NFL
By: Melo Williams
The third year of the 60Eight Basketball Tournament hosted at Madison College ended as one of the best if not the best year yet. Whatever the case may be, 60Eight Basketball tournament director Billy Kegler has the court vision of hosting a weekend community family basketball tournament with elite division one college basketball talent with an incredibly friendly welcoming staff.
A 60Eight Basketball Tournament merchandise booth was available along with other local businesses as vendors from the Madison area like ESPN Madison, Wisconsin Army National Guard, TDS Metro, TTF, and Frios Gourmet Pops (popsicles).
The tournament featured 8 teams. No. 2 ranked Wisconsin Lutheran Vikings, No. 3 Oshkosh North Spartans, No. 4 Lakeville North Panthers (MN), No. 5 Onalaska Hilltoppers, No.6 Stoughton Vikings, No. 8 Lake Mills L-Cats, Verona Wildcats, and the Waunakee Warriors.
The championship game was between Wisconsin Lutheran Vikings defeated the Lakeville North Panthers, five-star Kon Knueppel vs three-star Jack Robison and it lived up to the hype.
Wisconsin Lutheran defeated Lakeville North 68-63 with Knueppel leading the way for the Vikings with a game-high 33 points. Knueppel shot 9-of-17 from the field, including 5-of-9 from 3-point range, along with seven rebounds, seven assists, and three steals in the win.
Jack Robison finished with 17 points on 5-of-16 shooting. Robison scored 12 of his 17 points in the second half while securing four rebounds and two assists.
The 60Eight Tournament was highlighted by numerous D1 commits and a D2 from Wisconsin and Minnesota.
Wisconsin Lutheran Kon Knueppel (Duke), Lakeville North Jack Robison (Wisconsin), Onalaska’s Evan Anderson (South Dakota), Oshkosh North’s Stevie Clark (Colgate), and Stoughton’s Ty Fernholz (Michigan Tech) a NCAA Division II.
Xzavion Mitchell of Oshkosh North is a junior who holds offers from Wisconsin and Iowa State.
I spoke with the tournament director Billy Kegler about the tournament and he was happy with the turnout by the people of the community coming out to watch some high-level basketball games and was extremely pleased with the staff, teams, coaches, and players all doing their part to make year three an unforgettable experience for everyone.
I also asked Billy about the match-up between Kon Knueppel and Jack Robison and how they lived up to the hype, he said: “You see why they’re going to a high-level school. They play under control, they don’t get sped up by anybody else, and they control their teams.”
Hear more of the interview with Billy Kegler: https://x.com/_melowilliams/status/1736528108675588200?s=20…
60Eight Basketball Tournament Awards
Tournament Champions Wisconsin Lutheran Vikings
Tournament MVP Kon Knueppel (Wisconsin Lutheran)
All-Tournament Team Cam Williams (Verona) Evan Anderson (Onalaska) Matt Drake (Lakeville North) Jack Robison (Lakeville North) Logan Rindfleisch (Wisconsin Lutheran) Kon Knueppel (Wisconsin Lutheran)
Showcase Game MVP’s Game #1: Stevie Clark (Oshkosh North)
Game #2: Jake Bova (Waunakee)
Onalaska vs. Wisconsin Lutheran (Semifinal #1)Wisco Lutheran 77, Onalaska 61
Lakeville North (MN) vs. Verona Area (Semifinal #2)Lakeville North 105, Verona 74
Oshkosh North vs. Stoughton (Showcase Game #1)Oshkosh North 86, Stoughton 84 (2OT)
Onalaska vs. Verona Area (Consolation Game)Onalaska 66, Verona 53
Wisconsin Lutheran vs. Lakeville North (MN) (Championship Game)Wisco Luth. 68, Lakeville North 63
Lake Mills vs. Waunakee (Showcase Game #2)Waunakee 84, Lake Mills 75
Observation: Wisconsin high school basketball has always been in a good place and the 60Eight Basketball Tournament showed that is still the case. When programs like Duke, North Carolina, Michigan State, Kentucky, USC, Texas, and other blue chip schools come recruiting in your state, that says its elite talent is there to be found. Wisconsin prep basketball will only continue to grow when tournaments like the 60Eight Basketball tournament are organized highlighting the best talented players in the state because one thing is for sure Wisconsin breeds hoopers.
As I sign out from the 60Eight Basketball tournament, I truly enjoyed myself watching some of Wisconsin’s best basketball talent and the community of Madison Wisconsin, and I’m looking forward to year four of the 60Eight Basketball Tournament.
For more information about the 608 Basketball Tournament please visit: https://60Eightbasketball.com
Follow Melo on X and Instagram: @_MeloWilliams
