Southwest Wisconsin Activities Preview 2025-26

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Final 2024-25 Standings:</strong><br><br>1. Mineral Point 13-1 (27-2); 2. Darlington 11-3 (21-6); 3. Southwestern 10-4 (22-6); 4. Cuba City 9-5 (17-9); 5. Fennimore 7-7 (12-14); 6. Iowa-Grant 4-10 (8-17); 7. Riverdale 2-12 (4-21); 8. Boscobel 0-14 (1-24).<br><br><strong>2025-26 Picks</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>1. <a href="https://prephoops.com/team/darlington/">Darlington</a> </strong>-- The overwhelming choice to win the SWAL for the third time in four seasons, Darlington is loaded for success under coach Tom Uppena. Four starters and several key reserves return from a 21-6 squad. Defending the Redbirds will be difficult as the number of scoring options are plentiful. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='2045300' first='Broker' last='Buschor'] (6-3, 19.4 ppg, 8.4 rpg) and junior [player_tooltip player_id='2505508' first='Zeke' last='Zuberbuhler'] (6-2, 19.9 ppg, 5.1 rpg) lead the way for a team that also welcomes back seniors [player_tooltip player_id='3019634' first='Cagyn' last='Paisley'] (5-11, 5.1 ppg, 3.0 rpg) and Grady O'Brien (6-1, 4.1 ppg, 3.7 rpg) along with junior [player_tooltip player_id='2509473' first='Dante' last='Glendenning'] (6-1, 6.6 ppg, 4.3 rpg) and sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='2369903' first='Ryder' last='Fitzsimons'] (6-3, 10.0 ppg, 2.8 rpg). Experience, shooting, team chemsitry and depth ... the Redbirds are poised to make a strong run at the WIAA Division 4 state championship. <br><br><strong>2. </strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/team/southwestern-3/"><strong>Southwestern</strong> </a>-- Coach Clinton Nemitz steadily has built a strong program in a very strong league. Southwestern went 22-6 last season and looks for more success in 2025-26 despite the loss of four starters. Senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2551616' first='Aiden' last='Keleher'] (6-1, 16 ppg, 4 rpg) is a versatile player on both ends of the court and one of the elite players in the SWAL. He will lead a squad that also includes junior [player_tooltip player_id='2822992' first='Carsen' last='Splinter'] (5-10, 10 ppg, 6 rpg) and seniors [player_tooltip player_id='2917231' first='Cayden' last='DeMuth'] (6-2, 8 ppg, 6 rpg), [player_tooltip player_id='3022264' first='Remi' last='Lawrence'] (6-1, 4 ppg, 2 rpg) and [player_tooltip player_id='3022265' first='Drew' last='Martin'] (6-0, 2 ppg, 2 rpg). A couple of freshmen -- Sam Martin (6-2) and [player_tooltip player_id='2925924' first='Caleb' last='Bauer'] (5-10) -- also could work their way into the playing rotation for the Wildcats. <br><br><strong>3. <a href="https://prephoops.com/team/mineral-point/">Mineral Point </a></strong>-- Long-time assistant Bret McGraw, who replaces Dan Burreson on the Mineral Point sidelines, shoots to keep the Pointers among the premier small-school programs in Wisconsin but it will not be easy as four starters from a WIAA Division 4 state-qualifying 27-2 squad graduated last spring. The lone holdover, senior [player_tooltip player_id='1874969' first='Drew' last='Aschliman'] (6-3, 13.2 ppg, 3.7 rpg), played big minutes for the Pointers as both a sophomore and junior and is one of the top defenders in the SWAL. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='2917117' first='Keaton' last='Dempsey'] (6-2, 8.2 ppg, 3.2 rpg) was Mineral Point's top player off the bench while seniors [player_tooltip player_id='3021208' first='Grady' last='Finley'] (5-8, 1.9 ppg), [player_tooltip player_id='3021205' first='Cole' last='Ripp'] (6-3, 1.4 ppg), [player_tooltip player_id='3021209' first='Brylen' last='Lee'] (6-1, 1.3 ppg) and [player_tooltip player_id='3021207' first='Brett' last='Bossert'] (6-2, 1.0 ppg) also return. <br><br><strong>4. <a href="https://prephoops.com/team/fennimore/">Fennimore</a> </strong>-- Length, experience and depth are among the strengths for Fennimore, which enters