Division 4 Semifinal Recap: 2026 WIAA State Tournament

Employing sticky man-to-man defense throughout the contest, Cambridge overcame a slow start by forcing turnovers and making shots en route to an upset of top-seeded Bonduel 71-49 in a WIAA Division 4 semifinal at the Kohl Center in Madison Thursday night. Cambridge, winners of five straight after losing its final two regular-season contests, forced 18 turnovers and, equally important, had Bonduel searching for ways to run its offense. The Blue Jays held Bonduel to just 32 percent shooting from the floor and 25 points below their season average of 74 ppg. On the other end of the court, Cambridge drilled eight triples and shot 45 percent from the field. Coach Alex Ranney's squad outscored Bonduel 45-27 in the second half and had three players score in double figures while improving to 20-9 on the season. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='2404952' first='Cal' last='Nottestad'] led the way with 16 points while senior [player_tooltip player_id='2758142' first='Jett' last='Horton'] added 12 and sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='2933465' first='Ian' last='Nelles'] contributed 11. Bonduel, which ends the season with a 25-4 record after finishing second to Aquinas in last year's D4 state tournament, got 19 rebounds from 6-foot-6 senior forward [player_tooltip player_id='2391085' first='Ryan' last='Westrich'], but just one player scored in double figures for coach Duke Copp's squad as junior [player_tooltip player_id='2387960' first='Quinn' last='Wesenberg'] finished with 12. Even though Bonduel had the biggest player on the floor in Westrich, Cambridge posted a 26-16 scoring edge in the paint thanks in large part to excellent ball movement and drives to the basket by multiple Blue Jay players. BOXSCORE Cambridge (26-45 = 71) Horton 12, I. Nelles 11, Harbort 6, Nottestad 16, Ca. Cunningham 4, Brown 7, Baker 8, Crawford 5, O. Nelles 0, Rahn 0, Cr. Cunningham 0, Olson 2. Three-point field goals: I. Nelles 3, Horton 2, Nottestad 2, Ca. Cunningham 1. FT: 19-29. Fouled out: None. Record: 20-9. Bonduel (22-27 = 49) Wesenberg 12, Westrich 8, Uelmen 5, Zernicke 8, Moesch 7, Hartlaben 0, Weier 9, Dworniczak 0, Scholl 0, Johnson 0, Hillsberg 0, Nilles 0. Three-point field goals: Weier 3, Moesch 2, Wesenberg 2, Uelmen 1, Zernicke 1. FT: 4-8. Fouled out: None. Record: 25-4.   Milwaukee Juneau 72, Regis 54 Juneau built a 32-25 lead at intermission and then weathered a few shooting sprees by Regis before delivering a decisive run late in the game to win the Division 4 state semifinal contest by 18 points. The Pioneers move on to play Cambridge in the Division 4 state championship at approximately 12:45 p.m. Saturday at the Kohl Center. Junior standout [player_tooltip player_id='2194315' first='Dooney' last='Johnson'], a very talented 6-foot-6 forward who has committed to Gonzaga, finished with 27 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and four steals for the Pioneers, who won their 26th game in a row and improved to 27-1. Senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2045272' first='Takis' last='Tyler'] also was outstanding for Juneau as he finished with 22 points, four steals and two assists. Champions of the Milwaukee City Gold Division, Juneau is attempting to become the first Milwaukee public school to win a WIAA state championship in boys' basketball since Milwaukee King achieved the feat in 2004. Playing in its first game ever at the WIAA State Tournament, Juneau did not seem at all out of place or intimidated playing on the state's biggest stage. The Pioneers of coach Torre Johnson shared the ball, played very good man-to-man defense and rebounded well against a game but undersized Regis outfit. Regis, co-champion of the Western Cloverbelt Conference with Fall Creek, cut its seven-point halftime deficit to just two at 39-37 on a three-point shot from promising sophomore point guard DJ Copper. But Juneau responded with a 6-0 run and was never seriously threatened the rest of the way. The Pioneers shot 50 percent from the field for the game and also posted a 42-16 scoring advantage in the paint. Regis got a strong outing from senior [player_tooltip player_id='2375323' first='Blake' last='Risler'], who completed an excellent four-year career with 24 points while also grabbing five rebounds. The NCAA Division III recruit for St. John's College in Collegeville, Minnesota, ends his career with 1,890 points, including 796 in 29 games this season. Cooper added 18 points, eight rebounds and six assists playing against constant pressure defense from Tyler and Co. His future appears very bright as he was up to the challenge of going toe-to-toe with one of the quickest teams in the state. BOXSCORE Regis (25-29 = 54) Bl. Risler 24, Cooper 18, Brahmer 6, Be. Risler 6, Balts 0, And. Ricciardi 0, Laber 0, Olson 0, Gehling 0, Brogelman 0, Schroeder 0, Vincent 0. Three-point field goals: Cooper 4, Bl. Risler 3, Brahmer 2, Be. Risler 2. FT: 5-5. Fouled out: None. Record: 23-6. Milwaukee Juneau (32-40 = 72) Johnson 27, Tyler 22, Dennis 7, Collins 10, J. Hardiman 4, Ceballos 2, Legister 0, A. Hardiman 0, Robertson 0, Oni 0, Webster 0. Three-point field goals: Johnson 2, Tyler 2. FT: 12-16. Fouled out: None. Record: 27-1.

