Recap and All-Showcase Team from 2026 Deer District Prep Showcase

Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee was the site of the second annual Deer District Prep showcase on Saturday, featuring six games throughout the day. Thank you to the Milwaukee Bucks, especially Michael Belot, for producing this event and asking us to be involved. Plans are already underway for the 2027 Deer District Prep Showcase, set for Saturday, January 2nd, 2027, and the participating teams are expected to be announced soon.

Below is a recap of the action, followed by the All-Showcase Team as selected by Bound Wisconsin's Travis Wilson.

Seymour got out to an early leads behind a strong overall performance and never looked back, cruising home to an 85-48 victory in the first game of the Deer District Prep Showcase.

Senior Kyler Marks was unstoppable in the first half with 17 points, six rebounds, and three assists as the Thunder built a 41-20 lead at the break. Sophomore Jordan Krause would add all 14 points of his points before halftime, with four, three-pointers.

The second half was much of the same, as the depth of Seymour allowed additional players to step up. Isaac Feske would score nine points after halftime, finishing with 14 points.

In addition to a game-high 25 points, Marks would add 14 rebounds, including several on the offensive end. On one first half possession, he record four offensive rebounds alone before converting a three-point play. He’d add five assists to earn Player of the Game honors.

The Prairie School was led by 14 points from junior Chandler Perry, though he scored just one after halftime. Junior Dalton Ahlensdorf added 14 for the Hawks, who also got 13 from senior Nolan Greb.

What was a competitive game early turned into a rout, as Racine Lutheran was too much for West De Pere at the Deer District Prep Showcase at FiservForum, with the Crusaders scoring a 92-62 victory.

An early 14-9 Racine Lutheran lead stretched to 31-19 and eventually 45-29 at halftime.

The dynamic duo of Bryce Austin and Sam Pitrof combined for 28 points in the first half, with Austin doing damage in transition to the tune of 17 points.

Racine Lutheran’s relentlessness was on full display in the second half, as the Crusaders kept their foot on the gas throughout. Pitrof poured in 14 points after the break to help extend the lead, while Isaiah Cosey lived at the free throw line.

Pitrof and Austin both finished with 25 points and five rebounds, as Pitrof took home Player of the Game honors from the Bucks and Deer District. Cosey finished with 12 points for the Crusaders.

Four players scored in double figures for West De Pere, led by 14 from junior Jack Wilichowski. Adding ten points were juniors Carson Samson and Cooper Borowicz as well as senior Patrick Greisen.

We got our first competitive game of the day at the Deer District Prep Showcase, as Mount Horeb held off a Lodi second half comeback attempt for a 58-54 victory. The Vikings led 28-19 at halftime, but Lodi would come all the way back to tie it a couple of times in the second half. However, the Blue Devils couldn’t quite get over the hump to go ahead.

Mount Horeb had a significant size advantage inside, and took advantage of it early and often. Senior Hayden Anderson, an All-State tight end on the football team, did plenty of damage on the interior, scoring 15. Junior Alex Chapman played an outstanding floor game for the Vikings and also was able to score inside, at the free throw line, and from deep. He was named the Player of the Game.

Lodi relied heavily on the duo of junior Kale Schneider and senior Theo Traeder, as they accounted for 43 of the team’s 54 points. Schneider led the way with 14, while Traeder connected on five, three-point baskets en route to 20 points.

Freshman Silas Seffrood hit a three-pointer with 12 seconds remaining to keep Lodi in it, trailing by two, but Mount Horeb would go down to make a pair of free throws to help close things out. Chapman connected on six-of-eight free throws in the second half to help the Vikings put things away.

Kaukauna entered Saturday’s game at FiservForum with a 13-1 record and number five ranking in the Bound Wisconsin/Zaleski Sports Division 1 Media Poll, while Oregon was 6-7 coming into the contest. You wouldn’t have guessed the difference in records, however, as Oregon pushed the Ghosts for all they could handle, though ultimately Kaukauna was able to hang on for a 62-60 victory.

