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Conference Title Race Catch Up: Badger To Lakeland

02/17/2025, 8:15am CST
By Colton Wilson

With just two weeks left of the regular season in boys basketball, it's conference championship time. A few conferences have already been locked up, but plenty more are up for grabs over these extremely important two weeks of hoops.

We're going to dive into each conference race, split into two separate articles, and listed alphabetically.

For a full view of the standings, click here

Badger-Large

My Preseason Pick: Waunakee

Contenders
Fort Atkinson 10-1 UPDATED 11-2
Waunakee 10-1   UPDATED 11-2

Key Matchups Left
Waunakee at Fort Atkinson - February 18 FORT WON 54-51

That matchup this upcoming Tuesday will likely determine who wins the Badger-Large conference title, barring an upset loss by either team in their final two games. Waunakee won the first matchup between these two teams 58-48 back on January 9 behind 20 points from Kaden MacKenzie. The Warriors dominated the glass in that matchup and limited Fort Atkinson to just two free throw attempts. Waunakee is looking for a third straight title, while Fort Atkinson is searching for its first crown in the 2000s.

Prediction: Waunakee sweeps the series and wins the conference outright

UPDATE: Fort Atkinson won the rematch and now sits in the drivers seat with two games left.

Badger-Small

My Preseason Pick: Stoughton

Contenders
Mount Horeb 11-0 UPDATED 13-0
McFarland 9-2 UPDATED 10-3 (OUT)

UPDATE: Mount Horeb has clinched outright

Key Matchups Left
Mount Horeb at McFarland - February 18 MOUNT HOREB WON 56-39

McFarland will need a lot of help even if they win this rematch. Down two games in the standings as it sits, McFarland would need to win this game and the rest of its conference slate plus a Mount Horeb loss to either Portage or Reedsburg. That scenario seems unlikely however, and a Vikings conference title seems as close to a certainty as possible.

Prediction: Mount Horeb wins the conference title outright for the first time since 2018-19.

Bay

My Preseason Pick: West De Pere

Contenders
West De Pere 11-1 UPDATED 12-1
Xavier 11-1 UPDATED 11-2

Key Matchups Left
Seymour at Xavier - February 21 SEYMOUR WON

The real key matchup in this race was back on Thursday, February 13 where Xavier beat West De Pere to get even atop the standings. The Phantoms finish with conference games against New London and Green Bay West, both 25-plus point victories in round one. Seymour lost by 17 to Xavier in January, but it's the best pick to be a spoiler for either West De Pere or Xavier.

Prediction: West De Pere and Xavier share the conference title.

Big East-North

My Preseason Pick: Howards Grove

Contenders
Howards Grove 12-0

Key Matchups Left
N/A

Howards Grove has already clinched the conference title, having gone undefeated in the league and finishing at least three games ahead of whichever teams finishes in second. It's the third straight league crown for the Tigers who are led by reigning conference Player of the Year Trent Grunewald and Conor Cruz.

Prediction: Howards Grove has already clinched

Big East-South

My Preseason Pick: Sheboygan Lutheran

Contenders
Kohler 10-2
Sheboygan Lutheran 10-2
Oostburg 9-2 UPDATED 10-2

UPDATED: Kohler, Sheboygan Lutheran, and Oostburg share the title

Key Matchups Left
Oostburg at Cedar Grove-Belgium - February 18

This is the only conference game left between the three teams listed above. If Oostburg wins, a three-way share of the title will be the outcome. A loss, results in a two-way share. Oostburg has swept Kohler, while Kohler has swept Sheboygan Lutheran, and Sheboygan Lutheran has swept Oostburg. Regardless of how it shakes out, this will be the third straight year where at least two of these three teams share the Big East-South crown.

Predicition: Oostburg wins and it results in a three-way share of the conference title.

Big Eight

My Preseason Pick: Verona

Contenders
Sun Prairie East 12-3 UPDATED 14-3
Verona 12-3 UPDATED 13-4
Madison Memorial 11-4 UPDATED 12-5 (OUT)
Middleton 10-5 UPDATED 10-7 (OUT)
Sun Prairie West 9-5 UPDATED 11-5 (OUT)

UPDATE: Sun Prairie East has clinched at least a share of the title.

