It’s Friday night which means it’s time for some high school basketball. And with it being the second week in January, conference season is in full swing. It’s the time where teams gain some separation in the standings and where we learn about the contenders. The Classic 8 has a full slate of games with all the Waukesha schools in action including some rivalry games.
Here’s a listing of the games with my predictions (The winner is in bold):
Girls
Waukesha North (7-4 overall, 2-4 Classic 8) vs. Waukesha West (3-6, 2-4)
While West has lost three of its last four games, the Wolverines have had a chance in almost every game. West’s losses have been by an average of just six points with its last two (Arrowhead and Catholic Memorial) by a combined five points.
North, meanwhile, was brought back to Earth a bit on Tuesday after falling to Pius XI, 53-37, ending its impressive five-game winning streak.
But losing to the conference leader who is undefeated and a perennial contender to win the state title is nothing to be ashamed about. It’s a home game for West which could give them an advantage but it doesn’t appear this young North team will be fazed and the Kelliher sisters will have big games for the victorious Northstars.
Waukesha South (5-6, 2-4) vs. Pius XI (10-2, 6-0)
South has had a tough schedule and has battled hard including a narrow two-point loss to defending Division 1 state champion Nicolet earlier this month. They also have one of the conference’s best players in senior guard Eileen Van Horn, but Pius is too balanced and will get the win to stay unbeaten in league play.
Kettle Moraine (2-8, 2-4) vs. Catholic Memorial (3-8, 2-4)
Both teams have looked for consistency and a winning streak to build off of. Memorial, which is coming off a nice three-point win over Waukesha West on Tuesday, will get this one and in the process string together its first winning streak of the year.
Boys
Waukesha West (6-6, 3-3) vs. Waukesha North (8-4, 3-3)
Pius and Arrowhead appear to be the class of the conference, with both Waukesha teams fighting to emerge from the middle of the pack. After a rough 2010-11 season for the Northstars they are a pleasant surprise. West, meanwhile, already has the same amount of losses it had all of last year when it finished 19-6 and 11-3 in league play. It’s a road game for the Wolverines, but we’ll go with West in this one and will turn around its season in the process.
Pius XI (9-2, 5-1) vs. Waukesha South (1-11, 0-6)
It’s the league’s first-place team vs. the Classic 8’s last place team and the differences between these two teams will show with Pius winning in convincing fashion keeping the Blackshirts winless in conference play.
Catholic Memorial (6-5, 2-4) vs. Kettle Moraine (4-7, 2-4)
Like the girls teams, both these boys teams have struggled recently. This was after Memorial began the season 5-2. We’ll predict that despite being on the road, the Crusaders will win this one giving the Lasers their fourth straight loss.
All varsity games are at approximately at 7:30 p.m. after the conclusion of the JV games.
There’s plenty of intriguing games around the area tonight, so be sure to check JSOnline, NOW Newspapers and LivingLakeCountry.com for updates.