Amherst girls enter AP state poll

WAUSAU - The matchup between the Amherst and Wittenberg-Birnamwood girls basketball teams on Tuesday will be a showdown for first place in the Central Wisconsin Conference-8.

It will also be a game between two state-ranked programs.

Amherst (13-1) broke into the Associated Press state basketball poll this week and is tied with Bloomer for ninth place in Division 3. Wittenberg-Birnamwood (14-0) moved up one spot this week to eighth in Division 4.

Amherst and Wittenberg-Birnamwood were among the 11 local boys and girls basketball programs that were ranked in the state poll,which was released Monday afternoon. The Tri-County girls team is the highest-ranked program out of that group as the Penguins (15-0) moved up two spots to fifth in Division 5.

RELATED: Local programs make jump in AP poll 

RELATED: Two local program break into state basketball poll 

Tri-County, the Central Wisconsin Conference-10 leader, is among three local programs ranked in Division 5. Loyal (14-3)  is ranked eighth, while Newman Catholic (12-4) is tied with Riverdale for ninth.

Wittenberg-Birnamwood is one of three local programs ranked in Division 4. Neillsville (13-1) and Marathon (13-3) are ranked seventh and 10th, respectively.

Columbus Catholic (15-0) is the highest-ranked local boys program. The Dons moved up a spot to No. 2 in Division 5, while Almond-Bancroft (11-2) remained eighth in the division.

Stevens Point Area Senior High (13-2) remained No. 3 in Division 1. Edgar (12-2) is ranked eighth in Division 4.

Both Loyal and Assumption received votes in Division 5.

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 30, 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:< strong>

GIRLS 

DIVISION 1

1. Appleton North (10) 17-0, 127, 1. 2. Milwaukee King (2) 18-0, 101, 2. 3. Mukwonago 16-1, 90, 5. 4. De Pere 15-2, 80, 6. 5. Germantown 15-2, 72, 6. Arrowhead 14-3, 51, 4. 7. Middleton 14-2, 50, 3. 8. Sun Prairie 13-3, 40, 10. 9. Hudson 13-2, 32, 9. 10. Bay Port 13-4, 12, 8. 

Others receiving votes: Oak Creek 3, Madison East 2, 

DIVISION 2

1 Beaver Dam (!2) 16-0 120, 1. 2. West De Pere 14-0, 107, 2. 3. New Berlin West 16-1, 98, 3. 4. Monroe 14-2, 82, 4. 5.  Pewaukee 14-3, 66, 6. Plymouth 13-2, 54, 7. 7. Waunakee 14-2, 48, 8. 8. Stoughton 13-3, 34, 5. 9. Hortonville 10-3, 31, 9 10. Onalaska 12-4, 11, NR

Others receiving votes: New Berlin Eisenhower 10, Union Grove 8, Mount Horeb 1. 

DIVISION 3 

1 Whitewater (9) 14-1, 117, 1. 2. Martin Luther (1) 15-1, 10-4, 2. 3. Edgewood (2) 12-3, 88, 3. 4. Richland Center 14-1, 82, 4. 5. Freedom 14-2, 69, T5. 6. Wrightstown 13-2, 65, T5. 7.8 Valders 14-2, 51, 8. 8. Kewaunee 13-3, 35, 7. 9T. Amherst 13-1, 12, NR. 9T. Bloomer 13-3, 12, 9. 

Others receiving votes: Waupun 5, Hayward 5, West Salem 4, Southern Door 4, Marshall 4, Gale-Ettrick-Trempeauleau 3.

DIVISION 4 

1. Aquinas (9) 15-0, 116, 1. 2. Laconia (1) 18-0, 102, T2. 3. Lourdes Academy (2) 13-1, 97, T2. 4. Wisconsin Heights 15-0, 86, 4. 5. Melrose-Mindoro 15-0, 71, 5. 6. Howards Grove 15-1, 59, 6. 7. Neillsville 13-1, 49, 7. 8. Wittenberg-Birnamwood 14-0, 37, 9. 9. Mineral Point 13-3, 18, NR, 10. Marathon 13-3, 14, 8.

