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This season, we are going to preview the best matchups, storylines, etc twice a week for the entirety of the boys basketball season. Sunday we will preview the games played Monday-Wednesday, then on Wednesday we'll preview Thursday-Saturday's slate.

See below the best matchups for Thursday, January 9 through Saturday, January 10.

Don't forget to use the hashtag #wisbb when talking about any Wisconsin high school basketball stories, scores, and big performances this season.

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Freedom (9-1; D3 #2) at Fox Valley Lutheran (7-1)
Fox Valley Lutheran comes into this one game behind Freedom in the North Eastern conference standings. Six days after beating the other top contender in the league in Little Chute, the Irish will look to assert its dominance in the North Eastern. The Foxes has won four straight and have relied on its defense for the majority of the season to keep them in games. Can that defense contain Freedom's Donovan Davis and Drew Kortz?

Blair-Taylor (7-1) at Gilmanton/Indepence (6-5)
Blair-Taylor has the opportunity to improve to 8-1 over and 7-1 in conference play with a win on Thursday. The storyline from this one however falls upon senior Ethan Kniseley of Blair who is just two points shy of 1,000 points in his prep career.

Verona (9-1; D1 #4) at Madison La Follette (6-2)
Verona has been fairly dominant since its opening season loss to Milwaukee Academy of Science. The Wildcats are 6-0 in league play and have rattled off nine straight wins under head coach Curtrel Robinson. La Follette has lost its past two Big Eight games by 20-plus points each to Memorial and Sun Prairie East. The Lancer defense has struggled with the betters offenses in the league, so we're likely looking at a shootout if La Follette can score the ball.

Mount Horeb (9-0; D2 #2) at McFarland (6-3)
The last two remaining undefeated teams in the Badger-Small conference will do battle here. Mount Horeb is one of just 17 remaining undefeated teams in the state and are led by one of the best players in the state in Josh Manchester. The 6-3 junior guard is averaging 31.7 points per game and shooting a robust 53.7% from three. For McFarland, sophomore Garrett Crull leads them in scoring while big men Ben Forbes and Eli Krueger provide a pair of twin towers on the interior.

Brookfield Central (6-5) at Menomonee Falls (8-3)
Central had one of the more impressive wins of the week on Tuesday, knocking off sixth-ranked Germantown by double figures. Menomonee Falls on the other hand needed a buzzer-beater three to get past two-win Marquette. This Greater Metro matchup is one to watch on Thursday night.

Sun Prairie East (8-1; D1 #5) at Middleton (4-5)
Sun Prairie East is one of just two undefeated teams in the Big Eight and score the ball at an extremely high rate, as the lowest point total of the season is 84. Two weeks ago this one probably wasn't a matchup to tune in to. However, Middleton has gotten back 7-0 senior and Wisconsin commit Will Garlock. With Garlock in the lineup they are 2-0 in 2025.

Cochrane-Fountain City (8-0, D5 #6) at Osseo-Fairchild (10-0; D4 #9)
There is guaranteed to be one less undefeated teams come the conclusion of this game. Undefeated Dairyland-Large leader Osseo welcomes in undefeated Dairyland-Small leader in a small-school ranked matchup on the western side of the state. Osseo averages 75.4 points and allows 53.7 points per game while CFC averages 79.0 points and allows 49.4 points per game. Both teams have played one single-digit game (both being against Whitehall), making this a very even matchup on paper.

Cuba City (5-4) at Southwestern (10-2; D5 #8)
Cuba City has turned it around since its opening three-game skid. The Cubans just pushed top-ranked Mineral Point to the brink in an eight point loss and are clicking. Southwestern rebounded from a loss to Darlington last Friday with a win over Lancaster on Tuesday. A win by either team will keep them in the hunt for the conference title.

Elkhorn (6-2) at Waterford (10-2)
Waterford is undefeated in Southern Lakes play with Elkhorn right behind them at 3-1. With a win, Waterford stays on pace with Westosha Central. For Elkhorn, it means forcing a tie in second. Elkhorn's two losses on the season are by a combined seven points while Waterford's losses are to two ranked Division 2 teams.

