Division 3, Sectional 3: First Look

We continue a late summer trek through the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association sectionals, today looking at Division 3, Sectional 3.   Top Teams:   Columbus Edgerton Lake Country Lutheran Lake Mills Lakeside Lutheran Platteville Waupun Wisconsin Dells Overview:   Pre-season favorites to capture league titles in the rugged Capitol North, East Central, Midwest Classic, Rock Valley, South Central and Southern Wisconsin comprise the strength of this balanced and talented sectional. The move of Lake Country Lutheran from Sectional 4 to Sectional 3 only strengthens this grouping. Lake Mills and Lakeside Lutheran figure to slug it out once again in the Capitol North with Columbus playing a role in the proceedings as well. [player_tooltip player_id='1412881' first='A.J.' last='Bender'] is one of the state's top class of 2025 prospects and leads a Lake Mills squad that also boasts one of the state's elite long-distance shooters in [player_tooltip player_id='1745860' first='Brady' last='Benish'], and one of the better all-around athletes in the area in sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='2346694' first='Tyler' last='Wollin']. A mile or so away from Lake Mills, Lakeside Lutheran looks to get back to the WIAA State Tournament third consecutive season behind the return of two of the top players in the sectional -- senior point guard [player_tooltip player_id='2381695' first='Kaycee' last='Guzman'] and junior forward [player_tooltip player_id='2025184' first='Wes' last='Rahn']. Both players turned in stellar performances at the Kohl Center last March while helping the Warriors to a second-place finish in the Division 3 bracket. Edgerton is the overwhelming choice to win the Rock Division of the Rock Valley Conference, and the Crimson Tide might be the deepest team in the sectional. Coach Daryl Fox welcomes back four starters from an 18-win team, including shifty lead guard [player_tooltip player_id='1729222' first='Olin' last='Zellmer'] and physical forward [player_tooltip player_id='1561732' first='Bryce' last='Appel']. Newcomers from a 21-1 JV1 squad provide Edgerton with stellar depth. Platteville is the defending Southern Wisconsin winner and welcomes back the league's Player of the Year in [player_tooltip player_id='2390176' first='Lucas' last='Ludlum'] while Waupun features one of the top guards in the sectional in [player_tooltip player_id='1544740' first='Aiden' last='Hawkinson']. Wisconsin Dells is a dominant program in the South Central Conference and has a double/double player in 6-foot-8 senior [player_tooltip player_id='2493653' first='Jaren' last='Ward']. Pre-Season All-Sectional Team:    Rahn enjoyed a breakout summer playing alongside [player_tooltip player_id='1561944' first='Jacob' last='Hibner'] of Stoughton on the [program_tooltip program_id='2076023' first='Wisconsin' last='Academy'] 16U squad. His stellar play landed him scholarship offers at the NCAA Division II level from Northern Michigan and Winona State. A physical and skilled big man who can make mid-range jump shots and finish in the paint with his strength and verticality, Rahn helped Lakeside Lutheran to a runner-up finish in the WIAA Division 3 State Tournament last March. The first-team all-Capitol North Conference forward averaged 16.5 points and 11.6 rebounds as the Warriors finished 27-3 under coach Todd Jahns. Moreover, Rahn's aggressiveness, all-out hustle and non-stop energy made things very difficult for opposing big men as he consistently scored and rebounded at a high level in tournament play.     Bender's versatility, killer instinct and ability to score in bunches in the most intense minutes of any game have helped him earn NCAA Division II scholarship offers from Augustana, Jessup, Minnesota State -- Mankato, Minnesota State -- Moorhead and Northern Michigan. He can get to the rim off the dribble, bury some three-point jump shots or even post-up in the paint and use his quickness and athleticism to get around and above defenders. A varsity performer since his freshman year, Bender was named Player of the Year in the Capitol North as a junior after helping the L-Cats to a 23-4 record and the league title. He averaged 22.0 points and 4.7 rebounds, and begins his senior season with 1,616 points.     A two-time unanimous first-team all-Southern Wisconsin Conference performer and the returning Player of the Year in the league, Ludlum gets things done with all-out energy, aggressiveness and skill. He loves to get the ball on the wing and attack the basket and usually finishes through contact and above defenders. Ludlum helped Platteville to a banner season under coach Mike Huser in 2023-24 as the Hillmen finished 24-4. The 6-foot-2 wing averaged 15.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists for a balanced team. Those numbers likely will increase this time around as Ludlum and Co. must overcome the graduation losses of four standout players. Defesnively, Ludlum's quick hands, quick feet and strong anticipation skills helped him average 2.4 steals per game as a junior.     Hawkinson has taken steps forward in his basketball career each season, and he excelled over the spring/summer with the [program_tooltip program_id='2076033' first='Wisconsin' last='Playmakers']. His size, smarts and skill are tailor-made for a point guard. At 6-foot-3, Hawkinson has the height to see over defenders to deliver an assist. He also can shoot over smaller defenders and has improved his three-point accuracy. Hawkinson also is a handful to guard once he gets downhill as he has a nose for the basket and keeps his head up to find open teammates. The unanimous first-team all-East Central Conference performer averaged 19.3 points and 5.9 rebounds as a junior while helping Waupun to a 17-9 record. He is one of eight returning players for coach Alex Dunlap, and is a major recruiting target for several schools in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC).     Appel is eager to compete for a full season to show how important his play on both ends of the court is for Edgerton's success. Although a three-year varsity performer, Appel has missed substantial time the past two seasons with injuries. He did stay healthy over the spring/summer and was a very effective player for the [program_tooltip program_id='2076023' first='Wisconsin' last='Academy'] 17U squad. He showed the ability to score with his back to the basket, set screens and then pop out for mid-range jump shots, and clean the glass. His physical strength and athleticism allow him to play a bit bigger than his size. As a junior, Appel averaged 12.6 points and 7.8 rebounds in 16 games for the Crimson Tide.    Pre-Season Pick to Click: The bottom half of the sectional is crazy good and will lead to highly anticipated games at the regional level, much less the sectional round. Indeed, Beloit Turner, Columbus, Edgerton, Lake Country Lutheran, Lake Mills, Lakeside Lutheran, Watertown Luther Prep and Waupun all reside in the lower bracket and all enter the campaign with high hopes of winning a regional crown and advancing to sectionals with the idea of winning two more games to get to the state tournament. My pick to click is Edgerton. With a tremendous leader in senior point guard [player_tooltip player_id='1729222' first='Olin' last='Zellmer'], a physical inside presence with [player_tooltip player_id='1561732' first='Bryce' last='Appel'] and good perimeter shooting with [player_tooltip player_id='2346660' first='Jack' last='Fox'], the Crimson Tide have the required pieces to make a deep run. [player_tooltip player_id='1908469' first='Cole' last='Langer'] joined Zellmer, Appel and Fox in the starting rotation last season and helped the club to an 18-7 record. Senior Drew Gunderson, juniors Drew Coombs and Charlie Johnson, and sophomores Vinny Fox and [player_tooltip player_id='2731454' first='Eli' last='Kittleson'] figure to play a big role for coach Daryl Fox's team as well in 2024-25. As usual, Edgerton will prepare for the playoffs with a brutal non-league schedule that includes McFarland, De Forest, Mineral Point, Martin Luther, Wauwatosa West, Lakeside Lutheran, Oregon and Lake Mills. That rugged competition should toughen one of the grittiest and well-coached teams in the state.

We continue a late summer trek through the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association sectionals, today looking at Division 3, Sectional 3.