Division 5, Sectional 3: First Look

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Programs from south east and south central Wisconsin make up the 32 teams assigned by the WIAA to Division 5, Sectional 3. Several conferences, tradition-rich schools and up-and-comers are among the teams that will compete for a berth in the WIAA State Tournament in mid March in Madison. <br><br>Here is a look at the top players and top teams in Sectional 3"</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Top Five Players in Sectional 3</strong><br>[player_tooltip player_id='2802443' first='Thomas' last='Freeman'], 6-6, Jr., F, Belmont<br>[player_tooltip player_id='3021787' first='Aaron' last='Edge'], 6-2, Sr., G/F, Potosi-Cassville<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2815729' first='Wyatt' last='Temperly'], 6-2, Jr., G, Belmont<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2915082' first='Landry' last='Stluka'], 6-1, Jr., G, North Crawford<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2779169' first='Braxton' last='Board'], 6-2, Jr., G, Royall<br><br><strong>Five Breakout Performers in Sectional 3</strong><br>[player_tooltip player_id='2798060' first='Boone' last='Havens'], 5-11, Jr., G, Belmont<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2886158' first='Damien' last='McCormick'], 6-2, Soph., G/F, North Crawford<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2950927' first='Braun' last='Jirschele'], 6-2, Jr., F, Hillsboro<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2709983' first='Aidan' last='Lisowski'], 6-2, Sr., F, Cochrane-Fountain City<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2822992' first='Carsen' last='Splinter'], 5-10, Sr., G, Southwestern<br><br><strong>Top Five Teams in Sectional 3</strong><br><br><strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/team/wi/belmont/" data-type="link" data-id="prephoops.com/team/wi/belmont/">1. Belmont</a></strong> -- Few teams in all of Division 3 have the firepower and talent of the Big Three at Belmont. Comprising this talented triumvirate are three gifted juniors and double-figure scorers in [player_tooltip player_id='2802443' first='Thomas' last='Freeman'] (6-6), [player_tooltip player_id='2815729' first='Wyatt' last='Temperly'] (6-2) and [player_tooltip player_id='2798060' first='Boone' last='Havens'] (5-11). Freeman is a big-time finisher near the basket as he uses his size, strength and skill to overpower opponents. He averaged 17.8 points and 7.1 rebounds as a sophomore while helping the Braves to a 23-3 record under coach Beau Buchs. Temperly joined Freeman on the first-team all-Six Rivers West squad and is a capable scorer from all three levels. He averaged 15.7 ppg and 6.7 rpg last winter. And Havens, who joined the group after attending Shullsburg as a freshman, runs the show for Belmont at point guard and averaged 13.4 ppg and 3.4 rpg. Beyond the Big Three, Belmont welcomes back its top two reserves from a year ago in senior [player_tooltip player_id='3041806' first='Chase' last='Riechers'] (6-6) and junior [player_tooltip player_id='3606994' first='Griffin' last='McNett'] (5-10). <br><br><strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/team/wi/north-crawford/" data-type="link" data-id="prephoops.com/team/wi/north-crawford/">2. North Crawford</a></strong> -- The Trojans have emerged as the team to beat almost every season now in the Ridge &amp; Valley Conference. Coach Chris Wettstein has built North Crawford into a small-school power through hard work and the dedication of the players in his program. Three starters and some top backups return from last year's 23-5 squad, making the Trojans the team to beat among the eight schools in league play. Junior [player_tooltip player_id='2915082' first='Landry' last='Stluka'] (6-1), seniors [player_tooltip player_id='2914986' first='Zack' last='Bender'] (6-3) and [player_tooltip player_id='3021469' first='Sawyer' last='Stluka'] (55-10), and sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='2886158' first='Damien' last='McCormick'] (6-2) give North Crawford four players who can get 15-to-20 points on an almost nightly basis. Scoring will not be an issue. Post defense is a concern for Wettstein, but the athleticism, mobility and constant activity of the key players at North Crawford could very might mitigate that issue.