Sectional 4 Division 1: Preview and Prediction

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kettle Moraine won Sectional 4 and the state title a year ago. The Lasers rampaged their way to the state title, winning every game in the postseason by double digits. The Lasers seem to be favorites to win this sectional again, but let's meet the teams trying to unseat the state champions.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":1} --> <h2>State Contenders</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Kettle Moraine</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Lasers won the Division 1 state title dominantly last season. However, this team lost a few seniors who played a role on this team last season. The Lasers have most of the team that took the gold ball last season. Future West Virginia Mountaineer [player_tooltip player_id='156050' first='Grace' last='Grocholski'] played the most dominant game I saw last year in the state title game and is back for her senior season. Northern Michigan commit [player_tooltip player_id='156076' first='Braelyn' last='Torres'] is also back after exploding with her offense in the state semis against De Pere and her defense against Appleton East.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":1} --> <h2>Sectional Teams</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Janesville Craig</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The duo of [player_tooltip player_id='209609' first='Mya' last='Nicholson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='206576' first='Ellie' last='Magestro-Kennedy'] is one of the best offensive duos in the state. When they're at their best, it's a challenge to slow them down. However, they have had issues as a team putting everything together and taking that next step into threatening in sectionals. There is potential for this team to take that next step, and if Nicholson and Magestro-Kennedy got into a rhythm, they could threaten in this sectional.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Kenosha Bradford</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='440845' first='Syderah' last='Farmer'] and Nevaeh Thomas are in a similar boat as Magestro-Kennedy and Nicholson. Thomas and Farmer are one of the most talented forward duos in Wisconsin and are good enough to lead their team to the next step of the postseason. I'll be interested in seeing how those two blend with each other in their senior season. If things break right for them, they could be a threat in this sectional.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Oak Creek</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Oak Creek was one game away from the state tournament last season, but they ran into the buzzsaw that was Kettle Moraine. The Knights get back future Cleveland State forward [player_tooltip player_id='264918' first='Paulina' last='Hernandez'] and most of their roster. This group can return to sectionals, but the question is if they can get over the hump.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":1} --> <h2>Frisky Regional Teams</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Franklin</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Sabers have consistently finished second best to their conference rivals Oak Creek. However, the Sabers have a large portion of their roster back and can create challenges with guards like [player_tooltip player_id='337022' first='Natalie' last='Meaux']. I would not be surprised to see this team win a game or two that most think they shouldn't.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Muskego</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Warriors have more talent than you think when looking at their record. They have a few kids who can change a game and surprise some teams.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Kenosha Indian Trail</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='340025' first='Adrianna' last='Gonzalez'] is one of the best-scoring guards in southeast Wisconsin. She's fearless and does not care who's in front of her. She will attack them for 36 minutes.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":1} --> <h2>My Sectional Predictions</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list {"ordered":true} --> <ol><li>Kettle Moraine</li><li>Janesville Craig</li><li>Kenosha Bradford</li><li>Oak Creek</li></ol> <!-- /wp:list -->