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There is one thing that all of the teams featured this week have in common...depth and experience.  Each of them have a strong core of returners and a combined total of three loses between all four teams!  Needless to say why they are considered in this weeks contender report.

 

Division 1 – De Pere 

 

Top Returners –

Adrian Ritchie – Senior – 5 11

Claire Steffen – Senior – 5 7

Kaitlin Rose – Senior – 5 4

Bryanna Mueller – Senior – 5 5

Jenna Newhouse – Senior – 5 6

Kristin Tischer – Junior – 6 1

Kelly Higgins – Junior – 5 6 

 

Other Key Players –

Chantel Divilbiss – Senior – 5 7

Maggie Konopasek – Junior – 6 0

Val Hagerstrom – Junior – 6 0

Erin Steffen – Junior – 5 7

Jillian Ritchie – Sophomore – 6 0  

  

Team Strengths –

Depth and leadership.  The Redbirds return six seniors (four of their seniors have already committed to playing college basketball next season) and two juniors from last year s state qualifying team that was 22-3.  The most recognized returners include UW-GB recruit Adrian Ritchie, who is averaging 16 points, 4 steals and 6 assists a game.  She had to help carry the load when teammate Claire Steffen was out the beginning of the year with a knee injury.  Since her return, Steffen has been averaging just about 10 points per game.  This is a team that likes to turn it up defensively and they have the numbers to do so.  They can go about 10-12 deep which is key to the up-tempo style that they like to play.  Their press and half court defense focus on constant pressure which in turn leads to the up-tempo style they like to play. 

 

To get to the next level –

The Redbirds will have to focus on putting all the pieces together offensively to be more consistent as they go deeper into the tournament.  If they can find a way to have confidence in their system and make other teams make mistakes, they could find themselves back in Madison this winter.  They tend to take the first shot available instead of being patient enough to break down the opponent s defense.  They are 15-1 and that one loss came to Milwaukee King earlier in the season and are on track to win their conference.  However, they will have to get by conference rival Pulaski (also 15-1 and 13-0) their last game of the regular season. 

 

Division 2 – Columbus

 

Top Returners –

Kayla Waddell – Senior – 5 9

Marijo Kaschub – Senior – 5 5

Abby Leuck – Senior – 5 9

 

Other Key Players –

Molly Andler – Junior – 5 5

Bridget Hussey – Junior – 5 9

Heidi Paul – Sophomore – 5 8

Megan Crombie – Sophomore – 5 10

Sam Seltzner – Sophomore – 6 1

 

Team Strengths –  

Experience.  The Cardinals return 10 letter winners from last year s team that finished the regular season 20-0 and ended up 21-1 after a loss in the regional finals.  This bodes well for team chemistry and confidence.  Tradition is rich in Columbus as the Cardinals have won 4 of the last 5 conference titles outright and are looking to do the same again this year with their 16-0 record thus far.  They are led by senior Kayla Waddell, who was Player of the Year last season in the Capital North Conference.  However, this Cardinal team is balanced in their offensive attack and does a good job of using both their size and their quickness to their advantage.  With the number of girls that Coach Schweitzer can play, Columbus could bring a pretty hefty record into Madison in March.

 

To get to the next level –

Although Columbus has been able to win conference titles and get through the last few seasons with only 3 losses, they have been unable to get back to the state tournament since the 02-03 season.  This is a hungry team with something to prove, but they have to continue to take it one game at a time and not get caught up in the hype of being undefeated.  They will need to continue to have balanced scoring and be able to rebound at both ends of the court.  A big test is coming on Friday as they host conference rival Lakeside Lutheran, who they beat by only five points back in December, and are only one game behind the Cardinals in the conference standings.  In addition, they will have to survive one of the nastiest sectionals in the state which includes Reedsburg, reigning state champion Monroe, Edgewood and Delavan-Darien.  If they can survive that sectional, they will put themselves in a nice spot for bringing a gold ball back to Columbus!

 

Division 3 – Howards Grove

 

Top Returners –

Sarah Albert – Senior – 5 6

Ashley Hopf – Senior – 5 9

Ali Benning – Junior – 5 7

 

Other Key Players –

Alexis Lindstrom – Freshman – 5 5

Amber Sheahan – Senior – 5 9

Ashlee Finnell – Senior – 5 6

Dayton Moenning – Senior – 5 6

 

Team Strengths –

Outside shooting and Depth.  This is a team that returned seven seniors from last years team, as well as their top four scorers.  That makes them one of the more experienced teams in the state.  With a potential Central Lakeshore Conference Player of the Year in Sarah Albert, this team has three girls (Albert, Benning and Hopf) that are averaging double digit scoring for the Tigers.  Throw in the fact that Albert is shooting almost 50% from the three point line and a staggering 91% from the free throw line and this team is going to be very difficult to guard down the stretch. 

 

To get to the next level –

This team will have to work on being more consistent for four full quarters.  That will come as they continue to improve defensively.  If they can play good solid defense for four quarters, they will be tough to beat with the offensive fire power they posses.  Thus far the Tigers are 15-0 and have beaten tough opponents such as Oostburg and Ozaukee, but each of those teams will get a second chance to knock them off the top of the conference in the next few weeks.  If HG can take care of business throughout the rest of conference and be defensively sound as we roll into March, look for the Tigers to make some noise in the post season.  But, they are going to have to get past a few other determined teams in their sectional in the form of Amherst and Algoma, to claw their way to Madison.

 

Division 4 – Potosi

 

Top Returners –

Thresia Elskamp – Senior – 5 7

Morgan Lass – Senior – 5 6

Danielle Flesch – Senior – 5 7

Alison Tobin – Senior – 5 8

Catie Wunderln – Senior – 5 5

Kayla Fecht – Senior – 5 5

Aubree Wilhelm – Senior – 5 6

 

Other Key Players –

Reba Keene – Junior – 5 5

Brianna Reising – Junior – 5 7

Jodi Fecht – Junior – 5 4

Katie Reynolds – Junior – 5 7

 

Team Strengths –

Athleticism and Depth.  I hate to say it again, but depth and experience is going to be key to this team making it deep into the post season.  The Chieftains return several players from last years team that won the conference title and went on to lose in the sectional finals.  They have leadership from Elskamp, who was the Player of the Year last season, and Lass (all-conference), but have several juniors that will continue to be tested in new roles.  As this team continues to grow the experience of this group could make them very dangerous come tournament time.  They play tenacious man to man defense and like to turn up the pressure, which makes scoring difficult for most teams.  They are currently 14-1 and their only loss comes from Black Hawk, who beat them by 2 in a match of undefeated teams.  Potosi quickly returned the favor less than a week later when Black Hawk travelled to Potosi.  With that desire and competitiveness this Potosi team could find themselves in Madison this March.

 

To get to the next level –

With the number of seniors they returned, they have a group of juniors that will need to continue to improve and develop in order to make it out of their sectional this season.  They rely on Elskamp and Lass, but will they have a bench that they can use in crunch time?  That will all depend on their development coming into the final few weeks of the season.  If they can find a way to be consistent and strong with the ball, watch out!  They will have no easy march; however, as their sectional has unbeaten Assumption and a Barneveld team with only one loss to date.