Key Matchups Left
Middleton at Sun Prairie East - February 18 SP EAST WON
Sun Prairie East at Verona - February 21 SP EAST WON
Sun Prairie East at Sun Prairie West - February 26
Verona & Janesville Craig - February 27

With three games left for most of these teams and just two games separating them all, this conference race will likely go down to the last few days of the season. The biggest matchup to watch is the two leaders atop the standings Verona and Sun Prairie East squaring off on Friday, February 21. Both have tough matchups on Tuesday preceding this, but if both win, the winner of that matchup will likely be the favorite to finish at the top. Memorial has the best chance to win out, so a drop by either Sun Prairie East or Verona will likely result in a share of the crown.

Prediction: Verona, Madison Memorial, and Sun Prairie East finish 14-4 and force a three-way tie for the conference title.

Big Rivers

My Preseason Pick: Eau Claire Memorial

Contenders
Eau Claire Memorial 12-0

Key Matchups Left
N/A

Eau Claire Memorial clinched its second straight Big Rivers title outright on Friday with its win over Rice Lake. The Old Abes have conference tilts with Eau Claire North and Menomonie left, and project to finish undefeated in the league by capturing wins in those contests. Senior point guard Cooper Jesperson is the leader for Memorial, a team that has big postseason aspirations despite a sectional with some of the top teams from the FVA and Wisconsin Valley conferences.

Prediction: Eau Claire Memorial has already clinched

Capitol-North

My Preseason Pick: Lake Mills

Contenders
Lake Mills 5-0 UPDATED 7-0
Lodi 5-1 UPDATED 5-3
Lakeside Lutheran 3-2 UPDATED 5-2

UPDATE: Lake Mills has won the conference outright.

Key Matchups Left
Lake Mills at Lodi - February 18 LAKE MILLS WON
Lodi at Lakeside Lutheran - February 21 LAKESIDE WON
Lake Mills at Lakeside Lutheran - February 27

With a win on Tuesday at Lodi, Lake Mills will all but clinch the Capitol-North conference. Though the L-Cats will still have Lakeside Lutheran on its schedule, they do have Columbus as well, a team they beat by nearly 50 earlier in the year.

Lodi would need to avenge a 24-point loss to Lake Mills in and then survive both Columbus and Lakeside Lutheran, both of whom lost by single digits to the Blue Devils, to hope for a tie.

Lakeside on the other hand has the toughest path. The Warriors would need to win out, hope for a Lodi win over Lake Mills, and then a Columbus win over Lodi.

Prediction: Lake Mills wins the title outright.

Captiol-South

My Preseason Pick: Marshall

Contenders
Cambridge 6-0 UPDATED 9-0
Marshall 6-1 UPDATED 8-1

Key Matchups Left
Marshall at Cambridge - February 27

Marshall does have New Glarus on the schedule yet, and a Travis Sysko coached Glarner Knights team is never a guaranteed win. However, the big game that will likely determine whether the conference title is shared or not comes down to the rematch on February 27 of Marshall and Cambridge. In the first matchup, Matt Buckman exploded for 46 points and Cambridge outscored Marshall 49-33 in the second half to win it 82-62. I'd imagine a focused and motivated Cardinal group will show up hungry in game two.

Prediction: Cambridge and Marshall share the conference title with one loss.

Central Wisconsin-East

My Preseason Pick: Bonduel

Contenders
Bonduel 13-0
Wittenberg-Birnamwood 10-3 OUT

UPDATE: Bonduel clinched the title outright.

Key Matchups Left
N/A

Though on paper, Wittenberg is still in the conference race, it is all but over as Bonduel is undefeated and has Amherst and Weyauweaga-Fremont left in league play, both who the Bears beat handily the first time. Wittenberg had a chance to put more pressure on Bonduel last week, but fell 73-55 in the two team's second game.

Prediction: Bonduel goes 14-0 for the second straight season, wins its second consecutive conference title, and pushes its conference winning streak to 32 games.

