WBCA announces Division 5 Boys Basketball All-State team

Isaiah Kastern of Solon Springs, Ayden Phillips of Almond-Bancroft and Ryan Popowich of Bruce are repeat selections on the WBCA All-State squad among players who compete at the WIAA Division 5 level.

Kastern, a 6-foot-5 forward headed to NCAA Division II Bemidji State, helped Solon Springs to its first appearance in the WIAA State Tournament, averaging 28.9 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.0 steals as the Eagles went 27-3. He scored a career-high 51 points as a senior in a victory over Lac Courte Oreilles.

Phillips (6-7) is a dominating big man who averaged a double/double while leading Almond-Bancroft to its first state tournament berth. Phillips averaged 24.2 points, 11.5 rebounds and 2.9 blocked shots for the Eagles. He also shared Player of the Year honors in the Central Wisconsin South along with teammate TJ Lamb.

Popowich (6-4) led Bruce in scoring (22.4 ppg), rebounding (9.1 rpg), assists (4.0 apg) and steals (3.5 spg). The first-team all-Lakeland East Conference performer scored 1,836 points during his four-year career. He had a career-best 40 points in a victory over Lake Holcombe as a senior.

Ahmad Badwan (6-4) had another fantastic season for Salam, leading the school to its first regional championship and the Lake City Conference title. The physically strong and versatile Badwan averaged 29.9 points, 14.8 rebounds and 2.7 assists. He scored more than 1,700 career points for the Stars.

Jackson Blomberg (6-2) was voted Player of the Year in the Marawood North Conference after helping Rib Lake to the league title and a 21-6 record. He averaged 14.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.2 assists.

Jimmitrius Davison (6-4) was instrumental in the success for Abundant Life Christian. He helped the Challengers to a share of the Trailways South Conference crown with Deerfield, and a runner-up finish in the WIAA Division 5 State Tournament. Davison averaged 7.5 points, 10.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.8 blocked shots.

Kasey Helgeson (6-4) received Player of the Year recognition in the Six Rivers East Conference. He led Barneveld to the league championship and a 20-7 record. Helgeson averaged 18.1 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.5 steals for the Eagles.

Noah Hemmersbach (6-0) was chosen as the Player of the Year in the highly competitive Scenic Bluffs Conference. He helped Cashton to a 25-4 record and a sectional-final berth by averaging 23.9 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.6 assists.

Blake Jakobi (5-9) was one of three Columbus Catholic players named Player of the Year in the Cloverbelt East Conference alogn with Emmitt Konieczny and Charlie Moore. Jakobi's strong ball handling, passing, defense and shooting helped the Dons to a 29-2 record and the Division 5 state championship. He scored 1,171 career points for the Dons and averaged 14.3 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.0 steals as a senior.

Konieczny (6-1) also had a very strong season for Columbus Catholic. He had 31 points in the Dons' D5 title-game win over Abundant Life Christian and averaged 14.9 points, 3.9 rebounds and 4.5 assists. Konieczny completed his four-year prep career with 1,329 points to rank second on the school's all-time scoring list.

Lamb (6-3) ranked among state leaders in steals with 187 for an average of 6.4 spg. The son of long-time Almond-Bancroft coach Curt Lamb, TJ Lamb also averaged 17.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 7.1 assists as the Eagles finished 27-2.

Heath Poppy (6-2) was voted Player of the Year in the Six Rivers West Conference. He averaged a league-best 20.7 ppg while helping the Miners to an 18-8 record. Poppy also contributed 8.9 rpg and 4.3 rpg while making 71 three-point baskets on the season.

Division 5 WBCA All-State
Ahmad Badwan, Sr., Salam
Jackson Blomberg, Sr., Rib Lake
Jimmitrius Davison, Sr., Abundant Life Christian
Kasey Helgeson, Sr., Barneveld
Noah Hemmersbach, Sr., Cashton
Blake Jakobi, Sr., Columbus Catholic
Isaiah Kastern, Sr., Solon Springs
Emmitt Konieczny, Sr., Columbus Catholic
TJ Lamb, Sr., Almond-Bancroft
Ayden Phillips, Jr., Almond-Bancroft
Ryan Popowich, Sr., Bruce
Heath Poppy, Sr., Shullsburg

Honorable Mention
Brynden Beck, Jr., Port Edwards
Channing Brown, Jr., Ithaca
Connor Butzler, Sr., Cashton
Brody Feldmann, Jr., Elkhart Lake
Gunnar Greuel, Sr., Winter
Ryer Indergand, Sr., Monticello
Cameron Lipinski, Jr., Cochrane-Fountain City
JJ McKellipis, Sr., Lourdes Academy
Matthew Nies, Sr., River Ridge
Jace Paul, Jr., Alma Center Lincoln
Shavlik Schultz, Sr., Fall River
Camden Schurk, Jr., Pacelli
Dylan Taggart, Sr., Solon Springs
Carter Uppena, Jr., Royall
Gavin Wunderlin, Sr., Potosi