The Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association Division 1 All-State Team is highlighted Yusef Gray, Jr. of West Allis Central, Amare Hereford of Beloit Memorial and Zavier Zens of Wisconsin Lutheran.

Gray unfortunately saw his season cut short by an injury late in the regular season. He was still a finalist for Mr. Basketball, averaging 24 points per game along with 6.9 rebounds. 

Hereford led the state in scoring at 37 points per game. 

Zens was the Mr. Basketball selection by the WBCA and a starter on three straight state championship teams for Wisconsin Lutheran. 

Senior Cahlil Jones of Germantown averaged 23 points per game to go with 5.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 2.5 steals per game.

Honorable Mention All-State Trey Resch, a junior at Arrowhead High School, averaged 21 points per game and 3.3 assists with 2 steals per contest leading the Warhawks to a 19-7 overall record, a Classic 8 Conference championship, and a WIAA Division 1 regional final appearance.

Members of the Hartford Union High School girls wrestling team stopped in to the WTKM studios to discuss another successful season.

Head coach Erin Rife said there were many highlights.

"We have several girls that have been in the program since I started coaching, as an assistant coach and now as the head coach. One of the highlights for me is the comradery amongst the girls and how supportive they are of each other. We had a lot of good things happen on the mat. Conference champs again, regional champs again and we qualified more girls to state than we ever have."

A lot to be proud of.

Three state qualifiers for the first time in school history. It's such a significant milestone for the program and a chance to wrestle on the sport's biggest stage. 

Sophomore Alexis Burback is one of them.

"I would say my favorite accomplishment was definitely going to state and winning matches. There are plenty of girls and I feel like you had to fight to get there. I didn't think I was going to make it very far at state, but with two wins it really was a boost of my confidence and realizing that I'm capable of more than I thought I was."

Alexis finished 2-2 at state. 

Ruby Neitzel also qualified for state and was also a sectional champion. Destiny Loss was the other state qualifier for the Orioles. 

Alexis said keeping yourself grounded and focused is important at the state meet, with such an electric atmosphere. She received a lot of support from her parents, coaches and teammates.

Sophomore Kendra Pekrul told WTKM what she likes about wrestling.

"My favorite part of wrestling is the togetherness, with the girls in the room and the coaches in the room. It's such a positive environment. I also like that you practice for it and then you finally get to a tournament and you step out on the mat, and there is no one else out here. I control the pace and I control what I can do. It's such a cool part of it."

Coach Rife was honored as the North Shore Conference Girls Wrestling Coach of the Year. The award is well-deserved and it started with a nomination by Hartford's biggest rival.

"I was very shocked when I was nominated," Rife admitted. "We have an end of the year meeting with all of the coaches in the conference. Actually the Slinger coach, one of our biggest rivals, is who nominated me. I was speechless and really appreciative. It all comes down to the success of our program and what the girls have done this year. It's all due to their hard work."

Such a classy move by Slinger High School girls wrestling coach Carlo Davila to submit the nomination. It says a lot about the Hartford - Slinger rivalry and how much they respect each other.

The popularity of girls wrestling continues to grow rapidly. Coach Rife said that three seasons ago at Hartford Union High School, they had five to seven girls finish the season. They had 12 last year and this season, 16 girls finished the season. There are twice as many girls now at tournaments and the state meet is more of a competitive environment.       

The photo (L-R) features Kendra Pekrul, coach Erin Rife and Alexis Burback.       

The Hartford Union High School girls basketball team had another impressive season, finishing 21-7.

They were impressive in the playoffs, with memorable wins over Devine Savior Holy Angels, 76-50 for their third consecutive regional final victory and a 58-48 win over Appleton East in the sectional semifinals.

The Orioles lost to Pewaukee in the sectional final, 67-58. 

HUHS is fortunate to have four girls earn All-Conference honors, in the North Shore Conference. 

Honorable Mention--Senior Lauren Voss

2nd Team--Junior Alexis Shelsta

1st Team--Rita Kuepper

1st Team AND Co-Conference Player of the Year: Senior Bella Klages

Junior Rita Kuepper and senior Bella Klages earned All-State honors from the WBCA. Rita was selected on the 1st team, while Bella was selected Honorable Mention.

Whitefish Bay is celebrating a state championship. 

The Blue Dukes defeated Slinger, 77-46 in the Division 2 WIAA Boys Basketball State Championship Final on Saturday night, March 21 at the Kohl Center, in Madison.

