Southern Lakes Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2023-24 Final Standings</strong><br><br>1. Burlington 12-2 (20-6); 2. Westosha Central 11-3 (17-8); 3. Beloit Memorial 10-4 (21-6); 3. Waterford 10-4 (15-10); 5. Elkhorn 6-8 (13-13); 6. Badger 3-11 (8-17); 6. Union Grove 3-11 (8-19); 8. Wilmot 1-13 (7-18).<br><br><strong>2024-25 Picks</strong><br><br><strong>1. Westosha Central </strong>-- The Falcons' five-year stranglehold on the Southern Lakes championship ended last winter as Burlington edged out Westosha Central by a single game to capture the league crown. Coach James Hyllberg's squad figures to be in the mix once again this time around as he returns two of the league's best players in senior point guard [player_tooltip player_id='1289064' first='Elijah' last='Griffin'] (6-3, 20.4 ppg, 6.5 apg, committed to Cornell of Ivy League) and [player_tooltip player_id='1853679' first='Liam' last='Lubkeman'] (6-9, 13.0 ppg, 7.2 rpg, committed to Parkside). Both Griffin and Lubkeman are multi-year varsity performers who know what it takes to compete and win games. Seniors Austin Rynberg (6-4, 4.2 ppg, 3.5 rpg), Rex Longrie (6-4, 3.5 ppg, 2.1 rpg) and David Turner (6-4, 2.6 ppg, 3.1 rpg) also return. <br><br><strong>2. Waterford </strong>-- This team boasts two of the more exciting players in the entire Southern Lakes in junior wing [player_tooltip player_id='1561893' first='Caden' last='Gustafson'] (6-2, 17.2 ppg, 3.7 rpg) and senior point guard [player_tooltip player_id='1504816' first='Jamison' last='Beesley'] (6-3, 11.9 ppg, 7.1 rpg). Both players can be dynamic when they get it going ... Gustafson with his stellar long-range shooting skills and Beesley with his physicality off the bounce, excellent court vision and impact on the game across the board. Coach Nick Roeglin did lose three starters to graduation, but the return of Gustafson and Beesley keeps the Wolverines among the elite in the league. Outside of the return of those two players, Waterford has newcomers from JV1 and JV2 teams that finished a combined 42-2. Look for juniors [player_tooltip player_id='2847615' first='Colin' last='Lepisto'] (5-10) and Jayce Brechtl (6-6) to play key roles along with several juniors up from the JV1 squad.<br><br><strong>3. Beloit Memorial</strong> -- The most dynamic player in the Southern Lakes is back for coach Todd Marks at Beloit Memorial as elusive, quick and productive point guard [player_tooltip player_id='1561889' first='Amare' last='Hereford'] (6-1, 25.1 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 4.0 apg) returns for his junior season. Hereford, who owns NCAA Division I offers from Northern Illinois and Western Illinois, is a blur in the open court and is able to make what appears to be impossible shots off drives to the basket. He can also get it going from deep. Joining Hereford in the Knights' backcourt are juniors [player_tooltip player_id='1552453' first='Brock' last='Hodges'] (6-0, 8.6 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 3.6 apg), James Ford (5-9, 5.8 ppg, 1.7 rpg), JJ Martin (5-9, 2.1 ppg) and [player_tooltip player_id='2637210' first='Jatavion' last='Crawford'] (5-10, 4.7 ppg, 1.8 rpg). The big question mark for Beloit Memorial is interior play, but seniors Beckham Denu (6-3, 1.9 ppg, 1.2 rpg), Jeremiyah McCallister (6-4) and Tucker Sherrod (6-3) all showed improvement over the summer. <br><br><strong>4. Elkhorn</strong> -- Yes, the Elks lost top scorer Payton Moore (6-4, 15.5 ppg, 5.2 rpg) to graduation. But don't feel too sorry for coach Eric Larsen as Elkhorn brings back a very talented lineup even with the departure of Moore. Senior forward [player_tooltip player_id='2492545' first='Isaiah' last='Lomax'] (6-5, 8.2 ppg, 6.5 rpg) is