WIAA State Girls Basketball Preview: Division 5
Thursday, March 7th, 2019 -- 8:45 AM
The 44th Annual Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Girls Basketball State Tournament will take place today thru Saturday at the Resch Center in Green Bay. Here's a preview of the Division 5 field...Friday, March 8
Division 5
#1 Black Hawk (26-0) vs. #4 Fall River (24-3) - 9:05 a.m.
#2 Clayton (26-0) vs. #3 Newman Catholic (24-3)
ABOUT THE DIVISION 5 FIELD: Last year’s runner-up Black Hawk is the #1 seed making its fifth appearance in the State Tournament and its second in a row. The Warriors made a string of three straight appearances from 2009-11. That run of success produced a runner-up finish in Division 4 in 2010. The Warriors’ return berth in the State Tournament comes with a convincing 70-39 win over Independence in the La Crosse Central Sectional final. They are the champions of the Eastern Division of the Six Rivers Conference this season. Second-seeded Clayton will make its fourth straight State Tournament appearance and its fifth overall. The Bears’ quest for a State title has ended in the semifinals in each of their previous three encounters, the first coming in Division 4 in 1995. They qualify this season after a 61-36 victory over Northwood in the Spooner Sectional final. The Bears are the champions in the Central Division of the Lakeland Conference this season. Newman Catholic is making its second appearance in a row and its 12th State appearance overall. The Cardinals won the Division 4 title in 2010 and the Division 5 crown in 2011. In addition, they won the Division 3 State championship in 2002. Furthermore, their appearances in 2005 and 2006 produced runner-up finishes. The Cardinals won the title in the South Division of the Marawood Conference this season. They defeated Wausaukee 49-37 in the Wausau East Sectional final to earn their way back to the Resch Center this season. Prior to joining the WIAA, Newman Catholic won a Class A championship in the defunct WISAA tournament. Fall River, the fourth seed, qualifies for the State Tournament for the third time and for the first time since the second of back-to-back appearances in 2015-16. Both of those experiences resulted in losses in the semifinals. The Lady Pirates beat Hilbert 37-31 in the Oconomowoc Sectional final to earn their return to the tourney. They are the runners-up in the West Division of the Trailways Conference this season.
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.
Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.