SPORTS

SPASH boys No. 3 in first AP poll

Tim Johnson
USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin
Drew Blair and the Stevens Point Area Senior High boys basketball team are ranked third in Division 1 in the first Associated Press state prep basketball poll of the season, which was released Monday.

WAUSAU -Stevens Point Area Senior High has ended the past two seasons as the top Division 1 boys basketball team in the state.

The Panthers, who are vying for a third straight WIAA state championship, are ranked third in Division 1 in the first Associated Press state basketball poll of the season.

SPASH (9-1) received two first-place votes and finished with 84 points, just two behind second-ranked Kimberly. Oshkosh North opened as the top-ranked team in the state.

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SPASH is one of six local boys and girls basketball teams ranked in the state poll, which was released Monday afternoon.

Columbus Catholic (10-0) is ranked third in the Division 5 for the boys state poll, seven spots ahead of Almond-Bancroft (7-2).

Assumption received votes in Division 5 as did Edgar in Division 4 and Wausau East in Division 2.

Barneveld was an unanimous No. 1 selection in Division 5 Waunakee (Division 2), Ripon (Division 3), and Destiny (Division 4) are all the top-ranked team in their respective divisions. sw

Neillsville was the highest-ranked local girls team. The Warriors (10-0) were ranked fourth in Division 4 in the first state poll, five spots ahead of Marathon (9-2).

Three local programs were ranked in Division 5. Newman Catholic (9-3) is fifth, followed by ninth-ranked Tri-County (11-0)  and No. 10 Loyal  (10-3).

Wittenberg-Birnamwood fell just outside the Top 10 in Division 4 as the Central Wisconsin Conference-8 leaders received four points less than No. 10 Mineral Point.

Beaver Dam (Division 2)  Aquinas (Division 4) and Clayton (Division 5) were unanimous No. 1 selections. Appleton North and Wrightstown are the top-ranked teams in Divisions 1 and 3, respectively.

Tim Johnson: 715-845-0731, or timothy.johnson@gannettwisconsin.com; on Twitter @timmyjo11

Here is The Associated Press Wisconsin prep basketball poll for the week of January 9, 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:

BOYS 

DIVISION 1 

1. Oshkosh North (6) 9-0, 86. 2. Kimberly (2) 8-0, 85. 3. SPASH (2) 9-1, 84; 4. Brookfield Central 9-0, 74; 5. Middleton 9-2, 50; 6. Madison Memorial 10-2, 45; 7. Milwaukee Vincent 6-3, 25; 8. Muskego 9-0, 24; 9. Oak Creek 7-2, 22; 10. Menomonee Falls 9-3, 20. 

Others receiving votes:

Oshkosh West 9, Beloit Memorial 7, Milwaukee Riverside University 4, Bay Port 3, Mukwonago 3, Racine Park 1, De Pere 1, Eau Claire North 1.

DIVISION 2

1. Waunakee (8) 9-0, 97; 2. La Crosse Central (1) 7-1, 90; 3. Beaver Dam (1) 11-0, 68; 4. Stoughton 9-0, 64; 5. Kaukauna 5-3, 59; 6T. Pius XI 8-2, 48; 6T. Pewaukee 11-1, 48; 8. Cedarburg 9-1, 36; 9. Onalaska 9-1, 14; 10. Whitnall7-2 8. 

Others receiving votes:

Pulaski 6, Milw. Washington 5, Wausau East 4, Monona Grove 2, Monroe 1.

DiVISION  3

1. Ripon (7) 9-0, 95; 2. Appleton Xavier 10-0, 89; 3. Lake Mills (1) 10-1, 80; 4. Westby 9-0, 73; 5. Prescott 8-1, 47; 6. Waupun 7-2, 42; 7. Columbus 8-2, 40; 8. Clintonville 7-1, 28; 9. Bloomer 8-1, 25; 10. Southern Door 8-1, 19. 