Central Wisconsin-North

My Preseason Pick: Tigerton

Contenders
Tigerton 7-0 UPDATED 9-0
Northland Lutheran 7-2 OUT
White Lake 6-2 UPDATED 6-3 OUT

UPDATED: Tigerton clinched the title outright.

Key Matchups Left
N/A

Tigerton does have three league games left and yes they do play both Northland Lutheran and White Lake, but the Tigers were so dominant in their first round wins over those two teams, that it seems extremely unlikely that Tigerton loses two of its three league matchups left. Sophomore big man James Brady has been dominant in the CWC-North, averaging 20.4 points and shooting 72% from the field for Tigerton.

Prediction: Tigerton wins out and goes undefeated in the CWC-North, winning its second straight conference championship.

Central Wisconsin-South

My Preseason Pick: Almond-Bancroft

Contenders
Almond-Bancroft 10-1 UPDATE 11-1
Pacelli 8-2 UPDATE 9-2

UPDATE: Almond-Bancroft has clinched the title outright.

Key Matchups Left
N/A

Though Pacelli is just one game back in the loss column to Almond-Bancroft, losing twice to the Eagles has put them too far behind. Almond has just one conference game left on its schedule against Rosholt, a team the Eagles beat by 19 in mid-January.

Prediction: Almond-Bancrfot wins its second straight CWC-South title outright and third in four seasons.

Classic Eight

My Preseason Pick: Kettle Moraine

Contenders
Kettle Moraine 15-0

Key Matchups Left
N/A

With a win over Waukesha North last Friday, the Lasers of Kettle Moraine have clinched the Classic Eight conference title outright. It's the first conference title for Kettle Moraine since 2017-18 where it shared the crown with Arrowhead. This season, Kettle Moraine is one of four undefeated teams in the entire state going into the final two weeks of the season. They've dominated the Classic Eight, having won all but one game by double digits.

Prediction: Kettle Moraine has already clinched the Classic Eight outright.

Cloverbelt-East

My Preseason Pick: Columbus Catholic

Contenders
Owen-Withee 10-2 UPDATED 11-3
Columbus Catholic 8-3 UPDATED 11-3
Loyal 8-4 UPDATED 10-4

UPDATE: Owen-Withee and Columbus Catholic share the title.

Key Matchups Left
Loyal at Owen-Withee - February 18 LOYAL WON

Owen-Withee has Loyal and Colby left in conference and a slip-up would open the door for Columbus Catholic to grab a share of the crown. The Dons have two games with Gilman and one with Greenwood and will likely finish 11-3 in league play, which would rule Loyal out of contention. Owen-Withee beat Loyal by 2 and Colby by 28 the first go-around and has played well, winning 9 straight games.

Prediction: Owen-Withee wins both games and wins its first conference title since it won a share of it during the 2013-14 season.

Cloverbelt-West

My Preseason Pick: Regis

Contenders
Bloomer 8-2 UPDATED 10-2
Regis 8-3 UPDATED 9-3 (OUT)
Stanley-Boyd 7-3 UPDATED 7-4 (OUT)
Fall Creek 6-4 UPDATED 7-4 (OUT)

UPDATE: Bloomer wins the title outright.

Key Matchups Left
Stanley-Boyd at Regis - February 18 REGIS WON
Bloomer at Stanley-Boyd - February 24

Bloomer controls its own destiny in the conference, but will need to defeat Thorp and Stanley-Boyd to do avoid sharing the title. The first matchup between Bloomer and Stanley-Boyd was a one point win for Bloomer. For Regis, they'll need to beat Regis and hope for a Stanley-Boyd win over Bloomer to force a three-way tie. Stanley-Boyd has to win games against both Regis and Bloomer, the toughest task of the top three teams. Fall Creek would need a lot of losses by all three, something that is likely improbable.

Prediction: Bloomer and Regis finish 9-3 in the Cloverbelt-West and share the title.

