Capped off by Monroe's thrilling victory over Waunakee, avenging a loss earlier in the season to the Warriors, and Stoughton's win over DeForest in a match-up of state-ranked teams, the Badger South won the Badger Challenge in boys basketball five games to three at Edgewood Friday and Saturday.
On Friday, Fort Atkinson and Oregon cruised to victory over their Badger North counterparts. Fort Atkinson won 57-29 over Baraboo, with Drew Evans leading the Blackhawks with a game-high 17 points in the win. In Friday's nightcap, Oregon got a game-high 15 points from Bryce Kerns as the Panthers won 62-43 over Portage.
Saturday's action started with a Beaver Dam win over Watertown, 55-54. Nate Abel led the way with 22 for Beaver Dam. In the second game, Mount Horeb pulled away in the second half, piling on the points after being tied at halftime with Edgewood and winning 72-58.
In the event's only overtime game, Monona Grove rallied past Sauk Prairie 58-50, and gave the Badger South a 3-2 lead in the Challenge at the time. Reedsburg, ranked #9 in Division 2 this week, tied up the standings between the conferences with a convincing 70-51 win over Milton, leading 44-12 at halftime.
#5 Stoughton defeated #6 DeForest in the only ranked match-up of the Challenge. The game was tied at halftime, but 47 second-half points pulled the Vikings to victory behind four players scoring in double figures, led by Adam Hobson's 20.
A thrilling conclusion to the event came in the first-place contest, where Waunakee and Monroe rematched from an earlier non-conference game this season won by Waunakee 72-63. Monroe avenged that loss by rallying past the Warriors for a 70-68 victory, overcoming 18 points from Caden Nelson and Jaxson Zibell with four players in double figures, led by Cade Meyer with 16 for the Cheesemakers.