The 2026 WIAA Boys Basketball State Tournament is finally here. The year end showcase where four teams each in five divisions have earned their way to the Kohl Center for a chance at a gold ball.
The Division 5 playoffs will kick off with the morning session on Friday where the two semifinal games will be played, and the championship game will be the first game on Saturday night, putting a cap on the 2025-26 basketball season.
Below we’ll preview each team, their journey here, and then give a prediction at the bottom.
To see the full tournament field with game times, click here.
Division 5 State Tournament Schedule
Semifinals - Friday, March 20 - 9:05 a.m.
Game 1: #1 Reedsville (26-3) vs. #4 Sheboygan Lutheran (23-6)
Game 2: #2 Prentice (25-3) vs. #3 Southwestern (23-6)
Championship Final - Saturday, March 21 - 11:05 a.m.
The Teams
Record: 26-3
Bound Power Index Ranking: #1 in Division 5, #57 Overall
Strength of Schedule Ranking: 287
Head Coach: Ron Prochnow - 11th year with Reedsville, 146 career wins
Conference: 10-2, Big East-North Conference Champion
Points Per Game: 73.6
Opponents Points Per Game: 49.2
Previous State Appearances: 2nd trip this year; 1946
Previous State Championships: 1x state champion; 1946
Playoff Path
Beat Gillett 90-35 in Regional Quarterfinal
Beat Lourdes Academy 66-39 in Regional Semifinal
Beat Gibraltar 71-29 in Regional Final
Beat Elkhart Lake-Glenbeulah in Sectional Semifinal
Beat Tigerton 56-45 in Sectional Final
Top Players
Ben Prochnow, 5-10, sr, Big East-North Player of the Year - 21.1 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 11.0 apg, 3.2 spg; shooting splits: 52/38/79
Arden Strenn, 6-3, sr, 1st Team All-Big East North - 17.3 ppg, 7.1 rpg
Jack Schwahn, 6-0, sr, HM All-Big East North - 12.4 ppg, 3.8 rpg
William Taddy, 6-1, sr - 6.0 ppg, 4.9 rpg
Notes
Reedsville has been impressive all season and are led by their senior point guard the sets the tempo and more for the Panthers. Ben Prochnow is a calculated lead guard that does a great job of making his teammates better while also scoring 20+ points per game. Ardenn Strenn is a 6-3 forward that is a bull down low and collects rebounds at a high rate. The group around these two can get it going from deep and move off the ball well enough to create scoring opportunities for themselves. It’s the first trip to state since the legendary run of the 1946 state championship team.
Record: 25-3
Bound Power Index Ranking: #4 in Division 5, #134 Overall
Strength of Schedule Ranking: 373
Head Coach: Adam Blomberg - 3rd year at Prentice, 54 career wins
Conference: 14-2, Marawood-North Conference Champion
Points Per Game: 77.8
Opponents Points Per Game: 49.9
Previous State Appearances: 7th trip this year; 1974, 1975, 1977, 1990, 1995, 1999
Previous State Championships: None
Playoff Path
Beat Mercer 99-13 in Regional Quarterfinal
Beat Flambeau 84-61 in Regional Semifinal
Beat Columbus Catholic 59-50 in Regional Final
Beat Rib Lake 75-57 in Sectional Semifinal
Beat Turtle Lake 60-58 in Sectional Final
Top Players
Evan Lord, 6-3, sr, 1st Team All-Marawood North - 18.3 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 3.1 apg
Aidan Hause, 6-4, sr, 1st Team All-Marawood North - 17.0 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 3.7 apg, 2.0 spg
Hardy Hueckman, 5-10, jr, 2nd Team All-Marawood North - 12.7 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 2.8 apg
Hagan Isaacson, 6-1, jr, HM All-Marawood North - 9.4 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 2.0 apg
Heston Hueckman, 5-10, sr, DEF All-Marawood North - 6.3 ppg, 2.5 rpg
Matti Heikkinen, 6-2, jr, HM All-Marawood North - 3.3 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 5.1 apg
Notes
Prentice has been impressive on its run to the state tournament as the Buccaneers have lost just one game in its last 23 games, and are on a ten game win streak. Head coach Adam Blomberg leads a Prentice squad that is led by mostly seniors and juniors and has two players at the top of his rotation that can score a bucket when needed in seniors Evan Lord and Aidan Hause. On top of averaging nearly 80 points per game on offense, Prentice has been stifling on defense, allowing less than 50 points per game to opponents on the season. Knocking off Columbus Catholic, Rib Lake, and Turtle Lake in succession in the playoffs has built momentum for this squad going to the Kohl Center.