Coulee

My Preseason Pick: West Salem

Contenders
West Salem 8-0 UPDATED 9-1
Luther 7-2 UPDATED 9-2
Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau 7-3 UPDATED 8-3

Key Matchups Left
West Salem at G-E-T - February 21 G-E-T WON
West Salem at Luther - February 27

West Salem is in the drivers seat, but has to face both of the top contenders in two of its final four conference games. The Panthers beat G-E-T by 5 and Luther by 30 in its first go-around so I don't see a likelihood where they lose two of their final four league games. Luther would need to win out, including a win over West Salem, and hope the Panthers drop one more to force a tie. G-E-T on the other hand would need three losses by the Panthers and to win out, an unlikely outcome.

Prediction: West Salem wins the title outright for the fourth straight year and five time in six years.

Dairyland-Large

My Preseason Pick: Osseo-Fairchild

Contenders
Osseo-Fairchild 15-2

Key Matchups Left
N/A

Osseo-Fairchild has run through the Dairyland-Large conference with relative ease after joining from the Cloverbelt-West this season, with the only losses coming to Cochrane-Fountain City and Alma Center Lincoln out of the Small division. With each team play a 20-game league schedule including the crossover games, Osseo has had this conference championship locked up for a few weeks.

Predicition: Osseo-Fairchild has clinched the Dairyland-Large championship in its first year in the league.

Dairyland-Small

My Preseason Pick: Alma Center Lincoln

Contenders
Cochrane-Fountain City 16-0 UPDATED 18-0
Blair-Taylor 13-4 UPDATED 14-4 (OUT)
Alma Center Lincoln 13-4 UPDATER 14-4(OUT)

Key Matchups Left
N/A

UPDATE: CFC has clinched the title outright.

Though CFC does finish its season with Osseo and Alma Center, the Pirates would need to lose to Augusta and Gilmanton/Independence before that to make the race interesting. As CFC has beaten both of those teams by 39 and 32 points earlier in the year, it's a safe bet to say Cochrane-Fountain City will be the outright winner of the Dairyland-Small conference for the second straight season.

Dunn-St. Croix

My Preseason Pick: Durand-Arkansaw

Contenders
Durand-Arkansaw 12-1
Spring Valley 11-2
Elk Mound 8-3 UPDATED 10-3

Key Matchups Left
Durand-Arkansaw at Spring Valley - February 24 Durand Won

This game will all but determine the league champion for the Dunn-St. Croix this year, barring an upset later in the year by one of the two teams. The first game was a defensive thriller where Durand came away with a 43-41 win. Neither team shot well from the field or free throw line. If Durand wins again, they'll have games with Colfax and Boyceville left, both 15-plus digit wins the first time. Spring Valley would end with Plum City/Elmwood and Boyceville, two teams they also beat handily. Elk Mound needs help from any of those teams and to win out in order to claim its share of the crown.

Prediction: Durand-Arkansaw wins out and wins its second straight outright conference title.

East Central

My Preseason Pick: Waupun

Contenders
Waupun 9-1 UPDATED 10-1
Kettle Moraine Lutheran 7-2 UPDATED 9-2
Plymouth 7-2 UPDATED 9-2

Key Matchups Left
Kettle Moraine Lutheran at Waupun - February 27

The matchup at the end of the season between Waupun and Kettle Moraine Lutheran will likely determine whether Waupun wins the conference outright or a three-way share is in the books. Waupun won round one by four points back on January 23. However, both KML and Plymouth still have Berlin on its schedule, which has been playing better of late and could play spoiler to either team's conference title aspirations.

Prediction: Waupun wins its final two league games and the outright conference title.

Eastern Wisconsin

My Preseason Pick: Roncalli

Contenders
Roncalli 11-0 UPDATED 13-0
Brillion 8-3 UPDATED 10-3

UPDATE: Roncalli clinched outright.

Key Matchups Left
N/A

Though Brillion is still in the conference race according to the numbers, this title race is all but guaranteed to go to Roncalli outright. The Jets have three league games left against the three of the bottom four teams in the standings and would need to lose all three for a chance at a share of the title. Simply put, Roncalli will be back on top in the Eastern Wisconsin final standings after a two year hiatus.

Predicition: Roncalli wins its final three EWC games and goes an undefeated 14-0 in the conference.

