FIVE AREA TEAMS EARN TOP-TWO SEEDS AS WIAA RELEASES BRACKETS FOR GIRLS BASKETBALL PLAYOFFS
Updated: Feb 13, 2022
By Paul Lecker
Zaleski Sports
The WIAA released its seedings and pairings on Sunday for the upcoming girls basketball playoffs.
The 2022 WIAA state girls basketball playoffs begin with regional quarterfinals in five divisions on Tuesday, Feb. 22. Regional semifinals will be Friday, Feb. 25, and regional finals on Saturday, Feb. 26.
Sectionals will be held Thursday, March 3, and Saturday, March 5, with the survivors moving on to the 2022 WIAA State Girls Basketball Tournament at the Resch Center in Green Bay on March 10-12.
Among the 23 teams in the Zaleski Sports coverage area, five earned No. 1 or No. 2 seeds.
Mosinee is No. 1 seed in its half of the Division 2 Sectional 1 bracket and received a first-round bye. The Indians, ranked ninth in the latest Wissports.net State Coaches poll and champions of the Great Northern Conference, will host a regional semifinal Feb. 25 against the winner No. 9 Wausau East at No. 8 Antigo.
In Division 4, ninth-ranked Neillsville is the No. 2 seed in its Sectional 1 bracket and also earned a bye into the regional semifinals. The Warriors will host the winner of No. 10 Mondovi at No. 7 Plum City/Elmwood on Feb. 25.
In the top half of the Division 4 Sectional 2 bracket, Auburndale is the No. 2 seed and will take on the winner of No. 10 Nekoosa at No. 7 Abbotsford in a regional semifinal Feb. 25. Westfield, ranked third in the state, is the No. 1 seed in the bracket.
Finally in Division 5, Marawood Conference South Division champion Wisconsin Rapids Assumption is the No. 1 seed in the top half of Sectional 2 bracket and will host No. 16 Marion in a regional quarterfinal Feb. 22. The Royals, who won the Division 5 state title last season, is ranked fifth in the state rankings.
Wild Rose, which Assumption defeated in a nonconference game early this season, is the No. 2 seed in the same bracket at hosts No. 15 Port Edwards in a regional quarterfinal Feb. 22.
Marshfield is the No. 10 seed in the Division 1 Sectional 1 bracket and will travel to play No. 7 Kimberly in a regional semifinal Feb. 25. The winner would take on the winner of No. 15 Appleton North and No. 2 Appleton East in a regional final Feb. 26.
Wisconsin Rapids is the No. 9 seed in the bracket and will hit the road to play No. 8 Hudson in a regional semifinal Feb. 25. The winner gets Hortonville, the top-ranked team in the state in Division 1, and the No. 1 seed in the bracket in a regional final, should the Polar Bears take care of business against the winner of No. 17 Chippewa Falls-No. 16 Appleton West.
Stevens Point is the No. 13 seed and will play a regional semifinal at No. 4 Neenah on Feb. 25. Wausau West is the No. 5 seed and hosts No. 12 Oshkosh West in a regional semifinal, with the winners playing each other for a regional championship Feb. 26.
Rounding out the area regional quarterfinal matchups in the Division 4 Sectional 2 bracket, No. 9 Colby plays at No. 8 Princeton/Green Lake with the winner playing a regional semifinal at No. 1 Westfield; No. 11 Necedah will play at No. 6 Stratford with the winner playing at No. 3 Iola-Scandinavia, and Marathon is the No 4 seed and earned a bye. The Red Raiders will host the winner of No. 12 Montello at No. 5 Wittenberg-Birnamwood in a regional semifinal Feb. 25.
All but one regional quarterfinal in Division 5 Sectional 2 involves an area school. In addition to Assumption and Wild Rose, No. 9 Almond-Bancroft will be at No. 8 Marshfield Columbus Catholic, No. 12 Rosholt is at No. 5 Spencer, No. 13 Tri-County will play at No. 4 Athens, No. 14 Tigerton plays at No. 3 Edgar, and No. 10 Wausau Newman Catholic will travel to No. 7 Stevens Point Pacelli.
If seeding and the home teams hold serve, three of the four regional semifinals will pit two area teams against each other with possible matchups including Columbus Catholic at Assumption, Spencer at Athens, and Pacelli at Wild Rose.
Four area teams will compete in the Division 5 Sectional 3 bracket. No. 16 Granton plays at No. 1 Bangor and No. 9 Pittsville travels to No. 8 Loyal in regional quarterfinals Feb. 22. The winners will meet in a regional semifinal Feb. 25.
Also in the same bracket, No. 14 Greenwood plays a regional quarterfinal at No. 3 Alma Center Lincoln.
2022 WIAA State Girls Basketball Playoffs
Division 1
Sectional 1
Regional Quarterfinals
Tuesday, Feb. 22
No. 17 Chippewa Falls at No. 16 Appleton West
Regional Semifinals
Friday, Feb. 25
Appleton West-Chippewa Falls winner at No. 1 Hortonville
No. 9 Wisconsin Rapids at No. 8 Hudson
No. 12 Oshkosh West at No. 5 Wausau West
No. 13 Stevens Point at No. 4 Neenah
No. 14 D.C. Everest at No. 3 Superior
No. 11 Eau Claire North at No. 6 Eau Claire Memorial
No. 10 Marshfield at No. 7 Kimberly
No. 15 Appleton North at No. 2 Appleton East
Sectional 2
Regional Quarterfinals
Tuesday, Feb. 22
No. 17 Green Bay East at No. 16 Milwaukee Marshall/Young Coggs
Regional Semifinals
Friday, Feb. 25
Marshall/Young Coggs-Green Bay East winner at No. 1 Germantown
No. 9 Hartford at No. 8 Bay Port
No. 12 Fond du Lac at No. 5 Kaukauna
No. 13 Green Bay Preble at No. 4 Milwaukee King
No. 14 Sheboygan South at No. 3 De Pere
No. 11 Milwaukee Riverside University at No. 6 Sheboygan North
No. 10 Menomonee Falls at No. 7 Milwaukee Divine Savior Holy Angels
No. 15 Manitowoc at No. 2 Mequon Homestead
Sectional 3
Regional Quarterfinals
Tuesday, Feb. 22
No. 17 Milwaukee Bradley Tech/Milwaukee Arts at No. 16 Madison West
Regional Semifinals
Friday, Feb. 25
Madison West-Bradley/Arts winner at No. 1 Brookfield East
No. 9 Oconomowoc at No. 8 Sussex Hamilton
No. 12 Madison Memorial at No. 5 Verona
No. 13 Madison East at No. 4 Waunakee
No. 14 Middleton at No. 3 Sun Prairie
No. 11 Milwaukee Pulaski Co-op at No. 6 Watertown
No. 10 Madison La Follette at No. 7 Brookfield Central