Eagles’ boys notch top seed

Sean McGann knows there are no guarantees. No promises. But McGann, Sauk Prairie’s boys basketball coach, likes the position his Eagles are in for the postseason. Sauk Prairie earned the No. 1 seed in its six-team WIAA Division 2 postseason pod. Lodi is the No. 2 seed, followed by McFarland, Madison Edgewood, Mount Horeb and Platteville. Sauk Prairie will have a first round playoff bye, then host the Edgewood-Mount Horeb winner in a regional semifinal Feb. 19. The regional final is Feb. 20, and the Eagles would host that if they’re still playing. “Really proud of our guys for earning the No. 1 seed, but that does not guarantee us anything,” McGann said. “We are going to have to play well to beat any of the teams in our regional.  “Is it exciting to get the 1? Yes, but we can’t fall in love with that. At the end of the day, it’s just a number and the best team will come through that regional.” The Eagles had a stellar week, which helped them secure the No. 1 seed. Sauk Prairie defeated Westfield, 42-27, on Feb. 2. The Eagles also upended Baraboo, 49-33, on Feb. 6 and improved to 10-3 on the year. Brandt Wilson had 19 points in the Eagles’ win over Westfield, while Kyle Breunig had six. Sauk Prairie also played suffocating defense, holding Westfield to eight points in the first half. The Eagles’ defense was outstanding against Baraboo, as well, as they held the Thunderbirds to nine first half points. Sauk Prairie built an 18-9 halftime lead and gradually pulled away in the second half. Wilson led the Eagles again with 19 points, while Devin Breunig added 14.  “Our effort was awful in the first half. I will live with missed shots, but to play with the level of passion that we did in that first half was unacceptable,” McGann said. “In the second half, we were a lot more excited and it started with our effort on the defensive end as well as Devin Bruenig’s offensive rebounding effort. Brandt Wilson hit some big shots for us and gave us a big spark when we needed it.” McGann also liked the fact he was able to go deep into his bench in both games and find playing time for his entire roster. “To go 2-0 in any week is always great, but to be able to play everyone in each of those games is going to help us down the road,” McGann said. “I told our guys that I won’t be playing 11 deep in each half of a playoff game, but that these minutes people are getting are extremely important for proving you can be trusted on the floor in meaningful minutes. The Eagles were at Watertown Monday, host Edgewood Thursday at 7:15 p.m. and are at Milton Feb. 13 at noon. And McGann hopes to close the season strong. “It feels like we are trending in the right direction, but we still have a long ways to go,” McGann said.     Feb. 2 SAUK PRAIRIE 42,  WESTFIELD 27 Westfield ………… 8 19 — 27 Sauk Prairie …….. 17 25 — 42 WESTFIELD (fg ft-fta pts) — Thompson 1 0-0 3; Holly 3 1-1 7; Gray 2 0-0 5; Kangas 2 0-0 4; Stuattacher 0 2-2 2; Hoffa 0 4-4 4; Barton 0 2-2 2. Totals 8 9-9 27. SAUK PRAIRIE — K. Breunig 2 0-0 6; I. Breunig 1 0-0 2; Bean 1 0-0 2; E. Breunig 2 0-0 4; Wilson 6 4-4 19; Drew 1 0-0 2; D. Breunig 1 1-1 3; Kirska 1 2-2 4. Totals 15 7-9 42. 3-point goals: W 5 (K. Breunig 2, Wilson 3); SP 2 (Thompson 1, Gray 1). Total fouls: W 11; SP 6.     Feb. 6 SAUK PRAIRIE 49, BARABOO 33 Sauk Prairie ……. 18 31 — 49 Baraboo …..……… 9 24 — 33 SAUK PRAIRIE (fg ft-fta pts) — Gibbs 2 0-0 4; Been 0 2-4 2; Uselman 2 0-0 4; E. Breunig 2 0-0 4; Wilson 6 1-3 19; D. Breunig 6 1-3 14; Ballweg 0 2-2 2. Totals 18 6-12 49. BARABOO — Mistele 2 0-0 4; Vittengl 1 8-12 10; McReynolds 2 1-1 5; Kelly 1 0-0 2; Philipp 3 6-8 12. Totals 9 15-21 33. 3-point goals: SP 7 (Wilson 6, D. Breunig 1); B 0. Total fouls: SP 22; B 16.