one of the most improved players in the league and is set for a big year while senior point guard [player_tooltip player_id='2637177' first='Carter' last='Georgalas'] (5-8, 7.7 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 4.7 apg) makes up for his lack of size with tremendous quickness and grit. Toss in the brother combination of senior [player_tooltip player_id='2637168' first='Owen' last='Paddock'] (6-2, 10.4 ppg, 4.5 rpg) and junior [player_tooltip player_id='2492565' first='Luke' last='Paddock'] (6-3, 4.4 ppg, 2.4 rpg), along with senior wing La'Braun Jordan (6-1, 3.2 ppg, 1.5 rpg), and is easy to see why the Elks will be a tough opponent in 2024-25. <br><br><strong>5. Burlington</strong> -- The defending league champions lost five starters to graduation from a club that went 20-6, including top scorer and rebounder Connor Roffers (6-4, 16.4 ppg, 5.9 rpg, now playing at Winona State). However, the Demons have one of the best programs in the league and can absorb significant losses due to the great depth and number of players in the program. Co-head coaches Kyle Scott and Steve Berezowitz will rely heavily on talented and versatile junior [player_tooltip player_id='2492539' first='Grant' last='Sulik'] (6-5, 8.4 ppg, 4.3 rpg), the top reserve for Burlington a year ago. Also back and eager to step up into increased roles are seniors [player_tooltip player_id='2637237' first='Mason' last='Tomczyk'] (6-0), [player_tooltip player_id='1561957' first='Cole' last='Walby'] (6-2), [player_tooltip player_id='2637229' first='Mitchell' last='Crabtree'] (6-0) and [player_tooltip player_id='2637233' first='Hayden' last='Kendall'] (6-2). Just Zach Deans (6-1) is the top player off the JV1 squad and could also factor into the regular rotation. <br><strong><br>6. Badger </strong>-- Badger will be a better basketball team than a year ago when it finished 8-17. Whether that means the Badgers will move up in the standings in the rugged Southern Lakes remains to be seen. Coach John Witte has four starters back, including one of the league's premier players in junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1561928' first='Brock' last='Walser'] (6-1, 20.1 ppg, 7.8 rpg). A physical player with good skill and aggressiveness, Walser is a threat to score every time down the court. Seniors [player_tooltip player_id='2637213' first='Alec' last='Welch'] (6-0, 8.2 ppg, 4.1 rpg) and [player_tooltip player_id='2637220' first='Max' last='Davis'] (6-4, 4.6 ppg, 3.9 rpg) along with junior [player_tooltip player_id='2818779' first='Keith' last='Nurnberg'] (6-2, 2.9 ppg, 1.9 rp) also return to the starting lineup. Overall size is a strength for Badger with senior [player_tooltip player_id='2637217' first='Owen' last='Odgers'] (6-3, 5.9 ppg, 4.2 rpg), junior [player_tooltip player_id='2439886' first='Andrew' last='Braden'] (6-3) and sophomore Ben Nielsen (6-5) expected to play key roles along with the returning regulars. <br><br><strong>7. Union Grove</strong> -- Ben Roettgen begins his second season as the head coach at Union Grove with an experienced team looking to make up in the league standings after finishing tied for sixth with Badger in 2023-24. Because of the talent and depth in the Southern Lakes that will be a difficult task, but Roettgen is excited to again work with seniors [player_tooltip player_id='2637183' first='Luke' last='Barber'] (6-1, 8.8 ppg, 2.7 rpg) and [player_tooltip player_id='2492550' first='Jayden' last='West'] (6-0, 7.6 ppg, 4.3 rpg) along with juniors [player_tooltip player_id='1963527' first='Matthew' last='Burkhart'] (6-3, 10.0 ppg, 2.3 rpg) and [player_tooltip player_id='2637181' first='Griffin' last='Schultz'] (6-0, 11.5 ppg, 3.6 rpg). All four were starters on last year's 8-19 squad. Also back for the Broncos are seniors Tyler Van De Water (6-0, 5.1 ppg, 1.7 rpg), Ryan Lee (6-0, 3.2 ppg, 2.1 rpg) and Charlie Pettit (6-3, 2.4 ppg, 2.5 rpg), along with junior [player_tooltip player_id='2848847' first='Kellen' last='Vermeer'] (6-2, 2.8 ppg, 2.3 rpg).