The seventh annual Wisconsin vs. Illinois Border Battle is set for Saturday at The Prairie School in Racine with seven teams from Wisconsin taking on seven teams from Illinois.
Tickets will be sold at the door ($10 for adults, $5 for students and seniors) and games will be streamed at justagame.com with a select few games on Zaleski Sports.
Following is a brief preview for each of the contests:
11:00 a.m.
Mukwonago (WI) vs. Waubonsie Valley (IL)
Waubonsie Valley comes in with a 22-1 record and a No. 13 ranking among all teams in Illinois by Prep Hoops Illinois. The Warriors boast three highly regarded prospects in seniors Tyreek Coleman (6-2) and Moses Wilson (6-5) along with sophomore Kris Mporokoso (6-3). Coleman is ranked as the No. 6 prospect in Illinois’ 2025 class and has committed to Illinois State. Wilson is uncommitted, but is ranked No. 15 in the senior class. Mporokoso is ranked as the No. 8 sophomore by Prep Hoops Illinois. Waubonsie Valley competes in the DuPage Valley Conference. Mukwonago 9-5 under coach Steve Pollnow and competes in the Classic Eight Conference. The Indians have four players averaging in double figures — senior Caleb Poling (6-5) at 12.7 ppg, sophomore Evan Ploeckelman (6-6) at 11.7 ppg, senior Josh Hayden (6-3) at 10.6 ppg and senior Peyton Pollnow (6-1) at 10.4 ppg. Ploeckelman is considered one of Wisconsin’s top prospects in the 2027 class.
12:30 p.m.
New Berlin West (WI) vs. Buffalo Grove (IL)
New Berlin West might be a slight favorite in this game based on records alone as the Vikings own a 10-5 mark while Buffalo Grove sits at 8-16. However, Buffalo Grove plays a very difficult schedule so the Bison will be battle tested for the contest. New Berlin West could be a year away from battling the likes of Pewaukee, Wisconsin Lutheran and West Allis Central for the top spot in the loaded Woodland West Conference as coach Scott Cook relies heavily on underclassmen. Sophomore Jayce Cook (6-1), the son of the Vikings’ head coach, leads the team in scoring at 14.6 ppg followed by junior Evan Kern (6-2) at 14.0 ppg, sophomore Zach Hewitt (6-4) at 13.2 ppg, junior Elijah Gammage (6-3) at 8.1 ppg and senior Josh Krier (6-3) at 6.9 ppg. Buffalo Grove competes in the Mid-Suburban East Conference and is led by sophomore Alex Sirbu (6-9) and seniors Tyler Baker (5-10) and Peyton Kosnoff (6-0).
2:00 p.m.
Kenosha St. Joseph (WI) vs. Northridge Prep (IL)
Northridge Prep leads the Independent League standings in the Chicago area with a 6-0 record. The Knights are 16-5 overall through Jan. 28 and are coached by Will Rey, the former head coach at Loyola University in Chicago. Northridge is a Class AA school in Illinois with an enrollment of 230 boys. Northridge returns two players who have three years of varsity experience in seniors Evan Kataoka (5-8) and Bo Arnold (6-2). In addition, five other seniors also played significant minutes as juniors, including forward Nelson Goodrich (6-4) and guard Linus Coleman (6-1). Kenosha St. Joseph finished second in the WIAA Division 4 State Tournament the past two seasons and is led by sophomore Christopher Kenesie (5-11), junior Tomas Baez (5-11) and freshman Reymundo Garibay (5-10). Kenesie leads the team in scoring at 18.7 ppg followed by Baez at 14.6 ppg and Garibay at 10.5 ppg. The Lancers compete in the Metro Classic Conference and own a 8-6 record. Eric Kenesie, the star of the past two seasons at St. Joseph, is redshirting as a freshman at NCAA Division I Buffalo.
3:30 p.m.
