Two area teams are taking their talents to the Kohl Center in Madison for the state boys basketball tournament this season.
In Division 4, the Whitehall Norse earned the No. 3 seed and will take on the No. 2 seeded Luther Knights in the semifinals on Thursday night. Tip-off will be approximately 20 minutes following the evening’s first game, which begins at 6:35 p.m.
In Division 5, the McDonell Central Catholic Macks took the No. 2 seed and will face the No. 3 seeded Fall River Pirates on Friday morning. Tip-off will be approximately 20 minutes following the first game, which begins at 9:05 a.m.
Here’s a closer look at both matchups.
Division 4: Whitehall vs. Luther
The Norse are coming off a 66-62 win in the sectional finals over Cameron to clinch a trip to the Kohl Center for the state semifinals on Thursday night.
As the No. 3 seed in their region, they defeated No. 2 seeded Durand-Arkansaw in regionals 65-48 and No. 1 seeded Fall Creek in sectionals 59-54 to reach the sectional final.
The Norse were Large Dairyland Conference champions this season after a perfect 15-0 record in conference play. They had an 18-6 overall record in the regular season.
Senior guard Devon McCune led the way in scoring for the Norse this season, averaging 17 points per game with a 48% field goal percentage.
Junior guard Brayden Lisowski is second on the team with 12.8 points per game and senior 6-foot-6 forward Luke Beighley averages 11 points per game. 6-foot-5 senior forward Colton Pank is their leading rebounder—averaging 8.2 per game.
This is Whitehall’s third time ever at state and their first time since 1986, when they had a runner-up finish.
Norse head coach Tyler Petersen is in his seventh season and has a 97-68 overall record.
Their opponent, the Luther Knights, is returning to state for the second time in three seasons. In 2021, they fell in the semifinal round in the first ever state appearance for the program.
This season, they finished second in the Coulee Conference behind West Salem, the top seed in the Division 3 bracket, with a 10-2 conference record and 26-2 overall. Both of their losses came against West Salem.
They are led in scoring by six-foot senior guard Kodi Miller and 6-foot-7 junior forward Logan Bahr, who average 17.6 and 16.8 points per game, respectively. 6-foot-4 senior guard Isaiah Schwichtenberg averages 12.8 points per game.
They are led by head coach Brad Schaper, who has a 219-147 career record in 16 seasons with the Knights.
Division 5: McDonell vs. Fall River
The Macks enter the state semifinals following a 56-56 overtime victory over Solon Springs in the sectional finals.
They were Western Cloverbelt Conference champions this season with a 13-1 record in conference play and 28-1 overall. Their only loss of the season was an 80-76 defeat at Fall Creek on January 12.
The Macks have reached state in six of the last seven seasons, not including 2020 when the tournament was canceled. Their most recent appearance was a runner-up in 2021 and their last state title was in 2016.
Head coach Adam Schilling has a 93-37 overall record in five seasons leading the Macks.
The Macks are led in scoring this season by senior duo Eddie Mittermeyer and Canan Huss, who average 21.9 and 21.4 points per game, respectively.
Guards Mittermeyer, senior Aidan Misfeldt and sophomore Jordan Sikora and forwards Huss and senior Keagan Galvez make up the Macks’ starting lineup.
Misfeldt made six three-pointers and scored a career-high 24 points in the Macks’ sectional final win over Solon Springs.
The Fall River Pirates were Trailways West Conference champions this season with a 13-1 record in conference play and are 26-3 overall.
They also won in overtime to reach state, winning 82-75 over Heritage Christian.
They are led in scoring by senior guard Cullen Rauls, who averages 18 points per game. 6-foot-4 senior forward Collin Vieth averages 15.3 points and 8.2 rebounds per game.
This is Fall River’s first appearance at state since 2000 and their second visit overall.
