D1 State Tournament Preview

D1 State Tournament Preview - Round 1 GAME #1: #1 Middleton vs #4 Oconomowoc TIME: 6:35 pm KEY PLAYERS FOR MIDDLETON: [caption id="attachment_146806" align="alignright" width="189"] Tanin[/caption] The top seeded and number one ranked team, Middleton are led by the duo of Loyal University commit, [player_tooltip player_id="132420" first="Sitori" last="Tanin"] and senior forward Karina Bursac. Tanin has been the leader for her squad all season long. The 6’2 forward is incredibly versatile on both ends of the floor. She is averaging 14.9 points, 11.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game. Her post moves are explosive and she does a tremendous job creating space for herself. Alongside her is 5’11 Bursac, an ultra competitive player who does a nice job of controlling the tempo for her team. She is averaging 10.5 points per game and 6 rebounds per game. The duo together has been basically unstoppable this season as other teams haven’t had the size to pressure both of them at the same time. If they continue to play off of one another and be consistent to their numbers, they’ll be a tough team to beat. KEY PLAYERS FOR OCONOMOWOC: The team is primarily led by senior forward [player_tooltip player_id="132438" first="Olivia" last="Sobczak"]. The 6’0 forward is extremely talented and has put up big numbers leading her team to the state tournament. She averages 20.8 points per game and 8.8 rebounds per game. She’s super fast in transition and gets open really well. Sobczak has nice handles and will take charge bringing the ball up the floor. When she’s not running the offense on the perimeter, her post offense is fierce. She has a quick up and under move, and a sick reverse pivot jumper. She commands the ball inside and is not afraid of any contact. Beside her is junior Elizabeth Clearly. The 5’8 guard is lightning quick and flys by defenders on offense. She has an explosive first step and hesitation dribble that finds her with some easy layups inside. She’s developed her jumper this season and does a good job finding her spot off kick outs from Sobczak. Off the bench, Oconomowoc brings in a pure shooter. Sophomore power forward Natalie Gricius has been super effective during their playoff run. Standing at 5’10, she can shoot the ball with efficiency and also is tall enough to defend a post player like Middletons Bursac. Look for Gricus to be a surprise key attribute in their game plan against Middleton. GAME #2: #2 Bay Port vs #3 Divine Savior Holy Angels TIME: 8:00 pm [caption id="attachment_146810" align="alignright" width="201"] Johnson[/caption] KEY PLAYERS FOR BAY PORT: Bay Port has been dominant all season long. Leading the squad has been senior [player_tooltip player_id="132456" first="McKenzie" last="Johnson"]. The 5’5 guard is averaging 13.6 points per game and leads her team in scoring. She’s the most valuable asset to her team and makes all her teammates better. She see’s the floor well and finds her post player with efficency. She attacks the basket and gets to the rim as good as anyone I’ve seen this season. She has a nice pull up elbow jumper that she is seen using a lot. Johnson makes a lot of shots following a nice outlet pass from her bigs in tranistion, and also does a really good job of steals. Following behind her is Emma Krueger, the 5’7 sophomore guard who has been essential during playoff action. She’s super quick defensively and would most likely do a fantastic job guarding DSHA Alyah Garcia. She is averaging 12.0 points per game for this team and plays with a lot of confidence. Ending the tremendous trio is [player_tooltip player_id="132445" first="Mady" last="Draak"]. The Michigan Tech recruit stands at 6’1 and is averaging 9.4 points for her team. Draak is super consistent offensively and can guarantee you buckets in the lane. She’s strong underneath and a nice presence to have in the lane. As long as Draak remains efficient in her lock down defense in the paint, I think DSHA will have a tough time getting their inside shot off. KEY PLAYERS FOR DSHA: Leading the team this season has been senior guard Jadin O’Brien. Standing at 5’9, O’Brien is a force inside the lane and has proven she can hold her own against height. She’s averaging 13.8 points per game and 7.0 rebounds. She does a really great job of finding her rhythm offensively and just taking over games. DSHA is such a balanced scoring team, and it’s led them to where they are now. But I do believe that for a team like this to be able to control the tempo of Bay Port, players like O’Brien will need to put up big numbers. Alexa Jarecki has been a role player all season but if she continues to come out of her shell during playoffs she will be a force to watch. The 5’9 junior is averaging 9.4 points per game and commands attention offensively. As long as she plays with the same energy as of late, it will be easier for someone like O’Brien to get her offense going. Alyah Garcia controls the pace of the game for DSHA. She’s developed into a pure point guard for her team. She plays with purpose and poise. Averaging 10.6 points per game, she has a high basketball IQ and can easily take over on both ends of the floor. Championship game: Saturday, March 14th following Division 2