year No. 1 under coach Kevin Everson. Three regulars are back for Fennimore in senior [player_tooltip player_id='2822106' first='Jude' last='Kinney'] (6-4, 10.0 ppg, 6.3 rpg) along with juniors [player_tooltip player_id='2917248' first='Brody' last='Roth'] (6-3, 9.0 ppg, 4.3 rpg) and [player_tooltip player_id='2917254' first='Reece' last='Kelley'] (5-9, 4.6 ppg, 2.2 rpg). Kinney, Roth and Kelley helped the Golden Eagles to a 12-14 mark last winter and figure to get plenty of help from seniors [player_tooltip player_id='3019947' first='Corey' last='Dresen'] (6-1, 3.3 ppg, 2.6 rpg) and [player_tooltip player_id='3019949' first='Shawn' last='Jahnke-Fiedler'] (5-10, 4.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg) along with junior [player_tooltip player_id='3019946' first='Jake' last='Kretschman'] (6-2, 4.0 ppg, 2.2 rpg) and sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='2815880' first='Grant' last='Biba'] (6-1). <br><br><strong>5. <a href="https://prephoops.com/team/cuba-city/">Cuba City</a></strong> -- Coach Tanner Schieve begins his third year at Cuba City needing to replace four starters from a 17-9 squad. The lone holder regular, senior guard Trevor Van Natta (5-11, 4.6 ppg, 2.7 rpg), will provide some toughness, physicality and leadership to the Cubans' lineup, but he'll need some scoring help from others. Junior [player_tooltip player_id='2917277' first='Hudson' last='Kieler'] (6-1, 6.2 ppg, 1.8 rpg) showed plenty of promise as a sophomore and figures to take on a bigger role this winter. Also back for Cuba City are seniors [player_tooltip player_id='3019589' first='Briggs' last='Runde'] (6-1) and Micheal Nicely (6-1) along with junior Cam Guler (6-0, 2.8 ppg, 1.5 rpg).<br><br><strong>6. <a href="https://prephoops.com/team/iowa-grant/">Iowa-Grant </a></strong>-- With no seniors on last year's squad, Iowa-Grant could emerge as perhaps the most improved team in the SWAL. Coach Shawn Dailey starts his third season with an experienced squad that showed signs of improvement a year ago when it went 8-17. Seniors [player_tooltip player_id='3020385' first='Everett' last='Zimmer'] (5-11, 12.2 ppg, 3.3 rpg), [player_tooltip player_id='2815658' first='Sam' last='Lundell'] (5-11, 10.2 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 4.5 apg) and Treaton Loffelholz (6-4, 10 ppg, 7 rpg) along with juniors [player_tooltip player_id='3020378' first='Grant' last='Rickard'] (6-3, 8.4 ppg, 4.6 rpg) and [player_tooltip player_id='3020383' first='Landon' last='Friesen'] (6-1, 6.6 ppg, 4.4 rpg) give the Panthers plenty of versatility, size and experience. Depth might become a strength for Iowa-Grant as well with seniors [player_tooltip player_id='3020381' first='Maddox' last='Fisher'] (5-11, 3 ppg, 4 rpg) and [player_tooltip player_id='3020375' first='Noah' last='Lange'] (5-10, 3 ppg) along with junior [player_tooltip player_id='3020379' first='Tyler' last='Schultz'] (5-11, 4 ppg) battling for playing time. <br><br><strong>7. <a href="https://prephoops.com/team/riverdale-8/">Riverdale </a></strong>-- After years of struggling to remain competitive in the SWAL, Riverdale won a couple of league games last winter and figures to be even better this time around as coach Chris Kinyon has some experienced players in his lineup. Leading the way for Riverdale is junior sharpshooting guard [player_tooltip player_id='2886325' first='Bevyn' last='Dennis'] (5-8, 21.5 ppg, 4.8 rpg), one of the better long-distance shooters in the SWAL. Joining Dennis as returning starters are juniors [player_tooltip player_id='2917218' first='Owen' last='Blankenship'] (5-11, 9.6 ppg, 4.1 rpg) and [player_tooltip player_id='3022022' first='Henry' last='Drone'] (6-2, 5.8 ppg, 6.1 rpg). Those three players, along with junior [player_tooltip player_id='3022026' first='Enerel' last='Gantulga'] (6-3, 2.6 ppg, 3.9 rpg) form the nucleus for his year's squad. <br><br><strong>8. <a href="https://prephoops.com/team/boscobel/">Boscobel </a></strong>-- The Bulldogs look to avoid the cellar in the SWAL