Checking in on Some Players From Western Wisconsin

I can't go into Western Wisconsin and check out a handful of games per year, so the kids out there can sometimes be a little out of sight, out of mind. However, I want to spend today talking about talented kids there and highlighting some things they do on the floor. The only caveat is that none of the kids I'm talking about today are available.   [player_tooltip player_id='780381' first='Erin' last='Knowles']   The Boscobel native is someone who popped on my radar late last month. However, you rarely find kids with 6-foot-1 size who can handle the ball, see the floor, and fit into any role offensively. She's got a quick first step, and I believe in her jumper in the long haul.   [player_tooltip player_id='520311' first='Lilly' last='Radcliffe']   The senior from Melrose-Mindoro does everything you'd want a lead guard to do. She can create shots for herself, make the right passes, and thrives when the speed rises. She's a good athlete and has spots she tries to get to to get the shots she wants. Her team isn't the best, but whenever I check in on her, she excels, regardless of the score.   Grace Lewis   The senior is one of a three-pronged attack at Hudson this season. The guard/wing is an athletic wing, who shines in transition, and in scramble situations defensively. She makes everyone's lives easier by making hustle plays and manufacturing points by playing hard.   [player_tooltip player_id='520312' first='Olivia' last='Grothaus']   A teammate of Lewis', Grothaus has the length to make plays on the defensive end that doesn't make a lot of sense. Some of her assignments underestimate her size and athleticism and try to pass the ball over her head. There isn't a better way to turn the ball over against Hudson. I love her activity on the defensive end, and she's been good enough on the offensive end to help the Raiders beat good teams. A good example is her 14-point, seven-rebound performance against a talented Wausau West team.   [player_tooltip player_id='533077' first='Adaline' last='Sheplee']   Rice Lake has had some growing pains. They've been toying with different lineups and other things, but the talent that the Sheplee's have is apparent, but we're looking at the younger Sheplee today. The 6-foot-2 wing does some things that nobody else of her size in this state can do. Sheplee can be a triple threat on the perimeter and attack, shoot, or make a killer pass within a second of touching the ball. Once the Warriors figure out how they need to play to win games, because of players like [player_tooltip player_id='533077' first='Adaline' last='Sheplee'], they can beat anyone in their sectional.   Lauryn Goettl   The Cadott guard plays with as much effort as anyone, and for some kids, that won't show up on box scores, but Goettl is a little different. If you were to go to a Cadott game, there's a real chance you see Goettl earn a triple-double with steals because of how desperate she plays defensively.   [player_tooltip player_id='209585' first='Emily' last='Cooper']   I don't know what got into Cooper since last March, but she's a shooter now. It may be the volume of 3-pointers she took in her sophomore year, but she wasn't a threat consistently, but she is now. Cooper is converting 38.6% of her 6.4 attempts from the 3-point line this season. We know she can create, defend and make hustle plays, but shot-making takes her to another level.   Marley Hughes   Ever since I first saw Hughes at the Resch Center last March, she's been one of my favorite small-school kids in Wisconsin. She has an unquantifiable quality about her game, but if you watch her, you'll know what I mean. When the Macks played Assumption last year in the semifinals, they lost their leading scorer to injury at the end of the first half and went into the locker room down seven. In the second half, Hughes recorded seven points and a couple of rebounds in a low-scoring half and nearly finished the comeback. Every time she touched the ball, it felt like something good was happening, and I didn't forget that. Oh yeah, she's also a 40% 3-point shooter this year, so she can let that thing fly.

I can't go into Western Wisconsin and check out a handful of games per year, so the kids out there can sometimes be a little out of sight, out of mind. However, I want to spend today talking about talented kids there and highlighting some things they do on the floor. The only caveat is that none of the kids I'm talking about today are available.