MONROE - A trio of girls basketball teams, Monroe, Black Hawk and Darlington can get one step closer to winning conference championships this week. With conference wrestling tournaments also this week, the postseason is right around the corner.
Here are five must-see games and matches to catch in the coming days:
Today: Cuba City boys
basketball at Darlington
Darlington, which made a run to the WIAA Division 4 state tournament last year, is fourth in a top-heavy Southwest Wisconsin Activities League this year. The Redbirds (9-5, 5-3 SWAL) are two games behind Mineral Point and Fennimore in the league.
Darlington will have a golden opportunity to tighten the gap at the top with the Pointers and Eagles. With a win, the Redbirds can get a half-game lead on Cuba City for third in the conference. In a previous meeting this year, Cuba City rolled past Darlington 66-45. In that matchup, the Cubans had three players reach double figures led by Brady Olson with a game-high 21 points. The Redbirds had just two in double figures led by freshman Carter Lancaster with 15 and Stryker Fitzsimons with 10.
The Redbirds have a big test, but a win would put them back in the mix in the SWAL with five league games left including a big one at Fennimore Feb. 8.
Thursday: Barneveld girls basketball at Black Hawk
Black Hawk (18-0, 9-0 Six Rivers East), ranked No. 1 in the Division 5 WisSports.net Coaches Poll, can lock up at least a share of the conference championship by beating Barneveld. Black Hawk has been dominant all season beating teams in the Six Rivers East Conference by an average of 52.2 points per game.
The Warriors will look to sweep the Golden Eagles. Black Hawk rolled to a 49-15 win over Barneveld in the first meeting. The Eagles tried to slow the game down to no avail. Black Hawk has four players shooting 40 percent or better from 3-point range. Black Hawk sophomore Natalie Leuzinger (17.7 ppg and 47.3 percent on 3-pointers) along with freshman Bailey Butler (15.3 ppg, 40.9 percent on 3s) and sophomore Hannah Butler (12.7 ppg and 44.3 percent on 3s) have been a tough trio to stop.
Friday: Monroe girls basketball at Stoughton
If the Cheesemakers (15-2, 9-0 Badger South) can knock off Stoughton it would be a sweep of the Vikings this season. A Monroe win, depending on how Tuesday's game against Watertown goes, could clinch at least a share of a repeat Badger South Conference title. With a win over the Vikings Friday, Monroe could have a three-game lead on second-place Stoughton with three games to go.
Monroe rolled past Stoughton 84-61 in the first meeting in December. In that showdown, Monroe junior Sydney Hilliard scored a game-high 28 points and had 10 rebounds. Sophomore teammate Grace Tostrud added 19 and had 13 rebounds. The Cheesemakers hit 6 of 13 3-pointers.
Stoughton (14-3) is led by Emma Kissling who averages 10.6 points per game, Paige Halverson (10.5 ppg) and Cassidy Bach (10.4 ppg).
Friday: Monroe boys hockey at Milton
The Monroe boys hockey co-op team could be in line to win its second Badger South Conference game against Milton, which is 3-14 overall and 0-8 in the Badger South Conference.
The Cheesemakers are full of freshman and sophomores, who have been in just about every game this season. Freshman Cade Janecke of Orangeville leads the team with eight goals and eight assists for 16 points. Hayden Roth is second on the team in points (11) with four goals and seven assists followed by Colton O'Connor with 10 points (three goals and seven assists).
In Monroe's first game against the Red Hawks, the Cheesemakers skated to a 3-1 win behind Janecke, who scored two goals.
Saturday: Monroe at Badger Conference wrestling
tournament
The Monroe wrestling team enters the Badger Conference tournament ranked 12th in the Division 2 Wisconsin Wrestling Online state poll. The Cheesemakers are currently tied for second with Milton and Watertown.
Stoughton, the WIAA Division 2 state runner-up the past two years, is looking to win a third-straight Badger South Conference title. The Vikings have seven wrestlers ranked in the top 12 in the state in Division 1 led by Tyler Dow, a 160-pound University of Wisconsin-Madison recruit who is ranked No. 1. The other ranked wrestlers for the Vikings include Braden Whitehead (126), No. 8; Luke Mechler (132), No. 9; Gavin Model (138), No. 11; Cade Spilde (152), No. 4; Gavin Miller (220), No. 10 and Aodan Marshall (heavyweight), No. 8.
The Cheesemakers have three wrestlers ranked in Division 2 - senior Sam Kind (170), No. 6; senior Dempzy Foley (182), No. 8; and senior Tyson Welsch (heavyweight), No. 10. Two other Monroe wrestlers - sophomore Patrick Rielly (152) and senior Travis Wolf (152) are honorable mention in the state rankings.
