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Recap of WIAA Regionals

02/28/2023, 8:30am CST
By Norbert Durst

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Below is a recap of WIAA regional play in girls' basketball. To view regional final scores, please click here

Sectional Qualifiers by Conference

Big East: (4) Mishicot, Oostburg, Random Lake, St. Mary Catholic 
FVA: (4) Neenah, Hortonville, Kaukauna, Kimberly 
Greater Metro: (4) Germantown, DSHA, Brookfield East, Wauwatosa East 
Metro Classic: (4) Dominican, Martin Luther, Racine Lutheran, The Prairie School
Classic Eight: (3) Arrowhead, Kettle Moraine, Waukesha West 
Cloverbelt: (3) Fall Creek, McDonell Central, Neillsville 
Marawood: (3) Assumption, Edgar, Phillips 
North Eastern: (3) Fox Valley Lutheran, Freedom, Wrightstown 
Six Rivers: (3) Albany, Barneveld, Belmont 
Southeast: (3) Franklin, Kenosha Bradford, Oak Creek
Badger: (2) Monona Grove, Oregon
Big Rivers: (2) Eau Claire Memorial, Menomonie 
Capitol: (2) Lake Mills, New Glarus 
Dunn-St. Croix: (2) Colfax, Elk Mound 
East Central: (2) Kewakum, Waupun 
Flyway: (2) Laconia, Winnebago Lutheran 
Lakeland: (2) Prairie Farm, Siren
Mississippi Valley: (2) Aquinas, Tomah
North Shore: (2) Cedarburg, Grafton
Rock Valley: (2) McFarland, Jefferson 
Scenic Bluffs: (2) Bangor, Hillsboro 
SWC: (2) Platteville, Prairie du Chien 
Trailways: (2) Lourdes Academy, Oakfield 
Woodland: (2) Pewaukee, Pius XI Catholic
Bay: (1) New London 
Big Eight: (1) Verona
Coulee: (1) West Salem
CWC: (1) Bonduel 
Dairyland: (1) Blair-Taylor
FRCC: (1) Notre Dame 
Great Northern: (1) Lakeland 
Heart O’North: (1) St. Croix Falls
Independent: (1) Milwaukee Academy of Science  
Indianhead: (1) South Shore
Middle Border: (1) Somerset 
Northern Lakes: (1) Wabeno/Laona 
Packerland: (1) Sevastopol 
Ridge & Valley: (1) Kickapoo
South Central: (1) Westfield 
Southern Lakes: (1) Union Grove
SWAL: (1) Cuba City 
Wisconsin Valley: (1) Wausau West 

Notable Upsets in Regional Finals

4-seed Grafton over 1-seed Beaver Dam 
Grafton knocked off D2 No. 3 Beaver Dam, 49-43, in a Division 2 regional final. The Black Hawks were led by juniors Sarah Aleknavicius (5-11) and Savannah James (5-6) who finished with 16 and 15 points, respectively. Beaver Dam junior Gabby Wilke (6-2, South Dakota recruit) scored a game-high 17 points in the loss. The Golden Beavers' first time not reaching sectional play since 2009. 

7-seed Wausau West over 2-seed Superior 
Wausau West earned a 54-51 win over D1 No. 10 Superior, in a Division 1 regional final. Senior Molly Anderson (5-11) netted a team-high 16 points and added 10 rebounds and three blocks for the Warriors. Fellow senior Kenzie Deaton (5-8) tallied 13 points while junior Kelly Kray (6-2, D-II Grand Valley State recruit) and senior Lexie White (5-11, D-II Truman State recruit) each netted nine points. Kray also pulled down a game-high 16 rebounds. Superior senior Emma Raye (5-9) finished with a game-best 21 points in the loss. 

