Wisconsin High School Sports | Wisconsin Sports Network | WisSports.net

Many high school basketball standouts in Wisconsin go on to big things at the college level and in the pros, and this is our spot to recognize those athletes each week and help you keep up with what is going down on some of your favorite players from the past. If you have alumni news, please send it to Colton Wilson by 6 p.m. on Tuesdays.

March is here! With March comes the madness of playoff basketball. High school boys basketball is in the midst of regional play. College basketball has concluded its conference tournament season across Divisions 2 and 3 and only a few days are left in the Division 1 regular season.

Some teams have claimed conference championships, while others are very much in the hunt.

One of those teams in the hunt is our very own Wisconsin Badgers. A team that has been hit by curveball after curveball this season , they have found a way to rally together and put together seven straight wins. A big reason why has been the continued confidence and big-time play of De Pere High School grad Brevin Priztl.

During the Badger’s seven game win streak, Brevin has averaged over 11 points per game and had a swagger on the court that has been unparalleled. Along with Brevin, Trevor Anderson has played key minutes and been a huge part of the rotation. Anderson, a Stevens Point grad and former Mr. Basketball in Wisconsin has found his role with the second unit and has been a steady presence on the court. The Badgers will look to clinch the top spot in the Big Ten Conference Tournament this Saturday with a win at Indiana.

The Division 3 college basketball playoff bracket is set. Six teams featuring former Wisconsin High School athletes have made the tournament. Three teams from the WIAC, two from the Midwest Conference, and one from the NACC all preside in the Badger State.

UW-Oshkosh won the Division 3 National Championship last year and this past weekend, they took home a WIAC Tournament Championship, clinching a playoff spot in the process.

In a 76-68 semi-final win over UW-La Crosse, Marshfield’s Adam Fravert and Appleton West’s Jack Flynn both posted double-doubles while fellow Appleton West alum Will Mahoney added 12 points off the bench. The Titans squared off with UW-Eau Claire in the finals and secured a 78-72 win behind double-digit scoring from Fravert, Flynn, Levi Borchert of Kimberly and Eddie Muench of Ripon. The Titans will square off with Translyvania College in the opening round.

Cam Kuepers and Spencer Page were the catalysts for UW-Eau Claire despite coming up short to Oshkosh in the WIAC finals. Page, a Rice Lake grad, and Kuepers, a Lakeside Lutheran grad, combined for 68 points over the three games. They helped UW-Eau Claire earn an at-large bid in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2001 and only their third tournament appearance overall. The Blugolds will take on Whitman College in the first round.

UW-Platteville, led by Kiel grad and WIAC Co-Player of the Year, Carter Voelker fell to the Blugolds in the semi-finals of the WIAC tournament. The Pioneers still earned an at-large bid for the NCAA tournament and will host Concordia-Wisconsin in the first round.

In order to guarantee their spot in the Division 3 NCAA tournament, Wisconsin-Concordia had to rattle of three wins in the NACC Conference Tournament. In an opening round 68-63 win over Illinois Tech, Olalekan George of Milwaukee Lutheran and Brandon Keller of Plymouth scored in double figures. In the following 96-83 win over Wisconsin Lutheran College, Cedarburg’s Jordan Johnson scored a game high 45 points while Keller added 15 points and 11 rebounds. George and Joey Zietlow of Oak Creek also scored in double figures.

Concordia-Wisconsin won another close one in the finals over MSOE 80-75. Johnson had a game high 23 points while George, Zietlow, and Jared Jurss of Sheboygan Lutheran scored in double figures. Brandon Keller added his second straight double-double. Jordan Johnson was named the final NACC Player of the Week as he helped secure an NCAA bid for the Falcons.

Lastly in Division 3, a pair of universities in the state of Wisconsin squared off in the Midwest Conference Tournament. Top-seeded St. Norbert fell to the red-hot Redhawks of Ripon College 84-71. Trent Jones, a Dodgeville alumn, had 24 points and six assists while Owen Theune of Waupun had 21 points ad 10 rebounds. Ryan Steffes of New Holstein and Kyle Rutkowski of Evansville both contributed double-digit scoring outputs. Both Ripon College and St. Norbert College earned a spot in the playoffs.

Chris Knight had quite an impressive showing this past week as Dartmouth College picked up a pair of impressive road victories. Knight, a Madison Memorial grad, scored 17 points and hauled in 13 rebounds in an 82-70 win over Cornell. He added 19 points and 10 rebounds in a 76-57 win over Columbia. Chris shot 13 of 17 from the field in the two wins, including a perfect seven of seven in the Cornell win. Chris was named the Ivy League Player of the Week for the first time this season.

Someone who has not been a stranger to player of the week honors earned that accolade yet again in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Michigan Tech’s Kyle Monroe led Northern Michigan to a 91-61 win over Northern Michigan by scoring 32 points and adding seven rebounds. The Ashwaubenon grad earned the GLIAC honors for the eighth time this season and third straight week. In doing so, Kyle became the conference’s all-time leading scorer in league play. He currently has 2,497 career points at Michigan Tech.