There were no secrets in this game. The North Shore Conference foes knew each other well. And for Whitefish Bay, there was a little extra incentive on top of winning a gold ball.

It was the question that undoubtedly was in the back of their minds at the beginning of the state tournament. Would the Whitefish Bay boys basketball team get another chance to play Slinger? 

They already played each other twice during the regular season. The Owls won both evenly matched games. It included a 56-55 win on December 16 and a 58-56 victory on February 7.

As a competitor, you want another chance. It was too close. It was anybody's game. 

"Sure, we knew," admitted Blue Dukes' head coach Ryan Fiet during a WIAA pregame interview. "We could play Slinger again."

The third meeting between these two teams this season happened because both teams got the job done in their respective semifinal matchups. The Owls defeated McFarland, 83-52 behind Jack Kohnen's 35 points and Bryson Fogle's 20. Slinger shot 61 percent from the floor while 56 of those points were converted in the paint. Whitefish Bay topped West Salem, 64-58. Colin Julien scored 21 points while Mace Miskel added 17 points for the Blue Dukes.

The rematch was on, with a state title on the line. 

Owls' head coach Alex Lavine said he's proud of his team, during the WIAA Coaches Video Conference.

"We have a group of players that are committed, and have been stepping up in important situations. It means a lot to us and many people in the community."

It was their first state tournament final appearance in the history of the program. The stage was set Saturday night with the national anthem performed by the Slinger High School Pep Band. It was impressive.

Whitefish Bay (24-6) opened the game by converting jump shots and attacking the basket. 

6-3 senior forward Matt Schoenefeldt's 3-pointer with 10:51 to go in the first period gave the Blue Dukes an 11-4 edge. 

Fogle responded with a 3-pointer for the Owls, which provided a spark for their offense. 

It came down to making baskets. Both teams created plenty of offensive opportunities, but the shots fell more often for Whitefish Bay in the first half. The Blue Dukes shot 67 percent, 12-of-18, from the field while the Owls went into halftime shooting 22 percent, or 5-of-22.

Whitefish Bay held a 28-16 lead. 18 of those points came in the paint for the Blue Dukes.

Sure, Slinger fans may have been concerned but the game was far from over. And there was one memory that kept coming up from the regular season with these two teams. Whitefish Bay held the lead in similar fashion, only to have the Owls come back and win.

Would it play out that way in Madison?

The first five minutes of the second half seemed to play out in similar fashion to the first half. Both teams playing hard, creating opportunities with the basketball. But the shots seemed to fall more often for the team in blue. Slinger scored eight points during that stretch, while the Blue Dukes dropped 12 points.

Whitefish Bay continued to attack the paint and just like that, they built a 51-34 lead with 8:56 left in the game. They had a lot of momentum at the time.

The Blue Dukes collected 24 points in the paint in the second half, along with 17 fast break points.

Shooting percentage, in this case, was a factor in the game. Slinger (25-5) finished with 28 percent from the field, 15-of-54, while Whitefish Bay was 28-of-45, or 62 percent.

"I'm proud of our players," said a disappointed Coach Lavine during the WIAA postgame interview. "Our players and our seniors have elevated the program."

Both sides showed a lot of class and handled the pressure of a state championship game.                     

Division 1

Wisconsin Lutheran 68

Appleton North 61

Madison Memorial 75

De Pere 62

Division 2

Slinger 83

McFarland 52

Whitefish Bay 64

West Salem 58

Division 5

Reedsville 75

Sheboygan Lutheran 72

Southwestern 69

Prentice 65
 

The WIAA State Boys Basketball Tournament continues on Friday, March 20 at the Kohl Center, in Madison.

Slinger (24-4) faces McFarland (23-5) at 1:35 p.m. in a Division 2 matchup. 

The Owls were issued the top seed in the bracket, qualifying for the first time since its only other appearance 49 years ago, in 1977. That experience resulted in a loss in the Class B semifinals. Slinger won the North Shore Conference title this season, and they qualified for state with a 53-42 win over Notre Dame in the Sheboygan North Sectional final.

Owls head coach Alex Lavine said he's proud of his team, during the WIAA Coaches Video Conference.

"We have a group of players that are committed, and have been stepping up in important situations. It means a lot to us and many people in the community."

Slinger's Kohnen brothers have been hard to handle this season. Jack is a junior and Joey is only a sophomore and they are hoping to bring home the program's first-ever state championship in boys basketball.  

