2020-21 Preseason Top 10: Division 5

<p>The 2020-21 season will get underway later this month with actual competition kicking off on Dec. 1.  Prep Hoops  Wisconsin breaks down the race in Division 35with our preseason top 10 teams…</p> <h4>1.  Lourdes Academy</h4> <p>2019-20 Record: 22-3 (14-3 Trailways East)</p> <p>Key Returners: [player_tooltip player_id="879988" first="Preston" last="Ruedinger"]  (27.2 ppg),  Josh Bauer (15.5 ppg), Jack McKellips (10.9 ppg)</p> <p>Notable Losses: George Muench (8.2 ppg)</p> <p>Lourdes Academy gets it top three scorers back from last season, including Ruedinger, one of the top point guards in the state.  The Knights played a loaded schedule last season that featured Hustisford, DeForest, Laconia, Roncalli, and Milwaukee Academy of Science, and will be battle tested in 2020-21. </p> <h4>2. Blair-Taylor</h4> <p>2019-20 Record:  24-2 (14-0 Dairyland Small)</p> <p>Key Returners:  Kyle Steien (16.5 ppg), Matthew Waldera (15.3 ppg), Alec Riesmann (10.2 ppg)</p> <p>Notable Losses: Isaac Nerby (13.2 ppg)</p> <p>The Wildcats easily won the Dairyland Small Conference last season by a whopping four games. After surviving against Bangor, Blair-Taylor was also one game away from the state tournament.  Waldera, a versatile, do-it-all forward nearly averaged a double-double as a junior. </p> <h4>3. Sheboygan Lutheran</h4> <p>2019-20 Record: 25-1 (18-1 Big East-South)</p> [caption id="attachment_1025379" align="alignright" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/07/WISC-PLAY-16U-1-e1596039823183.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1025379" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/07/WISC-PLAY-16U-1-e1596039823183-300x250.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="250" /></a> [player_tooltip player_id="801141" first="Casey" last="Verhagen"][/caption] <p>Key Returners: [player_tooltip player_id="801141" first="Casey" last="Verhagen"] (19.7 ppg), Robby Michael (10.7 ppg), [player_tooltip player_id="880012" first="Jonah" last="Jurss"] (9.4 ppg)</p> <p>Notable Losses: [player_tooltip player_id="880969" first="Jacob" last="Ognacevic"] (39.4 ppg)</p> <p>Ognacevic, a Valparaiso commit, is gone, but the  Crusaders still have plenty of talent and numerous players who have helped win a ton of games over the last two seasons. Led by Verhagen, who averaged 20 points and 9 assists per game</p> <h4>4. Hustisford</h4> <p>2019-20 Record: 22-4 (12-2 Tailways-East)</p> <p>Key Returners: [player_tooltip player_id="764119" first="Dylan" last="Kuehl"] (24.0 ppg), Gavin Thimm (11.7 ppg)</p> <p>Notable Losses: Dylan Schmitt (18.7 ppg)</p> <p>Hustisford has arguably the best player in all of Division 5 in Kuehl, a Northern Michigan commit.  This team took heavy D5 title favorite Sheboygan Lutheran to the brink last season in sectionals. After Jan. 30, that was the only loss for the Falcons, who got hot at the end of the season by winning 12-straight games.</p> <h4>5. Randolph</h4> <p>2019-20 Record: 23-2 (12-2 Trailways West)</p> <p>Key Returners: Travis Alvin (14.0 ppg), Sam Grieger (13.3 ppg)</p> <p>Notable Losses: Peyton  Moldenhauer (13.5 ppg)</p> <p>The Rockets advanced to the sectional finals last season prior to the COVID-19 shutdown. Sharing the Trailways West conference title with Markesan, Randolph returns just about everything on its roster from 2019-20. </p> <h4>6. Wauzeka-Steuben</h4> <p>2019-20 Record: 22-3 (14-0 Ridge &amp; Valley)</p> [caption id="attachment_1030865" align="alignright" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/08/Gavin-Ralph.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1030865" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/08/Gavin-Ralph-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></a> [player_tooltip player_id="879992" first="Gavin" last="Ralph"][/caption] <p>Key Returners:   [player_tooltip player_id="879992" first="Gavin" last="Ralph"] (17.0 ppg)</p> <p>Notable Losses: [player_tooltip player_id="880984" first="Carter" last="Lomas"] (22.7 ppg), Jake Reichmann (10.7 ppg)</p> <p>Lomas, now at Winona State, will be tough to replace, but Ralph is more than ready for the spotlight. A versatile, athletic, and two-way player, Ralph led the team in rebounding and assists last season, while still averaging  17 ppg.</p> <h4>7. Bangor</h4> <p>2019-20 Record:  24-2 (14-0 Scenic Bluffs)</p> <p>Key Returners:  Zane Langrehr (14.5 ppg), Hank Reader (11.4 ppg)</p> <p>Notable Losses: [player_tooltip player_id="881036" first="Grant" last="Manke"] (22.7 ppg)</p> <p>Bangor won the Scenic Bluffs Conference by four games and took heavyweight Blair-Taylor down to the wire in the sectional semifinals. With six of their top seven scorers returning, Bangor should remain in contention even without last season’s leading scorer and rebounder Manke.</p> <h4>8. Port Edwards</h4> <p>2019-20 Record: 13-10 (5-7 Central Wisconsin South)</p> <p>Key Returners: Quinton Tranel (21.2 ppg), Nathan Gibbs (11.6 ppg), David Gibbs (10.8 ppg)</p> <p>Notable Losses: N/A</p> <p>A team that didn’t put up a great record last season, Port Edwards does absolutely reload in 2020-21. They were also victims of a tough conference where  over half the league was at .500 or better, including powers such as Wild Rose and Almond-Bancroft. With their top seven scorers back from last season, the Blackhawks should be one of the state’s most improved teams.</p> <h4><strong>9. Greenwood</strong></h4> <p>2019-20 Record: 13-10 (11-5 Cloverbelt  East)</p> <p>Key Returners: Weston Schmitz (18.1 ppg), Cooper  Bredlau (13.1 ppg)</p> <p>Notable Losses: Treyton Thomas (8.0 ppg)</p> <p>Greenwood returns four of its top five scorers from last season. The Indians finished third in a very strong Cloverbelt East Conference that featured two top contenders in Division 4.</p> <h4>10. Almond-Bancroft</h4> [caption id="attachment_1067515" align="alignright" width="200"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/10/SETH-BUNDERS-30.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1067515" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/10/SETH-BUNDERS-30-200x300.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="300" /></a> [player_tooltip player_id="1039283" first="Seth" last="Bunders"][/caption] <p>2019-20 Record: 21-3 (10-2 Central Wisconsin South)</p> <p>Key Returners:  [player_tooltip player_id="1039283" first="Seth" last="Bunders"] (10.0 ppg)</p> <p>Notable Losses:  Elijah Kollock (15.2 ppg)</p> <p>This team loses a lot, but Bunders can carry Almond-Bancroft. A skilled, exciting combo guard who can shoot, facilitate, and defend, Bunders is in store for a breakout sophomore season. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Honorable Mention: Wild Rose, Clear Lake, Hurley, Birchwood, Greenwood, North Crawford, Monticello, Shullsburg</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>