The Ghosts struggled early, but freshman phenom Drew Bowers knocked down four, three-pointers in the first half to help Kaukauna to a 29-23 advantage, as senior All-State candidate was limited to just five points before the break.

Jensen exploded in the second half, using his considerable size advantage to dominate inside with 19 points, as he finished with 24 on the game to go with 13 rebounds, five blocks, and four assists. He was recognized as the Player of the Game.

In addition to Jensen and Bowers, Kaukauna got a nice game from sophomore Tyler Schwalbach, who finished with 17 points, including a couple key baskets down the stretch.

Oregon certainly didn’t play like a team under .500 on the season, as the Panthers fought to stay in the game, and even briefly took a lead with just over seven minutes remaining, but Kaukauna answered back and the Panthers couldn’t quite get over the hump again.

Bryce Hermsdorf was outstanding for Oregon, finishing with a game-high 26 points as he battled Jensen inside, and battled foul trouble at times.

With Marquette head coach Shaka Smart and Wisconsin assistant Shareef Chamblis among a sizable crowd watching on, Slinger brother Jack and Joey Kohnen proved why they’re among the top players not only in the state, but the entire country. The Owls moved to 12-3 on the season, handing Freedom its first loss 58-42.

The Owls held junior star Donovan Davis to just four points, none in the first 28 minutes of the game, as they had complete control most of the contest.

Jack Kohnen, a junior, finished with a game-high 24 points for Slinger, grabbing 11 rebounds as well to earn Player of the Game. Younger brother Joey, a sophomore, added 15 points and five rebounds for the Owls.

Slinger placed an emphasis on slowing down Davis, who came in averaging 21 points per game. However, with Jack Kohnen guarding him most of the time and facing hard double teams any time he became a threat, the Owls defense put the clamps on. Slinger limited Freedom to 35 points below their season average.

No Freedom players reached double figures in the game, as junior Cal Calhoun’s eight were tops for the Irish. In addition to four points, Donovan Davis grabbed 11 rebounds with five assists and a couple blocked shots.

What started as a top ten showdown in Division 1 became a rout in the second half, as West Allis Central ran away for a 98-70 victory over Arrowhead in the final game at the 2026 Deer District Prep Showcase.

Arrowhead led 29-28 with 8:29 left in the first half, but West Allis Central would start to assert itself, going up 41-35 with just over five minutes remaining and 52-40 at the break.

The second half belonged to West Allis Central, as the Bulldogs were able to get in transition and score over and over, led by Iowa State recruit Yusef Gray, Jr. He’d finish with 36 points and 11 rebounds, showing why he’s one of the top contenders for the WBCA Mr. Basketball, picking up Player of the Game recognition. His throwdown in traffic in the second half brought the FiservForum crowd to its feet.

Max Jones filled it up from all over with 18 points for the Bulldogs, while Kevin Pittman added 13.

Arrowhead was led by 12 points from Theo Toepel, as Brady Thimmesch (11 points) and Blake Basich (10) also reached double figures.

Kyler Marks, Seymour (Player of the Game)
Chandler Perry, The Prairie School
Sam Pitrof, Racine Lutheran (Player of the Game)
Bryce Austin, Racine Lutheran
Jack Wilichowski, West De Pere
Alex Chapman, Mount Horeb (Player of the Game)
Hayden Anderson, Mount Horeb
Kale Schneider, Lodi
Theo Traeder, Lodi
Andrew Jensen, Kaukauna (Player of the Game)
Tyler Schwalbach, Kaukauna
Brayden Hermsdorf, Oregon
Jack Kohnen, Slinger (Player of the Game)
Joey Kohnen, Slinger
Donovan Davis, Freedom
Yusef Gray, Jr., West Allis Central (Player of the Game)
Max Jones, West Allis Central
Kevin Pittman, West Allis Central
Theo Toepel, Arrowhead