WIAA Division 4 Tournament Preview

With a couple of weeks left in the regular season and seeds coming out Sunday for the WIAA playoffs, here is a quick look at things to watch for in Division 4.   SECTIONAL 1 The Favorites (Upper Bracket) Cameron (15-5) Clear Lake (18-2) Cumberland (15-5) Grantsburg (15-6) Ladysmith (17-5) The Favorites (Lower Bracket) Aquinas (19-2) Durand-Arkansaw (16-4) Luther (17-5) Osseo-Fairchild (18-3) Regis (15-6) Don't Be Surprised If ... [player_tooltip player_id='1853648' first='Gavin' last='Gores'] of Cumberland goes on a post-season rampage. The 6-foot-10 senior forward/center has been on a crusade all winter as the Wyoming recruit is averaging 34.2 points, 14.6 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.3 blocked shots per game for coach Brian Dutton's squad. Gores is the best and most productive player in the sectional, and his presence on both ends of the floor could lead to some pleasant results for the Beavers, who have not played in the WIAA State Tournament since 1971. Gores is one of six finalists for the Mr. Basketball award, presented annually by the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association. Sleeper Team McDonell Central Catholic. The Macks have a .500 record in the Western Division of the Cloverbelt Conference, but have lost four league outings by seven points or less. Coach Adam Schilling has guided McDonell to a 19-5 record in WIAA playoff play the past six seasons with three trips to the state tournament. The Macks have two runners-up finishes during that time span in Division 5, but have moved up to D4 due to an enrollment increase. McDonell is rarely out of a game because the Macks do such a great job of controlling tempo and working the ball for good shot opportunities. This sectional is loaded with very good teams on the top and bottom half of the bracket, and McDonell definitely is a team that falls into the "dangerous" category on the post season gets underway. All-Sectional Teams First Team [player_tooltip player_id='1853648' first='Gavin' last='Gores'], 6-10, Sr., Cumberland [player_tooltip player_id='2375323' first='Blake' last='Risler'], 6-2, Jr., Regis [player_tooltip player_id='1890447' first='Logan' last='Becker'], 6-3, Jr., Aquinas [player_tooltip player_id='2432845' first='Jayden' last='Brown'], 6-6, Sr., Grantsburg [player_tooltip player_id='2389855' first='Andrew' last='Lehman'], 6-3, Sr., Ladysmith Second Team [player_tooltip player_id='2389718' first='Timmy' last='Meltz'], 6-1, Sr., Ladysmith [player_tooltip player_id='2515007' first='Carter' last='Cherney'], 6-4, Sr., Cameron [player_tooltip player_id='2623674' first='Will' last='Huelskamp'], 6-5, Sr., Luther [player_tooltip player_id='2432845' first='Jayden' last='Brown'], 6-6, Sr., Grantsburg [player_tooltip player_id='2624244' first='Jack' last='Steinke'], 6-2, Sr., Osseo-Fairchild [player_tooltip player_id='2624628' first='Parker' last='Almsted'], 5-10, Sr., Durand-Arkansaw SECTIONAL 2 The Favorites (Top Half) Auburndale (20-1) Hurley (17-4) Stratford (19-2) The Favorites (Bottom Half) Bonduel (20-0) Iola-Scandinavia (15-5) Kewaunee (15-6) Southern Door (18-3) Don't Be Surprised If ... [player_tooltip player_id='1418511' first='Drew' last='Daoust'] of Southern Door goes for 40-plus points in each of his WIAA playoff games. The state's No. 2 all-time leading scorer is averaging right around 32 points per contest for the third straight season, and he enter his final three regular-season outings with 2,897 points. He is 494 points shy of the state record of 3,391 points scored by Wausaukee's Anthony Pieper in the early 1990s. While reaching Pieper's mark may be a bit much to ask, Daoust is more concerned with helping his team advance and continue playing. So he's likely to be even more locked in offensively as the playoffs progress. The UW-Stevens Point recruit has reached 40 or more points three times this season. Sleeper Team Algoma. The Wolves have a 15-5 record and sit in third place in the Packerland Conference behind Southern Door and Kewaunee. They swept respected squads from Oconto, Peshtigo and Sturgeon Bay in league play while losing both outings with Southern Door. Coach Eric Schneider has a difference maker in versatile [player_tooltip player_id='2634556' first='Parker' last='Lischka'], a 6-foot-1 wing who can score (22.8 ppg), rebound (6.4 rpg) and pass (2.2 apg). Lischka also is a very good defender as he is averaging 2.8 spg. Junior guard Braeden Leist (6-3) is another top player for Algoma as he is averaging 12.4 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.6 assists. All-Sectional Teams First Team [player_tooltip player_id='1418511' first='Drew' last='Daoust'], 6-2, Sr., Southern Door [player_tooltip player_id='2391085' first='Ryan' last='Westrich'], 6-7, Jr., Bonduel [player_tooltip player_id='2629803' first='Blake' last='Raab'], 5-9, Sr., Auburndale [player_tooltip player_id='2493707' first='Drew' last='Bruesewitz'], 5-10, Sr., Stratford [player_tooltip player_id='2039671' first='Carter' last='Koch'], 6-5, Sr., Oconto Second Team [player_tooltip player_id='2542523' first='Race' last='Anvelink'], 6-0, Sr., Bonduel [player_tooltip player_id='2352817' first='Alex' last='Robbins'], 6-6, Jr., Iola-Scandinavia [player_tooltip player_id='2500057' first='Drew' last='Woelfel'], 6-3, Jr., Marathon [player_tooltip player_id='1289137' first='Preston' last='Fields'], 