Sauk Prairie picked for fifth

Editors Note: This preview of the Badger Small Conference boys basketball season was compiled by Wissports.net.   Predicted Order  of Finish 1. Stoughton 2. Mount Horeb 3. McFarland 4. Edgewood 5. Sauk Prairie 6. Reedsburg 7. Baraboo 8. Portage   2023-24 Final  Standings 1. Stoughton 14-0 (24-4 overall) Regional Champ 2. Mount Horeb 12-2 (21-6 overall) Regional Champ 3. Sauk Prairie 8-6 (12-13 overall) 4. McFarland 7-7 (9-15 overall) 5. Baraboo 6-8 (17-9 overall) 6. Edgewood 4-10 (5-20 overall) 7. Reedsburg 4-10 (8-18 overall) 8. Portage 1-13 (7-19 overall)   Last 10 Conference Champions 2023-24: Stoughton 2022-23: Edgewood (Badger-West) 2021-22: Monroe (Badger-West) 2020-21: N/A 2019-20: Waunakee (Badger-North) 2018-19: Mount Horeb (Badger-North) 2017-18: Waunakee (Badger-North) 2016-17: Waunakee (Badger-North) 2015-16: Waunakee (Badger-North) 2014-15: Mount Horeb (Badger-North)   Returning All-Conference Players First Team Josh Manchester, jr., Mount Horeb   Second Team Zach Maguire, sr., Mount Horeb Alex Hannagan, sr., Baraboo   Honorable Mention Timmy West, soph, Edgewood Elias Vera, sr, Portage Danny Pickel, sr, Reedsburg Nic Keyser, sr, Sauk Prairie Jacob Hibner, jr, Stoughton Carter Sullivan, sr, Stoughton   2024 Preview Top Players Alex Hannagan, Baraboo (Class of 2025) — Hannagan averaged double figure scoring last season while adding more than four rebounds and four assists per game. The 6-1 guard has a balanced offensive game and will be leaned upon to score more this season with the loss of a big 2024 graduating class. Jacob Hibner, Stoughton (Class of 2026) — Hibner found his spot and thrived last season on a very good Stoughton squad. The 6-3 guard averaged 10.5 points per game and his recruitment trail has picked up steam as he has multiple NCAA Division II offers from teams in Minnesota and Michigan, with Division I squads showing interest as of late. Nicholas Keyser, Sauk Prairie (Class of 2025) — Keyser is the leading returning scorer for Sauk Prairie after averaging 11.5 points per game and earning honorable mention all-conference honors. The 5-11 guard is a stingy defender and takes full advantage of that in the Eagles’ defensive scheme. Eli Krueger, McFarland (Class of 2027) — Krueger was a force as a freshman in the 10 games he played, averaging 9.4 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. At 6-foot-7 he has a knack for rebounding and showed a discipline defensively to block shots. Offensively he can attack the rim, score with his back to the basket, and is comfortable to step out and shoot the three. Josh Manchester, Mount Horeb (Class of 2026) — Manchester is one of the top players in the entire class of 2026, having drawn interest from many high level NCAA Division I programs such as Minnesota, Marquette, and Wisconsin. The 6-3 guard can light it up from anywhere on the court and is a threat to score 30-plus points a night. Zach Maguire, Mount Horeb (Class of 2025) — Maguire is the second option for Mount Horeb behind Manchester, having averaged 9.0 points per game and earning second team all-conference honors last season. The 6-1 guard does a little bit of everything for the Vikings. Danny Pickel, Reedsburg (Class of 2025) — Pickel was a volume scorer for Reedsburg last season as he led the Beavers with 12.2 points per game despite shooting just 32% from the field. A lengthy 6-3 wing, Pickel uses his speed and strength to get to the rim. Carter Sullivan, Stoughton (Class of 2025) — Sullivan averaged 8.0 points per game while playing primarily around the hoop last season for the Vikings. A willing rebounder and defender, Sullivan does a lot of the dirty work inside but has a solid mid-range game that defenders have to respect. Elias Vera, Portage (Class of 2025) — Vera was an honorable mention selection last season after averaging 13.3 points per game for the Warriors. The lead guard is the lone returning starter for the Warriors and will be asked to take on more as a scorer and distributor throughout the year. Timmy West, Edgewood (Class of 2027) — West was the lone freshman to earn all-conference honors last season after averaging 11.4 points per game for the Crusaders. With an improved shot, West’s scoring profile will continue to grow over the next three seasons.   