State Girls Basketball Tournament Preview

1:35 p.m.     5       Newman Catholic (20-7) vs. Assumption (26-1)
                   5       South Shore (26-0) vs. Barneveld (26-1)*
6:35 p.m.     4       Algoma (24-2) vs. Cuba City (25-1)
                   4       Colfax (25-1) vs. The Prairie School (24-2)*

Friday, March 15
Time         Div.    Pairings
9:05 a.m.     3       Kewaunee (25-1) vs. Lodi (24-2)
                   3       Neillsville (26-0) vs. East Troy (25-1)*
1:35 p.m.     2       Notre Dame (20-6) vs. Milton (19-7)
                   2       New London (26-0) vs. New Berlin Eisenhower (24-2)*
6:35 p.m.     1       Arrowhead (18-8) vs. Mukwonago (24-2)
                   1       Superior (23-3) vs. Milwaukee Riverside (22-4)*

Saturday, March 16
Time          Div.     Pairings
11:05 p.m.    5       Championship Game
                    4       Championship Game*
                    3       Championship Game*
6:35 p.m.      2       Championship Game
                    1       Championship Game*

STATE TOURNAMENT ON THE AIR:  The State Tournament will be televised live on WKOW-TV channel 27 in Madison, WAOW-TV channel 9 in Wausau, WXOW-TV channel 19 in La Crosse, WQOW-TV channel 18 in Eau Claire, WYOW-TV channel 34 in Eagle River, WMOW-TV 4 in Crandon, WMLW-TV channel 41 in Milwaukee, KBJR-TV digital channel 6.2 in Duluth/Superior and WACY-TV channel 32 in Green Bay and the Fox Valley. The Wisconsin Division of Quincy Newspapers, Inc., will produce the coverage. The championships will also be streamed on the statewide network station websites.

POST-GAME MEDIA CONFERENCES ON WIAA.TV:  The post-game media conferences will be shown live on WIAA.tv immediately following each game.

TEAM TOURNAMENT HISTORY:  The first WIAA State Girls Basketball Championship Tournament was held in 1976. The tournament was held at the UW Field House from 1976-97 and also in 1999, 2000 and 2002. The championships were held in the Kohl Center in 1998, 2001, 2003, 2005 and 2010-12, and at the Alliant Energy Center in 2004 and 2006-09. The tournament featured a three-class format until 1991, when a four-division format was adopted. In 2011, a fifth division was added. Cuba City has won the most State titles over the years with nine. Milwaukee Washington has won five, and Barneveld, Fall Creek, Flambeau and Kimberly have won four. There have been 78 different schools that have won championships. Cuba City has the distinction of having qualified for the most State Tournaments with 14, including this year. Janesville Parker has participated 12 times. Durand, Fall Creek, Milwaukee Washington, Newman Catholic and Oostburg have qualified 10 times.

ABOUT THE DIVISION 1 FIELD:   Arrowhead returns to the State Tournament for the eighth time overall and for the first time since 1996. The Warhawks have claimed a pair of titles from their previous appearances, one in 1988 and the other in 1991. They finished third in the Classic 8 Conference this season, behind champion Mukwonago, which is also a qualifier in the Division 1 field. The Warhawks are the representatives out of the Sheboygan South Sectional following their 43-41 win over Kimberly in the final. The Classic 8 Conference champion Mukwonago has also qualified following its 53-38 win over Sun Prairie in the Middleton Sectional final. It will be the Indians sixth appearance at State and its first since 2003. Their most notable results from the previous five experiences was making it to the semifinals in 1979.  Milwaukee Riverside has had three prior trips to State, with the most recent coming in 2005 when the Lady Tigers advanced to the semifinals. They also reached the semifinals in 1979. This year, they are the champions of the Gold Division of the Milwaukee City Conference. They topped Franklin 69-59 in the final of the West Allis Central Sectional to advance to the State semifinals. Superior is making its first appearance since its only other experience at State in 1995 when they dropped their quarterfinal match-up. The Spartans appearance at the Resch Center comes virtue of its 54-51 win over Oshkosh North in the D.C. Everest Sectional finals. They finished atop the Lake Superior Conference standings this season.

ABOUT THE DIVISION 2 FIELD:  Two-time defending champion New London has earned the privilege to play for its third straight title, which has only been done by three other programs. The Bulldogs are making their fifth overall appearance in the tournament, having back-to-back appearances in 2006-07, which produced a runner-up finish in 2007. The champions of the Bay Conference downed La Crosse Logan 57-44 in the Marshfield Sectional final Saturday. Notre Dame is back in the tournament for the second straight season and for the fifth time overall. The Tritons won the State title in their first-ever appearance in 2001 and added a runner-up finish in 2005. This season, they finished second in the Fox River Classic Conference standings and have advanced to the semifinals through the Manitowoc Sectional with a 71-50 win over Beaver Dam in the final. New Berlin Eisenhower returns for the second straight season as well. It’s also the Lions’ third appearance in the last four seasons. They won the championship in 2010. Their first-ever appearance was in 1988. On Saturday, they defeated Pius XI 51-44 in the Brookfield Central Sectional final to advance into the final field of four. They are the champions in the West Division of the  Woodland Conference this season. Milton is also celebrating its fourth overall appearance at State following its 62-51 triumph over Monona Grove in the final of the Janesville Craig Sectional. The Red Hawks finished runner-up in its first  tournament experience in 1992. They finished third in the South Division of the Badger Conference standings this season.

