Division 4, Sectional 3: First Look

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Two-time defending Sectional 3 champion Mineral Point gets pushed up to division 3 for 2025-26 due to the WIAA success formula. Regardless of the Pointers moving up, Sectional 3 remains filled with solid teams. Darlington is a top five team in the state among Division 4 squads and probably the preseason favorite. But Cambridge, Deerfield, Lomira, Horicon and Marshall, among others, also figure to have very strong outfits in the 24-team field.<br><br>Following are the top teams and top players in Sectional 3: </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Top Five Players in Sectional 3</strong><br>[player_tooltip player_id='1561934' first='Jake' last='Broeske'], 6-10, Sr., F, Lomira<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2045300' first='Broker' last='Buschor'], 6-2, Sr., G, Darlington<br>[player_tooltip player_id='1858222' first='Aiden' last='Crane'], 6-0, Sr., G, Parkview<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2505508' first='Zeke' last='Zuberbuhler'], 6-1, Jr., G, Darlington<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2423549' first='Jaylen' last='Miggins'], 6-0, Jr., G, Marshall<br><strong><br>Five Breakout Performers in Sectional 3</strong><br>[player_tooltip player_id='2637959' first='Landon' last='Brattlie'], 6-1, Sr., G, Deerfield<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2369903' first='Ryder' last='Fitzsimons'], 6-2, Soph., G, Darlington<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2758142' first='Jett' last='Horton'], 6-1, Sr., G, Cambridge<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2386273' first='Hunter' last='Duley'], 5-9, Sr., PG, Lomira<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2510497' first='Devin' last='Jerome'], 6-3, Jr., G/F, Pardeeville<br><strong><br>Top Five Teams in Sectional 3</strong><br><br><strong>1. Darlington</strong> -- The Redbirds welcome back their top six scorers from a team that went 21-6. Zuberbuhler, Buschor and Fitzsimons are all returning first-team all-SWAL performers who can shoot and get to the basket. Dante Glendening (6-0), Cagyn Paisley (5-10) and Grady O'Brien (6-0) also return for coach Tom Uppena, making Darlington the overwhelming favorite to win the SWAL in 2025-26.<br><br><strong>2. Lomira </strong>-- New coach Nick Kohler had the Lions playing inspired and impressive basketball over the summer, even with Broeske on the sidelines recovering from an ACL injury. The good news for Broeske and Lomira fans is he is expected to be ready to go once the reason rolls around in November, and the potential NCAA Division I recruit could elevate Lomira into one of the better Division 4 teams in Wisconsin. Also back for Lomira are Duley and talented juniors [player_tooltip player_id='2381926' first='Keegan' last='Kell'] (6-1), [player_tooltip player_id='2381930' first='Blake' last='Steger'] (6-3) and [player_tooltip player_id='2140902' first='Charlie' last='Cole'] (5-10).<br><br><strong>3. Marshall</strong> -- Four players who earned all-league honors of some sort graduated last June at Marshall, but the Cardinals have a strong program and figure to remain among the elite in the Capitol South Conference behind the return of Miggins, a first-team all-conference performer who can score in different ways. Honorable mention all-Capitol South pick [player_tooltip player_id='2407473' first='Brady' last='Kleinheinz'] (6-3) also returns for coach TJ Zweifel, who guided the Cardinals to a 21-7 record in his first year at the school last winter. <br><br><strong>4. Cambridge</strong> -- The Bluejays swept Marshall last winter to win the Capitol South crown by two games. Coach Alex Ranney's squad went 23-4 overall, but must replace Hillsdale College recruit Matt Buckman (6-5), who averaged 24.7 points and 7.5 rebounds. Also gone from last year's squad is Drew Holzhueter (6-1), who contributed 11.1 ppg and 3.9 rpg. Horton is a first-team all-league selection and headlines the list of returning players. Also back are [player_tooltip player_id='2404952' first='Cal' last='Nottestad'] (6-4), [player_tooltip player_id='2714923' first='Oscar' last='Brown'] (6-2) and J'Kari Crawford (5-11). <br><br><strong>5. Horicon</strong> -- The Marshmen anticipate another battle with defending champion Oakfield in the Trailways East Conference. Senior Bennett Meyer (6-2) is a returning unanimous first-team all-league pick who averaged 17.8 ppg and 7.5 rpg as a junior. Honorable mention all-Trailways choice Jay Graven (5-11) also returns for coach Jay Wold. <br><strong><br>Sleeper Team<br><br>Deerfield</strong> -- Almost always a contender in the Trailways South Conference, Deerfield lost three key contributors to graduation, but coach Nick Krull always seems to put together a quality outfield. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='2637959' first='Landon' last='Brattlie'] (6-1) averaged 10.9 ppg as a junior and is the Demons' top returning player. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='2404967' first='Noah' last='Maginn'] (6-4) also is back and provides some size in the Deerfield lineup.<br><br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->