Here are five must-see games and matches to catch in the coming days:
Today: Cuba City boys
basketball at Darlington
Darlington, which made a run to the WIAA Division 4 state tournament last year, is fourth in a top-heavy Southwest Wisconsin Activities League this year. The Redbirds (9-5, 5-3 SWAL) are two games behind Mineral Point and Fennimore in the league.
Darlington will have a golden opportunity to tighten the gap at the top with the Pointers and Eagles. With a win, the Redbirds can get a half-game lead on Cuba City for third in the conference. In a previous meeting this year, Cuba City rolled past Darlington 66-45. In that matchup, the Cubans had three players reach double figures led by Brady Olson with a game-high 21 points. The Redbirds had just two in double figures led by freshman Carter Lancaster with 15 and Stryker Fitzsimons with 10.
The Redbirds have a big test, but a win would put them back in the mix in the SWAL with five league games left including a big one at Fennimore Feb. 8.
Thursday: Barneveld girls basketball at Black Hawk
Black Hawk (18-0, 9-0 Six Rivers East), ranked No. 1 in the Division 5 WisSports.net Coaches Poll, can lock up at least a share of the conference championship by beating Barneveld. Black Hawk has been dominant all season beating teams in the Six Rivers East Conference by an average of 52.2 points per game.
The Warriors will look to sweep the Golden Eagles. Black Hawk rolled to a 49-15 win over Barneveld in the first meeting. The Eagles tried to slow the game down to no avail. Black Hawk has four players shooting 40 percent or better from 3-point range. Black Hawk sophomore Natalie Leuzinger (17.7 ppg and 47.3 percent on 3-pointers) along with freshman Bailey Butler (15.3 ppg, 40.9 percent on 3s) and sophomore Hannah Butler (12.7 ppg and 44.3 percent on 3s) have been a tough trio to stop.
Friday: Monroe girls basketball at Stoughton
If the Cheesemakers (15-2, 9-0 Badger South) can knock off Stoughton it would be a sweep of the Vikings this season. A Monroe win, depending on how Tuesday's game against Watertown goes, could clinch at least a share of a repeat Badger South Conference title. With a win over the Vikings Friday, Monroe could have a three-game lead on second-place Stoughton with three games to go.
Monroe rolled past Stoughton 84-61 in the first meeting in December. In that showdown, Monroe junior Sydney Hilliard scored a game-high 28 points and had 10 rebounds. Sophomore teammate Grace Tostrud added 19 and had 13 rebounds. The Cheesemakers hit 6 of 13 3-pointers.
Stoughton (14-3) is led by Emma Kissling who averages 10.6 points per game, Paige Halverson (10.5 ppg) and Cassidy Bach (10.4 ppg).
Friday: Monroe boys hockey at Milton
The Monroe boys hockey co-op team could be in line to win its second Badger South Conference game against Milton, which is 3-14 overall and 0-8 in the Badger South Conference.
The Cheesemakers are full of freshman and sophomores, who have been in just about every game this season. Freshman Cade Janecke of Orangeville leads the team with eight goals and eight assists for 16 points. Hayden Roth is second on the team in points (11) with four goals and seven assists followed by Colton O'Connor with 10 points (three goals and seven assists).
In Monroe's first game against the Red Hawks, the Cheesemakers skated to a 3-1 win behind Janecke, who scored two goals.
Saturday: Monroe at Badger Conference wrestling
tournament
The Monroe wrestling team enters the Badger Conference tournament ranked 12th in the Division 2 Wisconsin Wrestling Online state poll. The Cheesemakers are currently tied for second with Milton and Watertown.
Stoughton, the WIAA Division 2 state runner-up the past two years, is looking to win a third-straight Badger South Conference title. The Vikings have seven wrestlers ranked in the top 12 in the state in Division 1 led by Tyler Dow, a 160-pound University of Wisconsin-Madison recruit who is ranked No. 1. The other ranked wrestlers for the Vikings include Braden Whitehead (126), No. 8; Luke Mechler (132), No. 9; Gavin Model (138), No. 11; Cade Spilde (152), No. 4; Gavin Miller (220), No. 10 and Aodan Marshall (heavyweight), No. 8.
The Cheesemakers have three wrestlers ranked in Division 2 - senior Sam Kind (170), No. 6; senior Dempzy Foley (182), No. 8; and senior Tyson Welsch (heavyweight), No. 10. Two other Monroe wrestlers - sophomore Patrick Rielly (152) and senior Travis Wolf (152) are honorable mention in the state rankings.
