Division 4, Sectional 4: First Look

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We continue a late summer trek through the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association sectionals, today looking at Division 4, Sectional 4.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Top Teams:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Cambridge<br>Howards Grove<br>Kohler<br>Living Word Lutheran<br>Manitowoc Lutheran<br>Milwaukee Juneau<br>Roncalli<br>St. Mary's Springs</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Overview:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Milwaukee Juneau and Howards Grove immediately jump out as two of the top teams in Sectional 4. Milwaukee Juneau is led by the state's top-ranked class of 2027 prospect in [player_tooltip player_id='2194315' first='Dooney' last='Johnson'], a 6-foot-5 guard who plays with a very high basketball IQ and can score from all over the court while also guarding virtually any position. His length, size and mobility are all big assets for the Pioneers. Howards Grove is a perennial sectional title-contender and a power in the Big East North Conference. The Tigers have a deep team with plenty of young talent, but at the same time are led by a senior in guard [player_tooltip player_id='2403253' first='Trent' last='Grunewald']. Kohler ranks among the elite teams in the Big East South Conference and has three regulars back from a 25-win team in seniors [player_tooltip player_id='1599002' first='Zane' last='Willadsen'] (6-4), [player_tooltip player_id='2404504' first='Max' last='Breitenbach'] (6-3) and [player_tooltip player_id='2224504' first='Brody' last='Duchow'] (6-0). Roncalli brings back a wealth of experience and could very well end up as the team to beat in the always competitive Eastern Wisconsin Conference. Coach Josh Erickson has all five starters back from a team that won 15 games, including three double-figure scorers in [player_tooltip player_id='1561958' first='Donovan' last='Cowley'], [player_tooltip player_id='2625360' first='Matthew' last='Bonin'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2548143' first='Landon' last='Chalupny'] along with talented young players [player_tooltip player_id='2420137' first='Dominik' last='Frozena'] (6-5) and [player_tooltip player_id='2416199' first='Maddix' last='Gulseth'] (6-0). St. Mary's Springs competes in the Flyway Conference and the Ledgers hope to contend for the league crown behind the return of senior [player_tooltip player_id='2493705' first='Noah' last='Maul'] and sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1561911' first='Ben' last='Baker']. St. Mary's Springs has some good size with the return of Caden Pitz (6-4) and [player_tooltip player_id='2381687' first='Jack' last='Holzmann'] (6-3), and the addition of Plymouth transfer [player_tooltip player_id='2386694' first='Emmitt' last='Huhn'] (6-7). Cambridge and Living Word Lutheran are upstart programs that figure to make some noise this winter in the Capitol South and Midwest Classic conferences, respectively. <br><br><strong>Pre-Season All-Sectional Team:</strong><br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1598980"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66d7275057582"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">One of the top returning scorers in the state, Buckman is the go-to player for a Cambridge program looking to improve upon a 10-15 record and perhaps make a run for the Capitol South Conference crown in 2024-25. First-year head coach Alex Ranney has the returning Player of the Year in the league to build his first team around in Buckman, who averaged 25.7 points and 5.6 rebounds as a junior. A two-time first-team all-league performer, Buckman recently accepted a NCAA Division II scholarship offer from Hillsdale College. His ability to score off the dribble with his size, mobility and athleticism is very difficult to stop. Buckman begins his final year of high school basketball with 1,517 points. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2403253"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66d72750575ea"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Grunewald could very well be the best somewhat "under-the-radar" prospect in Wisconsin. Those in the Fox Valley area know of his talents, but outside of that area, he is not as well know as others in the 2025 class. That needs to change as Grunewald is a very talented basketball player with size, skill, strength and experience. The returning Player of the Year in the Big East North Conference can score in a lot of different ways, but equally important are his leadership skills and strong performances on the defensive end of the court. He averaged 19.1 points and 9.1 rebounds as a junior and helped Howards Grove to a 19-6 record under coach Wade Georgeff. Grunewald is receiving recruiting interest from WIAC and Division 3 private school colleges in the state and is poised for another big season for the Tigers. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2194315"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66d727505762e"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='2194315' first='Dooney' last='Johnson'], the son of former Milwaukee Juneau star Torre Johnson, is the state's top-ranked class of 2027 prospect in the Prep Hoops Wisconsin Player Rankings. He performed exceptionally well as a freshman at Juneau, averaging 24.7 points and 9.6 rebounds while helping the Pioneers to an 18-5 record. Johnson then turned in a strong showing on the club circuit with the talented [program_tooltip program_id='2391400' first='Team' last='Herro'] 15U squad, helping the team to a quarterfinal appearance on the highly prestigious EYBL circuit. Johnson can do a bit of everything on the court, but his best attribute might be his overall sense for what needs to get done in order to help his team win. An unselfish player, Johnson is one of four returning regulars for Juneau, a team many believe has the talent, size, depth and experience to win the Division 4 state championship in 2024-25. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1561958"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66d727505766e"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Cowley has the size, skill, strength and court awareness to make plays on both ends of the court. He is coming off a strong sophomore season for Roncalli as he helped the Jets to a Division 4 sectional appearance with a 12-point, 7-rebund, 4-assist performance in the regional title game win over Laconia. A second-team all-Eastern Wisconsin Conference choice as a sophomore, Cowley averaged team bests of 15.2 ppg and 7.6 rpg. He can score off the bounce, from the perimeter and from the foul line. A two-year varsity performer heading into his junior season, Cowley and his teammates from Roncalli enter the season with plenty of optimism with six key players back from a 15-13 squad.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1853685"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66d72750576ac"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Flickinger's game has evolved during his high school career from being primarily an attacking wing prospect to now being a player who can excel at either guard spot. Indeed, Flickinger showed this past summer he has the basketball instincts to run and offense thanks to his excellent court vision, size and play-making ability. Coming off a junior season where he led Clinton in scoring (24.7 ppg), rebounding (6.8 rpg) and assists (2.7 apg), Flickinger is hoping to lead a relatively young Clinton squad to success this winter in the Rock Valley Conference. The returning second-team all-league performer begins his fourth and final season of prep basketball with 1,207 points. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Pre-Season Pick to Click:</strong><br><br>Milwaukee Juneau has been in existence since the 1930s. The long-time Milwaukee City Conference school is located on the west side of Milwaukee, not all that far from American Family Field. The Pioneers have an old-school building with a home court right out of the movie "Hoosiers." During the long history of the school, no boys' basketball team from Juneau has ever played in the WIAA State Tournament. That could change in 2024-25. Although the enrollment at the Milwaukee Public Schools high school has dwindled to just 227 students, the number of talented basketball players at the 6415 Mount Vernon Avenue has never been higher. In addition to the previously mentioned [player_tooltip player_id='2194315' first='Dooney' last='Johnson'], the Pioneers boast three additional returning starters in junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2045272' first='Takis' last='Tyler'] (5-10), junior forward Jaden Haridem (6-3) and senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1598990' first='Raylen' last='Jones'] (5-11). Those four players helped Juneau to an 18-5 record a year ago. Although the Pioneers remain a young team, they are experienced. And the presence of a difference maker in Johnson could be enough for the Pioneers to finally make the journey west to Madison for the state tournament come March.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->