Fourth-seeded McFarland returns to the state tournament for the third time and for the first time since the second of back-to-back Class B championships 1973 and 1974. Their advancement to the state semifinals this season comes by virtue of an 86-60 win over New Berlin West in the Oconomowoc Sectional final. The Spartans are the champions of the Badger Conference this season.

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. 

The 110th Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association State Boys Basketball Tournament will take place Thursday-Saturday, March 19-21, at the Kohl Center on the campus of the University of Wisconsin in Madison. 

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

Thursday, March 19
Division 3
#1 Seymour (27-1) vs. #4 St. Croix Central (19-9) - 1:35 p.m.
#2 Lake Mills (26-2) vs. #3 Racine St. Catherine’s (22-4)*

Division 4
#1 Bonduel (25-3) vs. #4 Cambridge (19-9) - 6:35 p.m.
#2 Milwaukee Juneau (26-1) vs. #3 Regis (23-5)*

Friday, March 20
Division 5
#1 Reedsville (26-3)  vs. #4 Sheboygan Lutheran (23-6) - 9:05 a.m.
#2 Prentice (25-3) vs. #3 Southwestern (23-6)*

Division 2
#1 Slinger (24-4) vs. #4 McFarland (23-5) - 1:35 p.m.
#2 West Salem (24-4) vs. #3 Whitefish Bay (22-6)*

Division 1
#1 Wisconsin Lutheran (28-0) vs. #4 Appleton North (24-4) - 6:35 p.m.
#2 De Pere (25-3) vs. #3 Madison Memorial (26-2)*

State championship games played in Green Bay on Saturday, March 14 with the girls basketball state tournament.

Division 1

Arrowhead 80

Wauwatosa East 74  2OT

Division 2

Whitefish Bay 78

Elkhorn 42

Division 3

Oostburg 64

Wisconsin Dells 37

Division 4

Neillsville 43

Albany-Monticello 40

Semifinals of the WIAA Girls State Tournament

Wisconsin Dells 77

Kettle Moraine Lutheran 71

Neillsville 58

Lomira 31

Boys sectional semifinals

Slinger 62

Port Washington 33

Oostburg 55

Kettle Moraine Lutheran 53

DePere 79

Germantown 64

Lake Mills 68

Watertown Luther Prep 58

Lomira 67

Pardeeville 54 

Their first-ever appearance at the state tournament in 2014 resulted in a championship. Kettle Moraine Lutheran's girls basketball team defeated Neillsville, 28-25 to capture a Division 3 title. It's the Chargers only gold ball in girls basketball. Prior to joining the WIAA, KML won a WISAA Class B championship in 1990 and finished runner-up on four other occasions.

Second-seeded Kettle Moraine Lutheran (27-1) returns to the state tournament for the fourth time and for the first time since 2024. The Chargers play Wisconsin Dells (28-0), the third-seed, on Thursday, March 12 following the 1:35 p.m. Division 3 matchup of #1 Oostburg vs. Mosinee. 

The Dells will make their second appearance at the state tournament, after a 57-51 win over Edgerton in the Portage Sectional final.

"This time of the year, it's experience that's a great teacher," said Kettle Moraine Lutheran Head Coach Jason Walz during the WIAA state tournament coaches conference call. "The Dells has experienced kids and they do have young kids. They have the freshman guard and the sophomore shooter. They are good players."

Kettle Moraine Lutheran defeated Milwaukee Academy of Science, 70-43 in the Brown Deer sectional final to earn another trip to state. It was one of many big wins this season for the Chargers. Not bad for a team that had many positions to fill when the season started.

"We have two seniors that replaced the eight seniors that we lost from a year ago," according to Coach Walz. "We have a team with six sophomores and the rest are juniors. The kids have come together really well. You never know how it's going to be replacing so many seniors. We filled those spots with not only good kids but good players."

KML is rolling, playing some of their best basketball this time of the year. Their 16-game winning streak includes an impressive 69-62 win over Pewaukee on January 24. The Chargers ended the Pirates' five-year home winning streak, which included 55 consecutive home wins. Natalie Nolte, Brooklyn Luehring and Hayden Lauer played well for Kettle Moraine Lutheran. Pewaukee was a Division 1 fifth ranked team at the time.

The Chargers' 69-55 victory over Laconia, the eventual Flyway Conference champs, on December 8 was another statement win. 

Kettle Moraine Lutheran suffered their only loss of the season at Hartford Union High School on January 6. The Orioles won a nail-biter, 62-60.

"You have to use it and grow from it and the girls did a good job with that," Walz said regarding the loss. "This group is a bunch of competitors, so they weren't happy that they lost. If we had a chance to play Hartford again, I'm sure our girls would embrace that and I'm sure Hartford would to."