1. Stoughton Head Coach: Nolan Weber (9th year at Stoughton) Overall Record: 126-61 2023-24 Varsity Record: 24-4 2023-24 JV Record: 11-9 2023-24 Freshman Record: 6-14 Assistant Coaches: Chris Schultz, Tim Strandlie, Alex Capesius, Dan McCglynn, Kurt Vale, Reid Gibbs, Dave Hentrich Key Contributors Lost: Ty Fernholz, Sawyer Schipper, Ben Harman Returning Players: Jacob Hibner, 2026 (10.5 ppg); Carter Sullivan, 2025 (8 ppg); LeShawn Brown, 2025 (3.5 ppg); Jay Johnson, 2025 (3.2 ppg); Mason Richter, 2025 (1.8 ppg); Ethan Strandlie, 2025 (1.9 ppg); Ethan Zywick, 2026 (3.4 ppg); Aiden Klawitter, 2025; Kade Hustad, 2025. Newcomers: Payton Danforth, 2026; Parker Sellnow, 2026; Quinn Poole, 2026; Moses Harris, 2026; Max Nelson, 2026; Jaren Vale, 2027 Outlook: Stoughton may have lost two great players to graduation, but Coach Weber is very optimistic about the Vikings going into the 2024-25 season. Five players return that are in their third or fourth season of varsity hoops. Hibner and Sullivan lead a group that is deep, well-coached, and fundamentally sound. Team Twitter: @StoughtonHoop Team Streaming Link: https://fan.hudl.com/usa/wi/stoughton/organization/5105/stoughton-high-s...   2. Mount Horeb Head Coach: Todd Neisheim (17th year at Mount Horeb) Overall Record: 238-141 2023-24 Varsity Record: 21-6 2023-24 JV Record: 15-7 Assistant Coaches: Jack Prehn, Mark Fredrickson, Paul Manchester, Brad Richardson, Cain Mueller Key Contributors Lost: Nick Vorwald (15.4 ppg) Returning Players: Josh Manchester, 2026 (24.1 ppg); Zach Maguire, 2025 (9 ppg); Chris Kiel, 2025 (1.6 ppg); Griffin Hannah, 2025 (4.2 ppg); Owen Aeschilmann, 2025 (3.1 ppg); Kam Nesheim, 2026 (1.9 ppg); Hayden Anderson, 2026 (3 ppg); Alex Chapman, 2027 (3.4 ppg) Newcomers: Cal Odgers, 2026; Ethan Morrisard, 2026; Max Grundahl, 2026; Jaxen Finley, 2026; Nick Ibinger, 2026 Outlook: Having the best player in the conference is always a good thing and that’s what coach Nesheim has in Josh Manchester. Maguire, Kiel and Hannah return to the starting lineup, giving this squad ample experience. Guard play will be the biggest strength of the Vikings as they look to play in space and around the perimeter. Team Twitter: @MHVIKINGHOOPS Team Streaming Link: https://www.youtube.com/@WiscoRadio/streams   3. McFarland Head Coach: Jeff Meinholdt (20th season with McFarland) Overall Record: 256-159 2023-24 Varsity Record: 9-15 2023-24 JV Record: 15-7 2023-24 Freshman Record: 20-2 Assistant Coaches: Tim King, Pete Williquette, Tyler Wedel, John Feldner, Todd Fortune, Alex Walli Key Contributors Lost: Andrew Kelley (13.7 ppg), Kaden Meinholdt (9.1 ppg), Braylan Roder (7 ppg) Returning Players: Ben Forbes, 2025 (6.4 ppg); Brady Ochalla, 2025 (7 ppg); Eli Krueger, 2027 (9.4 ppg); Hayden Harrison, 2025 (4.9 ppg) ; Mason Roe, 2025 (4.3 ppg) Newcomers: Garrett Crull, 2027; Kam Meinholdt, 2027; Ben Bosold, 2026 Outlook: Coach Meinholdt has what all basketball coaches want, size. Forbes (6-9) and Krueger (6-7) make up the biggest frontcourt in the conference and a major advantage for the Spartans. Coach Meinholdt wants to play in transition as best he can, but with those twin towers in the middle, that will be the key to McFarland’s success in 2024-25. Team Twitter: @McFBasketball Team Streaming Link: https://www.youtube.com/@McFarlandHighActivities   4. Edgewood Head Coach: Kevin Schmotzer (1st full year at Edgewood) Overall Record: 4-16 2023-24 Varsity Record: 5-20 2023-24 JV Record: 12-10 Assistant Coaches: Mike Hanson, Zach Anderson, Brian Golden Key Contributors Lost: Rex Lamb (14.7 ppg) Returning Players: Gannon Bagstad 2026, (5.5 ppg);Timmy West, 2027 (11.4 ppg); Drew Christiansen, 2027 (5.4 ppg) Newcomers: AJ Gneweuch, Henry Clark, 2026; Kaleb Oaeth Outlook: Edgewood will be led by long-time assistant Kevin Schmotzer after he took over in an interim role last season partway through. He’ll inherit a younger squad that may struggle with growing pains early on. Timmy West was a top freshman last year  and will need to mature into a leadership role with his younger peers. Football injuries have hurt Edgewood’s depth and size for part of, if not all of this upcoming year.  