for the third straight season with four players back who earned substantial playing time a year ago when Boscobel finished 1-24. Returning starters [player_tooltip player_id='3019129' first='Jonah' last='Knowles'] (6-5, 5.6 ppg, 7.4 rpg) and [player_tooltip player_id='2838567' first='Kiptyn' last='Brown'] (6-0, 9.3 ppg, 5.7 rpg) along with top reserves [player_tooltip player_id='3019130' first='Tyler' last='Miller'] (6-0, 6.2 ppg) and [player_tooltip player_id='3019139' first='Graydon' last='Richter'] (5-10, 3.3 ppg) will be the top performers for coach Joe Childs' squad. <br><br><strong>Top Returning Scorers</strong><br><br>[player_tooltip player_id='2886325' first='Bevyn' last='Dennis'] (Riverdale) 21.5 ppg<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2505508' first='Zeke' last='Zuberbuhler'] (Darlington) 19.9 ppg<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2045300' first='Broker' last='Buschor'] (Darlington) 19.4 ppg<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2551616' first='Aiden' last='Keleher'] (Southwestern) 16.0 ppg<br>[player_tooltip player_id='1874969' first='Drew' last='Aschliman'] (Mineral Point) 13.2 ppg<br>[player_tooltip player_id='3020385' first='Everett' last='Zimmer'] (Iowa-Grant) 12.2 ppg<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2815658' first='Sam' last='Lundell'] (Iowa-Grant) 10.2 ppg<br>[player_tooltip player_id='3017983' first='Treaton' last='Loeffelholz'] (Iowa-Grant) 10.0 ppg<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2822106' first='Jude' last='Kinney'] (Fennimore) 10.0 ppg<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2822992' first='Carsen' last='Splinter'] (Southwestern) 10.0 ppg<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2369903' first='Ryder' last='Fitzsimons'] (Darlington) 10.0 ppg<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2917218' first='Owen' last='Blankenship'] (Riverdale) 9.6 ppg<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2838567' first='Kiptyn' last='Brown'] (Boscobel) 9.3 ppg<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2917248' first='Brody' last='Roth'] (Fennimore) 9.0 ppg<br><br><strong>Projected All-Conference Teams<br>First Team</strong><br><br>[player_tooltip player_id='2045300' first='Broker' last='Buschor'], 6-3, Sr., Darlignton<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2505508' first='Zeke' last='Zuberbuhler'], 6-2, Jr., Darlington<br>[player_tooltip player_id='1874969' first='Drew' last='Aschliman'], 6-3, Sr., Mineral Point<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2551616' first='Aiden' last='Keleher'], 6-1, Sr., Southwestern<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2886325' first='Bevyn' last='Dennis'], 5-8, Jr., Riverdale<br><br><strong>Second Team</strong><br>[player_tooltip player_id='2838567' first='Kiptyn' last='Brown'], 6-0, Soph., Boscobel<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2917277' first='Hudson' last='Kieler'], 6-1, Jr., Cuba City<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2369903' first='Ryder' last='Fitzsimons'], 6-3, Soph., Darlington<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2822106' first='Jude' last='Kinney'], 6-4, Sr., Fennimore<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2815658' first='Sam' last='Lundell'], 5-11, Sr., Iowa-Grant<br><br><strong>The Big Five</strong><br><br><strong>Best Shooter:</strong> [player_tooltip player_id='2886325' first='Bevyn' last='Dennis'], Riverdale<br><strong>Best Defender:</strong> [player_tooltip player_id='1874969' first='Drew' last='Aschliman'], Mineral Point<br><strong>Best Rebounder: </strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2045300' first='Broker' last='Buschor'], Darlington<br><strong>Best Collegiate Prospect:</strong> [player_tooltip player_id='2045300' first='Broker' last='Buschor'], Darlington<br><strong>Most Improved: </strong>[player_tooltip player_id='3017983' first='Treaton' last='Loeffelholz'], Iowa-Grant</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->