WIAA State Boys Basketball Tournament Preview....Division 3

Tuesday, March 12th, 2024 -- 5:57 AM

The 108th Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association State Boys Basketball Tournament will take place Thursday-Saturday, March 14-16, at the Kohl Center on the campus of the University of Wisconsin in Madison.

The State Tournament will be televised live in our area on WAOW Wausau, WXOW La Crosse, and WQOW Eau Claire.

Here's a preview of the Division 3 field....

Thursday, March 14
Semi-Finals
#1 St. Thomas More (27-1) vs. #4 Prescott (21-6) - 1:35 p.m.
#2 Lakeside Lutheran (26-2) vs. #3 Kiel (28-0)*

Championship Final - Saturday, March 16
Approx. 15 minutes following Div. 4 championship game

*Note: Subsequent games of each session will begin approximately 15 minutes following the previous game.

ABOUT THE DIVISION 3 FIELD:  Top-seeded St. Thomas More  will be experiencing the State Tournament for the second time after falling in the semifinals in the Cavaliers’ first-ever experience playing in the tourney in 2022. They defeated Carmen Northwest 95-71 in the sectional final played at Brown Deer. The Cavaliers were the champions of the Metro Classic Conference this season. Prior to joining the WIAA, the Cavaliers won a Class A championship in 1988 and finished runner-up in 1980 and 1994 while a member of WISAA. Lakeside Lutheran, the #2 seed, returns to State for the second year in a row and for the third time overall. The Warriors have fallen in the semifinals in each of their previous two experiences. They were the runner-up in the North Division of the Capitol Conference this year behind Lake Mills. They return to the State semifinals after beating Platteville 75-71 in the Wisconsin Dells Sectional final. Third-seeded Kiel advances to the State Tournament for the third time and for the first time since 2010, which resulted in a loss in the Division 2 semifinals. The Raiders advanced to the title game in their first State experience in 1974 and finished runner-up in Class B. This season, they defeated Freedom 73-56 in the Manitowoc Lincoln Sectional to earn their trip to the Kohl Center after finishing atop the Eastern Wisconsin Conference standings this season. Prescott, the fourth seed, is back in the tournament field for the fourth time. The Cardinals first three experiences came in a four year window. They claimed the championship in 2018 after a runner-up finish in 2017. Their first-ever appearance in 2015 resulted in a loss in the semifinals. The Cardinals remain in pursuit of a second championship after their 63-48 win over Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau in the Eau Claire Memorial Sectional final. They are the champions of the Middle Border Conference this season.

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