Division 3, Sectional 1: First Look

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Three teams expected to contend for conference championships join an already loaded sectional field as West Salem moves in from Division 2 while Aquinas and Mauston switch from Sectional 3 to Sectional 1. Aquinas, Mauston and West Salem will contend for the sectional championship along with additionally strong teams from Adams-Friendship, Altoona, Amery, Mosinee, Northwestern and Prescott, among others. The depth among the 25 teams in Sectional 3 is stellar with many of the premier programs in central Wisconsin log-jammed into the lower half of the sectional pairings. <br><br>Following is a look at the top players and top teams from Sectional 3:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Top Five Players in Sectional 3</strong><br>[player_tooltip player_id='2140924' first='Graysen' last='Becker'], 6-2, Sr., G, Altoona<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2143926' first='Keaton' last='Wollan'], 6-4, Sr., G/F, Amery<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2369883' first='Jase' last='Navis'], 6-7, Jr., F, Mauston<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2140896' first='Calvin' last='Bahr'], 6-5, Sr., G/F, Aquinas<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2386464' first='Brayden' last='Reinke'], 6-4, Sr., F, Mosinee<strong><br><br>Five Breakout Performers in Sectional 3</strong><br>[player_tooltip player_id='2405970' first='Owen' last='Gunderson'], 6-1, Sr., G, Altoona<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2434284' first='Drew' last='McConkey'], 6-3, Sr., F, West Salem<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2815632' first='Kamden' last='Kroll'], 6-3, Sr., G, Northwestern<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2423423' first='Braylon' last='Backaus'], 6-1, Sr., G, Black River Falls<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2615532' first='Nolan' last='Bork'], 6-0, Jr., G, Adams-Friendship<strong><br><br>Top Five Teams in Sectional 3</strong><br><br><strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/team/wi/altoona/" data-type="link" data-id="prephoops.com/team/wi/altoona/">1. Altoona</a></strong> -- Coach Paul Henrichs boasts an explosive team led by a pair of veteran backcourt standouts in seniors [player_tooltip player_id='2140924' first='Graysen' last='Becker'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2405970' first='Owen' last='Gunderson']. Becker begins his fourth year of varsity play with 1,384 career points and netted 25.7 ppg as a junior while helping Altoona to an 18-8 record. Gunderson, a knock-down three-point shooter, is right behind Becker in career points with 1,222 and averaged 20.1 ppg in 2025-26. Beyond those two proven performers, Henrichs will look to senior [player_tooltip player_id='2827831' first='Connor' last='Gower'] and a bunch of young players, including junior [player_tooltip player_id='3018839' first='Travaires' last='Conner'] and sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='2369875' first='Jacob' last='Kelbel']. A couple of freshmen also could factor into the rotation in [player_tooltip player_id='2369876' first='Jaxon' last='Kelbel'] and [player_tooltip player_id='3667919' first='Brennan' last='Henrichs'].<br><br><strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/team/wi/west-salem/" data-type="link" data-id="prephoops.com/team/wi/west-salem/">2. West Salem</a></strong> -- Coming off their fourth WIAA State Tournament appearance in the past five seasons, West Salem drops to Division 3 with just one returning starter from a team that finished 24-5 and lost a close game to Whitefish Bay in the Division 2 state semifinals last March. But the one regular back is a good one as senior forward [player_tooltip player_id='2434284' first='Drew' last='McConkey'] picked up Player of the Year laurels in the Coulee Conference as a junior after averaging 13.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.3 steals per game. Junior [player_tooltip player_id='3430776' first='Elliott' last='Corcoran'] came on strong at the end of last season and figures to be one of the better players in the league. He averaged 9.8 ppg and 4.5 rpg as a junior for the Panthers. Juniors [player_tooltip player_id='2822729' first='Tavaryies' last='Henderson'], [player_tooltip player_id='2821189' first='Carter' last='Alexander'] and Vincent Coppernoil also figure to be prominent performers for coach Shane Schmeling.