Sectional Semifinals: Top Performers
In this article:
With the Sectional Finals kicking off tomorrow afternoon, we have to look at a few top Sectional Semifinal performers today. With 80 teams left going into last night, I can’t get to everyone. I will highlight some of the players…
Access all of Prep Girls Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingWith the Sectional Finals kicking off tomorrow afternoon, we have to look at a few top Sectional Semifinal performers today. With 80 teams left going into last night, I can’t get to everyone. I will highlight some of the players that deserve recognition for their play the most. Nobody on this list is in any particular order.
Annika Pluemer Annika Pluemer 5'9" | CG Brookfield East | 2023 State WI -5’9 G-’23-Brookfield East
The Spartan guard had as good a sectional semifinal as anyone could’ve hoped. Pluemer scored 27 of Brookfield East’s 46 points. The junior also scored her 1,000th career in the Spartan win over Waunakee. I heard some talk about how Waunakee would funnel a lot of the Spartan offense to their D2 6-foot-3 forward, and I knew that Pluemer would rip that to shreds. I haven’t seen a player force the issue like Pluemer does this season. Whether it’s a 6-foot-3 forward sitting under the basket, or a high-level perimeter defender, Pluemer is going to find a way to put the ball in the hoop. The Spartan win sets up a rematch of a triple-overtime thriller in early January with Arrowhead on Saturday night.
Saylor Timmerman-6’0 F-’25-Lakeland
When you ask someone about Lakeland this season, the first thing you will hear is the Ouimette name, and that’s more than fair. That said, the T-Birds are in a Sectional Final because of what their other freshman forward, Saylor Timmerman, did last night. Mosinee threw exotic looks to slow down Julianna and Kristina Ouimette Kristina Ouimette 6'1" | PF Lakeland | 2025 State WI , and honestly, it worked, at least if you only look at the box score. However, the other players on Lakeland also did their job. Saylor Timmerman scored a career-high 20 points last night and attacked the boards, creating issues for Mosinee all night long. She managed to get into the paint constantly and get to her little hook-shot or get an open elbow jumper. I was extremely impressed with her performance, and with a win over Menomonie, Lakeland would earn a trip to the State Tournament for the first time since 1993.
Taylor Thimmesch-5’9 G-’24-Arrowhead
I’ve seen a handful of Arrowhead games, and Thimmesch wasn’t in my notes until the third time I saw the Warhawks. When Arrowhead played Germantown, they had to go to a heavy guard-oriented lineup. In that game, I was intrigued by most of the Arrowhead guards. Although they lost that game to Germantown, Taylor Thimmesch was a name that became known to me. Yesterday night the Warhawks beat a banged-up Sun Prairie team, and Thimmesch led the Warhawks in scoring with 16 points. Games like that from her make me realize how deep this Warhawk team is, and they get a chance to avenge their triple-overtime loss to Brookfield East with a ticket to Green Bay on the line.
Emily Cooper Emily Cooper 5'7" | SG Mcdonnell Central Catholic | 2024 State WI -5’8 G-’24-McDonell Central
Every player on this list is on here because of their scoring except for Cooper. The sophomore is on here because there wasn’t a part of the game that Cooper didn’t affect last night. Sure she scored eight points, but honestly, that’s not the most impressive stat of hers last night. Cooper grabbed eight rebounds, dished out five assists, earned six steals, and only turned the ball over once. Every coach on this planet would be thrilled with that stat line. Cooper is the poster child for doing all the little things to win games.