Players to Watch: Big Rivers Conference

Following last season’s dominance by Hudson, a new year means a fresh start for the rest of the Big Rivers Conference. The last two seasons have seen a changing of the guard from Chippewa Falls’ run of conference titles. With the graduations of Sophia Jones, [player_tooltip player_id="202302" first="Audrey" last="Hatfield"], and Livi Boily, Hudsons top three scorers from a season ago, the conference should look a lot different this season. Brynn Olson-6’0 F-’22-Rice Lake- After a season where Olson led the conference in scoring at 15 a night she is looking to help her team take that next step and help her team top the conference. She has been improving year by year and she has given no reason to expect that she won’t continue that trend this season. She is an athletic 6’0 forward who is an accomplished two-sport athlete, with a competitive streak that is obvious and enjoyable to watch. [player_tooltip player_id="262991" first="Emma" last="Mommsen"]-6’0 F-’22-Menominee- Following a first-team all-conference award last season Mommsen is a player who has the ability to change games simply by understanding her own strengths. When Menominee goes to a 2-3 zone look it goes a long way in limiting easy paint points because of Mommsen’s ability to move quickly in small spaces with her long strides. She is also a great rebounder who has good timing when she jumps in respect to both rebounding and contesting shots. With big games coming this season that could decide who takes the conference crown Mommsen could be a massive factor in just that. [player_tooltip player_id="156059" first="Lily" last="Cayley"]-5’8 G-’23-Eau Claire Memorial- After a sophomore season earning a first-team all-conference award Cayley has all the ability to take a giant leap her junior season. She has a knack for making the right play with the ball in her hands. Not only that but she is also very quick when she puts the ball on the floor and it’s easy to tell she is playing with a plan and knows exactly what she is wanting to do and that will only get better with experience. Although her team only went 4-8 last season they could be primed for a real chance to contend in the conference with one of the best players in the conference. Jordan Roethel-5’10 G/F-’22-Rice Lake- In a conference that was loaded with senior talent last season one of the best juniors, Roethel, has a chance to fill that void. She has all the talent as a scorer to help Rice Lake ascend and it is possible that they may have two of the best players in the Big Rivers. And if she has a big season she will do nothing but help herself if she is interested in playing at the next level.