Ten years ago, Eau Claire North’s Larissa Parr stopped by the WQOW News 18 Studios for an interview, after she’d been named as one of five players on the Associated Press All-State first team.  Parr had a stellar senior season, but she and the Huskies wound up losing in a regional final, on their home court, to cross-town rival Memorial.

As we were chatting about that game, I was going down my laundry list of items that I thought contributed to its outcome.  Parr just looked at me and said, “If losing that game is the worst thing that’s going to happen in my life, then I’m going to have a very happy life.”  I was struck at that moment by the fact that a high school senior, no less, could have such perspective–then again, Parr was one of the top students in her class, so her astute comment should not have been that much of a surprise.

Wednesday, I found myself once again in the North H.S. gym, this time talking to Huskies head coach Michelle Peplinski, about how her team was dealing with a weather-related postponement of its game with Appleton East.  Just one day before, at UWEC’s Zorn Arena, we’d had practically the same conversation.  Some may have been mad at the world, Mother Nature, the WIAA, and everything in between, but Peplinski had a Parr-like perspective on the whole situation, saying, “It’s not like we’re dealing with a hurricane or a tsunami here.”

You’d figure Peplinski would have a positive perspective on some constantly changing travel plans.  After all, it was her father who donated a kidney when Peplinski’s  husband, Mike, a former U.S. Olympic curler, needed a transplant.   Situations like that one certainly reinforce the notion of not sweating the small stuff.

Both Michelle and Mike Peplinski are also teachers in the Eau Claire district, which means they deal with fluid situations in the classroom on a daily basis.   Over in Altoona, Ryan Wundrow faces similar challenges in his kindergarten class.

Wundrow is also the head girls basketball coach at Altoona, and for a second straight season, has guided a team on a surprising playoff run to the state tournament.  The Railroaders mirror their coach: not big, but with relentless energy, and an ability to stay positive and keep battling when it would be really easy to throw in the towel.

The week prior to state should be a time for teams and coaches to bask in the glow, but Wundrow ‘s had a few extra things on his plate: on Monday, reserve guard suffered a knee injury Lisa Peck that will keep her out of the state tournament.  Wednesday, on the way to Madison, the Railroaders’ bus broke down just east of Mauston on I-94.  It would be easy for Wundrow to moan and groan about his bad luck, but his goal was to use the bus breakdown as a learning experience: yet another example of how it’s not what happens to you that matters, it’s how you react to it.

Regis is the third team from the EC metro to make it to Madison, and as far as I’m aware, head coach Brady Hoolihan hasn’t been dealing with weather-related postponements, season-ending injuries, or bus breakdowns–but knowing Brady, he’s probably using the North & Altoona experiences in a message for his team to appreciate what they have going.

Yes, it’s unfortunate that the weather has impacted the North Huskies’ postseason journey, much like it’s unfortunate that Altoona’s bus broke down.  Still, the Railroaders got to Madison, thanks to a replacement bus.   North’s road to Madison, still goes through Stevens Point, and still requires a win over Appleton East–granted, a few days after originally scheduled.

 Should the WIAA review the Super Tuesday format in light of this week’s weather-related issues?  Yes, but then again, that review process would have happened anyway, even if the weather had been 50 & sunny all this week.   Besides, it’s not like the new format for postseason high school basketball has been drafted on stone tablets.    Still, whatever tweaks may be made (or not made), there are sure to be plenty of critics–it’s just how it goes in sports.

Plenty of life challenges await the players on the North, Altoona, and Regis teams.  For the remainder of this week, they can focus on one thing: playing basketball.  The rest of us can sit back and enjoy the show…wherever and whenever it happens.

-BOB BRADOVICH

Posted under Hometown Sports

I felt fine about my boys basketball picks…but the upsets began in the regional quarterfinals, and continued all the way through the finals, leaving my brackets in total disarray.  

Still, there’s another opportunity to save face: by attempting to do a better job of prognosticating when it comes to the girls basketball tournament.  Have I mentioned that I correctly picked 9 of the 12 teams to make it to the state hockey tournament?  I thought so…

DIVISION 1

Marshfield gets the top seed in the sectional; plus, to get to state, the Tigers have the advantage of playing three games on their home court.   Eau Claire North is the #2 seed, but in recent years, Marshfield has been the nightmare to the Huskies’ dreams of getting to state for the first time since 1981.  North’s program has simply been too good for too long for this drought to continue.   Call it a homer pick, call it overreacting to Marshfield’s 4-point win at Altoona, but I’ll go on record saying ECN finally breaks through and makes it to Madison.  Still, the Huskies will have their hands full in the sectional semis (a potential 3rd game with Chippewa Falls) to even get to that sectional final.  After that, it’s a Super Tuesday matchup…but I think ECN’s got the right pieces (a heady point guard in Kaley Bernhardt, an athletic post presence with Alicia Olson,  solid wing players like Kayonna Lee and Kayla Hagedorn) to be get to the Kohl Center.

Regional semifinals: DCE over Hudson
Regional finals: Marshfield over DCE, ECM over Superior, CF over LCC, ECN over WW

Sectional semifinals: Marshfield over ECM, ECN over CF
Sectional final: ECN over Marshfield
Super Tuesday: ECN over Appleton North

Other Super Tuesday winners: Nicolet, Milwaukee Pius, Middleton

DIVISION 2

Rice Lake defeated Hayward during the regular season, 58-57, but the Hurricanes got the #1 seed, mainly on the strength of their record (14-0 in the Heart O’North, 18-3 overall).  The Warriors, meanwhile, are a #3 seed after a 11-11 season.  Still, look at Rice Lake’s schedule, and you’ll see that Tim Lipke’s club played some tough teams very close…but they’ve also lost games they could have won.   I’m usually not one to pick a lot of upsets in brackets, but I have a feeling that Rice Lake can go on a postseason run, much like Altoona did last year.

