Badger Conference Week 1 Team of the Week

There has been some stunning opening week play across all divisions of the Badger Conference. Scintillating guard play, dead-eye shooting, and dominance across the board. From opening night through the Beaver Dam Classic, here's the Badger Conference Week 1 Team of the Week: Saige Radke -- Milton -- Guard -- Class of 2022 -- Unranked Point god Radke led Milton to two wins and looked like the seasoned vet that she is while she did it. Against Elkhorn, her steady hand orchestrated the offense, hitting rollers and cutters while manipulating space to find open bunnies for herself. When she was in the game, the game was played at her pace. Her vision both in halfcourt sets and in transition led to high-quality looks throughout, and Elkhorn simply had no answer. If a defense is out of sorts for even a moment, she attacks this weakness, creating for herself and others. Defensively, Radke was everywhere. In a single sequence, Radke fought over the top of a screen, attacked a post-entry passed and doubled the post player on the low-block, and finished the possession with a swipe to force a turnover. This kind of relentless attitude is consummate leadership. It’s no mistake that when she plays to this level, Milton wins. She finished with 15 points against both Elkhorn and Monroe, but what may be even more impressive were her nine boards against the latter. She’s a hound on the court and an extension of a coach, just an excellent week for the point guard. [player_tooltip player_id="204133" first="Ava" last="Loftus"] -- Stoughton -- Guard -- Class of 2022 -- #33 overall #9 PG In a closely played game against Janesville-Craig, Loftus was the difference. Her ultra-aggressive mentality combined with her ability to score from the paint, midrange, or beyond the arc gave JC all it could handle. She only scored 13, but all of her buckets were timely. She opened the game with a deep three, hit her fourth with under a minute to play to give Stoughton life, and assisted on the game-winner with 1.4 left on the clock. She was the engine that powered Stoughton to a 43-42 win. She followed this up with 24 against Oregon and 28 point outburst against Monroe last night. She competes on every single possession, attacking any kind of defensive mishap and makes everyone around her better. [player_tooltip player_id="204130" first="Avery" last="Poole"] -- Monona Grove -- Guard -- Class of 2022 -- #58 overall #12 PG Simply put, Poole was on one against Edgewood in the season opener. 28 points and she gave it to the defense any way they wanted it. Aggressive pick-and-roll defense? She rounded the pick to create new driving angles and finished over the top. And when the Crusaders went under or lost her because of her off-ball movement, she hit timely threes time and time again. Her spark led MG out of an early double-digit deficit. And to retake the lead in crunch time, she went for a monster stepback three -- a kill shot. Her moxie and aggressiveness gave the entire squad the confidence to attack. When she plays at this high level, it’s a rising tide that raises all the boats around her. Bella Oestreicher -- Beaver Dam -- Wing -- Class of 2023 -- Unranked Oestreicher was a blur in games against Platteville and Portage during the Beaver Dam Classic. Her cuts at the elbow and flashes to the rim from the baseline stunned defenses. She was always moving between the seams, softening the perimeter defense for BD shooters. Oestreicher being one of those shooters made for some special moments. Her 21 points against Platteville came in every which way. Crafty finishing on the interior mixed with a lethal lefty jumper left the Platteville defense perplexed. 4 first-half threes helped the beavers put the game away before the halftime whistle blew. And defensively, she was just as monstrous. With her and teammate Leila Ashley trapping at the point of attack or while pressing, neither Platteville nor Portage could move the ball along the perimeter. She’s a textbook two-way wing, and offensive movement and shooting create a ton of upside. Along with the last name on this list, Beaver dam could be in for a truly special season. [player_tooltip player_id="209588" first="Gabby" last="Wilke"] -- Beaver Dam -- Forward -- Class of 2024 -- #7 overall #1 PF The most dominant force for Beaver Dam is none other than the best power forward in the Class of 2024, [player_tooltip player_id="209588" first="Gabby" last="Wilke"]. And though she’s averaging 21 points a game through the first week of the season, her defense has been just as impressive. She doesn’t just defend guards as a result of switching, she’s actively assigned to guard shooting guards through power forwards. This kind of versatility is a result of her active hands, quick feet, length, and smarts. She keeps guards at bay using that length, and when they attacked during the Beaver Dam Classic, she shifted to lead them to help defense. She never relents space to bigs and can defend the rim simultaneously. Now the offense. Wilke was a bulldog on the interior, doing her work early to get position on the low blocks and finishing with a soft touch. And while she’s at her best down low, she showed flashes of extended range as well. While she isn’t quite there yet with a reliable jumper, she’s an absolute monster 19 feet and in, putting up the kind of numbers you’d expect from one of the most talented players in the state.