<br><br><strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/team/wi/adams-friendship/" data-type="link" data-id="prephoops.com/team/wi/adams-friendship/">3. Adams-Friendship</a></strong> -- The one-two scoring punch of junior guards [player_tooltip player_id='2615532' first='Nolan' last='Bork'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2731559' first='Caleb' last='Decorah'] will be difficult for any opponent to stop and is a major asset for an Adams-Friendship program looking to better last year's 15-10 record while contending for the South Central Conference title. Coach Keith Bork got 20.1 points and 4.8 rebounds per outing from Decorah a year ago while his son, [player_tooltip player_id='2615532' first='Nolan' last='Bork'], contributed 17.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg and 4.9 apg. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='2959178' first='Isaac' last='Rommelfanger'] provides the Green Devils with good size in the paint at 6-foot-8 while senior [player_tooltip player_id='3135621' first='Danny' last='Matson'] was the top player off the bench for Adams-Friendship. Newcomers from a 17-5 JV1 squad figure to provide quality depth for the Green Devils, who figures to slug it out with Mauston, Ripon and Wisconsin Dells for the South Central crown.<br><br><strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/team/wi/aquinas/" data-type="link" data-id="prephoops.com/team/wi/aquinas/">4. Aquinas</a></strong> -- After capturing the WIAA Division 4 state title in 2025 and winning 20 games last year, Aquinas looks to encounter more success in 2026-27 behind the return of senior wing [player_tooltip player_id='2140896' first='Calvin' last='Bahr'], the returning Player of the Year in the Mississippi Valley Conference. Bahr, a relentless competitor, averaged 19.8 points and 10.5 rebounds as a junior, but he is the lone returning starter for coach Brad Reinhardt. Juniors [player_tooltip player_id='2385479' first='Will' last='Dickinson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2434277' first='Roman' last='Kirchner'] figure to move into starting roles in the backcourt after being top players off the bench while seniors [player_tooltip player_id='2641632' first='Henry' last='Berns'] and [player_tooltip player_id='3018898' first='Owen' last='Ludlow'] provide some size. The Blugolds have gone 18-6 in league play the past two seasons and will get tested nightly again in the very good Mississippi Valley Conference.<br><br><strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/team/wi/mosinee/" data-type="link" data-id="prephoops.com/team/wi/mosinee/">5. Mosinee</a></strong> -- One piece of the puzzle is firmly in place as athletic senior forward [player_tooltip player_id='2386464' first='Brayden' last='Reinke'] is back after averaging 20.6 points and 9.2 rebounds for a Mosinee squad that finished 19-7 under coach Matt Lindsey. The other four starters from a year ago, though, all graduated last spring, leaving Lindsey with plenty of holes to fill. Reinke, who has scored 1,049 career points, looks to get some help from classmate Parker Chimel along with junior [player_tooltip player_id='3021284' first='Will' last='Harris'], both varsity players a year ago. Otherwise, the experience in the Mosinee program is limited. But that isn't to say the program lacks talent as sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='3594697' first='Abram' last='Anderson'], junior [player_tooltip player_id='2824150' first='Zander' last='Place'] and freshman [player_tooltip player_id='3682621' first='Carter' last='Reinke'] all could factor heavily into the Indians' fortunes. <strong><br><br>Sleeper Team</strong><br><br><strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/team/wi/amery/" data-type="link" data-id="prephoops.com/team/wi/amery/">Amery</a></strong> -- Like Altoona, Amery figures to light up the scoreboards in the Middle Border Conference this winter. The Warriors welcome back a pair of double-figure scorers from a 14-12 squad in seniors [player_tooltip player_id='2143926' first='Keaton' last='Wollan'] and [player_tooltip player_id='3018844' first='Wyatt' last='Hanson']. A University of Wisconsin football recruit, Wollan also excels on the hardwood. He averaged 26.2 points and 10.4 rebounds and starts his fourth year of varsity play with 1,684 career points. Hanson, like Wollan a 6-foot-4 forward, contributed 15.2 ppg and 5.9 rpg as a junior. Coach Tom Mackey figures to count heavily on juniors [player_tooltip player_id='2614884' first='Regan' last='Granica'], [player_tooltip player_id='2614883' first='Matthew' last='Danielson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='3018842' first='Alex' last='Siebenaler'] along with senior [player_tooltip player_id='3018847' first='Colton' last='Waterman'] to support Wollan and Hanson as the Warriors look to contend for the Middle Border title along with Altoona, Prescott and Somerset.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->