Fort Atkinson (6-4) at Waunakee (8-2)
This is a matchup between the only two unbeatens in the Badger-Large conference. Both are coming off conference wins in the past few days. Both of these squads also play defense at a higher level, holding most of their opponents under their average. Whichever team comes out the victor, will have a one game lead over the other and at least a two game lead over the rest of the conference.

Kaukauna (7-2; D1 #8) at Appleton North (7-3; D1 #7)
Two ranked teams out of the FVA conference. What more can you want as a high school basketball fan? Kaukauna is coming off a near 40-point win over Oshkosh West in which senior Keegan Van Kauwenberg scored his 1,000th point. Appleton North on the other hand fell to Fond du Lac by 16 on Tuesday and will be looking to bounce back in a big way.

Ashwaubenon (7-2; D2 #9) at De Pere (8-1; D1 #2)
Two talented teams with Division 1 prospects playing an FRCC conference game in early January. This is a must watch for high school basketball fans as Alabama commit Amari Allen will lead the Jaguars into De Pere to square off with Wisconsin commit Zach Kinziger and the Redbirds. This would serve as the biggest win for an Ashwaubenon team that looking to stay in the conference race.

Racine Lutheran (10-0; D3 #3) at Dominican (6-2; D3 #7)
A matchup between the two undefeated teams in the Metro Classic continues the trend of must see matchups in the state on Friday night. Racine Lutheran has cruised to a 10-0 record and has been as equally impressive on the offensive side of the ball as they have been defensively. Dominican can score the ball in bunches with four games of 100-plus points. The Knights offense will have its toughest battle from an offensive standpoint with the Crusaders defense in this one.

Rice Lake (8-0; D2 #10) at Eau Claire Memorial (7-2; D1 #10)
The two top teams in the Big Rivers standings make this the best matchup on the west side of the state on Friday night. Rice Lake is one of 17 undefeated teams in the state, but haven't been tested like the Old Abes have through the first half of the season. Four players average double figures for Rice Lake, led by senior guard Zach Orr. For Memorial, Cooper Jesperson leads the way averaging 20.0 points per game.

Saint Mary's Springs (8-3) at Laconia (8-1)
This is a great matchup between two of the contenders in the Wisconsin Flyway conference. Springs is undefeated in league play and led by the senior big man Emmitt Huhn who is coming off a 35-point outburst on Tuesday. Laconia has back-to-back wins over Waupun and Lomira and will look to put a third quality win under its belt in a span of seven days.

Stevens Point (7-4) at Marshfield (4-4)
Two teams that came into the season ranked in the preseason polls battle it out in the Wisconsin Valley matchup. Both teams have been up and down this season though neither of the teams' four losses have been by more than nine points. Jaydon Awe's insertion into the lineup gives SPASH a jolt to its offense while Landon Lee and Brooks Hinson have been shooting extremely well from deep for Marshfield.

Milwaukee Riverside (0-6) at Golda Meir (6-5)
This matchup is noteworthy as Golda Meir's Ahmir Woods is just 18 points shy of 1,000 points scored in his prep career. The 6-3 senior guard is averaging nearly twenty points per game.

East Troy (5-4) at Monroe (4-5)
Though neither of these teams have great overall records, both are undefeated in Rock Valley-Valley play. Whichever team comes away victorious will be in the drivers seat going into the second half of the conference season.

New Berlin West (7-2) at Pewaukee (5-3)
West is looking for a signature win over one of the top teams in the Woodland-West conference and gets the chance in this matchup with Pewaukee. The young Vikings fell by ten points to West Allis Central last Friday, but have had a week to prepare to the Pirates. For Pewaukee, the Pirates are 3-0 in league play with the only losses coming to out-of-conference teams Milwaukee Academy of Science, Homestead, and Kettle Moraine.

