Excitement is building as the 5th and 7th grade boys and 8th grade girls basketball teams from Stanley-Boyd are ready to make their mark at the 2025 Wisconsin State Invitational Championship Tournament (WSICT), scheduled for March 29th and 30th. The 8th grade girls will be heading to Stevens Point, while the 5th and 7th grade boys will be in La Crosse, representing Stanley-Boyd in what promises to be an exciting and competitive weekend of basketball competition.
First organized in 2001 by The Great Northwest Basketball League (GNBL), the WSICT has grown significantly over the years. Initially starting with 215 teams across six grades, the tournament now hosts over 600 teams from across the state. The tournament’s field has expanded from about 36 teams per grade to an average of 80 teams per division, making it one of Wisconsin’s most highly anticipated basketball events.
The WSICT provides an opportunity for the best teams in northern, western, and central Wisconsin to face off against top-tier teams from all across the state. Results from every past tournament, including scores and All-Tournament Team selections, are available for review on the official WSICT website.
For the 8th grade girls team coached by Karyn Nitz and Cody Overgard, the season has been a journey of hard work, growth, and teamwork. Over the summer, the girls played in the Eau Claire YMCA middle school league, refining their skills while having fun. This experience was followed by months of preparation, with practices beginning in October and continuing through March, which overlapped with this regular basketball season in January and February. The team has faced some tough opponents in the GNBL league, but each challenge has only made them stronger and more determined.
“We’ve met some high-level 8th grade teams in the GNBL league losing a few games, but it has only pushed us to become stronger,” said Coach Karyn Nitz.
The 8th grade girls team will compete in pool play at the WSICT, where they will face teams from Pittsville, Columbus Catholic, and Blair-Taylor. The outcome of these games will determine their placement in the tournament bracket.
Meanwhile, the 5th grade boys team, coached by Travis Schindler, Matt Steinbach, and Kim Goettl, with Lance Weiland assisting, and the 7th grade boys team, coached by Matt Steinbach with David Steinbach and Kyle Sikora assisting, are also primed for their tournaments. These young athletes have worked hard to improve their skills each week and are ready to showcase their talents at the WSICT. Coach Matt Steinbach highlighted that the WSICT event brings together highly competitive teams from various leagues across the state.
“These boys were invited due to their success in the Great Northwest Basketball League (GNBL). It is an honor to be invited to this type of event and it will be a challenging environment for both teams, playing very experienced and highly-skilled teams. Both teams have been working to prepare for this challenge by having more frequent practices with higher expectations for focus and effort. The additional practice time that this event has provided has been great for the further development of individual skills, as well as team strategies and concepts.” He added, “The boys are excited for this experience and seem to understand the challenge and achievement this invitation represents.”
Coach Steinbach expressed his gratitude to the coaches who have helped prepare the teams. “I would like to extend a special thank you to the many coaches that have volunteered their time to help prepare these 2 teams. These include Tom Hause, David Steinbach and Kyle Sikora for 7th Grade and Kimi Goettl, Travis Schindler and Lance Weiland for 5th grade.”
The Stanley-Boyd Middle School and High School Archery teams are also heading to the State Competition held at the Woodside Dome in Wisconsin Dells on March 28th and 29th. Coach Brandy Pecha shares, “My middle school team will compete against roughly 30 other teams and the high school will compete against roughly 30 teams. We have high expectations for our middle school team to be bringing home a trophy for 1st or 2nd place as a team and qualifying a high school team this year.”
As the basketball and archery teams prepare for their respective tournaments, the community of Stanley-Boyd is eagerly cheering them on, proud of their dedication and the exciting journey ahead. GO Orioles!
All basketball games will be posted online at www.gnbl.org, where fans and family can follow along as the Stanley-Boyd teams continue their march toward the state championship.
Turn the page for Athlete of the Week and a photo display of the middle and high school archery teams!