GAME OF THE WEEK (June 16–22)
PREP BASKETBALL: Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association All-Star Classic, Friday–Saturday, June 17–18, at JustAGame Fieldhouse (Wisconsin Dells)
JustAGame Fieldhouse in Wisconsin Dells will be the nexus of the prep basketball universe in Wisconsin this weekend when it hosts the 2016 Wisconsin Basketball Coaches All Star Classic this Friday and Saturday.
The girls all-stars will take the court Friday with five games based on divisions, beginning at 9 a.m. The boys will take their turn to shine with five games Saturday, beginning at 9 a.m. The southwest part of the state will be well represented in the smaller divisions.
Proceeds from the WBCA All-Star games will go directly to the Midwest Athletes Against Childhood Cancer fund, known as the MACC Fund to help fight childhood cancer. All athletes and coaches involved in the event had to raise money in order to participate.
Here is a breakdown of each game featuring local talent.
Division 5 Girls, Friday, June 17, 9 a.m.
Potosi’s Maddie Hawes, River Ridge’s Bridgett Myers, Riverdale’s Amanda Meister and Black Hawk’s Aleisha Sigafus will play for the Division 5 South team that will be coached by Weston’s Lauretta Pickel. Hawes, a three-time first-team All-Six Rivers selection led Potosi (18–8) to a Division 4 regional title this year. Myers, the 2015 Six Rivers West Player of the Year, led the Timberwolves (17–5, 9–3 SRW) to a second-place finish in the SRW this past winter. Meister averaged 16.1 points per game for the Chieftains (18–7), who finished third in the SWAL behind 2016 D4 state champion Mineral Point (26–2) and Cuba City (22–3). Sigafus finished second in the Six Rivers East in scoring at 17.5 points per game for the second-place Warriors (14–10, 8–2 SRE).
Division 4 Girls, Friday, June 17, 10:45 p.m.
The Southwest Wisconsin Activities League will be well represented in the Division 4 girls all-star game Friday morning. Mineral Point’s Jessica Schultz and Clara Chambers, along with Cuba City’s Jessi Marti and Kaitlyn Kaiser and Fennimore’s Cheyanne Udlhoven will all play for the D4 South team coached by Wisconsin Height’s Suzanne Eskola. Schultz and Chambers led the Pointers (26–2) to the D4 state title and an undefeated SWAL championship. Schultz will play Division 2 college basketball next year at Northern Michigan. Marti and Kaiser helped the Cubans win back-to-back D4 state titles in 2014 and 2015. Cuba City finished 22–3 this season with all three losing coming to Mineral Point. Marti, the two-time SWAL Player of the Year and Cuba City’s all-time leading scorer, will play D2 college ball at Northern State. Kaiser recently won a pair of gold medals and competed in four events at the WIAA State Track and Field Meet, leading the Cuba City girls to the Division 3 state title. Udelhoven averaged 16.4 points per game for Fennimore (8–15).
Division 3 Girls, Friday, June 17, 12:30 p.m.
Platteville’s Sierra Brecke and Prairie du Chien’s Brooke Trautsch earned spots on the D2 all-star team, that will be coaches by East Troy’s Jeff Brown. Brecke was the Southwest Wisconsin Conference Player of the Year after leading the Hillmen (17–8, 8–2 SWC) conference and regional titles, while leading the SWC in scoring at 20.7 points per game. Brecke will college ball at Clarke University in Dubuque. Trautsch led the Blackhawks (15–10) in scoring (17.2 ppg), assists and steals and finished second in the SWC Player of the Year vote to Brecke. Trautsch and her Blackhawks got the last laugh, however ending Platteville’s season in the D2 sectional semifinals with a 70–52 victory.
Division 5 Boys, Saturday, June 18, 9 a.m.
Belmont’s Raine Voigts will play alongside Seneca’s Kilian Boland, Hillsboro’s Max Stockwell and Joey Helgerson, and Albany’s Tyler Dahl on the Division 5 boys all-star team, coached by Hillsboro’s Curt Hildreth, an Iowa–Grant High School graduate. Voigts, a three-time All-Six Rivers West selection and 1,000-point career scorer, finished second in the SRW in scoring at 17.4 points per game for the second-place Braves (16–8, 9–3 SRW). Boland (12.4 ppg) led the Indians to a 22–3 overall record, a perfect 14–0 mark in the Ridge & Valley and regional title. Stockwell, the 2016 Scenic Bluffs Player of the Year and Hillsboro’s all-time leading scorer, and Helgrson (a career 1,000-point scorer) led the Tigers to an unbeaten SBC title and a 24–2 overall mark. As juniors, Stockwell and Helgerson led Hillsboro to the WIAA Division 5 state championship game. Hildreth has led the Tigers to 47–8 record in his two seasons as head coach.
Division 4 Boys, Saturday, June 18, 10:45 a.m.
Iowa–Grant’s Isaac Anderson and Brayden Johnson will team with SWAL rivals Ben Burkholder of Cuba City and Ryan Lathan of Boscobel on the Division 4 South team, coached by Oshkosh Lourdes’ Brad Clark. Anderson (20.2 ppg), the 2016 SWAL Player of the Year and four-time All-SWAL choice, Johnson led the Panthers to a 22–2 overall record and a perfect 14–0 mark in league play. Burkholder finished second in the conference in scoring for the 20–6 Cubans, who upset the top-seeded Panther in the D4 regional finals. Latham was a four-year varsity player and 1,000-point career scorer for the Bulldogs (11–12).
Division 3 Boys, Saturday, June 18, 12:30 p.m.
Dodgeville’s Trent Jones was named to the Division 3 boys South team, that will be coached by Waunakee’s Dana MacKenzie. Jones was named the SWC Player of the Year after leading the league in scoring at 23.9 points per game for the second-place Dodgers (18–6, 7–3).
