Whitnall, Eisenhower Boys Basketball Teams Set for Act III

It is often said that it is difficult for one high school sports team to beat another three times in one season.

The Whitnall Falcons boys basketball team will put that to the test Friday evening when they host the New Berlin Eisenhower Lions in a WIAA Division 2 regional semifinal at 7 p.m.

Whitnall defeated Eisenhower twice during the regular season as the teams shared the Woodland Conference Black Division title.

“There’s no surprises whatsoever,” Whitnall coach Kent Kroupa said. "The team that has the most heart, the one that’s most willing to fight for 32 minutes is going to win.

“Offense, defense, what’s going to be thrown at each other … both teams know that. It’s going to come down to the team with the most heart, and it’s a quick 32-minute deal because (the winner will) play 24 hours later. It’s a whole different approach, a whole different situation.”

Friday’s winner will play in a regional final at 7 p.m. Saturday at Waukesha West against either New Berlin West or Pewaukee of the Woodland Blue Division, which means that only one of the top four Division 2 teams in the conference will advance to next weekend’s sectional.

“I don’t know if it’s planned this way or what the WIAA wanted, but you don’t take the four best teams from the Woodland, who every year you can count on being good, and put the in the same region,” Kroupa said. “What you’ve done is immediately eliminate three good teams that might have had the chance to do well.

“But all four teams are in the same situation. They have to get through it the same way we do. That doesn’t make it easier or better. The coaches at the seeding meeting didn’t like it, but that’s just how it is.”

The two previous matchups between the squads were decided by 11 points or fewer, at Eisenhower on Feb. 18.

In that win, Whitnall’s Stephen Pelkofer scored a game-high 24 points and Bryan Nagy chipped in 11 to help offset Eisenhower’s Reed Timmer’s 21 and Keith Kahlfeldt’s 20.

, Timmer scored 24, including 23 in the second half and Kahlfeldt had 13.

“They are a very talented team,” Kroupa said. “They come at you with Kahlfeldt and Timmer. Our philosophy is the same, you have to contain those guys and not let anybody else go crazy on us.”