D4 State Tournament Preview

The state tournament field is out. Four teams in each division will vie for a gold ball. By Thursday, we'll have previews of what to watch for in each semifinal game and what to watch from each program at the state tournament. It's time for D4 as we work our way up to D1.   <h1 class="wp-block-heading">D4 State Semifinal No. 1: No. 1 The Prairie School vs. No. 4 Cuba City</h1>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Pregame Notes</h2>   No. 1 seed The Prairie School is making their fourth appearance at the state tournament, their second consecutive, and they're seeking their second gold ball in program history.   The Hawks boast an unbeaten record against in-state competition and have one of five Ms. Basketball candidates in future Marquette Golden Eagle, [player_tooltip player_id='374228' first='JJ' last='Glass-Barnes'].   Cuba City is making its 18th state tournament appearance in the program's history and will look to add a 12th state title. Nobody else in the state has more than six titles in program history.   After missing most of the season recovering from an ACL tear last April, future Milwaukee Panther [player_tooltip player_id='374234' first='Olivia' last='Olson'] will play on Thursday night.   Last season, the Hawks and Cubans lost to Laconia, eventual state champions, at the Resch Center.   What to Expect   In my preseason predictions, I had this marked as the state title matchup I was predicting, but we're getting it as a No. 1 vs. No. 4 game instead.   Expect high-level basketball. Cuba City has an experienced group and even added [player_tooltip player_id='600825' first='Ella' last='Vosberg'] back. The senior was the SWAL player of the year after taking last season off to focus on volleyball. Pairing her with [player_tooltip player_id='534426' first='Dea' last='Crist'] in the frontcourt gives them a balanced frontcourt. The Cubans also have one of the best backcourts in D4 with [player_tooltip player_id='374234' first='Olivia' last='Olson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='914523' first='Ashley' last='Rowe'].   The Prairie School has a trio of [player_tooltip player_id='374228' first='JJ' last='Glass-Barnes'], [player_tooltip player_id='338967' first='Meg' last='Decker'], and [player_tooltip player_id='533081' first='Amiyah' last='Galica']. Those three are athletic and want to impose as much pressure on opposing ball handlers as possible. Glass-Barnes and Galica are more of the half-court offensive threats, but they'll try to turn the Cubans over and get easy baskets in transition.   The one number to watch is the turnovers on the Cuba City side. The higher that number, the more control The Priaire School will have. The smaller that number is, the more likely Cuba City controls the game. That number will be the best indicator of how that game goes.   There is a real scenario where this game is the defacto state-title game.   <h1 class="wp-block-heading">D4 State Semifinal No. 2: No. 2 St. Mary Catholic vs. No. 3 Durand-Arkansaw</h1>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Pregame Notes</h2>   The St. Mary Catholic Zephyrs are making their third appearance in the state tournament and first as St. Mary Catholic after changing their name in 2015. The Big-East North Champions have a core of kids who've been around a while, like [player_tooltip player_id='448256' first='Emily' last='Vogel'] and Nolie Anderson, paired with some youth talent like [player_tooltip player_id='751240' first='Autumn' last='Crowe'] and [player_tooltip player_id='892088' first='Lucy' last='Norville'].   Durand has made the state tournament 11 times, and this will be the first as a co-op with Arkansaw. Durand made the state tournament in 2017, losing in the state semifinals to Howards Grove on their previous trip.   Durand-Arkansaw battled through a challenging subsection and sectional, beating some talented Cloverbelt teams.   What to Expect   We should know if Durand-Arkansaw can muck this game up early. Throughout this playoff run, the Panthers have given up 27.8 points per game as a team, which is ridiculous. They're a team looking to limit offensive opportunities, which they've done well all season.   St. Mary Catholic has the offensive firepower to run the score up more than the Panthers, and I expect them to use their athleticism to try and get out and run whenever possible. The Zephyrs will do everything in their power to build a lead early on, and if it gets to double-digits at any point, it'll make it difficult for the Panthers to put enough points on the board to mount a comeback.   Durand-Arkansaw, like Baldwin-Woodville last season, does an excellent job defending as a unit. They've given up 50 points in a game on four occasions this season and 60 once. That level of scoring defense will travel. However, their offense will be a different story. The Durand-Arkansaw offense will determine if this game will be competitive. St. Mary Catholic is better than the teams they played in the regular season. It will be a considerable challenge for them, but the defense will give them an opportunity.   Watch the way St. Mary Catholic moves the ball. They get good looks routinely and have talented guards and wings who'll make quick decisions with the ball and continuously find open looks at the basket.

The state tournament field is out. Four teams in each division will vie for a gold ball. By Thursday, we'll have previews of what to watch for in each semifinal game and what to watch from each program at the state tournament. It's time for D4 as we work our way up to D1.