KML's girls basketball program continues to impress, as they prepare for another trip to state.   

Lomira High School celebrated a state championship in 1978. The girls basketball team won the Class B title in their first-ever tournament experience. And to top it off, the team traveled to Madison and met Wisconsin Governor Martin Schreiber. 

So many memories and an impressive accomplishment.

Fast forward to 2026, with the Lions preparing to play in the 50th State Girls Basketball Tournament at the Resch Center, in Green Bay. Lomira, the #4 seed, will appear in its third state tournament overall and its first since 1993.

"It's pretty awesome," said Lions Head Coach Liz Cook, during the WIAA state tournament conference call session. "My mom and two of my aunts were a part of that state championship team. It means a lot to so many people, including my family." 

Lomira (22-6) plays top-seeded Neillsville (27-1) on Thursday, March 12 at 6:35 p.m. The Warriors made three consecutive state appearances from 2012-14 and back-to-back experiences in 2006 and 2007. They won the Division 4 state championship in 2012.

"They are a defensively sound team," according to coach Cook. "Our game plan is to attack their zone and get some baskets."

One of the postseason highlights for the Lions included their third meeting of the season with a familiar team, Flyway Conference foe Winnebago Lutheran. They had played each other twice this season and Lomira won both games, 70-45 and 59-50. The stakes were higher for the Friday, February 27 game, with a trip to the regional final on the line. The Lions won, 54-37.

They followed up their trifecta of Winnebago Lutheran with a convincing 60-46 win over Howards Grove in the regional final. Lomira earned their first sectional appearance in 14 years.

The Lions top three scorers are all sophomores. Josie Christian averages 25 points per game, seven rebounds per game with three assists on average. Christian exceeded 1,000 career points and is Lomira High School girls basketball all-time leading scorer. Kennedy Goebel is averging nine points per game while Lily Christian contributes eight points per game.

The Lions lack of interior size has had a positive impact on the team's performance, according to Cook.

"We have preached all year, we are not the tallest team. We are actually the smallest team in our conference. Our post players have worked hard all year, we talk about never standing still."

Lomira defeated Kenosha St. Joseph Catholic, 61-57 in the final of the Germantown sectional and punched their ticket to Green Bay. Josie Christian scored 31 points while Goebel added 13 points.

Coach Cook, a Lomira High School alumna, played basketball for the Lions and was a part of a WIAA Sectional Semifinal team. She says her team is more relaxed than she thought they would be, with all of the pressure of postseason basketball. It makes it fun for everyone.

Here's to many more celebrations for the Lions girls basketball team.            

Girls basketball:

Pewaukee 67

Hartford Union High School 58

Kettle Moraine Lutheran 70

Milwaukee Academy of Science 43

Lomira 61

Kenosha St. Joseph 57

Arrowhead 74

Brookfield East 51

Boys basketball:

Germantown 89

Hartford Union High School 71

Slinger 55

Nicolet 45

Oshkosh North 60

Arrowhead 52

Kettle Moraine Lutheran 66

Lake Country Lutheran 47

Wauwatosa West 75

Beaver Dam 61

Horicon 75

Pardeeville 53

Muskego 74

West Allis Central 65  

Hartford Union High School 68

Fond du Lac 58

Slinger 70

Kewaskum 47

Nicolet 90

West Bend West 37

Germantown 110 

Green Bay Preble 82

Menomonee Falls 86

Homestead 82

Arrowhead 88

West Allis Hale 72

Kettle Moraine Lutheran 71

Brown Deer 67

Lake Country Lutheran 76

Carmen Northwest 65

Lake Mills 79

Evansville 60

Berlin 75

Campbellsport 54

Horicon 75

Waterloo 33

Lomira 77

Nekoosa 33

Watertown Luther Prep 66

Columbus 57 

The Hartford Union High School boys varsity bowling club team has qualified for the Wisconsin High School Bowling Club State Championships at Dale’s Weston Lanes in Wausau, on March 6 to 8. 

It's their third consecutive trip to the state tournament.

The talented group of bowlers earned first place in Division 1, District 7B, wrapping up the regular season with an impressive 7–3 match record.