Others receiving votes:

Martin Luther 9, Edgewood 2.

DIVISION 4 

1. Destiny (7) 10-1, 95; 2. Darlington (1) 9-0, 87; 3. The Prairie School (1) 8-1, 75; 4. Young Coggs Prep 9-0, 69; 5. Laconia (1) 9-0, 65; 6. Regis 7-2, 43; 7. Stanley-Boyd 6-1, 33; 8. Markesan 7-2, 32; 9. Cochrane-Fountain City 9-0, 26; 10. Howards Grove 7-2, 19

Others receiving votes:

Saint Mary’s Springs 4, Edgar 1, Pardeeville 1.

DIVISION 5 

1. Barneveld (10) 8-0, 100; 2. Shullsburg 9-0, 87; 3. Columbus Catholic 10-0, 75; 4. Hilbert 9-0, 67; 5. McDonell Central 5-2, 58; 6. Seneca 9-0, 50; 7. Bangor 7-1, 44; 8. Alma-Pepin 7-1, 33; 9.. Gresham 8-2, 16; 10 Almond-Bancroft 7-2, 14 

Others receiving votes:

Black Hawk 2, Assumption 2, Valley Christian 1, Ithaca 1

GIRLS 

Division 1

Appleton North (5) 10-0, 90; 2. Milwaukee King (1) 12-0, 85;  3. Mukwonago (2) 12-0, 75; 4. Arrowhead (1), 11-1, 74; 5. Middleton (1) 11-0, 70; 6. Germantown 12-1, 54; 7. De Pere 10-2, 35; 8. Madison East 8-2, 22; 9. Hudson 9-2, 20; 10. Bay Port 10-3, 15.

Others receiving votes: Oak Creek 6, Sun Prairie 3, Appleton West 1.

Division 2

1. Beaver Dam (10) 12-0, 100; 2. West De Pere 10-0, 85; 3. New Berlin Eisenhower 9-2, 75; 4. Monroe 9-1, 64; 5. New Berlin West 10-1, 60; 6. Hortonville 7-2, 54; 7. Waunakee 9-1, 37; 8. Stoughton 9-2, 36; 9. Pewaukee 9-3, 22; 10. Plymouth 9-2, 16. 

Others receiving votes: Ashwaubenon 1.

Division 3

1. Wrightstown (2) 10-1, 88; 2. Edgewood (4) 7-3, 85; 3. Whitewater (4) 9-1, 83; 4. Freedom 10-1, 63; 5. Martin Luther 9-1, 60; 6. Bloomer 9-1, 53; 7. Valders 11-1, 44; 8. Richland Center 9-1, 37; 9. Kewaunee 9-2, 21; 10. Waupun 8-3, 17. 

Others receiving votes: Marshall 1.

Division 4 

1. Aquinas (7) 10-0, 95; 2. Lourdes Academy (3) 8-1, 85; 3. Laconia 12-0, 84; 4. Neillsville 11-0, 69; 5. Wisconsin Heights 9-0, 66; 6. Howards Grove 9-1, 43; 7. Melrose-Mindoro 11-0, 36; 8. Kenosha Saint Joseph Catholic Academy 6-3, 25; 9. Marathon 9-2, 20; 10. Mineral Point 7-3, 14. 

Others receiving votes: Wittenberg-Birnamwood 10, Ozaukee 1, Dominican 1, Cuba City 1.

Division 5

1. Clayton (10) 10-0, 100; 2. McDonell Central 10-1, 83; 4. Black Hawk 10-0, 63; 5. Newman Catholic 9-3, 50; 6. Shullsburg 7-2, 42; 7. Flambeau 6-1 41; 8. Riverdale 8-2, 31; 9. Tri-County 11-0, 27; 10. Loyal 10-3, 20.  

Others receiving votes: River Ridge 4, Royall 2, South Shore 2, Milwaukee Academy of Science 2, Living Word Lutheran 1.