WIAA State Boys Basketball Tournament Preview - Division 5

Tuesday, March 2nd, 2021 -- 9:28 AM

The 105th Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Boys Basketball State Tournament will take place this Thursday thru Saturday at the La Crosse Center in La Crosse and Friday and Saturday at the Menominee Nation Arena in Oshkosh.  Here's a preview of the Division 5 field....

Thursday, March 4

Division 5 - La Crosse Center,  La Crosse, Wis.

Semifinals

#1 Hustisford (16-3) vs. #4 Wauzeka-Steuben (16-2) - 9:05 a.m.

#2 McDonell Catholic (16-4) vs. #3 Green Bay N.E.W. Lutheran/Providence (16-10) - 12:35 p.m.

Championship Game

Winner of Semifinals - 7:05 p.m.

ABOUT THE DIVISION 5 FIELD: Top-seeded Hustisford is making its first-ever appearance in the State Tournament. The Falcons rolled to a 70-43 victory over Monticello in the sectional final played at Monticello to earn their first experience at State. They are runners-up in the East Division of the Trailways Conference behind Division 4 qualifier Lourdes Academy this season. Second-seeded McDonell Catholic will appear at State for the fourth straight tournament and for the sixth time overall. They won the State championship in 2016 in their first appearance in the title game. They earned their tourney berth this season with a 63-51 win over Turtle Lake in the sectional final held at McDonell Catholic. The Macks finished third in the West Division of the Cloverbelt Conference this season.  Green Bay N.E.W. Lutheran/Providence, the third seed, makes its first appearance in the State Tournament. Green Bay N.E.W. Lutheran as a stand-alone program, made seven appearances with the most recent coming in 2018. The Blazers finished as the State runners-up three times. They had back-to-back second-place finishes in 2013-14 and another in Division 4 in 2010. This season, they finished fifth in the Packerland Conference and breezed past Gresham 84-66 in the final hosted by the Blazers to continue their quest for their first State title. Fourth-seeded Wauzeka-Steuben will be making its second appearance in the State Tournament. The only other experience for the Hornets came in 2011, which resulted in a loss in the semifinals. They return to State for the first time in a decade by topping Royall 46-41 in the sectional final held at Wauzeka-Steuben. They are champions of the Ridge & Valley Conference this year.

STATE TOURNAMENT ON THE AIR:  The State Tournament will be televised live in our area on WAOW-TV in Wausau, WXOW-TV in La Crosse, and WQOW-TV in Eau Claire.  The championships will also be streamed on the statewide network station 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.

Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.