Wisconsin Basketball Yearbook

Observations from the Wisconsin Basketball Yearbook Summer Tournament held in Plymouth July 20-22:
 
Pools G-H
                                                   
Final Standings
 
Pool G – Marshall 4-0, Kohler 2-2, Lake Country Lutheran 2-2, Ozaukee 2-2, Iowa-Grant 0-4.  
 
Pool H – Winnebago Lutheran 3-1, Kiel 3-1, Pardeeville 2-2, Random Lake 2-2, Mishicot 0-4.
 
Pool G vs. Pool H Championship Game – Marshall 47, Winnebago Lutheran 44.
 
Most Valuable Player

Brandon Stensaas, 6-4, Sr., WF, Marshall
Stensaas has been impressing college coaches all summer with his outstanding play for the Cardinals and he certainly continued his stretch of stellar performances in Plymouth. Though he turned an ankle in the title game against Winnebago Lutheran and played sparingly, Stensaas was at his best in a victory over Iowa-Grant. He showed off his deep shooting range by connecting on 10 three-point shots en route to a tournament-high 44 points. Stensaas averaged 13.3 ppg and 5.6 rpg a year ago for a Marshall squad that went 23-4 and advanced to the WIAA Division 3 State Tournament. He appears on course to improve those numbers for another exceptionally strong squad at Marshall in 2012-13.    

All-Tournament Team (In alphabetical order)

Dominic Bocchini, 5-9, Soph., PG, Kohler
Bocchini missed the games on Saturday, but made his presence felt on Sunday, scoring at a good clip while also running the Blue Bombers offense. His quickness and basketball I.Q. were both impressive and helped coach Ken Roeder’s squad to a 2-2 record.

Jacob Demman, 6-2, Sr., WG, Lake Country Lutheran
Demman is a three-year varsity performer for coach Cole Braun at Lake Country Lutheran. He has already scored more than 500 points in his prep career and his ability to shoot from the perimeter and get to the basket off the dribble should lead to some prolific scoring nights next winter.

Logan Leverton, 6-10, Sr., PF/C, Iowa-Grant
Leverton averaged 8.0 ppg in four low-scoring games for Iowa-Grant. His immense size and ability to finish around the basket were impressive. If he can improve his ability to exchange ends of the floor and become more aggressive, he could have a big senior season for coach Toby Tripalin.

Tyler Lewis, 6-4, Sr., F, Kohler
Lewis played exceptionally hard on both ends of the court and used his size to grab rebounds and score around the basket. He averaged 8.0 ppg as a junior and figures to reach double figures next time around for the Blue Bombers.

Jordan Meyer, 6-2, Sr., WG, Kiel
With leading scorer Jacob Winkel not playing, Meyer did a terrific job of stepping up and leading the Raiders in scoring for most of their games in Plymouth.

Eric Schepp, 6-2, Sr., WG, Pardeeville
One of the more pleasant surprises of the entire tournament, Schepp used his quickness, strength and skill to put up some big offensive numbers for the Bulldogs. He played both guard spots and did a nice job of being a team leader for Pardeeville.

Austin Sinden, 6-2, Jr., WF, Marshall
Marshall played without junior guard Cam Ward and senior forward Brendon Stensaas in the title game against Winnebago Lutheran, but Sinden came through when the chips were down, scoring 14 points against WLA and teaming with Carlton Henning to give the Cardinals enough offensive firepower to capture the Pools G-H title.

Stephen Street, 6-6, Sr., WF, Ozaukee
A three-year varsity performer who does a bit of everything for the Warriors, Street is poised to have a productive senior season for coach Isaiah Ketterhagen. He can guard multiple positions, is quick off the dribble and isn’t afraid to hit the boards on the both ends of the court.

Ben Wolff, 6-5, Jr., PF, Winnebago Lutheran
Coach Jeremiah Hoffmann lost five starters from a year ago to graduation, but the Vikings appear to have an emerging big man in the post in Wolff. A rugged and physical presence in the lane, Wolff also showed the ability to score as he finished with 11 points in the title-game loss to Marshall.

Seth Woods, 6-5, Sr., PF, Kiel
Woods used his size and physical strength to his advantage, scoring down low and controlling the boards for long stretches of time.

Team Champion
 
Marshall
The Cardinals were dominant in pool-play victories over Lake Country Lutheran, Ozaukee, Kohler and Iowa-Grant before nipping Winnebago Lutheran in the title game without Cam Ward and Brendon Stensaas. Ward played on Saturday in wins over Lake Country Lutheran and Ozaukee and was outstanding. He is a scholarship player and the leader for the Cardinals. Stensaas was also a force for coach Jason McConnell. The key to beating out teams like Clinton, Lake Mills, Lodi, Poynette and Wisconsin Dells in the playoffs next March could very well be getting strong contributions from junior Austin Sinden and senior Carl Henning. Sinden and Henning were up to the challenge in the victory over Winnebago Lutheran, which was certainly a good sign for Cardinal fans.

Notes
Senior Tim Bahr (6-5) gives Lake Country Lutheran some size in the post, but he also showed the ability to step outside and make some three-point shots … Mishicot played without arguably its three best players in seniors Derrick Hliniak (6-0) and Chris Kornelly (6-0), along with junior Colton Haack (6-3), who is still recovering from an injury that sidelined him for much of last season. Coach Justin Bestor nonetheless got some encouraging play from a pair of juniors in Jake Murphy (6-2) and Jonathan Peterson (6-1) … Likewise, Random Lake was without top returning scorer Alex Rathke (6-3), but got some good play from a pair of promising sophomores in Aaron Rathke (6-2) and Logan Martin (5-7).