7-seed Kimberly over 2-seed Homestead 
Kimberly defeated D1 No. 8 Homestead, 57-54, in a Division 1 regional final. Sophomore Kate McGinnis (5-10) scored a game-high 18 points, including going 4-for-7 on 3-pointers. Joining her in double figures were sophomore Raegan Krueger (6-1) and senior MaKenzie Drout (5-9, D-I Appalachian State recruit) who tallied 13 and 12 points, respectively. Drout added six rebounds, eight assists, two steals, and two blocks. Homestead was led by sophomore Madison Fitzgibbon (5-6) who netted 16 points. 

Top Scoring Performances

Prairie Farm senior Marnie Kahl (5-9) scored a career-high 40 points in an 80-50 win over Gilman in a Division 5 regional semifinal. She shot 16-for-33 from the floor and made six of eight from the the foul line. Kahl, an NCAA Division III St. Norbert College commit, also tallied 10 rebounds, five assists, and five steals in the victory. 

Kaukauna junior Alexa Kinas (5-8) dropped a career-best 39 points in a 68-60 victory against Menomonee Falls in a Division 1 regional final. Kinas, a Division I prospect, shot 11-for-22 from the floor and 15-for-19 from the free throw line. She added eight rebounds, six assists, four steals, and a block in the win. 

Dodgeville junior Marley Busch (6-0) scored a career-best 37 points in a 91-64 victory against River Valley in a Division 3 regional quarterfinal. She shot 14-for-20 from the floor, 5-for-6 on 3-pointers, and made four of six from the free throw line. Busch also tallied seven rebounds, three steals, and two blocks in the win. 

River Valley junior Charlotte Ferstl (6-3) scored 37 points and added 15 rebounds in a 91-64 loss to Dodgeville in a Division 3 regional quarterfinal. Ferstl, an NCAA Division III UW-Superior recruit, shot 12-for-25 from the floor, 3-for-6 from three, and made 10 of 12 free throws. 

Brown Deer sophomore Ameerah Grant (5-7) netted a game-high 37 points in an 82-76 victory against University School in a Division 3 regional semifinal. Grant, a Division I prospect, shot 10-for-20 from the floor, 4-for-10 from behind the arc, and made 13 of 21 from the charity stripe. She added nine rebounds and three assists in the win. 

Hartford sophomore Makena Christian (6-0) scored a game-high 36 points in a 98-59 win over Milwaukee King in a Division 1 regional semifinal. Christian shot 13-for-24 from the floor, connected on four of 10 from three, and made six of seven from the foul line. Christian, a Division I prospect, added 12 rebounds, seven assists, four steals, and four blocks in the victory. 

Reedsburg junior Sydney Cherney (5-9) scored a game-high 36 points in a 69-47 loss to McFarland in a Division 2 regional final. She connected on three 3-pointers and shot 11-for-14 on free throws. Cherney, who holds several NCAA Division II offers, finishes the season averaging a state-best 31.6 points per game. 

Lourdes Academy's 3-Point Shooting

Lourdes Academy went 17-for-29 from three-point land in a 91-55 win over Wild Rose in a Division 5 regional final. Sophomore Hailee Bauer led the way, going 6-for-10 from on 3-pointers, and finished with a team-high 32 points. 

Undefeated Teams entering Sectionals

Neillsville (26-0) 
New Glarus (26-0) 
Albany (26-0) 
Prairie Farm (26-0) 

Other Notable Winning Streaks

Notre Dame  (25-1) - 25 games
Aquinas (25-1) - 24
Pewaukee (25-1) - 24
St. Mary Catholic (25-1) - 20
Freedom (25-1) - 19
Sevastopol (25-1) - 17
Bonduel (22-4) - 16 
Verona (24-2) - 16
Neenah (25-1) - 15
Westfield (25-1) - 15
Kettle Moraine (24-1) - 15
Lake Mills (24-2) - 15
St. Croix Falls (24-2) - 15
Oostburg (24-2) - 15
McFarland (24-2) - 14

Tag(s): News Archive  GBB News  Norbert Durst  Girls Hoops Playoffs