Top Returners: Badger South

Lena June 11, 2020 @ 09:07 PM

Top Returners: Badger South Conference Leading the Badger- South conference last season was Oregon. The team finished conference play with a 13-1 record. Second in the Badger South was a tough Watertown squad that finished 11-3 in conference. The six other teams in the conference include Edgewood, Monona Grove, Monroe, Milton, Stoughton and Fort Atkinson. Below is a list of five players who have had big seasons so far and are the top returning players that will impact this summer and next season. 1. [player_tooltip player_id="155416" first="Sarah" last="Lazar"] | Edgewood | Junior | 6’3 F A powerful post player who uses her size to be successful on both ends. On defense she does a great job altering shots. She’s quick with great footwork and eye for blocking shots without drawing the foul. She has incredible balance when she blocks shots as well. She finished the season with 30 total blocks. A rebounding specialist as well, Lazar averaged 6.4 boards per game. Lazar became more confident on the offensive end as well adding 11.7 points per game for Edgewood. She works well together inside the lane with Deang- look for them to be quite the dynamic duo this summer and next season. Lazar currently holds offers from IUPUI, North Dakota State, U- Mass Lowell and Western Michigan. 2. Teya Maas | Watertown | Junior | 6’1 F Helping lead her team to the number two spot in conference play was the strong post player Maas. She’s incredibly strong and does an incredible job using her body in the block. A true post player for Watertown, Maas has so many post moves in her bag. She’s mid range effective as well. She finished this season with 15.7 points per game. A rebounding specialist as well, Maas had 9.6 rebounds per game during her junior year. She thrives off rebound put backs and is athletic enough to run the floor each possession. 3. [player_tooltip player_id="132362" first="Baluck" last="Deang"] | Edgewood | Junior | 6’1 F An athletic forward who excels in many different areas, Deang is a high impact player for her team. She can push the ball on offense if necessary but thrives in transition offense. She does a fantastic job of running the floor and getting to her spot in the break. This season she finished averaging 8.8 points per game. She’s a strong post player with a smooth reverse pivot. She developed her outside shooting confidence mid-season so look for her to improve that this summer. A defensive threat as well, Deang led her team in rebounding with 7 boards per game. 4. Peighton Nelson | Monona Grove | Junior | 5’9 G A floor general who will be the go-to player to lead her team next season is Nelson. An experienced guard who plays with patience and poise. She sets the tempo on offense and is a talented facilitator for her team. A crafty passer with the ability to thread the needle, Nelson led her team in assists with 2.9 per game. She can score the basketball as well. Nelson does a great job attacking the lane and finishing strong against contact. She averaged 9.4 points per game for Monona Grove. On defense, Nelson is super scrappy and can impact the game with the turnovers she causes. She finished the season with 47 steals for her team. 5. Ava Loftus | Stoughton | Sophomore | 5’7 G Loftus led her team in scoring this season and improved aspects of her game every time I watched her compete. A work horse on the floor, Loftus plays 100% the entire game. She’s quick and has great footwork getting her shot off. She uses her ball handling skills to create space for herself and has a smooth release. She has a quick step back three point shot that is super tough to defend. Loftus finished with 33 made perimeter shots. She led her team with 11.1 points per game. In a game against the top Oregon squad, Loftus finished with a season-high 27 points.