Arrowhead boys a viable state-tourney threat and other postseason musings

The annual rite of looking ahead to the WIAA basketball postseason is upon us.

It's too early to try and guess how teams will be seeded when the playoffs roll around, but it's becoming clear which teams will have a legitimate chance to get to the state tournament. A look at the playoff layout, with records through Jan. 26:

D1 boys (sectional 2)

This segment is legitimately up in the air, with Arrowhead's chances just about as good as any.

Favorite: Germantown (10-4). They get the nod because they certainly have the tradition (four consecutive appearances in the Division 1 state title game and seven sectional championships in eight years) and some high-level returning talent, including Northern Iowa recruit Juwan McCloud and Concordia St. Paul recruit Max Keefe. But this is the first time in years that Germantown's empire is significantly threatened in the Milwaukee area. Arrowhead, one of the sectional challengers, at this point has a case for a higher seed, not to mention the two state-ranked teams in this field, No. 6 Sheboygan North and No. 10 De Pere.

Top challengers: Arrowhead (10-4), Sheboygan North (12-2), De Pere (10-4), Bay Port (10-4). Bay Port is just as dangerous as any of these teams, with a puzzling loss to Sheboygan South the only hiccup on its schedule. North has taken a couple lopsided losses to Bay Port and De Pere, suggesting that squad may be a notch behind despite a higher state ranking. With wins over Germantown and Muskego, Arrowhead's resume is strong.

Don't count out:Kimberly (9-5), Sussex Hamilton (12-4). Kimberly, meanwhile, has beaten both De Pere and Bay Port, so the Papermakers are also in the top-flight conversation. Hamilton has lost all four of its games by 5 points or less, though three of those four games came against foes with a lesser record.

Sleeper: Kettle Moraine (6-6).The Lasers have won back-to-back games after taking four straight losses, all against excellent competition. There's a healthy talent level here that could take advantage of a playoff field that appears to have some parity.

Depth o'plenty: Mukwonago (7-6),Menomonee Falls (9-6). Falls has been right there with top Greater Metro teams such as Marquette and Sussex Hamilton, and Mukwonago lost all five of its setbacks by 5 points or less prior to a 69-60 loss to Kettle Moraine on Jan. 26.

Others:Green Bay Preble (3-11), Fond du Lac (5-8), Manitowoc Lincoln (4-10), Waukesha South (6-8), Homestead (3-9), Hartford (3-11), Green Bay East (7-8), Sheboygan South (4-10)

D1 boys (sectional 3)

Oconomowoc is lumped in with a number of schools from the Madison area, which has been standard the past few years.

Favorite: Middleton (14-0). A tense recent win over surging Arrowhead kept Middleton undefeated, and the Cardinals will be very familiar with the competition in this sectional, considering the entire Big Eight conference is here.

Top challengers:Sun Prairie (11-3), Muskego (10-4), Oconomowoc (10-4). Sun Prairie is ranked No. 8 in the recent state rankings and Muskego is No. 7 before falling to Arrowhead on Jan. 26. Sunny P took a weirdly lopsided loss to Madison West but has won four straight since then, though it didn't exactly blow out some lesser competition in that run. Muskego has played tough competition all year and will be looking to rebound from last year's abrupt early playoff exit. Oconomowoc has a solid profile, with wins over Muskego, Racine Horlick and Wisconsin Lutheran as the biggest attention-getters.

Don't count out:Madison Memorial (9-4). Perennially in the mix, Madison Memorial's record includes two out-of-state-losses and other setbacks against Sun Prairie and Middleton.

Sleeper:Madison East (8-6). The Purgolders have a one-point loss to Marquette, wins over Neenah and Kimberly and some close losses to Madison Memorial and Sun Prairie.

Others: Badger (6-7), Beloit Memorial (6-8), Janesville Craig (7-5), Janesville Parker (4-10), Madison East (8-6), Madison LaFollette (2-12), Madison West (6-7), Verona (5-9), Watertown (7-7), Kenosha Bradford (5-10), Kenosha Indian Trail (5-9), Kenosha Tremper (7-8)

D2 boys (sectional 4)

Truly a loaded gathering of teams.

Favorite:New Berlin Eisenhower (15-0). The No. 1 team in Division 2 gets the honor as the favorite, but that doesn't mean much in a sectional as deep and talented as this one. The Lions will probably get one round to catch their breath before facing worthy competition throughout the path to state.

Top challengers: Milwaukee Washington (10-3), Pewaukee (12-2).Pewaukee defeated Washington earlier this year and has taken losses to Greendale (a close one on the road) and Eisenhower (a lopsided defeat). Washington's only other losses are to powerful Kaukauna and a storied DeLaSalle program from out of state. Strong wins have come over Milwaukee King, Milwaukee Morse-Marshall, Sun Prairie and East Troy. Pewaukee has beaten Brown Deer, Milwaukee Vincent and Oconomowoc.

Don't count out:Greendale (11-3), Whitnall (11-4). Greendale is led by a pair of high scorers in David Pulizos and Nate Thomson, with wins over Pewaukee and Whitefish Bay on the ledger. Whitnall also has a pair of stars in Tyler Herro and Kevion Taylor. They are sure to make the postseason interesting.