Team Twitter: @hs_edgewoodbb Team Streaming Link: www.youtube.com/@ehsathletics8664   5. Sauk Prairie Head Coach: Sean McGann (7th season with Sauk Prairie) Overall Record: 71-68 2023-24 Varsity Record: 12-13 2023-24 JV Record: 11-11 2023-24 Freshman Record: 14-8 Assistant Coaches: Jake Keller, Todd Breunig, Aaron Andres Key Contributors Lost: Tristan Kerska (13.7 ppg), Ben Henderson (10 ppg), Breyton Wardrop (9.7 ppg), Connor Breunig (7.8 ppg) Returning Players: Nic Keyser, 2025 (11.5 ppg); Otis Andres, 2026 (3.6 ppg); Casey Brickl, 2025 (1 ppg); Jake Buckles, 2026 (2.5 ppg) ; Braden Schaaf, 2025 (2 ppg) Newcomers: Brenden Marquardt, 2027 Outlook: Sauk Prairie coach Sean McGann begins his seventh season with the program returning five players who played meaningful minutes last season, led by Nic Keyser. The Eagles will have plenty of guards up and down the roster to plug in and give energy on the team, but finding that go-to scorer may be something this squad will take time to do. Team Twitter: @SaukHoops   6. Reedsburg Head Coach: Ty Horkan 2023-24 Varsity Record: 5-20 Key Contributors Lost: Ethan Horkan (5.8 ppg), Evan Thompson (6.6 ppg),  Returning Players: Winston Alonso, 2026 (2.6 ppg); Bo Bestor, 2025 (7.5 ppg); Will Mikonowicz, 2026 (3 ppg); Danny Pickel, 2025 (12.2 ppg); Alek Southworth, 2025 (9.4 ppg); Luke Verch, 2026 (2.4 ppg) Outlook: Reedsburg struggled to score the ball last season as Pickel was the only Beaver to average double figures. Coach Horkan’s defense kept them in most games where unless against the top teams in the conference. Bestor, Southworth and company will need to improve on the offensive end for Reedsburg to compete with the top half of the conference.   7. Baraboo Head Coach: Tyler Fish (6th year at Baraboo) Overall Record: 38-82 2023-24 Varsity Record: 17-9 2023-24 JV Record: 9-12 2023-24 Freshman Record: 6-15 Assistant Coaches: Damion Beth, Josh Statz, Erick Blasing, Justin Hannagan, Justin Olson Key Contributors Lost: Ross Liegel (18.5 ppg), Toby Lefevre (9.7 ppg), Jayson Zittlow (6.9 ppg), Luke Vittengl (5 ppg), Beau Brewster (5.9 ppg) Returning Players: Alex Hannagan, 2025 (10.8 ppg); Dan Olson, 2025 (3.5 ppg); Carter Rivas, 2027 Newcomers: Isaiah Romano-Thompson, 2026; Behr Lefevre, 2026; Tanner Goeckermann, 2026; Jon Moon, 2026 Outlook: Coach Fish graduated a large group that won 17 games last season. He’ll come into this year lacking varsity experience. However, Hannagan did average over ten points per game while Rivas saw extended action as a freshman. Guard play and effort will be strengths for this Baraboo squad while size may be an issue. Team Twitter: @BarabooHoops Team Streaming Link: https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/schools/baraboo-high-school-baraboo-wi   8. Portage Head Coach: Caleb Bohrer (1st year at Portage) 2023-24 Varsity Record: 7-19 2023-24 JV Record: 6-16 2023-24 Freshman Record: 11-10 Assistant Coaches: Aaron Lukes, Kody Brost, Brock Holmes, Jake Dunks, Scott Gordon Key Contributors Lost: Keegan Hooker (12.8 ppg), Johnathan Stout (9 ppg), Griffin Garrigan (6 ppg), River Meierdirk (4.3 ppg) Returning Players: Elias Vera, 2025 (13.8 ppg); Michael Nachreiner, 2026 (1 ppg); David Nadolski, 2025 (1.6 ppg); Ricky Yanez, 2025 (1.6 pp); Wesley Krueger, 2026; Max Kreuzinger, 2025; Aidan Warfield, 2025 (3.8 ppg); Brody Kayartz, 2026; Donovan Navone, 2026 (1.4 ppg) Newcomers: Alex Hartwig, 2026 Outlook: Portage will come into 2024 with just one starter and one of its top five scorers back in Elias Vera. First year head coach Caleb Bohrer believes the strength of his returning roster is the perimeter defense while the lack of experience and scoring will be the biggest weaknesses to improve upon. Team Twitter: @HoopsPortage Team Streaming Link: https://fan.hudl.com/usa/wi/portage/organization/1853/portage-high-school