<br><br><strong>8. Wilmot </strong>-- Wilmot finished with a 6-5 record in non-league games last season. Unfortunately, coach Jake Erbentraut's squad went just 1-13 in conference outings to finish with a 7-18 record. Just two regulars are back for the Panthers in juniors [player_tooltip player_id='2439912' first='Jack' last='Gartner'] (5-10, 6.8 ppg, 3.2 rpg) and [player_tooltip player_id='1874953' first='Bobby' last='Raymond'] (6-4, 7.9 ppg, 6.6 rpg). Also back are seniors Jack Horvath (6-1, 2.2 ppg, 2.1 rpg) and Nick Vozel (6-0, 2.1 ppg, 1.7 rpg) along with junior [player_tooltip player_id='1874990' first='Owen' last='Selchan'] (6-3, 7.2 ppg, 3.4 rpg).<br><br><strong>Top Returning Scorers</strong><br><br>[player_tooltip player_id='1561889' first='Amare' last='Hereford'], Beloit Memorial (25.1 ppg)<br>[player_tooltip player_id='1289064' first='Elijah' last='Griffin'], Westosha Central (20.4 ppg)<br>[player_tooltip player_id='1561928' first='Brock' last='Walser'], Badger (20.1 ppg)<br>[player_tooltip player_id='1561893' first='Caden' last='Gustafson'], Waterford (17.2 ppg)<br>[player_tooltip player_id='1853679' first='Liam' last='Lubkeman'], Westosha Central (13.0 ppg)<br>[player_tooltip player_id='1504816' first='Jamison' last='Beesley'], Waterford (11.9 ppg)<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2637181' first='Griffin' last='Schultz'], Union Grove (11.5 ppg)<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2637168' first='Owen' last='Paddock'], Elkhorn (10.4 ppg)<br>[player_tooltip player_id='1963527' first='Matthew' last='Burkhart'], Union Grove (10.0 ppg)<br><br><strong>Projected All-Conference Teams<br>First Team</strong><br>[player_tooltip player_id='1561928' first='Brock' last='Walser'], 6-1, Jr., Badger<br>[player_tooltip player_id='1561889' first='Amare' last='Hereford'], 6-1, Jr., Beloit Memorial<br>[player_tooltip player_id='1504816' first='Jamison' last='Beesley'], 6-3, Sr., Waterford<br>[player_tooltip player_id='1561893' first='Caden' last='Gustafson'], 6-2, Jr., Waterford<br>[player_tooltip player_id='1289064' first='Elijah' last='Griffin'], 6-3, Sr., Westosha Central<br>[player_tooltip player_id='1853679' first='Liam' last='Lubkeman'], 6-9, Sr., Westosha Central<br><br><strong>Second Team</strong><br>[player_tooltip player_id='2492539' first='Grant' last='Sulik'], 6-5, Jr., Burlington<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2637168' first='Owen' last='Paddock'], 6-2, Sr., Elkhorn<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2637181' first='Griffin' last='Schultz'], 6-0, Jr., Union Grove<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2492545' first='Isaiah' last='Lomax'], 6-5, Sr., Elkhorn<br><br><strong>The Big Five</strong><br><br><strong>Best Shooter:</strong> [player_tooltip player_id='1561893' first='Caden' last='Gustafson'], Waterford<br><strong>Best Defender: </strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1289064' first='Elijah' last='Griffin'], Westosha Central<br><strong>Best Rebounder: </strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1853679' first='Liam' last='Lubkeman'], Westosha Central<br><strong>Best Collegiate Prospect:</strong> [player_tooltip player_id='1561889' first='Amare' last='Hereford'], Beloit Memorial<br><strong>Most Improved Player: </strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1504816' first='Jamison' last='Beesley'], Waterford</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->