Record: 23-6
Bound Power Index Ranking: #6 in Division 5, #142 Overall
Strength of Schedule Ranking: 273
Head Coach: Clint Nemitz - 13th year with Southwestern, 192 career wins
Conference: 9-5, third in SWAL
Points Per Game: 67.9
Opponents Points Per Game: 52.8
Previous State Appearances: 2nd trip this year: 1988
Previous State Championships: None
Playoff Path
Beat Riverdale 77-46 in Regional Quarterfinal
Beat De Soto 75-54 in Regional Semifinal
Beat Kickapoo 76-64 in Regional Final
Beat North Crawford 63-52 in Sectional Semifinal
Beat Assumption 44-43 in Sectional Final
Top Players
Aiden Keleher, 6-1, sr, 1st Team All-SWAL - 16.0 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 2.3 apg, 1.8 spg
Carsen Splinter, 6-0, jr, 1st Team All-SWAL - 15.7 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 2.5 spg
Cayden DeMuth, 6-4, sr, HM All-SWAL - 11.1 ppg, 6.3 rpg
Sam Martin, 6-2, frosh - 6.4 ppg, 6.1 rpg
Remi Lawrence, 6-0, sr - 6.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 2.9 apg
Notes
After getting so close to the state tournament a handful of times over the past decade, Clint Nemitz and Southwestern have finally gotten to the Kohl Center. The Wildcats benefit from playing in a tough SWAL conference consisting of mainly Division 4 teams, and also scheduling top tier Division 5 teams in the non-con. A group that has talent in many different classes, the duo of Keleher and Splinter set the tone for the rest of the team. These two guards play well off each other, but most importantly play with poise in the clutch moments of the game. This was evident in the sectional wins over North Crawford and Assumption, as both games were close and in the Assumption game, the Wildcats came back from a double-digit deficit.
Record: 23-6
Bound Power Index Ranking: #2 in Division 5, #98 Overall
Strength of Schedule Ranking: 279
Head Coach: Nick Verhagen - 14th year with Sheboygan Lutheran, 297 career wins
Conference: 9-3, second in Big East-South
Points Per Game: 75.5
Opponents Points Per Game: 55.1
Previous State Appearances: 5th trip this year; 2012, 2014, 2019, 2025
Previous State Championships: 2x state champion: 2012, 2019
Playoff Path
Beat Hustisford 84-28 in the Regional Quarterfinal
Beat Lake Country Classical Academy 68-37 in the Regional Semifinal
Beat Chesterton Academy 93-41 in the Regional Final
Beat Oakfield 63-53 in the Sectional Semifinal
Beat Barneveld 64-57 in the Sectional Final
Top Players
Brennen Hackbarth, 6-5, sr, 1st Team All-Big East South (St. Norbert recruit) - 21.7 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 2.1 apg; shooting splits: 62/43/78
Mccoy Michael, 5-10, soph, 2nd Team All-Big East South - 13.3 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 3.9 apg
Oliver Leibham, 5-11, jr, 2nd Team All-Big East South - 13.1 ppg 5.3 rpg, 5.4 apg
Zach Leonhard, 6-2, sr - 11.5 ppg 4.9 rpg
James Schulze, 6-4, jr - 7.4 ppg, 5.2 rpg
Ben Verhagen, 6-2, jr - 7.2 ppg, 3.4 rpg
Notes
Sheboygan Lutheran is no stranger to the state tournament, as the Crusaders are the runner-up in Division 5 from a season ago. Coach Verhagen has led the squad back despite the fact that Marion Boyland transferred out the of district and Zach Leonhard missed almost the entire regular season to injury. That void in production paved the way for the emergence of McCoy Michael and Oliver Leibham as playmakers and scorers within the Crusader offense. Brennen Hackbarth has been the go-to playmaker and has been exceptional in that role, while Leonhard has been a huge boost for Lutheran’s rotation since his return. This squad is the only one that has state tournament experience in the Division 5 field, which could be a huge advantage as the lights shine bright in Madison.
Prediction
State Semifinals
Sheboygan Lutheran over Reedsville
Southwestern over Prentice
State Championship
Sheboygan Lutheran over Southwestern
Colton Wilson serves a contributor and member of Bound Wisconsin. Wilson has worked in high school sports for 10 years, covering the state of Wisconsin in various sports. He has had roles in content creation, boys basketball coverage, director of events, and data management. Wilson is a graduate of Richland Center High School where he will currently serves as the Varsity Reserve boys basketball coach, entering his eleventh year coaching at the high school level. Wilson also has officiated basketball and organized youth tournaments for multiple years. You can follow him on Twitter at @ColtonWilson23 or reach him at [email protected].
