Three-star Northern Iowa commit
Zavier Zens led the way with 33 points and eight rebounds in the win while junior
Kager Knueppel finished with 22 points and 11 rebounds.
Kager, a 6-foot-8 wing regarded as a top 150 prospect in the Class of 2027, is the younger brother of Charlotte Hornets rookie Kon Knueppel. He is joined on the Wisconsin Lutheran roster this year by younger brothers
Kinston and
Kash, who look to guide the program to its third consecutive state crown.
The younger brother of NBA rookie sensation Kon Knueppel, Kager Knueppel scored 22 points and grabbed 11 boards in Wisconsin Lutheran's win over Pike at the Kevin Brown Memorial Tournament of Champions in Illinois. (PHOTO: Wendy McGlothlin)
Kinston is a 6-foot-5 shooting guard pegged as a top 100 talent in the Class of 2028 while Kash is a promising 6-3 freshman wing who is expected to see minutes on varsity this season
although he did not play in the opener.
Following an and-one from Landon Lampley, who finished with 20 points in the loss, to knot things at 61, Zens knocked down a
3-pointer from the right corner before hitting a fading mid-range
shot from the left side to give Wisconsin Lutheran a 66-61 advantage
with under one minute to go.
Top 60 junior
Jahari Miller, who had 21 points, six rebounds and six assists in the loss, knocked down a pair of free throws before grabbing a steal that resulted in a layup to make things 66-65 with 15 seconds remaining in the extra
period.
After Kager Knueppel knocked down a pair of free throws to give Wisconsin Lutheran a three-point advantage with 11 seconds remaining, a final shot from Pike rimmed out at the buzzer.
The three Knueppel brothers took a moment for a snap after their first win together at Wisconsin Lutheran on Wednesday night in Illinois. (PHOTO: Mindy McGlothlin)
Pike began the game with a 9-0 run and jumped ahead 17-8 at the end of the first quarter. But Wisconsin Lutheran flipped the script in the second quarter with a 15-0 run that spanned six minutes.
A 10-0 run midway through the third quarter sparked Pike's comeback, cutting a 12-point deficit to 47-44 going into the final period. The Red Devils continued momentum to start the fourth quarter as three consecutive shots from long-range gave them their first lead of the second half at 53-47.
Although sophomore
Kinston Knueppel went scoreless for the first three quarters, he came up big down the stretch with three made 3-pointers in a three-minute span that sparked an 11-4 run to give Wisconsin Lutheran a 58-57 advantage.
Four-star junior
Isaiah Hill split a pair of free throws to tie things up at 58 with 30 seconds remaining and send things to overtime.
Pike (1-1) is coached by former NBA all-star Jeff Teague.
Wisconsin Lutheran, which begis the season ranked No. 20 nationally by MaxPreps, captured the Division 2 title in 2023-24 with an 83-62 victory over Pewaukee and edged Marshfield 57-55 in the Division 1 championship game last season.
Over the past five seasons, Wisconsin Lutheran has been a model of consistency with a record of 129-13 since the start of 2020-21 — when Kon Knueppel joined the program as a freshman.
Kon has been a star in his rookie season in the NBA with the Charlotte Hornets, averaging 19.4 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game while shooting 49.1 percent from the field, 43.8 percent from three-point range and 90 percent from the free throw line through 17 games.
Kon was selected as a second team MaxPreps All-America during his senior year in 2023-24 when he averaged 25.9 points, 8.6 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game to lead the Vikings to an unbeaten run to the state championship. He finished his prep career with 1,978 points.
