State Tournament Preview: Division 4

<p>Breaking down the WIAA Division 4 state tournament, which will be played  Friday at the La Crosse Center…</p> <p><strong>(1) THE PRAIRIE SCHOOL (23-3) </strong></p> <p><em>Road to State:</em></p> <p>Defeated Living Word Lutheran 89-49</p> <p>Defeated Williams Bay 76-43</p> <p>Defeated Fennimore 70-62</p> <p>Defeated Cuba City 82-77</p> <p>Two of The Prairie School’s three losses this season were handed down by D3 favorite Racine St. Catherine’s.  The Hawks finished second in a very good Metro Classic Conference and knocked off arguably the top team in Division 4, Cuba City, in the sectional finals to make it to La Crosse. Northern Michigan commit [player_tooltip player_id="879983" first="Antuan" last="Nesbitt"] is one of three players averaging in double figures scoring this season and is an easy pick for first-team All-State honors in D4.</p> <p><strong>(4) LUTHER (19-1)</strong></p> <p><em>Road to State:</em></p> <p>Defeated Melrose-Mindoro 48-29</p> <p>Defeated Bangor  67-61</p> <p>Defeated Necedah 75-60</p> <p>Defeated Blair-Taylor 46-44</p> <p>The Coulee Conference champions secured their state berth with a victory over powerhouse Blair-Taylor. Luther’s victory over Bangor in the regional finals was also nothing to scoff at. Outside of one hiccup against West Salem, Luther has been consistently strong all year.</p> [caption id="attachment_1117348" align="alignright" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/01/20210116_1514480.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1117348 size-medium" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/01/20210116_1514480-300x155.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="155" /></a> [player_tooltip player_id="879988" first="Preston" last="Ruedinger"][/caption] <p><strong>(2) LOURDES ACADEMY (23-5)</strong></p> <p><em>Road to State:</em></p> <p>Defeated Manawa 109-59</p> <p>Defeated Shiocton 85-56</p> <p>Defeated Manitowoc Lutheran 68-52</p> <p>Defeated Sheboygan Lutheran 85-66</p> <p>Lourdes Academy was perfect in Trailways East Conference play this season, edging Hustisford, who is the top seed in Division 5. Playing a loaded schedule, the Knights have also knocked off the likes of  Darlington, Sheboygan Lutheran, and Waunakee. Of their five losses, two of those teams are still alive in the state tournament.  Senior guard [player_tooltip player_id="879988" first="Preston" last="Ruedinger"] is one of the top available players in the 2021 class, holding a handful of Division 2 scholarship offers.</p> <p><strong>(3) EDGAR (23-2)</strong></p> <p><em>Road to State:</em></p> <p>Defeated Abbottsford 76-44</p> <p>Defeated Marathon 50-38</p> <p>Defeated Hurley 54-36</p> <p>Defeated Clear Lake 74-60</p> <p>Edgar won a very talented Marawood South Conference with an impressive 14-1 record in league play. The Wildcats have caught fire as of late, winning 18-straight games, including 16 by double digits. Edgar gets production from a variety of different areas, making them one of the toughest teams to game plan against.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>PLAYERS TO WATCH</strong></p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="879983" first="Antuan" last="Nesbitt"]  (The Prairie School)</p> <p>A versatile, athletic, and all-around wing prospect, Nesbitt averages 20 points, seven rebounds, and five assists per game. The Northern Michigan commit presents a ton of mismatch problems at 6-foot-4 with his plus length and his ability to not only handle the point guard duties, but slash to the bucket, and score from the block.</p> <p><strong>Gavin Proudfoot (Luther)</strong></p> <p>Proudfoot is averaging 15.4 points and 8.3 rebounds per game this season.  The junior forward has a good blend of physicality and finesse for a post prospect. At 6-foot-7, Proudfoot can own the paint offensively and defensively.  </p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="879988" first="Preston" last="Ruedinger"] (Lourdes Academy)</p> <p>Ruedinger does just about everything for Lourdes Academy. The senior guard is putting up 26.5 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game this season. Ruedinger holds scholarship offers from Michigan Tech, Winona State, and Saint Leo. Division 1 programs have also been calling this season. A skilled, high-IQ floor general and a knockdown shooter, Ruedinger has hit 95 triples this season while shooting  41.5 percent from distance.</p> <p><strong>Konnor Wolf (Edgar)</strong></p> <p>The engine for this Edgar squad, Wolf averages 9.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game. The senior guard is shooting 51 percent from the field. Wolf has dished out five or more assists in six games this season, including 12 dimes against Abbottsford earlier this season.</p>