Division 4 State Tournament Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The State Tournament fields are set for all five divisions, and we know each team's path to win a Gold Ball. Over the next five days, we will preview every bracket and talk about each team participating in the 50th annual WIAA State Tournament. We're starting with the smaller schools and working our way to the larger schools.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Neillsville</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Warriors are seeking their second state championship in their seventh trip to the State Tournament. Neillsville entered the state tournament with a 27-1 record, with their only loss being the first of three meetings this season with the Regis Ramblers. They have been a dominant program in the Cloverbelt-East and have won that league countless times. This group has a balance of upperclassmen who have played deep into the postseason and talented younger players who add a different element to their lineup. This is a group that will run their stuff and has confidence in getting results when they execute.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>St. Mary Catholic</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The reigning runner-ups from last season's D4 State Tournament are back and have a new look. The Zephyrs had plenty of seniors graduate, but have had plenty of players step up and contribute to winning. St. Mary Catholic is seeking its second WIAA State Championship in program history on its fourth trip to the State Tournament. They have plenty of players who will have the confidence to make plays on the biggest stage in high school basketball, and there are players with experience of playing at the Resch Center.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Albany/Monticello</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the third year of this co-op, Albany/Monticello won a D5 State Championship, reached a Sectional Final, and reached the State Tournament for the first time in D4. It has been one of the top small-school programs in the State. This iteration of the "Space Cowgirls" has the talent to give anyone fits, even though they played mostly D5 opponents in their conference, but have been battle-tested against talented programs like Barneveld and Argyle/Pecatonica, who have had plenty of success at the D5 level. This will be a team that gives opposing teams headaches because of their effort on both ends of the floor.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Lomira</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Lions are making their first appearance at the state tournament since 1993, and they've reached this point on the backs of a talented sophomore class, who neutral observers will love watching. Lomira also has a state title in its cabinet after winning in the third-ever State Tournament in Wisconsin in 1978, in what was then called "Class B". The Lions will be the No. 4 seed and have an opportunity to be a Cinderella group, because I don't know how many people will expect them to compete, let alone win a game, but that's why we play the games.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->