WIAA BOYS BASKETBALL SEEDS RELEASED
Updated: Feb 20, 2022
By Paul Lecker
Zaleski Sports
The WIAA released its brackets on Sunday for the 2022 boys basketball playoffs.
Play begins with regional quarterfinals in five divisions on Tuesday, March 1. Regionals continue with semifinals on Friday, March 4, and finals on Saturday, March 5.
Sectionals will be played on Thursday, March 10, and Saturday, March 12, with the four survivors in each division qualifying for the 2022 WIAA Boys Basketball Tournament, which will be held at the Kohl Center in Madison from March 17-19.
In Division 1, Marshfield earned a No. 4 seed in the Sectional 1 bracket and will host Wisconsin Valley Conference rival No. 13 D.C. Everest in a regional semifinal March 4.
In the same bracket, No. 9 Stevens Point will play at No. 8 Appleton North, No. 15 Wisconsin Rapids is at No. 2 Eau Claire Memorial, and No. 11 Wausau West will travel to No. 6 Superior in regional semifinals March 4. Neenah is the No. 1 seed in the bracket.
“The four seed was about the max that we could have hoped for and to get that, to earn that, it’s another feather in our cap and something that we should celebrate,” Marshfield coach Chris Fischer said. “You look at that sectional from top to bottom, it might be the best sectional in the state. You have three ranked teams right off the bat in Neenah, Eau Claire Memorial and Appleton East, and for us to be part of that conversation is pretty special.”
Mosinee is the No. 2 seed in its half of the Division 2 Sectional 2 bracket and earned a first-round bye. Mosinee will host the winner of the regional quarterfinal between No. 7 Merrill and No. 10 Ashland in a regional semifinal on March 4.
Wausau East is the No. 9 seed in the same bracket and will play a regional quarterfinal on March 1 at No. 8 Lakeland. The winner travels to No. 1 Fox Valley Lutheran for a regional semifinal March 4.
In Division 4 Sectional 1, Neillsville is the No. 6 seed and will host a regional quarterfinal against No. 11 Osseo-Fairchild on March 1. The winner moves on to a regional semifinal March 4 at No. 3 Fall Creek.
A number of area teams are part of the Sectional 2 field in Division 4, with undefeated Iola-Scandinavia earning the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye. The Thunderbirds will take on the winner of the quarterfinal between No. 9 Princeton/Green Lake and No. 8 Markesan on March 4.
No. 2 Stratford and No. 3 Marathon also earned first-round byes. Stratford will host a regional semifinal against the winner of No. 7 Weyauwega-Fremont and No. 10 Nekoosa, and Marathon will be a home on March 4 against the winner of No. 6 Necedah and No. 11 Westfield.
Auburndale is the No. 4 seed and hosts a regional quarterfinal against No. 13 Montello, and Colby is the No. 5 seed and will also be at home for a quarterfinal March 1 against No. 12 Abbotsford.
In the bottom half of the Division 5 Sectional 1 bracket, Athens is the No. 4 seed and will host a regional quarterfinal against No. 13 Rib Lake on March 1. Owen-Withee is the No. 10 seed in the same bracket and will travel to No. 7 New Auburn for a regional quarterfinal.
In Sectional 2, Wausau Newman Catholic is the No. 1 seed and will host a regional quarterfinal against No. 16 Tri-County on March 1.
Marshfield Columbus Catholic grabs the No. 2 seed and will be at home for a quarterfinal against Tigerton, while Edgar is the No. 3 seed and hosts Wisconsin Valley Lutheran on March 1.
Other quarterfinal games involving area teams in the Sectional 2 bracket include No. 9 Stevens Point Pacelli at No. 8 Wisconsin Rapids Assumption, No. 12 Marion at No. 5 Port Edwards, No. 13 Spencer at No. 4 Almond-Bancroft, No. 11 Rosholt at No. 6 Northland Lutheran, and No. 10 Wild Rose at No. 7 Gresham.
“We’ve been tested and had a couple of games that haven’t gone our way in the last couple of weeks, but we’ve responded in such a huge way,” Newman Catholic coach Cory Marquardt said. “Our team is very deserving. These guys are putting in the work and it’s really cool for something like this to pay off.”
In Sectional 3, No. 8 Loyal hosts No. 9 Gilmanton, No. 13 Greenwood plays at No. 4 Alma/Pepin, and No. 6 Pittsville will be at home against No. 11 Alma Center Lincoln.
In Division Sectional 2, Amherst is the No. 9 seed and will play a regional quarterfinal at No. 8 Clintonville. The winner travels to No. 1 seed Northland Pines for a regional semifinal March 4.
2022 WIAA Boys Basketball Playoffs
Division 1
Sectional 1
Regional Quarterfinals
Tuesday, March 1
No. 17 Oshkosh West at No. 16 Appleton West
Regional Semifinals
Friday, March 4
Appleton West-Oshkosh West winner at No. 1 Neenah
No. 9 Stevens Point at No. 8 Appleton North
No. 12 Eau Claire North at No. 5 Kimberly
No. 13 D.C. Everest at No. 4 Marshfield
No. 14 Chippewa Falls at No. 3 Appleton East
No. 11 Wausau West at No. 6 Superior
No. 10 Hortonville at No. 7 Hudson
No. 15 Wisconsin Rapids at No. 2 Eau Claire Memorial
Sectional 2
Regional Quarterfinals
Tuesday, March 1
No. 17 Sheboygan South at No. 16 Fond du Lac
Regional Semifinals
Friday, March 4
Sheboygan South-Fond du Lac winner at No. 1 Menomonee Falls
No. 9 Bay Port at No. 8 Kaukauna
No. 12 Milwaukee Riverside at No. 5 Green Bay East
No. 13 Green Bay Preble at No. 4 Milwaukee King
No. 14 Milwaukee Marshall at No. 3 Mequon Homestead
No. 11 Germantown at No. 6 Sheboygan North
No. 10 Manitowoc at No. 7 Milwaukee Marquette
No. 15 Hartford at No. 2 De Pere
Sectional 3
Regional Quarterfinals
Tuesday, March 1
No. 17 West Allis Hale at No. 16 Madison West
No. 18 Milwaukee Pulaski at No. 15 Watertown
Regional Semifinals
Friday, March 4
Madison West-West Allis Hale winner at No. 1 Brookfield Central
No. 9 West Allis Central at No. 8 Oconomowoc
No. 12 Wauwatosa East at No. 5 Middleton