Wisconsin Basketball Yearbook

Observations from the Wisconsin Basketball Yearbook Summer Tournament held at Viterbo University in La Crosse June 6-7:

Pools C-D

Final Standings

Pool C – Aquinas 4-0, Cedar Grove 3-1, Decorah, Iowa 2-2, Fall Creek 2-2, Mondovi 1-3, Augusta 0-4.

Pool D – Colfax 4-0, Almond-Bancroft 3-1, Viroqua 2-2, Cadott 1-3, North Crawford 1-3, Richland Center 1-3.

Pool C vs. Pool D Championship Game: Aquinas 66, Colfax 54.

Most Valuable Player

Chris Ancius, 6-4, WG/WF, Aquinas
A skilled, physically strong and versatile wing player who can attack the basket or make long-range jump shots, Ancius averaged 22.0 points per game in leading Aquinas to a 5-0 record and the Pools C-D title. A two-year varsity performer at Aquinas, Ancius finished the five games with 15 three-point baskets. His ability to score, rebound and defend will be crucial next winter as the Blugolds attempt to improve upon their 12-12 finish of a year ago. 

All-Tournament Team (In alphabetical order)

Brady Allbaugh, 5-11, Sr., PG, North Crawford
The left-handed point guard for coach Chris Wettstein was a scoring machine for the Trojans, who finished 1-3 but was competitive in all four contests. Allbaugh finishes off drives well and can also pop three-point shots. He finished with 19 points and two triples in a loss to Colfax.

Austin Bunders, 6-2, Sr., WG, Almond-Bancroft
A steady, talented wing player who can handle the ball, shoot and pass, Bunders averaged 11.8 ppg as a junior and should again rank as one of the elite performers in the Central Wisconsin 10 Conference. He is comfortable taking the perimeter shot and driving to the basket.

Dylan Bunders, 6-6, Jr., WF, Almond-Bancroft
The surprise of the entire WBY Tournament at Viterbo, Dylan Bunders has more size and length than his older brother, Austin. Dylan can play multiple positions and has an impressive skill package for someone his size. Though he'll need to get stronger and add weight to his frame, Bunders has a huge upside as he continues to develop his overall game. 

Kedar Davis, 5-8, Sr., PG, Colfax
A quick-on-quick lead guard who is aggressive on both offense and defense, Davis averaged 11.4 ppg in the Vikings' five games and made 15 three-point baskets. He teams with his younger brother, junior Aliymu Davis (5-10), to give coach Garrett Maas the quickest and most aggressive backcourt in the Dunn-St. Croix Conference. 

Zach Drake, 5-10, Sr., G, Viroqua
Drake engineered the Blackhawks' 37-34 double-overtime victory over Almond-Bancroft by finishing with 14 points, including 10 in the second half and overtime. The most experienced returning player for coach Joel Anderson, Drake also did a nice job of feeding senior big man Michael Lampman (6-8) in the post.

Cody Folkers, 6-3, Sr., G/F, Fall Creek
One of the more versatile player in the entire WBY Tournament, Folkers can handle the ball, pass and score from the perimeter and in the paint. The lone returning starter for a Fall Creek program that went 21-4 under coach Rick Storlie last season, Folkers is without a doubt one of the premier players in the Western Cloverbelt Conference.  

Eddie Harwick, 5-10, Jr., PG, Aquinas
Harwick isn't the most imposing player in the gym from a physical standpoint, but his effectiveness on the court is nonetheless impressive. A quick, skilled and tenacious player on both ends of the court, Harwick averaged 18.0 ppg for the Blugolds in their victories at Viterbo and finished with 14 three-point baskets. He does not turn the ball over and is more than willing to take the big shot at crunch time.

Bryce Hosting, 6-0, Sr., G, Decorah, Iowa
Hosting was clutch from the foul line in Decorah's 51-41 victory over Augusta as he went 10 for 11 in the second half en route to scoring a team-high 16 points. He also had eight points and a pair of triples in Decorah's 54-37 victory over Fall Creek. Decorah lost several talented players to graduation, but coach Jon Carlson has a deep team capable of challenging for another winning season.

