Aquinas remains ranked 5th in latest poll, while No. 2 Cashton loses in final second to 8th-ranked Royall
Two Coulee Region high school boys basketball teams ranked in the latest AP poll.
Aquinas remained at No. 5 in Division 4 and picked up a 69-47 win Tuesday home against Tomah to improve to 13-2.
Meanwhile, Cashton remains ranked second in Division 5, but likely will fall, after suffering its first loss of the season Tuesday — dropping a 59-57 matchup at home to No. 8 Royall in overtime.
Royall (12-2) scored the winning bucket on a wild play in the final second, handing Cashton (13-1) its first loss of the season.
With around six seconds left, tied 57-57 Royall’s Carter Uppena dribbled from the top of the key down the lane and fell, but as he was headed to the ground, the junior basically rolled the ball to Tucker Wildes, who scored a wide-open layup with .4 seconds remaining.
Cashton had gotten two first-place votes in the poll but was jumped by Columbus Catholic in the rankings — it received three first-place votes — while Solon Springs dropped to third.
Meanwhile, West Salem and Onalaska are sitting just outside the Top 10 in Division 2.
Here is The Associated Press Wisconsin prep basketball poll for the week of January 23, with first-place votes in parentheses, record, total points and last week’s ranking, as voted upon by a statewide panel of sports writers and broadcasters:
| Division 1 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| School | Record | Points | Last | Week |
| 1. De Pere (7) | 13-1 | 70 | 1 | |
| 2. Appleton North | 12-1 | 57 | 3 | |
| 3. Stevens Point | 14-1 | 55 | 2 | |
| 4. Arrowhead | 12-1 | 53 | 4 | |
| 5. Homestead | 11-3 | 39 | 5 | |
| 6. Germantown | 11-2 | 33 | T6 | |
| 7. Sun Prairie West | 10-2 | 25 | T6 | |
| 8. Kettle Moraine | 12-2 | 20 | 8 | |
| 9. Marquette University | 9-3 | 16 | 9 | |
| 10. Madison East | 9-2 | 9 | NR |
Others receiving votes: Marshfield 6, Eau Claire Memorial 2.
| Division 2 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| School | Record | Points | Last | Week |
| 1. Wisconsin Lutheran (7) | 14-0 | 70 | 1 | |
| 2. Pewaukee | 11-1 | 63 | 2 | |
| 3. Stoughton | 13-2 | 54 | 3 | |
| 4. Nicolet | 11-3 | 50 | 4 | |
| 5. Whitnall | 11-2 | 42 | 5 | |
| 6. Mount Horeb | 10-3 | 26 | 8 | |
| 7. Fox Valley Lutheran | 12-2 | 25 | 10 | |
| 8. River Falls | 12-3 | 20 | 6 | |
| 9. Milwaukee Bradley Technical | 13-3 | 13 | NR | |
| 10. Ashwaubenon | 12-2 | 9 | NR |
Others receiving votes: Wauwatosa West 7, West Salem 2, Beaver Dam 1, Grafton 1, New Richmond 1, Onalaska 1.
| Division 3 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| School | Record | Points | Last | Week |
| 1. Saint Thomas More (7) | 13-1 | 70 | 1 | |
| 2. Kiel | 13-0 | 60 | 2 | |
| 3. Dominican | 13-2 | 50 | 3 | |
| 4. Brillion | 15-1 | 49 | 4 | |
| 5. Carmen Northwest | 10-2 | 44 | 5 | |
| 6. Appleton Xavier | 12-1 | 34 | 6 | |
| 7. Brookfield Academy | 13-1 | 25 | 7 | |
| 8. Lake Mills | 12-1 | 24 | 8 | |
| 9. Lakeside Lutheran | 13-1 | 12 | 10 | |
| (tie) Milwaukee Academy of Science | 9-3 | 12 | 9 |
Others receiving votes: Berlin 5.
| Division 4 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| School | Record | Points | Last | Week |
| 1. Mineral Point (7) | 14-0 | 70 | 1 | |
| 2. Darlington | 15-1 | 58 | T3 | |
| (tie) Marathon | 13-1 | 58 | 2 | |
| 4. Kohler | 15-0 | 45 | 6 | |
| 5. Aquinas | 12-2 | 38 | 5 | |
| 6. Milwaukee Juneau | 8-2 | 33 | 7 | |
| 7. Kenosha St. Joseph Catholic Academy | 11-3 | 26 | T3 | |
| 8. Unity | 13-1 | 22 | 9 | |
| 9. Cameron | 13-1 | 19 | 8 | |
| 10. Pardeeville | 13-2 | 8 | 10 |
Others receiving votes: Sheboygan Area Luth. 3, Bonduel 3, Auburndale 2.
| Division 5 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| School | Record | Points | Last | Week |
| 1. Columbus Catholic (3) | 15-1 | 66 | 3 | |
| 2. Cashton (2) | 13-0 | 63 | 2 | |
| 3. Solon Springs (2) | 12-2 | 57 | 1 | |
| 4. Abundant Life Christian | 13-2 | 44 | 5 | |
| 5. Potosi | 13-2 | 42 | 4 | |
| 6. North Crawford | 13-1 | 38 | 6 | |
| 7. Almond-Bancroft | 14-1 | 32 | 7 | |
| 8. Royall | 11-2 | 19 | 8 | |
| 9. Eau Claire Immanuel Lutheran | 9-0 | 8 | NR | |
| 10. Ithaca | 12-1 | 6 | NR |
Others receiving votes: Pacelli 5, Three Lakes 4, Reedsville 1.
TOP PHOTO: Royall’s Carter Uppena (lying on court) fumbled pass to Tucker Wildes, seen here scoring the winning basket against Cashton on Jan. 23, 2024 (SCREENSHOT: Cashton Athletics on YouTube).