6-1, Sr., Saint Mary Catholic [player_tooltip player_id='2630004' first='Kade' last='Thoma'], 6-6, Jr., Crivitz SECTIONAL 3 The Favorites (Top Half) Cuba City (15-6) Darlington (16-5) Mineral Point (19-1) The Favorites (Botom Half) Marshall (17-4) Pardeeville (21-0) Westfield (17-4) Don't Be Surprised If ... Four teams from the Southwest Wisconsin Activities League (SWAL) qualify for regional final games in the upper half of the bracket. League-leading Mineral Point is the defending state champion in Division 4 and the odds-on favorite to come out the Sectional 3. Darlington is in second place in the SWAL standings and boasts one of the better juniors in the state in wing [player_tooltip player_id='2045300' first='Broker' last='Buschor'] (6-3). Cuba City is in third place in the SWAL and is on the rise with a 15-6 record. The Cubans also own a big win over Darlington. Fennimore is in fifth place in the SWAL but has some impressive victories, including league win over Cuba City. Sleeper Team Lomira. The Lions were sailing along with a 7-0 record when talented junior forward [player_tooltip player_id='1561934' first='Jake' last='Broeske'] (6-9) went down with a torn ACL injury in a Wisconsin Flyway Conference contest against Laconia in early January. Lomira has gone 7-7 since that unfortunate injury, but the Lions have learned how to play without their big man in the middle. And although the results have been mixed since Broeske's injury, Lomira has played a strong schedule, one that has prepared them for the Division 4 playoffs. Coach Dan Domask, who won a state championship as the head coach at Waupun, will rely heavily on versatile senior [player_tooltip player_id='1289080' first='Jackson' last='Goebel'] (6-0), who leads the team in scoring at 15.4 ppg. All-Sectional Teams First Team [player_tooltip player_id='1289076' first='Eli' last='Lindsey'], 6-5, Sr., Mineral Point [player_tooltip player_id='2045300' first='Broker' last='Buschor'], 6-3, Jr., Darlington [player_tooltip player_id='2381729' first='Caleb' last='Gard'], 6-0, Sr., Pardeeville [player_tooltip player_id='1883464' first='Kenyon' last='Miggins'], 5-10, Sr., Marshall [player_tooltip player_id='1858222' first='Aiden' last='Crane'], 6-0, Jr., Parkview Second Team [player_tooltip player_id='2399607' first='Jaxson' last='Wendhausen'], 6-4, Sr., Mineral Point [player_tooltip player_id='2505508' first='Zeke' last='Zuberbuhler'], 6-1, Soph., Darlington [player_tooltip player_id='2637647' first='Gavin' last='Vaassen'], 6-1, Sr., Cuba City [player_tooltip player_id='2381725' first='Brenden' last='Krueger'], 6-0, Sr., Pardeeville Sam Burruecos, 6-0, Sr., Westfield SECTIONAL 4 The Favorites (Upper Half) Howards Grove (17-4) Kohler (19-3) Roncalli (19-1) Saint Mary's Springs (18-4) The Favorites (Lower Half) Cambridge (17-3) Deerfield (17-4) Living Word Lutheran (15-6) Milwaukee Juneau (11-8) Don't Be Surprised If ... Howards Grove finally pushes through and gets to the state tournament. The Tigers have come awfully close over the past several seasons of qualifying for the WIAA State Tournament, but they have yet to get over the final hurdle or two at the sectional level. That might change this time around as coach Wade Georgeff has a very talented team led by one of the state's better unsung players in senior guard/forward [player_tooltip player_id='2403253' first='Trent' last='Grunewald']. Grunewald, who earned Player of the Year honors in the Big East North as a junior, is averaging 20.6 points, 8.2 rebounds and 4.6 assists for the Tigers, who are 18-3 with a big non-league game against Roncalli next week. Sleeper Team Reedsville. The Panthers have competed in Division 5 in the past, but make the move to Division 4 with a strong team led by 1,000-point career scorer [player_tooltip player_id='1561897' first='Ben' last='Prochnow'], an extremely skilled 5-foot-11 junior point guard who is averaging 18.1 points and 9.3 assists for his father/coach, Ron Prochnow. The Panthers compete in a league full of quality teams in the Big East North and take a 14-8 record into the final 10 days of the regular season. Reedsville has proven it can compete with some of the top teams in its league, and the toughness gained from those contests could lead to a playoff run for the Panthers. All-Sectional Teams First Team [player_tooltip player_id='2403253' first='Trent' last='Grunewald'], 6-4, Sr., Howards Grove [player_tooltip player_id='2194315' first='Dooney' last='Johnson'], 6-5, Soph., Milwaukee Juneau [player_tooltip player_id='1561958' first='Donovan' last='Cowley'], 6-2, Jr., Roncalli [player_tooltip player_id='1598980' first='Matthew' last='Buckman'], 6-4, Sr., Cambridge [player_tooltip player_id='2404504' first='Max' last='Breitenbach'], 6-3, Sr., Kohler Second Team [player_tooltip player_id='2493705' first='Noah' last='Moul'], 6-3, Sr., Saint Mary's Springs [player_tooltip player_id='1599002' first='Zane' last='Willadsen'], 6-4, Sr., Kohler [player_tooltip player_id='2045272' first='Takis' last='Tyler'], 5-11, Jr., Milwaukee Juneau [player_tooltip player_id='2386694' first='Emmitt' last='Huhn'], 6-7, Sr., Saint Mary's Springs [player_tooltip player_id='2493683' first='Eric' last='Britton'], 6-3, Sr., Living Word Lutheran

With a couple of weeks left in the regular season and seeds coming out Sunday for the WIAA playoffs, here is a quick look at things to watch for in Division 4.