The WIAA’s newly released 2026-27 Division 3 boys basketball sectional assignments show a bracket in motion, growing from 100 schools to 103 as Division 3 trades programs in both directions with its neighboring divisions. Unlike Division 1 and Division 2, though, none of last season’s four sectional champions changed addresses — Saint Croix Central, Seymour, Lake Mills and Racine St. Catherine’s all stay in the same sectional number for 2026-27.
The bigger story is where the other 99 schools landed. Ten programs that played Division 2 basketball in 2025-26 — the same ten flagged as departures in OnFocus’s Division 2 realignment coverage — are now confirmed in Division 3 for 2026-27: West Salem, Green Bay East, Marinette, Edgewood, Jefferson, Obama SCTE, Shorewood, Milwaukee Academy of Science, Golda Meir and Tenor/Veritas.
Sectional 1 stays mostly intact
Sectional 1 loses only Amherst, which shifts to Sectional 2, and two programs — Barron and Stanley-Boyd. In their place, Sectional 1 adds West Salem from Division 2 along with Aquinas and Mauston, both pulled from what was Sectional 3 a year ago. Everyone else — Saint Croix Central, Prescott, Osceola, Saint Croix Falls, Northwestern, Ellsworth, Amery, Ashland, Hayward, Somerset, Baldwin-Woodville, Spooner, Altoona, Wautoma, Arcadia, Adams-Friendship, Bloomer, Mosinee, Black River Falls, Elk Mound, Westfield and Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau — stays put.
Sectional 2 sends four teams to Sectional 4, picks up two from Division 2
Sectional 2 loses Sheboygan Falls, Kiel, Campbellsport and North Fond du Lac to Sectional 4, but keeps the bulk of its 2025-26 field. Joining for 2026-27 are Green Bay East and Marinette, both up from Division 2, plus Amherst from Sectional 1. Bonduel, New Holstein and Omro also appear on Sectional 2 for the first time without a match in last year’s Division 3 field — most likely arrivals from Division 4, though that couldn’t be confirmed from the available brackets.
Sectional 3 absorbs a wave of private schools from Sectional 4
Sectional 3 keeps its core — Dodgeville, Viroqua, Richland Center, River Valley, Platteville, Lodi, Wisconsin Dells, Lake Mills, Mayville, Evansville, East Troy, Waupun, Turner, Watertown Luther Prep, Whitewater, Columbus, Edgerton, Big Foot and Lakeside Lutheran all return — while losing Mineral Point, Westby, New Glarus and Lancaster, none of which appear anywhere on the 2026-27 bracket. It gains five programs pulled from what was Sectional 4 a year ago: St. John’s Northwestern, Brookfield Academy, Milwaukee School of Languages, Lake Country Lutheran and Fuller Collegiate Academy. Edgewood and Jefferson, both up from Division 2, round out the additions.
Sectional 4 loses five to Sectional 3, gains five from Division 2
Sectional 4 sends St. John’s Northwestern, Brookfield Academy, Milwaukee School of Languages, Lake Country Lutheran and Fuller Collegiate Academy to Sectional 3, and loses Kenosha St. Joseph Catholic and Milwaukee North outright — neither appears anywhere on the 2026-27 bracket. Filling in are Obama SCTE, Shorewood, Golda Meir, Tenor/Veritas and Milwaukee Academy of Science, all up from Division 2, plus Sheboygan Falls, Kiel, Campbellsport and North Fond du Lac arriving from Sectional 2. Dominican and Winnebago Lutheran also join without a 2025-26 Division 3 match, again likely up from Division 4. Oostburg, Kingdom Prep Lutheran, Milwaukee Madison, Brown Deer, University School of Milwaukee, Carmen Northwest, Racine Lutheran, Saint Anthony, Messmer, Shoreland Lutheran, Cristo Rey Jesuit, Audubon Technology, Saint Thomas More, Saint Francis and Racine St. Catherine’s all stay put.
Sectional champions: then and now
| Sectional | 2025-26 Champion | Sectional Final | 2026-27 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sectional 1 | Saint Croix Central | 61–53 over Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau | Sectional 1 |
| Sectional 2 | Seymour | 71–52 over Xavier | Sectional 2 |
| Sectional 3 | Lake Mills | 85–53 over Watertown Luther Prep | Sectional 3 |
| Sectional 4 | Racine St. Catherine’s | 74–58 over Racine Lutheran | Sectional 4 |
Ten teams arrive from Division 2
| School (from Division 2) | 2026-27 Sectional |
|---|---|
| West Salem | Sectional 1 |
| Green Bay East | Sectional 2 |
| Marinette | Sectional 2 |
| Edgewood | Sectional 3 |
| Jefferson | Sectional 3 |
| Obama SCTE | Sectional 4 |
| Shorewood | Sectional 4 |
| Milwaukee Academy of Science | Sectional 4 |
| Golda Meir | Sectional 4 |
| Tenor/Veritas | Sectional 4 |
Four teams move up to Division 2
| School (to Division 2) | 2025-26 D3 Sectional |
|---|---|
| Delavan-Darien | Sectional 3 |
| Hmong American Peace | Sectional 4 |
| Kettle Moraine Lutheran | Sectional 4 |
| Milwaukee Washington | Sectional 4 |
Eight programs drop to Division 4
Barron, Stanley-Boyd, Mineral Point, Westby, New Glarus, Lancaster, Kenosha St. Joseph Catholic and Milwaukee North all played Division 3 basketball in 2025-26 and don’t appear anywhere on the 2026-27 Division 3 assignment sheet. A check of the 2026-27 Division 4 assignments confirms where they landed: all eight are now Division 4 programs. Mineral Point, Westby, New Glarus and Lancaster — all part of the same 2025-26 Division 3 Sectional 3 cluster — stayed together, landing as a group in Division 4 Sectional 3.
Eight teams confirmed in Division 4
| School (to Division 4) | 2026-27 D4 Sectional |
|---|---|
| Barron | Sectional 1 |
| Stanley-Boyd | Sectional 2 |
| Mineral Point | Sectional 3 |
| Westby | Sectional 3 |
| New Glarus | Sectional 3 |
| Lancaster | Sectional 3 |
| Milwaukee North | Sectional 4 |
| Kenosha St. Joseph Catholic | Sectional 4 |
Regionals for the 2026-27 season are set for March 2, 5 and 6, with sectional semifinals on March 11 and sectional finals on March 13. The state tournament follows March 18-19-20, 2027.
