What makes Wisconsin Lutheran so good?

54-16 and 48-4.   Those were the halftime scores of Wisconsin Lutheran's two WIAA D1 regional games last week. The undefeated Vikings led Kenosha Tremper 54-16 in a regional semifinal before going on to register a 94-24 triumph. A day later, coach Ryan Walz's crew led Oak Creek 48-4 at intermission in a regional final before ending the contest on top, 74-18. To say Wisconsin Lutheran has been dominant all winter is a gross understatement. The two-time defending WIAA state champions have outscored their opponent by an average of 31 points per game with the majority of games over by halftime. And it appears Wisconsin Lutheran is taking its game to another level at the right time of the season. Prior to the playoffs, Wisconsin Lutheran played at New Berlin West in its final regular-season game. New Berlin West came into the contest with a 13-game winning streak and a 21-2 record. It didn't matter. Wisconsin Lutheran led 41-11 at half and went on to post a 75-38 victory to wrap up its second unbeaten regular-season mark of the past three seasons. What makes this Wisconsin Lutheran team so overpowering? Steve Showalter, who guided Germantown to a state-record 69 wins in a row from 2012-14 while also winning three Division 1 state titles, got an up-close-and-personal look at Wisconsin Lutheran last Saturday. Now and assistant coach at Oak Creek, Showalter was on the bench for the Knights' humbling loss to Wisconsin Lutheran last Saturday. He doesn't see any weaknesses in the Wisconsin Lutheran attack. Not a single one. "What makes them great is their length and the effort they expend on defense," Showalter said. "They also have great shooters and are extremely unselfish. The depth in the program is another big strength. The team just has no weaknesses." Showalter feels Wisconsin Lutheran might end surpassing both Germantown and Stevens Point, which won state titles in 2015, 2016 and 2017, as the most impressive program in boys' basketball in Wisconsin over the past 25 years or so. "We were probably faster, but also smaller than Wisconsin Lutheran," he said. "They are just so long at every spot. They can really shoot it, too. Between our teams at Germantown at SPASH, I think they will surpass us all." Speaking of the Vikings' shooting prowess, the club is shooting 40 percent from three-point range as a team and five of its key performers are all above 40 percent from distance. Wisconsin Lutheran is shooting 57 overall and 71 percent from the free throw line. Recent Success Impressive Wisconsin Lutheran went 30-0 with Kon Knueppel leading the way two years ago. The Vikings beat long-time rival Pewaukee 83-62 in the Division 2 championship game as Knueppel finished with 11 points and 11 assists. Due to the WIAA's success formula, Wisconsin Lutheran was pushed to Division 1 last season and the Vikings posted narrow wins over both Oshkosh North in the state semifinals and Marshfield in the state finals to finish the season 28-2. And during this 2025-26 campaign, Wisconsin Lutheran has turned back all 27 opponents, including three impressive out-of-state squads to win the Beach Ball Classic in South Carolina over the Christmas break. So, in the past three seasons, Wisconsin Lutheran is 85-2 with two state titles and a third very possible in the coming weeks. Star Power Senior [player_tooltip player_id='1552512' first='Zavier' last='Zens'] (6-7), a Northern Iowa recruit and one of five finalists for the Mr. Basketball award, has been a starter for the Vikings in each of the past three seasons. He is averaging 23.8 ppg and 5.2 rpg while playing somewhat limited minutes due to the blowout nature of so many of Wisconsin Lutheran's contests. Zens is the top-ranked player in the senior class by Prep Hoops Wisconsin. Junior [player_tooltip player_id='2140949' first='Kager' last='Knueppel'] (6-10) has emerged as one of the state's elite juniors, thanks in large part to continued growth in his game and with his size. At 6-10, Knueppel is an elite-level shooter, but also a very good passer. He is averaging 16.4 ppg and 7.1 rpg and recently earned scholarship offers from Purdue and Wisconsin. Knueppel is ranked No. 4 in the junior class by Prep Hoops Wisconsin. Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='2613959' first='Kinston' last='Knueppel'] (6-7), the third of five Knueppel boys in the Chari and Kon Knueppel family, is coming into his own as well. He is averaging 9.7 ppg and 5.0 rpg and teams with his older brother, Kager, Zens and junior [player_tooltip player_id='2839409' first='Jamail' last='Sewell'] (6-8) to give the Vikings a remarkably tall and agile frontline. Knueppel is ranked No. 2 in the sophomore class by Prep Hoops Wisconsin. Perhaps the most unsung player among the many stars at Wisconsin Lutheran is junior point guard [player_tooltip player_id='2412809' first='Riley' last='Walz'] (6-0), the son of the Vikings' long-time head coach. As exepcted, Walz plays with great intelligence and poise while also defending at an extremely high level. He is averaging 8.2 ppg and 3.4 apg. While the four previously mentioned players form the cornerstone of this year's squad, there are several others making big contributions, including Sewell, sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='2826122' first='Tristan' last='Hahn'] (5-11) and freshman [player_tooltip player_id='2402478' first='Kash' last='Knueppel'] (6-3). Up Next The Vikings continue their quest for greatness Thursday when they take on Milwaukee Hamilton (18-8) in a sectional semifinal at Whitefish Bay. The winner will move into the sectional final against the winner of the Racine Case (21-5) and Muskego (13-12) contest. Get there early if you want to watch one of the state's great teams. Based on recent showings, the game could be over before intermission.

54-16 and 48-4.