Flyway

My Preseason Pick: Laconia

Contenders
Saint Mary's Springs 10-1 UPDATED 12-1
Laconia 8-3 UPDATED 9-4 (OUT)
Lomira 8-3 UPDATED 8-4 (OUT)
Winnebago Lutheran UPDATED 10-3 (OUT)

UPDATE: Saint Mary's Springs has clinched the title outright.

Key Matchups Left
Saint Mary's Springs at Lomira - February 18 SPRINGS WON
Laconia at Saint Mary's Springs - February 21 SPRINGS WON
Saint Mary's Springs at Winnebago Lutheran - February 27

Springs is up two games on the other three teams at the top with three to go. However, the Ledgers have games with all three of those teams. Springs beat Laconia and Lomira by 2 and 3 points in January and suffered its only loss to Winnebago Lutheran. It won't be easy, but the Ledgers need to win two of those games to win the conference outright, while one win gets them at least a share. For the other three, Lomira and Winnebago face off with the loser of that one out of contention entirely, and Laconia has the easiest of the remaining schedules.

Prediction: Saint Mary's Springs wins at least two of its three games and wins the Flyway outright, the third title in four season for the Ledgers.

Fox River Classic

My Preseason Pick: De Pere

Contenders
De Pere 16-0
Notre Dame 13-2 UPDATED 13-3 (OUT)

UPDATE: De Pere clinches the title outright with Notre Dame's loss.

Key Matchups Left
N/A

De Pere does have a game with Notre Dame on the final day of the regular season but the Redbirds first have a game with Manitowoc Lincoln which we are predicting as a win. Notre Dame would also need to win against Ashwaubenon and Bay Port before that eventual showdown.

Prediction: De Pere goes 18-0 in the conference for the third straight year, extends its conference win streak to 58 games, and wins its fourth straight FRCC title.

Fox Valley Association

My Preseason Pick: Oshkosh North

Contenders
Fond du Lac 13-2 UPDATED 14-3
Kaukauna 13-2 UPDATED 15-2

UPDATE: Kaukauna clinched at least a share of title (Feb 21)

Key Matchups Left
Appleton North at Kaukauna - February 18 KAUKAUNA WON
Fond du Lac at Kaukauna - February 27

Any and all games remaining for these three teams could be mentioned as key matchups left as there is no night off in the FVA. One of Kaukauna's league losses was to the Appleton North team they face on Tuesday, while the Ghosts have given Fond du Lac one of its two losses. The Ghosts have the toughest task of winning out and claiming at least a share of the crown between the two at the top. Boy was I wrong when predicting Fond du Lac seventh in the conference. The Cardinals have been fantastic this season and played a lot of close games, winning most of them.

Prediction: Both Fond du Lac and Kaukauna drop one of their final two games and will finish the season as co-champions in the Fox Valley Association.

Great Northern

My Preseason Pick: Rhinelander

Contenders
Medford 8-2 UPDATED 9-2
Rhinelander 8-2 UPDATED 9-2
Mosinee 7-2 UPDATED 8-3 (OUT)

Key Matchups Left
Mosinee at Rhinelander - February 21 RHINELANDER WON
Rhinelander at Medford - February 27

These three teams with two wins and matchups that all three are involved in will make this Great Northern race fun to watch. Rhinelander obviously has the hardest path to keep pace with matchups against both Mosinee and Medford left on its schedule, having lost to Medford and beat Mosinee the first time around. Medford has winless Tomahawk while Mosinee will have Antigo and Lakeland left.

Prediction: Rhinelander gets its revenge on Medford, but loses to Mosinee who finishes the conference season 3-0 and wins the Great Northern outright.