Lancaster (6-3) at Platteville (7-2)
Two of the teams picked to vie for the SWC title at the beginning of the year will square off for the first time here, both coming off of non-league losses earlier in the week. Lancaster has lost the last six matchups to the Hillmen dating back to the 2020-21 season.

Amery (9-2; D3 #8) at Prescott (8-3)
Amery is coming off a surprising loss to Osceola on Tuesday and will look to rebound against the team that has finished at the top of the Middle Border conference for a good majority of the past decade. Prescott is 4-0 in league play and looking to make a statement in this game.

Elk Mound (7-1) at Spring Valley (6-1)
The two top teams int he Dunn-St. Croix enter, one will leave with its first conference loss. Spring Valley has rattled off five straight wins dating back to December 12th and have done so impressively, winning each game by at least double figures. Elk Mound is also on a five game win streak, though three of those wins have come by six points or less. Both of these teams have limited teams to scoring right around 50 points per game, and have balanced scoring attacks.

Wausau West (7-3) at Wausau East (11-1; D2 #6)
For the past six seasons whoever wins this crosstown game goes on to sweep the season series. West comes into this one coming with three losses by a combined ten points. Both have just one loss in league play, and are looking for another quality win on their résumé.

Xavier (9-3) at West De Pere (5-4)
Since the opening three game losing streak, West De Pere has gone 5-1 with its only loss coming to the top ranked team in Division 1, Wisconsin Lutheran. The offense has begun to click behind sophomore big man Tref Rademaker and senior guard Bryce Borowicz. Xavier is one possession in each game away from being undefeated, losing all three of its games by three points or less. This Bay conference matchup has a chance to set the tone for the rest of the season in regards to chaser and top dog in the standings.

West Salem (7-3) at Luther (7-2)
Both of these Coulee conference teams are undefeated in league play, but have been reeling just a touch. West Salem has lost three of its last five games while Luther dropped its last two games. The Panthers have won the past three conference titles and a win here would give them a leg up early on. For Luther, the Knights are looking to get back in the win column.

West Allis Central (6-3) at Wisconsin Lutheran (9-0; D1 #1)
Wisco has rattled off 39 straight wins and have been one of the best teams, if not the best team, in the state this season despite graduating Mr. Basketball Kon Knueppel from that squad. Head coach Ryan Walz has this team playing at an extremely efficient level on both sides of the ball and has next level talent up and down his lineup. Same can be said for the West Allis Central lineup that oozes with skill. The Bulldogs are looking to knock off one of the perennial top dogs in the Woodland-West, and have a chance to get one of the biggest wins in the state in this one.

Stoughton (5-3) at Verona (9-1; D1 #4)
Stoughton's record may be a bit deceiving as the had early season, one-point losses to Oregon and Mount Horeb and then a nine-point setback to McFarland last Friday. The Vikings have relied on their defense most of the season and will need to once again to slow down a high powered Verona offense. The Wildcats have been rolling and if they win Thursday over La Follette will come in riding a ten game win streak.

Dominican (6-2; D2 #7) vs Lodi (7-2) in #swingfam Showcase at Waunakee High School
Dominican will be coming off a showdown with Racine Lutheran the night before. Whether that plays a role in motivation or stamina, could give Lodi that leg up. Slowing down the skill of the Knights in Aaron Womack III, Zaihir Jones, Amare Nixon, and more will pose the biggest challenge for Lodi. The Blue Devils will also be coming off a game Friday night, though it won't be to the caliber of a Racine Lutheran.

Carmen Northwest (6-4) vs Howards Grove (7-2) in LeRoy Young Invitational at West Bend East High School
Howards Grove was ranked in the preseason poll and had high expectations in Division 4 this season. The Tigers came out of the gate losing two of three games, but have since rolled off six straight wins. Trent Grunewald has led that surge, leading the team in points, rebounds and assists. Carmen has played some incredibly talented teams with losses to Menomonee Falls, Sheboygan North, West Allis Central, and Beloit Memorial. They are coming off a big overtime win over Milwaukee Hamilton and have one of the top scorers in the state in Javante Edwards.