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Midwest Player's Classic in La Crosse on January 14 & 15 once again features incredible team and individual talent

01/05/2022, 10:45am CST
By Travis Wilson

The Midwest Player's Classic held this year at the La Crosse Center on Saturday, January 14th and 15th has grown into one of the top in-season basketball events in the state and has expanded into two days, and once again features an incredible mix of team and individual talent. The La Crosse Center went through some significant renovations and updates recently and last year played host to several divisions of the boys and girls basketball state tournaments.

WisSports.net is happy to once again join the event as a statewide media sponsor, and we will have coverage leading up to and throughout the event.

Featuring 12 games and 19 teams in a single-day format, it is a great opportunity to see outstanding teams and players in a single setting. Teams from Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Iowa are represented at the event.

The Midwest Players Classic has seen 18 teams go on to win state championships in their year of participation, as well as more than 55 players go on to play NCAA Division I basketball, and 10 players reach the highest level and compete in the NBA.

General admission tickets will be available at the door. Tickets for Friday night (3 games) are $5 each. Tickets for Saturday (9 games) are $10 each. Children ages 5 and under will be admitted free. Cash and Checks accepted.

In good news, for those fans unable to attend, all games will be streamed live, with some provided by WKTY and some by JustAGame Live.

WSN staff will be on hand Saturday to provide updates throughout the day as well.

The Match-Ups

Friday

Action begins at 6:00 pm on Friday as host Aquinas will face off against Black River Falls. Aquinas is 9-1 and in the top ten of Division 4. Black River Falls is working to find its stride at 4-5 overall, but has won two of the last three contests.

The second game on Friday night is a showdown between Caledonia, MN and DeForest. Caledonia, last year's runner-up in Class 2A, is led by Iowa State recruit Eli King. The Norskies advanced to last year's adjusted Division 1 state tournament, and are led by senior guard Max Weisbrod, who averages better than 25 points per game.

The final game on Friday features unbeaten Fox Valley Lutheran and last year's D2 runner-up Onalaska. The Foxes of Fox Valley Lutheran are atop the North Eastern Conference standings as Josiah Butler is among the state leaders in scoring at 26.4 points per game.

Saturday

Saturday starts with a spectacular girls basketball contest featuring Aquinas, who is ranked second in the latest Division 4 WisSports.net Girls Basketball poll, against Minnesota Class 2A top-ranked Minnehaha Academy. Aquinas is led by a pair of Division 1 players, St. Louis recruit Macy Donarski and Northern Colorado commit Jacy Weisbrod. Minnehaha boasts a talented roster that includes freshman Addi Mack, who averages 25 points per game and is already over 1000 points in her career (middle schoolers can play varsity basketball in Minnesota).

The first boys game on Saturday is host school Aquinas against the Bangor Cardinals. Bangor is a perennial power in the Scenic Bluffs Conference and currently ranked number ten in Division 5, while Aquinas is tenth in Division 4.

The noon game has Fox Valley Lutheran headed back to the La Crosse Center, where the Foxes will take on DeForest.

The 1:30 contest sees Caledonia, MN return to action, taking on Waunakee. The Warriors are atop the Badger-East Conference with a 6-0 league mark and 11-2 overall record, moving into the top ten of the Division 1 Coaches Poll this week. 

Onalaska is back at it on Saturday in the 3:00 pm game against Milwaukee Bradley Tech. The Trojans are 6-4 on the season after missing all of last year and feature one of the most exciting players in the state, senior forward Learic Davis, who can wow with spectacular dunks.

West Salem bumps up to take on Eau Claire Memorial at 4:30. West Salem is undefeated and ranked second in Division 3, while Eau Claire Memorial is 9-1, with the only loss a thrilling one-point defeat against Appleton East.

At 6:00 pm it will be Minneapolis North, MN against Council Bluffs Lincoln, IA. Despite a 3-2 record against a very tough schedule, Minneapolis North is the top-ranked team in Minnesota's 2A by the Minnesota Basketball News, coming off a state semi-final appearance last season. Senior guard Willie Wilson has multiple Division 1 offers. Carmen Northwest is a talented young group featuring five non-seniors averaging double figures, led by 21.1 points per game from sophomore Dupree Fletcher, Jr.

Catholic Memorial takes on Owatonna, MN at 7:30 on Saturday evening. CMN has an exciting group off to an 8-3 start and is ranked third in the latest WSN Division 3 Coaches Poll. Owatonna's Evan Dushek and Brayden Williams combine to average more than 40 points per game for the 5-1 Huskies.

The final game of the 2022 Midwest Players Classic features Holmen taking on La Crescent, who is unbeaten as of press time.

About the Author

Travis Wilson serves as the WisSports.net General Manager, Football Editor, and contributing writer for other parts of the site. Wilson was selected as part of the Sports 40 Under 40 list by Coach & AD Magazine and the National High School Athletic Coaches Association for 2019. The Wisconsin Football Coaches Association (WFCA) named Travis the 2015 recipient of the Dave McClain Distinguished Service Award. He currently serves on the WFCA Executive Board and is a member of the Executive Board of the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association. A graduate of Richland Center High School and Mount Mercy College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Travis was a three-sport athlete in high school (football, baseball, basketball), inducted to the Richland Center High School Hall of Fame in 2023, and currently resides in Reedsburg. You can follow him on Twitter at @travisWSN.

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