ABOUT THE DIVISION 3 FIELD:  Defending champion Kewaunee is back in the tournament field to defend its title after finishing runner-up in its first-ever State appearance in 2011. This year, the Storm defeated Xavier 54-40 in the final of the Ashwaubenon Sectional to advance to the State semifinals. They are the 2013 champions of the Packerland Conference. Defending Division 4 champion Neillsville moves up a division this season in an attempt to win successive championships. The Warriors are making their fourth appearance overall in the tournament. They qualified in Division 2 in 2007 after qualifying for State for the first time in 2006 as a Division 3 program. They are the champions of the Eastern Division of the Cloverbelt Conference this season. Their path to State came through the River Falls Sectional, which culminated with a 37-25 win over Ladysmith in the final. East Troy is making the school’s second straight appearance in the State Tournament after qualifying for the first time last season. Coincidently, the Trojans defeated Oostburg, the same program that ousted them in the State semifinals last year, in the Arrowhead Sectional final by the exact same score of 54-38. They are the champions in the North Division of the Rock Valley Conference this season. Lodi qualifies for the first time in the program’s history. The Blue Devils advance to the State semifinals for the first time after they beat Nekoosa 55-39 in the Sun Prairie Sectional final. During the regular season, they finished first in the North Division of the Capitol Conference.

ABOUT THE DIVISION 4 FIELD:  Cuba City is making its membership-leading 14th appearance at the State Tournament. The Cubans’ most recent experience came in 2010 when they won the Division 3 championship. They have won more State titles than any other program with nine, winning championships in 1977, 1980, 1990, 1991, 1993, 2005, 2006, 2007 and again in 2010. They won the Southwest Wisconsin Activities League title this season and advanced to State through the Baraboo Sectional with a 71-43 thrashing of Mondovi in the final. Algoma returns to State for the second time in the last three seasons and for the seventh time overall. They finished runner-up in their most recent appearance in 2011. The Wolves won the Class C championship in 1986 after finishing runner-up in 1985. They also won the Class B title in 1981. They are the champions of the Packerland Conference this season, and they defeated Oconto 51-35 to win the Waupaca Sectional title. Colfax advances to the State semifinals for the third time and for the first time since 2008. The Vikings are seeking their first victory in the State Tournament, having fallen in the semifinals in each of their previous experiences. They are the champions of the Dunn-St. Croix Conference this season, and they are the last team standing from the Chippewa Falls Sectional following a 42-34 win over Colby in the final. The Prairie School’s only previous experience in the State Tournament resulted in a championship in 2004. The Hawks seek that same outcome after beating St. Mary’s Springs 53-50 in the Arrowhead Sectional final Saturday afternoon to advance to the semifinals. They are the co-champions of the Metro Classic Conference this season with Racine St. Catherine’s.

ABOUT THE DIVISION 5 FIELD:  Newman Catholic is making its fourth consecutive State appearance and its 10th overall. The Fighting Cardinals won the Division 4 title in 2010 and the Division 5 crown in 2011. In addition, they won the Division 4 State championship in 2002. Furthermore, their appearances in 2005 and 2006 produced runner-up finishes. They placed third in the Marawood Conference South Division this season behind Assumption, which has also earned a State berth. The Cardinals earned their seemingly perpetual entry into the State Tournament field by thumping Hilbert 60-32 in the Waupaca Sectional final. Barneveld makes its eighth overall appearance in the State Tournament and its first since the last of three straight appearances in 2007. The Golden Eagles have won four State titles, capturing the crown in 1995, 1998, 1999 and 2005. They are the champions of the Eastern Division of the Six Rivers Conference. They eliminated defending champion Heritage Christian 49-46 in the final of the Watertown Sectional to return to the tournament field. South Shore returns to the tournament field for the first time since finishing runner-up in 2004. The Cardinals first appearance came two seasons earlier, which resulted in a loss in the semifinals. They defeated Owen-Withee 61-53 in the final of the Spooner Sectional for their entry in the State Tournament bracket. They are the champions in the West Division of the Indianhead Conference. Assumption will experience the State Tournament for the second time. The Royals’ previous appearance came in 2005, which ended with a defeat in the semifinals. They are the champions in the South Division of the Marawood Conference this season. Their path to the State semifinal came through the La Crosse Logan Sectional with a 49-31 win over Seneca in the final.

NEED RESULTS?:  The quickest way to get results will be to access the WIAA website www.wiaawi.org and choose the Tournament Information link on the home page or the girls basketball home page.