, St. Thomas Extra is situated on Milwaukee’s southside, simply off the shores of Lake Michigan.
The high-scoring Cavaliers (85.2 factors per recreation) are led by a pair of senior stars: Amari McCottry and Sekou Konneh.
McCottry was considered one of six finalists for Mr. Basketball and has a number of Division I provides. He averages 22.7 factors per recreation and leads the crew in assists with 5.3.
Konneh averages a double-double with team-highs in factors (22.8) and rebounds (10.6).
Senior Evan Oleson averages 10.5 factors per recreation.
Prescott averages 62.1 factors per recreation, which is about 23 factors fewer than St. Thomas Extra.
Senior ahead Dallas Wallin is the catalyst for the Cardinals. He leads Prescott in scoring (20.7), rebounds (10.2) and assists (4.3).
He is the participant with lengthy locks on the court docket. The My24 broadcast famous that he hasn’t minimize his hair in 5 years.
We’re about to get going for the primary recreation on the 2024 WIAA boys basketball state event.
First up is St. Thomas Extra vs. Prescott in Division 3..
St. Thomas Extra, champions of the Metro Traditional Convention, enters state on a 20-game profitable streak. The Cavaliers are at state for the second time in three years, although their look in 2022 was vacated by the WIAA to be used of ineligible gamers.
The Cavaliers’ solely loss this season was in a non-conference recreation to Wisconsin Lutheran in late December. The Vikings, who’re led by Mr. Basketball Kon Knueppel, is the highest seed within the Division 2 state event.
The Cavaliers routed Carmen Northwest, 95-71, within the sectional ultimate final Saturday. Their largest check got here two days earlier within the sectional semifinal after they edged Milwaukee Academy of Science, 75-72.
St. Thomas Extra is coached by Tony Mane, who’s an alum of the varsity.
Prescott is looking for its second gold ball in class historical past.
Prescott received the Center Border Convention. After a loss within the regular-season finale, the Cardinals have discovered their groove within the playoffs. Three of their 4 playoff victories have been by double figures.
Prescott defeated Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau, 63-48, within the sectional ultimate to advance to its fourth state event in class historical past. Prescott’s different three state appearances got here in a four-year stretch from 2015-18.
It received the 2018 state championship after taking down No. 1 Valders, 63-62.
Wish to see all of the expertise in particular person Thursday-Saturday on the Kohl Middle?
Right here is ticket information:
Tickets price $13.50/session for all seats. You should purchase tickets by clicking on “Tickets” at the top of the WIAA website or on the tickets web page here.
Here’s what you need to find out about what you’ll be able to carry in:
State event:Here are 3 top storylines for Divisions 3 and 4
Divisions 1, 2 and 5 play their semifinal video games.
No. 1 Columbus Catholic (27-2) vs. No. 4 Solon Springs (27-2) – 9:05 a.m.No. 2 Almond-Bancroft (27-1) vs. No. 3 Ample Life Christian (27-2) – roughly quarter-hour after Columbus Catholic-Solon Springs
No. 1 Wisconsin Lutheran (28-0) vs. No. 4 Nicolet (24-4) – 1:35 p.m.No. 2 Pewaukee (24-4) vs. No. 4 West Salem (25-3) – roughly quarter-hour after Wisconsin Lutheran-Nicolet
Should see:WIAA Division 2 boys state basketball storylines
No. 1 Arrowhead (25-2) vs. No. 4 Neenah (21-7) – 6:35 p.m.No. 2 Kettle Moraine (25-3) vs. No. 3 Marquette (24-4) – roughly quarter-hour after Arrowhead-Neenah
What to observe:WIAA Division 1 boys basketball storylines for Friday’s semifinal games
The state event video games are televised stay on WVTV (Ch. 24) in Milwaukee and throughout the state on WCWF (Inexperienced Bay/Fox Valley), WAOW (Wausau), WQOW (Eau Claire), WXOW (La Crosse) and WKOW (Madison). Livestreaming will likely be out there on the WIAA’s Magic of March app.
Earlier than he took the court docket for his first state event recreation of his highschool profession, Wisconsin Lutheran senior Kon Knueppel was named Mr. Basketball by the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Affiliation.
The award honors the highest senior.
The Duke recruit is the highest-rated participant within the state for the category of 2024. He’s Wisconsin Lutheran’s all-time main scorer with practically 2,000 profession factors. For the season, he is averaging a team-high 26.4 factors, 8.8 rebounds and 5.1 assists.
Division 1: De Pere beat Arrowhead, 69-49
Division 2: Pewaukee beat Whitnall, 71-54
Division 3: Brillion beat West Salem, 61-55
Division 4: Luther beat Kenosha St. Joseph Catholic, 60-46
Division 5: Newman Catholic beat McDonell Catholic, 66-54

source