The March to Madison Begins Tonight

If the Oak Creek Knights make it to the Kohl Center, they will have rightfully earned it.

The Lady Knights already face injury problems and possible rustiness. They are also in what's arguably the toughest sectional in the state, and the new WIAA playoff format makes getting to state more difficult.

Oak Creek is the two seed in their half of the bracket and will open up action Saturday night, hosting tenth-seeded Milwaukee Hamilton at 7 p.m. Hamilton defeated Milwaukee Pulaski on Tuesday 52-26 to advance to face the Knights.

Despite the low seed, the Knights won't take Milwaukee Hamilton lightly. Coach Steve Hluchnik scouted Hamilton and came away impressed.

“They have athletic, lanky posts that are twins that could cause problems,” said Hluchnik. “They also have three athletic guards who can all handle the ball.”

The Knights will counter Hamilton with an attack featuring the dynamic duo of Ashley Luke and Cydney Weisflog. Luke, a University of Illinois-Chicago recruit, averages 14.4 points and 7.6 rebounds per game, and Weisflog averages 12.7 points per game.

However, Oak Creek will have to replace starting guard Abby Styczynski, who is out for the entire tournament with mono.

If the Knights defeats Hamilton, they would take on the winner of the South Milwaukee-Milwaukee South game.

Although the matchup wouldn't be until a few rounds later, the game that has created a buzz is a possible Racine Case vs. Oak Creek tilt. Case, the number-one seed, has topped the Knights twice this season.

Hluchnik’s response when asked how they match up with Case: “Not good.”

“In a best-of-seven series, we may not be able to beat them,” he said. “On any given night for one game, we could definitely win.”

Even if Oak Creek would survive Case, they still will not be at state under WIAA rules. They would then advance to the new Super Tuesday game, which acts as a sectional final, and try to become one of four to make it to Madison. In the old format, eight Division 1 teams made it to state.

“I don’t like it," Hluchnik said. "Its appeasing to the smaller schools up north. It’s a lot tougher for the Division 1 schools, but the smaller divisions benefit.”

It is hard to blame him for not liking the format considering the teams possibly waiting for the Knights in a Super Tuesday game. They include the state’s top team Pius XI, the number-four team, Milwaukee Vincent, and Greater Metro Conference champion Brookfield Central.

Although the road is tough, Hluchnik knows his team will put up a strong effort. 

“There are not many teams that can match up with us if we play in our half-court offense," he said. "We're struggling with the lack of games down the stretch, but we will be sharp come game time.”

Sectional seeding

No. 1 Racine Case  (19-2 Overall, 14-0 Southeast Conference)
No. 2 Oak Creek (17-5, 12-2 Southeast Conference)
No. 3 South Milwaukee (15-7, 12-5 Woodland Conference)
No. 4 Racine Horlick (12-10, 6-8 Southeast Conference)
No. 5 Bradley Tech (19-3, 11-3 Milwaukee City Conference)
No. 6 Milwaukee South (8-12, 6-6 Milwaukee City Conference)
No. 7 Milwaukee Pulaski (ELIMINATED)
No. 8 Racine Park (2-20, 1-13 Southeast Conference)
No. 9 Milwaukee Bay View (ELIMINATED)
No. 10 Milwaukee Hamilton (12-6, 9-5 Milwaukee City Conference)