Sleeper:Waukesha North (8-5). Can history repeat? Last year, North took last in the Classic 8 and then upset both Eisenhower and Pewaukee to become the conference's only sectional qualifier. It's a tougher road to hoe this year, but North is also a stronger team than it was last year.

Depth o'plenty: Catholic Memorial (6-7), Cudahy (8-5), Milwaukee Bay View (8-7), Milwaukee North (8-6), Milwaukee Pius XI (6-6), Messmer (8-6), Nicolet (8-7), Wauwatosa East (7-8), Wauwatosa West (8-6), Whitefish Bay (9-5), Wisconsin Lutheran (7-6). Remember when Wisconsin Lutheran owned this part of the bracket? The Vikings can never be counted out. All of these teams have weapons.

Others:Milwaukee Madison (3-9), New Berlin West (2-11), Shorewood (5-8), South Milwaukee (4-10), Waukesha West (1-15)

D1 girls (sectional 2)

Can a restored Mukwonago team return to the top of the heap? It's definitely within reach both both MHS and Sussex Hamilton.

Favorite: Bay Port (14-2). Ranked No. 2 in the state, both of Bay Port's losses have come to a one-loss Pulaski team, and the squad has a quality win over Beaver Dam.

Top challengers: Mukwonago (13-3),Germantown (13-3), Sussex Hamilton (13-3)With Bre Cera back on the court, Mukwonago is extremely dangerous and very much the team that was ranked No. 1 in the state before the season. The losses all came without her, a buzzer-beater to Kettle Moraine and setbacks against Waukesha West and Brookfield Central, both teams outside this sectional. Hamilton has one of the best starting fives in the state, and two of their losses are to Divine Savior Holy Angels. The other is to Germantown, which has an excellent resume, with other wins over DSHA, Milwaukee Riverside, Cedarburg, Middleton, Homestead and Arrowhead.

Don't count out: Kettle Moraine (10-5), Kimberly (11-5), Sheboygan North (9-5). Kimberly has been one of the best programs for years and will surely be a threat again. Kettle Moraine has fallen in back-to-back games against the top teams in the Classic 8, including Mukwonago, after a sizzling start. North lost four straight but has won five consecutive games since, and it's a tremendous defensive team.

Sleeper:Homestead (10-5). Behind sophomore Chloe Marotta, Homestead has a boatload of talent and could sneak up on some people.

Depth o'plenty: Arrowhead (8-7),Fond du Lac (8-8). Arrowhead made it to state last year and has had trouble finding a groove, but injured players are slowly working their way back into effectiveness.

Others: De Pere (6-10), Green Bay East (6-10), Green Bay Preble (6-10), Hartford (2-14), Manitowoc Lincoln (1-15), Menomonee Falls (5-11), Sheboygan South (4-11), Waukesha South (7-9)

D2 girls (sectional 4)

Like the boys, this sectional is loaded with talent, with two top-flight powerhouses looking like the teams to beat.

The favorite:Milwaukee Pius (16-0). The reigning state champs are riding a lengthy winning streak, even though they've barely escaped in a few games this year, notably against New Berlin Eisenhower and Pewaukee. They rematch with those teams Feb. 2 and Feb. 5.

The contenders:Waukesha West (13-2). West was the No. 1 team in the state in Division 2 at points this season, and the bump down from Division 1 doesn't necessarily help the Wolverines given the presence of undefeated Milwaukee Pius. If those two teams meet, it promises to be epic.

Don't count out:New Berlin Eisenhower (11-4), New Berlin West (11-4), Pewaukee (12-4).For years, these three teams have jockeyed for supremacy in the Woodland and also in this corridor of the postseason bracket. It promises to be another strong fight just to get out of the regional. And let's not forget: all three have given top dog Pius a major scare this year.

Sleeper: Catholic Memorial (9-6). CMH is led by senior Dena Dryer, and there's always something to be said for toiling against the Classic 8 Conference and then dropping down to Division 2 for the postseason while many league elites stay in D1. There won' t be any avoiding of Waukesha West, however.

Depth o'plenty: Cudahy (9-7), Milwaukee Bay Vew (13-1), Milwaukee North (9-5), Shorewood (11-5), Wauwatosa East (11-5), Whitnall (8-8). The records are good, but realistically, it's hard to imagine any of these teams competing with the sectional's top five.

Others:Milwaukee Morse-Marshall (6-7), Nicolet (4-12), South Milwaukee (3-12), Waukesha North (0-15), Wauwatosa West (3-13), Whitefish Bay (6-10)

Notes

The Oconomowoc girls(5-12) will be in the sectional that includes the No. 2 and 3 teams in the state, Middleton (13-2) and Verona (13-2)

The Lake Country Lutheran girls(12-5) will be in a Division 4 regional that features No. 2 Kenosha St. Joseph (13-2). Others in the sectional are Lourdes Academy (16-2) and Howards Grove (14-2)

The Lake Country Lutheran boys(6-7) will head into a sectional with No. 1 Dominican (12-1), No. 5 Destiny (9-2) and No. 10 St. Joseph (4-10, but six losses because of ineligible player).

Pictured: Ben Seefeld and Arrowhead landed a huge victory Jan. 26 over Muskego, 70-65. Photo by Peter Zuzga.