Greater Metro

My Preseason Pick: Wauwatosa West

Contenders
Brookfield Central 10-3 UPDATED 11-4
Brookfield East 10-4 UPDATED 11-4
Germantown 10-4 UPDATED 10-6 (OUT)
Wauwatosa West 9-4 UPDATED 11-4
Menomonee Falls 8-5 UPDATED 8-6 (OUT)

Key Matchups Left
Menomonee Falls at Brookfield Central - February 18 BC WON
Wauwatosa West at Brookfield Central - February 21 TOSA WEST WON
Brookfield East at Germantown - February 21 Brook East Won
Brookfield East at Menomonee Falls - February 27

The Greater Metro conference is one of the top conferences in the state and these five teams are likely to make the last two weeks extremely enjoyable and must see high school basketball. Central has the control of its destiny but home games against Menomonee Falls and Wauwatosa West is not easy task. Brookfield East has Germantown and Menomonee Falls. Marquette could play spoiler for Tosa West as could Sussex Hamilton for Tosa West, Germantown, or Menomonee Falls.

Prediction: Brookfield Central and Germantown both finish 12-4 and tied atop the conference standings, sharing the Greater Metro crown.

Heart O'North

My Preseason Pick: Northwestern

Contenders
Cameron 12-2 UPDATED 13-4
Ladysmith 11-4 UPDATED 12-5
Cumberland 10-4 UPDATED 13-4
Northwestern 10-4 UPDATED 13-4
Barron 10-5 UPDATED 12-5

Key Matchups Left
Cameron at Northwestern - February 19 Northwestern Won
Cameron at Cumberland - February 25 Cameron Won
Ladysmith at Cameron - February 27

Cameron has built a two game lead late in the year in the standings, which with its final three games of the season, is a nice cushion. The Comets would need to lose two of those games to result in a tie atop the standings and a sharing of the Heart O'North title. Ladysmith also has a tilt with Cumberland left on its schedule while Northwestern has matchups with teams in the lower half left outside of its Cameron game. Barron would need to win out and then a whole lot of help in order to get a share of the crown.

Prediction: Cameron goes 3-1 in the league to finish the season and win the Heart O'North conference outright for the second straight season.

Lake City

My Preseason Pick: Salam

Contenders
Salam 16-0

Key Matchups Left
N/A

Salam went 16-0 in the league and has won the conference title for the fourth straight season, since the inception of the Lake City conference. It's the second straight undefeated conference season for the Stars who are 18-2 overall with four non-conference games left in the season.

Prediction: Salam has already clinched the title outright.

Lakeland-East

My Preseason Pick: New Auburn

Contenders
New Auburn 12-2 UPDATED 14-2
Flambeau 11-2 UPDATED 11-4 (OUT)
Birchwood 10-3 UPDATED 12-4 (OUT)

UPDATE: New Auburn clinched the title outright.

Key Matchups Left
Flambeau at Birchwood - February 17 BIRCHWOOD WON
Birchwood at New Auburn - February 18 NEW AUBURN WON
Birchwood at Flambeau - February 21 BIRCHWOOD WON

New Auburn has just two games left in league play; one against a Birchwood team it beat by 21, and another against a Clayton team it lost to by six. A sweep means they win at least a share. Flambeau has two games with Birchwood left and also a tilt with Lake Holcombe who gave them a surprise loss in January. Birchwood's three games are against these three teams and need to sweep all three in order to clinch its share of the crown.

UPDATE: Birchwood knocked off Flambeau on Monday night to even it in second place and stay within one game of New Auburn at the top.

Prediction: New Auburn finishes its sweep of Birchwood and gets revenge on Clayton, while Flambeau loses one of its final three league games. New Auburn wins its first conference title outright since 2015-16.

Lakeland-West

My Preseason Pick: Grantsburg

Contenders
Clear Lake 15-1 UPDATED 16-1
Grantsburg 13-3 UPDATED 14-3 (OUT)
Turtle Lake 12-3 UPDATED 13-3 (OUT)

UPDATE: Clear Lake clinched the title outright.

Key Matchups Left
N/A

Clear Lake has a cushion of two games over Grantsburg and Turtle Lake in the loss column with just two games left on its schedule. While they do have Unity left to play, the Comets also have Frederic, a team that has won just three games in the East and that Clear Lake won by 24 over in January. In order for either Grantsburg or Turtle Lake to win a share of the title, Clear Lake will have to go 0-2, and the winner of the Grantsburg/Turtle Lake game on February 18 will need to win out.

Prediction: Clear Lake wins the Lakeland-West conference outright.

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