<br><br><strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/team/wi/royall/" data-type="link" data-id="prephoops.com/team/wi/royall/">3. Royall</a></strong> -- Former Weston coach Joshua Board takes over the coaching duties at Royall and will need to replace four starters from a 23-4 squad. But the one returning player is one of the best in the entire sectional in physical and skilled 6-foot-2 junior [player_tooltip player_id='2779169' first='Braxton' last='Board'], the son of the head coach. Braxton put in 13.1 ppg and grabbed 7.5 rpg as a sophomore and those numbers figure to rise in 2026-27 as more is asked of the talented backcourt ace. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='3173722' first='Jason' last='Johnson'] (5-10), junior Colby Schoeder (5-11) and sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='2431047' first='Bentley' last='Rozek'] (6-4) all saw action as reserves and will contend for starting spots along with newcomers from a JV1 team that finished 14-9.<br><br><strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/team/wi/cochrane-fountain-city/" data-type="link" data-id="prephoops.com/team/wi/cochrane-fountain-city/">4. Cochrane-Fountain City</a></strong> -- Between its success on the gridiron and on the basketball court, few schools in all of Division 5 can match the success of Cochrane-Fountain City. Coach Jesse Cyrus, who led the Pirates to a runner-up finish in the 2025 WIAA Division 5 State Tournament, has four starters back from a 20-8 squad, led by rugged senior forward [player_tooltip player_id='2709983' first='Aidan' last='Lisowski'] (6-2), a returning first-team all-Dairyland Conference performer who averaged 12.6 points and 8.8 rebounds as a junior. Lisowski brings plenty of toughness and a winning mentality to the floor as do seniors [player_tooltip player_id='3019493' first='Mavrik' last='Ehrat'] (5-11) and [player_tooltip player_id='3019491' first='Dylan' last='Hager'] (5-10), along with junior [player_tooltip player_id='2844363' first='Kaleb' last='Tollefson'] (6-0). Lisowski, Ehrat, Hager and Tollefson figure to get plenty of help from last year's top substitute in senior [player_tooltip player_id='3019495' first='Parker' last='Kujak'] (6-3). <br><br><strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/team/wi/p-c/" data-type="link" data-id="prephoops.com/team/wi/p-c/">5. Potosi-Cassville</a></strong> -- Year One of the co-op program at Potosi-Cassville went well as coach Mike Uppena's squad finished with a 17-9 record and a runner-up finish in the Six Rivers West Conference. Three all-league performers return to give Potosi-Cassville one of the more experienced squads in Sectional 3. First-team pick [player_tooltip player_id='3021787' first='Aaron' last='Edge'] (6-2), second-team selection [player_tooltip player_id='2636258' first='Ben' last='Infield'] (6-0) and honorable mention choice [player_tooltip player_id='3021785' first='Drew' last='Richardson'] (5-10) make up the core of the squad in 2026-27. Finding the right pieces to step forward to complement the returning standouts will be the big question for Potosi-Cassville entering the season.<br><br><strong>Sleeper Team</strong><br><br><strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/team/wi/southwestern/" data-type="link" data-id="prephoops.com/team/wi/southwestern/">Southwestern</a></strong> -- After finishing in second place to Reedsville in the 2026 WIAA Division 5 State Tournament, Southwestern has some rebuilding to do as four starters graduated from a memorable 24-7 squad. But coach Clinton Nemitz boasts one of the top returning players in the Southwest Wisconsin Activities League in 5-foot-10 senior guard Carson Splinter, who averaged 16.0 points and 5.1 rebounds last season. Splinter will lead a group of returning players that also includes senior [player_tooltip player_id='3022268' first='Lucas' last='Foley'] (6-1), juniors Clayton Kelcher (5-10) and [player_tooltip player_id='3139349' first='Landon' last='Reuter'] (5-7), and sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='3139343' first='Sam' last='Martin'] (6-2), among others. Depth will be a strength for Southwestern, but gaining experience and finding enough scoring might be an issue early as the Wildcats carve out their identity against a very strong schedule of mostly Division 4 programs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->