Under-the-Radar Kids Who’ve Stood Out This Season

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Throughout the season, we've highlighted some of the best players and teams in the state. Today, I want to talk about some kids who don't jump off the page as kids who are in the elite of the elite but are talented in their own right and helps their team win games.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Julia Wolf</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Milton wing is one of the smoothest kids on the floor. She's a strong kid that plays at her own pace and will make plays whenever she sees a gap in the defense. She doesn't get the plaudits she may deserve because Wolf is Milton, but even the one time I've seen her play, you can tell the Red Hawk is dangerous if she goes unaccounted for on the court. She'll be a kid who'll help Milton improve over the next two seasons.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Grace Nwankwo</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kids who play hard and fly around making extra possessions for their team will endear themselves to me in a hurry. Nwankwo is a kid who most teams can't prepare for because it's hard to simulate the effort she plays with when she's on the floor. There is a non-zero chance that Nwankwo helps her team get further in the postseason than people would expect because Nwankwo creates extra possessions for Edgewood.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='533083' first='Taylor' last='Gifford']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>When you look at Waukesha West and their chances in D2, you'll look at [player_tooltip player_id='156078' first='Caden' last='Krohn'], [player_tooltip player_id='440847' first='Annyka' last='Hellendrung'], and Maddie Andersen. However, I believe that the x-factor in the postseason could be [player_tooltip player_id='533083' first='Taylor' last='Gifford']. There aren't many teams with a 6-foot athlete who can defend multiple positions with the background of winning that Gifford has behind her. There are people every year who burst onto the scene in the postseason who haven't been the typical stars throughout the season. Gifford may not be a kid who scores 20 points any night, but when you see a kid like Gifford come off the bench fresh and get after a kid who can score in bunches, she might blanket them.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='448261' first='Madeline' last='Leffel']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Kettle Moraine Lutheran guard is one of the most impressive kids in the games I've seen. When I saw her defend one of the most talented wings in the state, Leffel didn't back down. She went right at her all night long. Her ability to excel on both ends of the floor makes her a kid that the Chargers will count on throughout the postseason.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->