Division 1, Sectional 4: First Look

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sixteen teams comprise the makeup of Sectional 4, but only one is the prohibitive favorite to capture the sectional championship. Wisconsin Lutheran, which has dominated the high school basketball landscape in Wisconsin the past three seasons, is the overwhelming choice to win Sectional 4 as coach Ryan Walz and his talented group of players aim for their fourth consecutive state championship. And with Duke recruit [player_tooltip player_id='2140949' first='Kager' last='Knueppel'] leading the way, it would be unwise to pick against the Vikings even though the sectional also includes strong teams from Kenosha Bradford, Marquette, Racine Case and West Allis Central, among others. <br><br>Following is a look at the top players and top teams in Sectional 4:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Top Five Players in Sectional 4</strong><br>[player_tooltip player_id='2140949' first='Kager' last='Knueppel'], 6-10, Sr., F, Wisconsin Lutheran<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2194435' first='Max' last='Jones'], 6-4, Sr., G, West Allis Central<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2141478' first='Isaiah' last='Fox'], 6-1, Sr., G, West Allis Central<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2613959' first='Kinston' last='Knueppel'], 6-7, Jr., G/F, Wisconsin Lutheran<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2371709' first='Mikey' last='White Jr.'], 5-11, Sr., G, Kenosha Bradford<strong><br><br>Five Breakout Performers in Sectional 4</strong><br>[player_tooltip player_id='2399934' first='Michael' last='Lewis'], 6-2, Sr., G, Racine Case<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2140987' first='Tyson' last='Busch'], 6-1, Sr., G, Oak Creek<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2412809' first='Riley' last='Walz'], 6-0, Sr., PG, Wisconsin Lutheran<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2415735' first='Charlie' last='Kwapil'], 6-5, Jr., F, Racine Case<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2545966' first='Tyler' last='Treder'], 6-7, Jr., F, Wisconsin Lutheran<strong><br><br>Top Five Teams in Sectional 4</strong><br><br><strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/team/wi/wisconsin-lutheran/" data-type="link" data-id="prephoops.com/team/wi/wisconsin-lutheran/">1. Wisconsin Lutheran</a></strong> -- You win three straight state championships and 88 of your last 90 games and you most definitely earn the favorite label. That's the scenario that awaits Wisconsin Lutheran as the Vikings enter the upcoming season. Led by 6-foot-10 senior and Duke recruit [player_tooltip player_id='2140949' first='Kager' last='Knueppel'] and his younger brother, talented 6-foot-7 junior guard/forward [player_tooltip player_id='2613959' first='Kinston' last='Knueppel'], Wisconsin Lutheran will get the best punch from every team on its schedule. But that was the case in each of the past three seasons as well and the Vikings met that challenge head on and with tremendous success. In addition to the considerable talents and size of the Knueppel brothers, Wisconsin Lutheran returns two extremely gifted backcourt performers in senior [player_tooltip player_id='2412809' first='Riley' last='Walz'] and junior [player_tooltip player_id='2613967' first='Kendall' last='Newman']. Toss in Minnesota football recruit Jamail Sewall (6-8) and junior [player_tooltip player_id='2545966' first='Tyler' last='Treder'] (6-7), a prolific scorer and transfer from California, and the Vikings appear almost invincible on paper. <br><br><strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/team/wi/west-allis-central/" data-type="link" data-id="prephoops.com/team/wi/west-allis-central/">2. West Allis Central</a></strong> -- Yes, the Bulldogs lost a great deal to graduation with Yusef Gray Jr. moving on to Iowa State and Kevin Pittman headed to We Are United Prep. Still, coach Dave Mlachnik has three regulars back from a 23-win squad in seniors [player_tooltip player_id='2194435' first='Max' last='Jones'], [player_tooltip player_id='2141478' first='Isaiah' last='Fox'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2140893' first='Caiden' last='Alland-Davis']. All three averaged in double-scoring figures as juniors and form a rock-solid nucleus for West Allis Central, which once again petitioned the WIAA to play up a division as the school's enrollment of 1,023 would normally place the Bulldogs in Division 2. