Teams to Watch in the Sectional Rounds

<span data-preserver-spaces="true">Looking ahead to the Sectional round beginning on Thursday night, I want to highlight some intriguing teams to watch. Everyone who’s made it to a sectional semifinal is good enough to make it to the state tournament in a week. Tomorrow I will highlight some more x-factors. That said, today, I’ll highlight four teams to watch.</span> <strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">De Pere</span></strong> <span data-preserver-spaces="true">The Redbirds have an odd road in front of them. If De Pere were to get to state, they have to beat the upstart Dashers of DSHA, then if chalk holds, avenge an embarrassing early-season defeat to Germantown. One could argue that the Red Birds have the best all-around scorer in Wisconsin in Butler commit [player_tooltip player_id="132373" first="Jordan" last="Meulemans"] and a talented lead guard in [player_tooltip player_id="209605" first="Claire" last="Bjorge"]. In that 39-point loss to the Warhawks, De Pere looked overmatched from the start. I wrote that off as a one-off. I’d assume that the Redbirds would attempt to defend the Warhawks differently, and Germantown wouldn’t make as many 3’s as they did that night in Kettle Moraine either. However, before getting to a hypothetical rematch with Germantown, they need to deal with a talented DSHA team who’s figuring it out. </span> <strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Waukesha West</span></strong> <span data-preserver-spaces="true">Since defeating one of the best teams in the state in Kettle Moraine on the road, they’ve taken off. That night, the Wolverines figured out how to utilize Neveah Thompson. Since then, West has gone on an eight-game win streak. Thompson is one of the most niche players I’ve seen. She attacks the paint with power, speed, and grace. You will rarely see her settle for jumpers. For Waukesha West to get to the state tournament, they’d have to beat a talented Union Grove team, then likely a Reedsburg team who’s won all but one of their games by double digits. That said, West will roll out well-rounded lineups with their players playing at their best. [player_tooltip player_id="156078" first="Caden" last="Krohn"] is one of the most versatile forwards in Wisconsin, and [player_tooltip player_id="132380" first="Ashlyn" last="Yow"] is one of the best floor generals and is beginning to show her ability to score in bunches. Junior Maddy Anderson is also a forward who plays well inside and out, and freshman Jordan Fenske is one of the best spot-up shooters around already.</span> <strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Columbus</span></strong> <span data-preserver-spaces="true">If the Cardinals aren’t on your radar now, they should be in Division 3. Columbus won three games to get a sectional semifinal. Their story is already incredible. However, they have a chance to continue and make it state. Beating Prairie du Chien in double-overtime proves that they can beat anyone. The Cardinals are a team that hasn’t made many mistakes during their postseason run. Their lack of turnovers created an insurmountable lead that Platteville couldn’t overcome. That also led to Prairie du Chien being unable to create separation on the scoreboard. The Cardinal’s rotation pieces seem like they know what they need to do the second they step on the floor. When I saw their game against Platteville early in the season, I noticed they had a good idea of what they wanted to do on both ends of the floor. They just made more mistakes than they do now. Amy Thielen is a do-it-all forward with the ability to score anywhere on the floor, Alise Hayes is a talented passing forward. Guards Mikenna Boettcher and [player_tooltip player_id="329560" first="Madison" last="Ehlenbach"] are incredible shooters, and forward [player_tooltip player_id="329545" first="Jaiden" last="Dornaus"] does all the dirty work and creates extra possessions for the Cardinals. </span> <strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Brookfield East</span></strong> <span data-preserver-spaces="true">The Spartans are one of the best teams in Wisconsin, and no one seems to discuss their uniqueness. Brookfield East has the best perimeter defender in the state in [player_tooltip player_id="266987" first="Shae" last="Kelley"], who’s also shown her offensive talents in the regional tournament. [player_tooltip player_id="156077" first="Annika" last="Pluemer"] is also maybe the most versatile offensive player in the state. I don’t know of any other 5-foot-9 guard who can attack off the dribble and score over 30 and beat Germantown. The junior can also score in the paint over and around Arrowhead’s 6-foot-3 D1 recruit. The Spartans also have shooters everywhere else on the floor. Maddy McGath is a 6-foot-2 forward who defends the paint well and can stretch the floor on offense. [player_tooltip player_id="209610" first="Ava" last="Burgher"] and Paige Platz are wings that seem to play well when it matters most. If they were to match up with Arrowhead in a sectional final, it would be a must-watch game because their last matchup went into triple-overtime and left me on the edge of my seat.</span>