UPDATE: Onalaska and Central boys playoff game moved to Logan due to Coronavirus threat, will video stream on WKTY
For the third time this season, the top two ranked teams in Division 2 will face off.
This time, the season is on the line, and the game will be played at a neutral site.
Top-ranked Onalaska High School’s boys basketball team (23-1) looks to sweep rival and No. 2-ranked Central (19-5) on Thursday night, now at Logan High School and attendance will be limited.
There’s an “administrative entry list,” which will be used to limit who gets into the contest. The crowd at Logan will be limited to 250 people.
The game tips off at 7 p.m. Still working on having it streamed online. You can watch live here, on the WKTY app or by searching WKTY on your Roku or Apple TV. Streaming is thanks to Features in Holmen.
How to watch:
The winner plays in Waupaca, Wis., at 7 p.m. Saturday against either eighth-ranked Hortonville or Mosinee to get to the state tournament.
Against Central, the Hilltoppers got off to slow starts in both regular-season games but pulled out wins — 73-61 on Jan. 17 and 60-54 on Feb. 18 — and the first time they’ve swept the MVC series.
Onalaska coach Craig Kowal said pulling out those wins shows his players’ mental toughness.
“They don’t get fazed or rattled,” he said. “They knew that if they just hung with it they’d have a chance at the end. They’re just very confident.”
The Red Raiders have ended Onalaska’s season the past four years, and went on to the state tournament, winning a title in 2017 and losing in the first round the other three seasons.
While both teams likely will be successful in the future, Thursday’s game marks the end of an era where seniors like Johnny Davis, Jordan Davis, Terrance Thompson, Carson Arenz, Tyrell Stuttley, and Dakota Mannel will play against each other in high school.