Hartford Union High School 58

Appleton East 48

Kettle Moraine Lutheran 54

Lakeside 33

Arrowhead 61

Mukwonago 43

Beaver Dam 52

Port Washington 30

Lomira 56

Kohler 40

Pewaukee 77

Neenah 57

West Bend West 59

Grafton 42

Kewaskum 72

West Bend East 61

Sheboygan Lutheran 84

Hustisford 28

Waterloo 65

Dodgeland 61

DeForest 52

Watertown 50

Evansville 71

Mayville 61

Campbellsport 75

N. Fond du Lac 43

Lake Country Lutheran 83

Kingdom Prep 65

Oconomowoc 70

Manitowoc Lincoln 63

Columbus 61

Whitewater 46

#3 Hartford Union High School faces #2 Appleton East at Beaver Dam High School on Thursday, March 5 at 7 p.m. in a sectional semifinal matchup. The winner moves on to Manitowoc Lincoln to play the winner of the #1 Pewaukee vs #5 Neenah sectional semifinal on Saturday, March 7. 

The Orioles are coming off their third consecutive regional final win, 76-50 over Divine Savior Holy Angels on Saturday, February 28. The impressive victory by Hartford, against a physical Dashers team, secured their third straight 20-win season.

Hartford junior Rita Kuepper continues to impress this season. She joined Makena Christian, Chris Shelsta, Tami Baalke and teammate Bella Klages in the 1,000-point club for her basketball career. Kuepper is the second junior to reach this milestone at Hartford Union High School. Kuepper passed Christian in the school record books for three-pointers made in a season with 77. It happened against Divine Savior Holy Angels on Saturday, in the regional final game. Rita didn't stop there. She drained four more from beyond the arc and finished with 81, for now. We'll keep counting. She also broke the school record for three-point field goals made in a game with nine on January 13. Kuepper finished with 39 points against Arrowhead.

Orioles' senior Bella Klages has played at a high level this season. She reached the 1,000-point mark for her basketball career on January 13.      

The WIAA Individual State Wrestling Tournament was held February 26 to February 28 at the Kohl Center, in Madison.

There are 54 state champions. The finals for boys cover three divisions and 14 weight classes, with 12 weight classes for the girls. 

It was another talented group of wrestlers from Hartford Union High School. Ayden Grulke (285) was impressive on his way to a state championship. Jacob Pekrul (215) earned a 6th place finish, Jacob Kidder (175) was 5th while Parker Neu (157) wrestled to 6th. Ruby Neitzel (185) finished 5th.

A few highlights this season for the Orioles include Parker Neu securing his 100th win by fall in a dual victory over Germantown, Jacob Pekrul earning his 100th win by fall in a dual victory over Mukwonago and Jacob Kidder recording his 100th pin at team sectionals. Gavin Wolters secured his 150th win with a fall in the semi-final at team sectionals. Three talented wrestlers from the girls team qualified for state, including Ruby Neitzel, Alexis Burback and Destiny Loss. They sent six wrestlers to the Beaver Dam Sectionals. 

A four-peat. It's rarely brought up in the sport and doesn't happen that often. Not many wrestlers celebrate four state titles. In fact, there are only 32 individual champions in WIAA history. Oconomowoc senior Kellen Wolbert (150) earned his fourth with a win over Samuel Gehring (150) of Slinger. It was recorded as a 19-3 tech fall in the Division 1 finals match. Wolbert earned the top spot on the podium at 120 pounds, 132 pounds and 144 pounds from his freshman to junior year.  Wolbert finished his season an impressive 52-0 and will continue his wrestling career at the University of Michigan.

Kewaskum High School produced two state champions. Bryston Scoles (157) wrestled hard and capped off a 44-0 season with his first state title. Ethan Immel (144) also made it to the top of the podium. 

Six talented wrestlers from Slinger High School qualified for the individual state meet, including Riley Longdin, Emmitt Becker, Samuel Gehring, Maximilion Gehring, Tatiana Campos and Brianna Gehring. 

West Bend West had two wrestlers compete at state. Jack Lubinski (113) and freshman Colin Weber (106). Lubinski earned third place.

Hustisford's Ethan Bryant, who secured 100 wins in his wrestling career this season, qualified for wrestling's biggest stage in Madison. 

Dodgeland's Hudson Paar (132) earned the opportunity to compete at state. He finished an impressive season with a 36-4 record.

Lake Mills wrestler Owen Burling (190) earned the #3 seed in Division 2 and ended his senior season on a high note with a third place finish.

Congratulations to all of the talented area wrestlers!

Photo of five sectional champions qualifying for the state tournament from Hartford Union High School include Gavin Wolters, Parker Neu, Jacob Kidder, Jacob Pekrul and Ayden Grulke.