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='3022847' first='Princeton' last='Durr'], junior [player_tooltip player_id='2687690' first='Jaxon' last='Monroe'] and sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='3187336' first='Asher' last='Banks'] will be counted on in addition to the three returning starters. <br><br><strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/team/wi/marquette-university/" data-type="link" data-id="prephoops.com/team/wi/marquette-university/">3. Marquette</a></strong> -- There is a drop off after the previously mentioned two teams, but Marquette might possess enough returning experience and young talent to make a push to a successful campaign. Key returning players include seniors [player_tooltip player_id='2841012' first='Liam' last='Minessale'], [player_tooltip player_id='2841023' first='George' last='Hohenwalter'], [player_tooltip player_id='3138949' first='Ethan' last='Orr'], [player_tooltip player_id='2835400' first='Harrison' last='Schwabe'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2642421' first='Christian' last='Miller']. Juniors [player_tooltip player_id='2855834' first='Jayden' last='Przybilla'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2855849' first='Jackson' last='Koester'] could also potentially make a positive impact for the Hilltoppers. A very strong sophomore class figures to provide quality depth and could challenge the returnees for starting positions. The pieces of the puzzle are there for coach Casey Kowalewski. However, meshing it together for success could take some time. <br><br><strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/team/wi/racine-case/" data-type="link" data-id="prephoops.com/team/wi/racine-case/">4. Racine Case</a></strong> -- The preseason favorite to win the Southeast Conference, Racine Case has an intriguing mix of experience, size, athleticism and talent. Coach Jake Berce's program also possess great depth with three freshmen potentially contending for playing time in [player_tooltip player_id='2369905' first='Amar'e' last='Ozier'], [player_tooltip player_id='2857832' first='Rashaud' last='Ashley'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2857918' first='Terry' last='Brumby']. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='2399934' first='Michael' last='Lewis'] is the leader for the Case and a returning first-team all-league performer. Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='3337295' first='Khyree' last='Brumby'] joined Lewis in the starting lineup a year ago when the team finished 22-6. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='2140974' first='Paul' last='Moherek'] and juniors [player_tooltip player_id='3021854' first='Jayden' last='Searcy'], [player_tooltip player_id='2415735' first='Charlie' last='Kwapil'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2821769' first='Mehki' last='Collins'] also figure to make significant contributions. <br><br><strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/team/wi/kenosha-bradford/" data-type="link" data-id="prephoops.com/team/wi/kenosha-bradford/">5. Kenosha Bradford </a></strong>-- The Red Devils won 15 games last winter and welcome back four starters, led by dynamic senior point guard [player_tooltip player_id='2371709' first='Mikey' last='White Jr.'], who averaged 18.4 points as a junior and is one of the better long-distance shooters in the state. Coach Greg Leech begins his 14th year at Bradford with stellar guard play as junior [player_tooltip player_id='2504210' first='Marvin' last='Jones'] and senior Kaiden Humphries join White in the Red Devils' backcourt. Junior [player_tooltip player_id='2504201' first='Jordan' last='Gullo'] returns at one forward spot, but the Red Devils do lack size. Freshman [player_tooltip player_id='2825189' first='Jayden' last='Williams'], at 6-foot-4, is the tallest player on Bradford's preseason roster. <strong><br><br>Sleeper Team</strong><br><br><a href="https://prephoops.com/team/wi/milwaukee-hamilton/" data-type="link" data-id="prephoops.com/team/wi/milwaukee-hamilton/"><strong>Milwaukee Hamilton</strong> </a>-- One of the contenders to capture the Milwaukee City -- Gold Division title in 2026-27, Milwaukee Hamilton welcomes back three all-league performers from a squad that went 9-3 in league play and 18-9 overall under veteran coach Pat Bell. Seniors [player_tooltip player_id='2625083' first='Jayden' last='Burrell'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2423749' first='Rakwon' last='Rogers'] earned second-team all-league recognition as juniors while senior [player_tooltip player_id='2194456' first='Justin' last='Speed'] Jr., picked up honorable mention laurels. Junior guards [player_tooltip player_id='3021104' first='Jesse' last='Voit'] and Jessiah Soler bring plenty of experience and quickness to the lineup. Like Bradford, Hamilton lacks overall size with the 6-foot-3 Rogers the tallest key returning player. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->