WBCA announces Division 5 Boys Basketball All-State Team

Nine of the 10 members of the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association Division 5 All-State squad helped their teams reach the sectional level and the other lost in a regional final.

Hayden Baughman of McDonell Central is an athletic 6-foot-6 junior wing prospect who averaged 15.2 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.0 assists while helping the Macks to a 24-4 record and a spot in the WIAA Division 5 State Tournament. The first-team all-league performer in the Western Cloverbelt Conference scored a career-high 29 points in a win over Chetek-Weyerhaeuser and has scored 845 points in three years of varsity play.

Almond-Bancroft senior Dylan Bunders used his length and 6-foot-7 frame to affect the game in multiple ways. He averaged 19.5 points, 8.1 rebounds and 3.5 assists while helping the Eagles to a 23-3 record and a share of the Central Wisconsin 10 Conference with Gresham. Bunders, who plans to play college basketball at NCAA Division III St. Norbert College, scored 1,250 points in four years of varsity competition.

Gresham senior Neal Cerveny led the Wildctas to a sectional final appearance and a 23-4 record by averaging 22.9 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists. The versatile 6-foot-2 wing player was chosen Player of the Year in the Central Wisconsin 10 Conference and scored more than 1,650 points during his stellar four-year prep career.

Columbus Catholic senior Tyler Fuerlinger helped the Dons to their second WIAA State Tournament appearance by averaging 22.7 points, 7.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists. A 6-foot-2 wing player, Fuerlinger was named Player of the Year in the Eastern Cloverbelt Conference and helped Columbus Catholic to a 25-3 record and the league title.

Alma/Pepin forward Caiden Haake (6-3) turned in a prolific senior season while helping his squad to a 20-5 record and the title in the Small Schools Division of the Dairyland Conference. Haake used his superior physical strength and impressive skill to average 28.8 points and 11.3 rebounds. He scored a career-best 43 points in a victory over Independence.

Senior A.J. Hendrickson of Pecatonica used his 6-foot-5 height and ability to score from the perimeter to average 23.7 points for the Vikings. He also grabbed 6.5 rebounds and handed out 2.6 assists per contest while helping Pecatonica to a 19-6 record. A four-year varsity performer, Hendrickson completed his prep career with 2,177 points to rank 17th on the state’s all-time scoring list. He plans to play college basketball at NAIA Division I Clarke University.

Barneveld senior point guard Matthew Myers (6-0) helped the Eagles to victories over Columbus Catholic and Shullsburg at the WIAA Division 5 State Tournament with his scoring, passing and ball handling as the school won its first boys’ state basketball title. Myers, the son of coach Jim Myers, averaged 13.8 points and 4.2 assists as the Eagles finished 26-3 and won the championship in the Eastern Division of the Six Rivers Conference.

Alex Ohde of McDonell Central is a 6-foot-7 forward who scored in the paint and from the perimeter while helping the Macks to a 24-4 record. A four-year varsity performer for coach Archie Sherbinow, Ohde scored 1,279 career points and averaged 14.4 points, 9.5 rebounds and 3.2 blocks as a senior en route to earning Player of the Year honors in the Western Cloverbelt Conference. Ohde plans to play college basketball at NCAA Division III UW-River Falls.

Bangor junior Luke Reader (6-0) helped his squad to a 25-2 record and an unbeaten record in the Scenic Bluffs Conference. The Player of the Year in the Scenic Bluffs averaged 20.8 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game for coach Jordan Laufenberg and the Cardinals.

Columbus Catholic senior point guard Hunter Schultz (6-0) earned first-team all-Eastern Cloverbelt Conference honors for the second time in the past three seasons by averaging 23.3 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.2 assists for coach Joe Konieczny and the Dons, who finished 25-3 after falling to eventual state-champion Barneveld in the semifinal round of the WIAA Division 5 State Tournament.

Division 5 WBCA All-State

Hayden Baughman, Jr., McDonell Central
Dylan Bunders, Sr., Almond-Bancroft
Neal Cerveny, Sr., Gresham
Tyler Fuerlinger, Sr., Columbus Catholic
Caiden Haake, Sr., Alma/Pepin
A.J. Hendrickson, Sr., Pecatonica
Matthew Myers, Sr., Barneveld
Alex Ohde, Sr., McDonell Central
Luke Reader, Jr., Bangor
Hunter Schultz, Sr., Columbus Catholic

Honorable Mention

Joe Grundhoffer, Jr., Assumption
Connor Heise, Sr., Lena
Kayne Korger, Sr., Augusta
Kody Krueger, Sr., Hilbert
John Ross Linscheid, Sr., Highland
Hunter Matye, Sr., Shullsburg
Joseph Meyer, Sr., Shullsburg
Nick Payne, Sr., Seneca
Drew Rohde, Sr., Prentice
Sawyer Rosner, Sr., Phelps
Wesley Schiek, Jr., Valley Christian
Davin Stricker, Sr., Mellen

* Denotes unanimous selection

Voting Panel – Josh Hanson, Drummond; Jon Bussewitz, Turtle Lake; Mark Meerstein, Green Bay NEW Lutheran; Curt Lamb, Almond-Bancroft; Mark Lierman, Shullsburg; Curt Hildreth, Hillsboro; Jim Myers, Barneveld; Jake Falkenthal, Hustisford