Conley Malone, 5-11, Soph., WG, Aquinas
After splitting time between the junior varsity and varsity teams at Aquinas last season, Malone showed off his considerable skill at Viterbo, sinking a tournament-best 23 three-point shots in the Blugolds' five victories. He averaged 20.6 ppg and showed he is more than ready to take on a big-time role with Aquinas in 2015-16. Malone has good size, a solid basketball IQ and the work ethic required to succeed over the next three seasons.

Josh Weiss, 6-4, Jr., G/F, Cedar Grove
A physically dominating player who can score in a lot of different ways, Weiss helped a very good Cedar Grove squad to a 3-1 record. Playing without second-leading scorer Reid Hilbelink, who sustained a broken arm in the event on Saturday, Weiss scored 18 points with three triples and three made free throws in a victory over Augusta. Already a two-year varsity performer for coach Jim Meinen, Weiss has the look of a player who will put up huge numbers over the next two seasons.

Team Champion

Aquinas
After losing nine of its first 14 games last winter, Aquinas rebounded to win seven of its final 10 contests, including triumphs over La Crosse Central, Onalaska and La Crosse Logan twice. Coach Sam Servais returns a talented lineup led by Ancius, Harwick and Malone. All three are capable scorers who can get on a roll from beyond the three-point arc. Seniors Zach Phillips (5-11) and Alex Schulte (6-3) also figure to play prominent roles for the Blugolds in 2015-16. Phillips used his anticipation, hustle and speed to come up with several steals at Viterbo while Schulte sat out the tournament due to his involvement with the Aquinas baseball program that was preparing to compete at the sectional level. Though La Crosse Central and Onalaska appear to have more depth than Aquinas, the Blugolds figure to be right in the mix in the Mississippi Valley Conference next season.  

Notes
Junior Reid Hilbelink (6-1) of Cedar Grove had 21 points and four three-point baskets in the Rockets' victory over Mondovi, but he headed home after that victory due to a broken arm ... Junior Ethan Broctrup (5-8) and sophomore Joran Villa (5-9) had strong weekends for Cedar Grove as well as the Rockets appear primed to make a run at the title in the new Big East Conference ... Look for junior Sam Steinke (6-3) to have a breakout season for Fall Creek in 2015-16. The physically strong and wide-shouldered post player will be a difficult matchup for opponents due to his strength and footwork ... Cadott coach Brandon Mittermeyer competed at Viterbo without a single senior and the Hornets managed to beat Viroqua while losing close contests to Colfax, Almond-Bancroft and Richland Center. Juniors Drew Sonnentag (5-9) and Bryce McChesney (6-1) had strong showings for the Hornets ... Mondovi coach Chad Brieske is about to enter his 10th season in charge of the Buffaloes program and he has some talented players to work with in 2015-16. Senior Blake Purdy (6-2) performed well on Saturday before missing the two games on Sunday while left-handed senior guard Greg Poeschel (6-0) connected from the perimeter in a narrow loss to Fall Creek ... Augusta did not win a game, but the Beavers return a pair of intriguing players in 6-foot-7 senior Carter Berlin and 6-0 junior sharpshooter Kayne Korger. Berlin used his size to score around the basket while Korger dropped in 20 points and four triples in a 51-41 loss to Decorah ... After tying Alma/Pepin for the Dunn-St. Croix Conference crown a year ago, Colfax appears to have the firepower to again challenge for the league title. The Davis brothers provide tremendous quickness and aggressiveness while senior Jarrod Rudi (6-3) is a steady player who can create matchup problems due to his ability to play inside and outside ... Viroqua senior Michael Lampman (6-8) picked his spots to be effective, scoring all of the Blackhawks' points in the OT win over Almond-Bancroft. He has tremendous size and can seal opponents while posting in the lane ... Richland Center is currently without sophomore guard Devon Schmitz, who is out with an injury, but the Hornets got some strong play from juniors Noah Johnson (6-2) and Hunter Wilson (6-6) in their victory over Cadott. Senior Evan Stanek (6-2) also played well for Richland Center.