The WIAA Boys Basketball Tournament runs from Thursday, March 19 through Saturday, March 21 at the Kohl Center, in Madison.

The Division 3 semifinals start on Thursday, March 19 at 1:35 p.m. with top-seed Seymour (27-1) playing fourth-seed Saint Croix Central (19-9). 

Seymour is celebrating its first trip to state since 2011 and its 14th overall. The Thunder captured the Division 2 crown in 1997, 2001 and in 2006. They also advanced to the title game and finished runner-up in 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005. Seymour is the champion of the Bay Conference this season, and they defeated Xavier 71-52 in the final of Neenah Sectional to remain in pursuit of a fourth State championship. 

St. Croix Central will be making their second appearance, after their first experience resulted in a loss in the semifinals in 2021. They are the champions of the Middle Border Conference. The Panthers are the representatives out of the Eau Claire North Sectional with a 61-53 victory over Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau in the final.

The second game of the afternoon, expected to start around 3:30 p.m. will be two-seed Lake Mills (26-2) matched up with three-seed Racine St. Catherine's (22-4).

Lake Mills returns to the tournament for the second straight season and for the fourth time overall. The L-Cats are attempting to advance to the state final for the first time, falling in the semifinals in Division 2 in 2017 and in Division 3 in 2021 and 2025. After their first-place finish in the North Division of the Capitol Conference this season, Lake Mills advanced to state through the Oregon Sectional, culminating with an 85-53 win over Lancaster in the final. 

Steve Hicklin, the head boys basketball coach for the L-Cats, says his team plays together.

"We share the basketball, we pass a lot and that's our bread and butter. We are an unselfish team. We have a lot of guys that can score, but they don't care if they do."

Lake Mills lost three starters from last year's team.

Junior forward Tyler Wollin (18 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 6 assists) is leading the way this season for the L-Cats. Wollin reached 1,000 career points earlier this season. Senior guard Brady Benish (14.9 ppg) also hit the 1,000-point career mark earlier in the season. 6-3 senior forward Ashton Winger (10.6 ppg, 6 rpg) will be counted on for his strong presence in the paint. Junior guard Collin Christian (14.6 ppg) and freshman guard Jenner Wellman (6 ppg) have also contributed to the success of this season.

Racine St. Catherine’s returns to state for the eighth time and for the first time since winning the Division 3 championship in 2021. The Angels have won six state titles in their seven previous appearances. They had an impressive run of success with six appearances in seven years from 2005-11. During that span, they won five championships. They won three straight state championships from 2005-07. The first of those was in Division 2 with the second two in Division 3. The Angels then won back-to-back titles in Division 3 in 2009-10 and finished runner-up in 2011. The Angels were a perennial power in the now defunct WISAA. They won nine titles and finished runner-up 11 times. The championships came in 1958, 1959, 1961, 1969, 1971, 1977, 1985, 1992 and 1993. This season, the Angels finished runner-up in the Metro Classic Conference. They advanced from the Whitefish Bay Sectional with a 74-58 win over Oostburg in the final.