Others receiving votes: Cochrane-Fountain City 4, Ozaukee 4, Kenosha Saint Joseph Catholic Academy 3.

DIVISION 5 

1. Clayton (12), 15-0, 120, 1. 2. Black Hawk 15-0, 108, 3. 3. McDonell Central 13-2, 8, 2. 4. Flambeau 14-1, 80, 5. 5. Tri-County 15-0 68, 7. 6. Bangor 13-3, 65, 4. 7. Shullsburg 12-3, 44, 8. 8. Loyal 14-3, 25, 9. 9T. Riverdale 12-3, 23, 6. 9T. Newman Catholic 12-4, 23, 10.

Others receiving votes: MIlwaukee Academy of Science 7, Rio 5, Seneca 3, Living Word Lutheran 3. 

BOYS 

DIVISION 1

1 Oshkosh North (12) 14-0, 120, 1. 2. Kimberly 13-0, 107, 2. 3. SPASH 13-2, 92, 3. 4. Madison Memorial 15-2, 86, 4. 5. Brookfield Central 14-1, 69, 5. 6. Oak Creek 13-2, 47, 7. 7. Milwaukee Vincent 12-3, 46, 6. 8. Muskego 13-2, 38, 8. 9T. Bay Port 12-2, 17, NR. 9T. Arrowhead 11-4, 17, 9. 

Other receiving votes: Sun Prairie 10, Milwaukee Riverside University 7, Eau Claire North 2, Middleton 2. 

DIVISION 2 

1. La Crosse Central (5) 12-2, 113, 1. 2. Beaver Dam (7), 16-0, 111, 2. 3. Waunakee 12-1, 90, 3. 4. Stoughton 12-1, 80, 45. Pius XI 13-2, 67, 6. 6. Cedarburg 14-2, 54, 7. 7. Milw. Washington 12-3, 44, 9. 8. Pewaukee 14-2, 37, 5. 9. Onalaska 14-2, 28, 10. Whitnall 11-3, 26, 8. 

Others receiving votes:Pulaski 8, Kaukauna 2. 

DIVISION 3

1. Ripon (8) 14-0, 116, 1. 2. Appleton Xavier (4) 15-0, 112, 2. 3. Lake Mills 14-1, 94, 3. 4. C,olumbus 12-2, 70, 5. 5. Southern Door 12-1, 64, 6. 6. Bloomer 11-2, 48, 8. 7. Martin Luther 13-2, 42, 9. 8. Prescott 14-3, 38, 7. 9. Edgewood 11-4, 24, 10 10 Westby 12-2, 17, 4.

Others receiving votes: Waupun 15, Gale-Ettrick-Trempeauleau 12, Prairie du Chien 6,  New Holstein 2.

DIVISION 4

1. Destiny (8) 15-1, 116, 1. 2. Darlington (4) 15-0, 112, 2, 3. Young Coggs Prep 12-2, 89, 5. 4. Cochrane-Fountain City 13-0, 73, 7. 5. The Prairie School 13-2, 67, 4. 6. Regis 12-3, 55, 8. 7. Laconia 12-2, 54, 3.  8. Edgar 12-2, 48, 9. 9. Stanley-Boyd 11-2, 30, 6. 10. Spring Valley 10-3, 9, NR. 

Others receiving votes: Saint Mary's Springs 3, Shiocton 2, Markesan 1, Howards Grove 1.

DIVISION 5

1. Shullsburg (12) 14-0, 120, 2. 2. Columbus Catholic 15-0, 101, 3. 3. Seneca 15-0, 93, 4. 4T. Barneveld 11-2, 80, 1. 4T. Hilbert 14-1, 80, 5. 6. Bangor 12-1, 65, 6. 7. Gresham Community 11-2, 41, 7. 8. Almond-Bancroft 11-2, 31, 8. 9. McDonell Central 9-3, 27, 9. 10. Alma-Pepin 10-3, 12, 10.

Others receiving votes: Rio 4, Milwaukee Academy of Science 2, Loyal 2, Black Hawk 1, Assumption 1.