Regional quarterfinals: River Falls over Menomonie, Rice Lake over New Richmond
Regional semifinals: Hayward over River Falls, Rice Lake over Ashland
Regional finals: Rice Lake over Hayward

Sectional semifinals: Rice Lake over La Crosse Logan, Lakeland over Antigo
Sectional final: Rice Lake over Lakeland

Other sectional winners: Baraboo, Luxemburg-Casco, New Berlin Eisenhower

DIVISION 3

Neillsville district administrator John Gaier took over head coaching duties out of necessity, but with yearly success on the court, there’s been no reason for him to leave the job to someone else.  Gaier’s teams always play some of the best defense around, but give the Warriors a scorer named Lindner (Jodi in 2006, Jenny (just a freshman but leading the team with a 16.3 points/game average) in 2011, and the result will be Neillsville’s 3rd trip to state with Gaier at the helm.

Regional quarterfinals: SCF over SCC, Osceola over Unity, C-W over NW, Barron over Spooner, Bloomer over Cumberland, Durand over Ellsworth, Prescott over B-W, BRF over Arcadia, West Salem over G-E-T.
Regional semifinals: Amery over SCF, Somerset over Osceola, Ladysmith over C-W, Barron over Bloomer, Altoona over Durand, Mondovi over Prescott, Neillsville over BRF, Aquinas over West Salem.
Regional finals: Amery over Somerset, Barron over Ladysmith, Altoona over Mondovi, Neillsville over Aquinas

Sectional semifinals: Amery over Barron, Neillsville over Altoona
Sectional final: Neillsville over Amery

Other sectional winners: Edgerton, Chilton, Dominican

DIVISION 4

EC Memorial Sectional

Regis head coach Brady Hoolihan is not a fan of losing, but Ramblers got a nice wake-up call in the form of a 47-41 loss to Neillsville in the Cloverbelt Playoffs.   The video from that game will give Hoolihan some great teaching points, because it won’t be the last time that a team will try to clamp down on Regis standout Heather Bowe, nor will it be the last time an opponent looks to control tempo on the Ramblers.  I say the teaching points pay off, and Regis gets to the Kohl Center, although teams like Fall Creek, Colfax, Owen-Withee, & Boyceville (with veteran coaches in Jason Martzke, Joe Doucette, Al Guthman, & Jolene Bird) will have some interesting game plans cooked up for the Ramblers.

Regional quarterfinals: Glenwood City over Webster, Clear Lake over Spring Valley, Cameron over Chequamegon, Flambeau over Phillips, Fall Creek over Elk Mound, O-F over Augusta, Colfax over Cadott, Athens over Stanley-Boyd, Thorp over Abbotsford.
Regional semifinals: Boyceville over Glenwood City, Grantsburg over Clear Lake, Hurley over Cameron, Washburn over Flambeau, Regis over Fall Creek, Colfax over O-F, O-W over Athens, Colby over Thorp.
Regional finals:  Boyceville over Grantsburg, Washburn over Hurley, Regis over Colfax, O-W over Thorp

Sectional semifinals: Boyceville over Washburn, Regis over O-W
Sectional final: Regis over Boyceville

Baraboo Sectional

Regional quarterfinals: B-T over Pittsville, Mel-Min over Necedah
Regional semifinals: Whitehall over B-T, E-S over Mel-Min
Regional finals: E-S  over Whitehall

Sectional semifinals: Westby over E-S, Belleville over Fennimore
Sectional final: Belleville over Westby

Other sectional winners: Oshkosh Lourdes, Oostburg

DIVISION 5

Spooner Sectional

Regional quarterfinals: Luck over Shell Lake, Frederic over Birchwood, Northwood over LCO, Winter over Solon Springs, South Shore over Butternut, Mellen over Bayfield, Drummond over Mercer, Lake Holcombe over Prairie Farm, New Auburn over Bruce, Clayton over Cornell, Turtle Lake over Gilman, Loyal over Marshfield Columbus, Greenwood over Rib Lake. 
Regional semifinals: Siren over Luck, Northwood over Frederic, Winter over Shouth Shore, Drummond over Mellen, Lake Holcombe over New Auburn, Turtle Lake over Clayton, Prentice over Loyal, Spencer over Greenwood.
Regional finals: Siren over Northwood, Winter over Drummond, Lake Holcombe over Turtle Lake, Prentice over Spencer.

Sectional semifinals: Siren over Winter, Prentice over Lake Holcombe
Sectional final: Siren over Prentice

La Crosse Central  Sectional

Regional quarterfinals: Independence over Plum City, Elmwood over EC Immanuel Lutheran, McDonell over Gilmanton, Alma/Pepin over C-FC
Regional semifinals: Independence over Elmwood, McDonell over Alma/Pepin
Regional finals: Independence over McDonell

Sectional semifinals: Independence over Royall, Seneca over Highland
Sectional final: Independence over Seneca

Other sectional winners: Wausau Newman, Black Hawk

Agree? Disagree? Feel free to post your comments, your picks, and your logic.  See you at the Kohl Center in 2 1/2 weeks.

-BOB BRADOVICH

Posted under Hometown Sports