Slinger (WI) vs. Prospect (IL)
One of Wisconsin’s top teams will take the court when Slinger takes on Prospect. Coach Alex Lavine of Slinger starts five underclassmen and that talented group has led the Owls to a 15-1 record and No. 5 state ranking by Prep Hoops Wisconsin. Leading the way for Slinger is sophomore Jack Kohnen (6-6), the state’s top-ranked class of 2027 prospect who owns scholarship offers from Iowa State and Marquette. Kohnen is averaging 22.3 points, 12.3 rebounds and 4.5 assists, and his versatility and completeness are vital to the Owls’ success. Kohnen’s younger brother, freshman Joey Kohnen (6-4), is another key performer for Slinger. Joey Kohnen is averaging 10.6 ppg and 4.8 rpg. Rounding out the rotation are juniors Brett Palm (5-11) at 8.1 ppg, Colton Mantz (6-4) at 8.4 ppg and Bryson Fogle (6-1) at 9.2 ppg. Prospect competes in the Mid-Suburban East Conference, owns a 10-13 record, and is led by senior sharpshooting senior wing Ryan Lifton (6-1) and senior forward Jack Skoog (6-4).
5:00 p.m.
Milwaukee Academy of Science (WI) vs. Warren Township (IL)
The featured game of the day pits two stellar teams with multiple collegiate prospects going head-to-head as Academy of Science takes on Warren Township. Coach Agape Keys Sr., has a loaded lineup at Academy of Science and the Novas bring a 14-1 record into the contest. Led by Iowa State recruit Jamarion Batemon (6-4), who is averaging 24.5 ppg, and Coastal Carolina recruit Devin Brown (6-7), who is averaging 17.8 ppg, Academy of Science checks in as a top five team in Wisconsin. Rounding out the starting rotation for Academy of Science are senior Agape Keys Jr. (6-4) at 17.4 ppg, senior Amare Jackson (6-4) at 11.9 ppg and junior Deuce Burkes (6-12) at 8.2 ppg. Warren Township brings a 15-7 record into the contest and competes in the North Suburban Conference. Sophomore guard Jaxson Davis (6-1) is ranked as the No. 3 player in Illinois by Prep Hoops and has received recruiting interest from a number of high-major NCAA Division I programs. Junior guard Braylon Walker (6-3) and senior forward Zach Ausburn (6-8) also are key performers for Warren Township.
6:30 p.m.
Waunakee (WI) vs. DeKalb (IL)
Waunakee is on a roll of late as the Warriors have won seven games in a row and are 14-2 under second-year coach Tyler Selk. Waunakee is led by the talented senior tandem of wings Kaden MacKenzie (6-4), who is averaging a team-best 17.3 ppg, and Eli Selk (6-4), who is averaging 14.8 ppg and a team-high 7.2 rpg. MacKenzie and Selk are multi-year varsity performers for the Warriors and both figure to go on to play at the next level. Seniors Jack Ellickson (9.2 ppg) and Trey Murray (8.6 ppg) along with sophomore Wes DuCharme (7.1 ppg) also play key roles for the Warriors, who are undefeated in seven games in the Badger North Conference. DeKalb plays in the highly competitive DuPage Valley Conference and is led by senior guard Sean Reynolds (6-1), a NCAA Division II recruit for D’Yourville in Buffalo. Junior Davon Grant (6-5) also is a key player for DeKalb, which owns a 5-1 league record and 16-6 overall mark.
8:00 p.m.
The Prairie School (WI) vs. Chicago St. Francis de Sales (IL)
Both teams have struggled a bit while playing most of their schedules against bigger schools. The Prairie School sits at 5-9 overall and 1-7 in the Metro Classic Conference and is led by senior point guard Carsen Eeg (11.0 ppg) along with sophomore trio of Chandler Perry (12.9 ppg), Dalton Ahlensdorf (10.7 ppg) and Ryan Vanoss (9.9 ppg). Freshman Emmett Wassil (7.6 ppg) has also played a big role for the Hawks. St. Francis de Sales, located on the far southside of Chicago, competes in the White Division of the Catholic Conference and is 5-14 under first-year coach Marcus Halliburton. Seniors Derrick Tharpe (6-1), Maurice Jackson (6-4), Jokubus Cepronas (6-7) and Marcus Halliburton (6-1) along with juniors Jacob Thompson (6-6) and Stephen George (6-6) are key players for the Pioneers.
Tag(s): WBY Shootout Border Battle