Employing sticky man-to-man defense throughout the contest, Cambridge overcame a slow start by forcing turnovers and making shots en route to an upset of top-seeded Bonduel 71-49 in a WIAA Division 4 semifinal at the Kohl Center in Madison Thursday night.

Cambridge, winners of five straight after losing its final two regular-season contests, forced 18 turnovers and, equally important, had Bonduel searching for ways to run its offense. The Blue Jays held Bonduel to just 32 percent shooting from the floor and 25 points below their season average of 74 ppg.

On the other end of the court, Cambridge drilled eight triples and shot 45 percent from the field. Coach Alex Ranney's squad outscored Bonduel 45-27 in the second half and had three players score in double figures while improving to 20-9 on the season. Senior Cal Nottestad Cal Nottestad 6'5" | SG Cambridge | 2026 State WI led the way with 16 points while senior Jett Horton Jett Horton 6'1" | PG Cambridge | 2026 State WI added 12 and sophomore Ian Nelles Ian Nelles 6'0" | CG Cambridge | 2028 WI contributed 11.

Bonduel, which ends the season with a 25-4 record after finishing second to Aquinas in last year's D4 state tournament, got 19 rebounds from 6-foot-6 senior forward Ryan Westrich Ryan Westrich 6'6" | PF Bonduel | 2026 State WI , but just one player scored in double figures for coach Duke Copp's squad as junior Quinn Wesenberg Quinn Wesenberg 6'4" | CG Bonduel | 2027 State WI finished with 12.

Even though Bonduel had the biggest player on the floor in Westrich, Cambridge posted a 26-16 scoring edge in the paint thanks in large part to excellent ball movement and drives to the basket by multiple Blue Jay players.

BOXSCORE

Cambridge (26-45 = 71)
Horton 12, I. Nelles 11, Harbort 6, Nottestad 16, Ca. Cunningham 4, Brown 7, Baker 8, Crawford 5, O. Nelles 0, Rahn 0, Cr. Cunningham 0, Olson 2. Three-point field goals: I. Nelles 3, Horton 2, Nottestad 2, Ca. Cunningham 1. FT: 19-29. Fouled out: None. Record: 20-9.
Bonduel (22-27 = 49)
Wesenberg 12, Westrich 8, Uelmen 5, Zernicke 8, Moesch 7, Hartlaben 0, Weier 9, Dworniczak 0, Scholl 0, Johnson 0, Hillsberg 0, Nilles 0. Three-point field goals: Weier 3, Moesch 2, Wesenberg 2, Uelmen 1, Zernicke 1. FT: 4-8. Fouled out: None. Record: 25-4.