Sectional X-Factors

<span data-preserver-spaces="true">There are 20 spots available for the state tournament and 80 teams vying for a trip in Green Bay. Plenty of players can help their team claim a spot. I’m highlighting one player in each division who can lift their team to another level. These five kids are uber-talented players with game-changing skills, crucial in a single-elimination system.</span> <strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">[player_tooltip player_id="189502" first="Allie" last="Ziebell"]-6’0 G/F-’24-Neenah</span></strong> <span data-preserver-spaces="true">Usually, an x-factor is someone that’s a wild card, and you don’t necessarily know what you’ll get from them. That’s not the case here. To get to Green Bay, Neenah will have to get out of a sectional with the No. 1 and No. 3 teams in Division 1. To begin their sectional campaign, the Rockets will play Hortonville. Both matchups between these two teams have finished within 10 points. This game will likely conclude within that margin as well. Games played within small windows like this can be swung by one late run. If I were to pick anyone to have a quick 8-0 run, with two minutes to go, it would be newly minted Neenah all-time leading scorer [player_tooltip player_id="189502" first="Allie" last="Ziebell"]. There is no good answer defensively for Ziebell other than hoping she misses. Once already, the Rocket hung 41 points on one of the best defenses around in Hortonville. In their matchup Thursday night, Ziebell could easily score 40 and have a late spurt where the Polar Bears can’t respond. Ziebell is the most versatile and gifted scorer in Wisconsin, and whenever she steps on the floor, defenses play with fire by default.</span> <strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">[player_tooltip player_id="374229" first="Amy" last="Terrian"]-5’8 G-’25-Pewaukee</span></strong> <span data-preserver-spaces="true">Terrian just finished up an impressive regular season as a freshman. The sectional that Pewaukee’s in feels like it makes a third matchup with Pius is inevitable. However, to possibly get that matchup, the Pirates need to beat an Eisenhower team who held a talented South Milwaukee team to 17 points in their regional championship matchup. The Lions have the size and athleticism to try and contain Pewaukee’s backcourt. That said, I’ve seen the backcourt of [player_tooltip player_id="132390" first="Sarah" last="Newcomer"] and [player_tooltip player_id="374229" first="Amy" last="Terrian"] make elite defenses look like they don’t know what they’re doing. Terrian finished with shooting splits of 46/41/87 this season. Her movement off the ball has made it incredibly easy for her to get as clean of looks as possible. That movement is something that most kids aren’t fully prepared for because one mistake can lead to an open 3-pointer and her going on a personal run. If Terrian goes crazy, Pewaukee will be difficult to beat.</span> <strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">[player_tooltip player_id="342360" first="Eliana" last="Sheplee"]-5’10 G/F-’24-Rice Lake</span></strong> <span data-preserver-spaces="true">In a rubber matchup between Rice Lake and Menomonie, Sheplee will be crucial. In each of their matchups this season, Sheplee hasn’t played up to the standards she’s shown she’s capable of playing. The Rice Lake sophomore may be the best athlete in Wisconsin. The beauty of Sheplee’s game is that she’s found ways to utilize her athleticism on the floor. In the Warriors’ zone, Sheplee jumps cross-court passes with ease. She uses her leaping ability to attack the glass, and she accelerates in transition quicker than anyone I’ve seen. To get to Green Bay, Sheplee needs to be at her best, and the Warriors will need to beat the team they finished runner-up to in the Big Rivers Conference this year to even get to a sectional final.</span> <strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">[player_tooltip player_id="156056" first="Chloe" last="Vogel"]-5’8 G-’23-St. Mary Catholic</span></strong> <span data-preserver-spaces="true">I’ve become a bigger fan of Vogel’s the more I’ve seen her play. What helps at smaller schools are kids who can help in multiple facets, and that’s what Vogel does. The junior creates for teammates, rebounds, shoots efficiently, defends on the perimeter, and doesn’t turn the ball over. There isn’t much that she can’t do on the floor. If Vogel and her Zephyrs beat Bonduel and chalk holds, they could play Westfield. That is a game that should excite every neutral observer. Westfield has one of the best shooters in the state C. Drew, and if these two were to match up with a trip to Green Bay on the line, I know they’d be playing at their best.</span> <strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">[player_tooltip player_id="156079" first="Lindsay" last="Steien"]-5’9 G-’23-Blair-Taylor</span></strong> <span data-preserver-spaces="true">Whenever a kid averages 28 points per game, you know defenses are going to throw the kitchen sink at her. Steien has scored over 20 in all three postseason games so far. The sectional that the Wildcats are looking to get out of will be difficult, but I don’t think you’ll find a more talented backcourt in all of Division 5 than [player_tooltip player_id="156080" first="Abby" last="Thompson"] and [player_tooltip player_id="156079" first="Lindsay" last="Steien"], and that’s crucial. Having multiple players at a small school that can break defenses down off the dribble and controls the game in crunch time is an advantage that Blair-Taylor will have over everyone. Looking forward, if the Wildcats get out of this sectional, there is a good chance they ride that momentum to a state title game.</span>