Players to Watch in all Five WIAA Playoff Divisions

<span data-preserver-spaces="true">With the season somehow close to ending, it’s time to take a closer look at players who can make a massive impact in the postseason. Every division has a handful of teams who can reasonably say they can lift the gold ball in March. I want to highlight key players in each division who can take their teams to another level. I’ll start with Division 5 and go in descending order.</span> <strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Division 5</span></strong> <strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">[player_tooltip player_id="209585" first="Emily" last="Cooper"]-5’8 G-’24-McDonell Central</span></strong> <span data-preserver-spaces="true">Cooper is one-half of the talented Mack backcourt with senior Lauryn Deetz. Cooper has had some issues with consistency scoring the ball this season. That said, she’s been an excellent playmaker on both ends of the floor. She doesn’t turn the ball over, creates turnovers, and creates easy shots for her teammates. A few good shooting games could help the Macks get to Green Bay. If the Macks reach the Divison 5 title game, it will be likely due to Cooper stepping up as a consistent second option, and a run like that would put a big spotlight on Cooper going into her upper-class years.</span> <strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Division 4</span></strong> <strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">[player_tooltip player_id="209906" first="Carly" last="Drew"]-5’8 G-’24-Westfield</span></strong> <span data-preserver-spaces="true">Quietly the Pioneers have gone 19-1 this season. If I’m objectively looking at the Division 4 contenders, I see Drew as one of the few players who can win a game on her own. The sophomore is one of the best shooters in the state. In my opinion, the Division 4 title winner could be any of eight teams, so even getting to Green Bay will take a bit of magic. Drew has the talent to deliver that magic. What she’s proven this season gives me faith that she could be a player that is a massive difference-maker in a big playoff game.</span> <strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Division 3</span></strong> <strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">[player_tooltip player_id="342100" first="Sadie" last="Jarmolowicz"]-5’10 PG-’23-Freedom</span></strong> <span data-preserver-spaces="true">In Division 3, there are three favorites: Waupun, Prairie du Chein, and Freedom. The main difference between the Irish and the other two teams in the D3 race is the high-end talent the other two teams possess. The Irish don’t have a Division 1 level recruit, Waupun has two, and Prairie du Chein has one. That said, Jarmolowicz has made a massive impact on winning this season. The Irish are the last undefeated team in D3. Much of that is down to what the junior has done. No matter how you defend the guard, she has a counter. You have to take away her space because she’s a lethal shooter, but the issue with that is Jarmolowicz gets by initial defenders with ease, and she creates five on four opportunities all the time. Even though she’s a lead guard, she’s big enough to defend four positions at this level. Jarmolowicz is a problem that nobody has solved yet, so I assume that trend will continue into the playoffs.</span> <strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Division 2</span></strong> <strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">[player_tooltip player_id="379639" first="Bella" last="Oestreicher"]-5’9 SG-’23-Beaver Dam</span></strong> <span data-preserver-spaces="true">The Golden Beavers lost back-to-back games in December. Since then, they have won 13 in a row and sit at 19-2. The thing that makes this Beaver Dam team so unique is the dominance that forwards [player_tooltip player_id="264946" first="Kylie" last="Wittnebel"] and [player_tooltip player_id="209588" first="Gabby" last="Wilke"] display. However, I want to highlight their scoring guard. [player_tooltip player_id="379639" first="Bella" last="Oestreicher"] is one of the more impactful off-ball guards I’ve seen when she’s at her best. When the lefty has her shots falling, there isn’t much that defenses can do to stop the bleeding. The Golden Beaver isn’t just a spot-up shooter. Oestreicher has the agility to navigate traffic and get to the basket. If Oestreicher gets into a rhythm, teams can’t simply commit bodies to defend the paint. The spacing that she can provide could make this Beaver Dam hard to beat.</span> <strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Division 1</span></strong> <strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">[player_tooltip player_id="266987" first="Shae" last="Kelley"]-5’9 PG-’24-Brookfield East</span></strong> <span data-preserver-spaces="true">Kelley is incredibly close to becoming a premier prospect. The numbers aren’t there at the moment offensively, but she looks like a better shooter and scorer than she’s shown. Kelley isn’t afraid to shoot from anywhere and has an in-between game. I think she’ll get to where she needs to be as an offensive threat eventually, but honestly, the Spartans may not need much from her on that end. I don’t think there is another wing defender in the same class as Kelley. She can mess your day up in a few minutes. The sophomore has long arms, and it feels like they go on forever. I want to emphasize that any cross-court pass with Kelley on the floor is a bad idea. She will steal it. In a game against Arrowhead, the Spartans’ idea of a press was to have Kelley double the ball handler on the dribble, and it worked, and Brookfield East came back to win that game. You can see how influential Kelley is on defense with her steals on average, but seeing it in person made me feel a little claustrophobic at the top of the bleachers. The ability to defend at that level will be massive for a team looking to make a run to Green Bay.</span>