Who Will Win And Who To Watch In The D1 Semis

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Teams have punched their tickets to the Breslin Center and the state semifinals. There are excellent team matchups and individual players to see on Friday. I'm going to give you my prediction and a player to watch from each team in the Division 1 semifinals.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>SALEM VS. WEST BLOOMFIELD</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Prediction: West Bloomfield</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Salem is a tough matchup for the defending champs. The play tough defense and have some athletes that can match up with West Bloomfield's stars. I'm going to go with West Bloomfield though, because there's just so many offensive options.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["365000"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"In reference to when I said that Salem had a couple athletes that can match up, Morson is a big reason that I said that. She can get up the floor quickly, get downhill and put a lot of pressure on the opponents defense. Morson is a threat to score from so many spots on the floor. Her mid range game features touch, power and body control.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["335990"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"There are so many names you could put in this spot with a loaded West Bloomfield roster. But I truly believe that the play of Washington at the point has played a large part in how and why this team is so close to defending their title. Washington is a terrific perimeter defender which will be huge with her guarding the like [player_tooltip player_id='230791' first='Shahd' last='Bakkar']. Offensively, she's an elite ball handler and decision maker.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":2,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64130a6f52690"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>DETROIT RENAISSANCE VS. ROCKFORD</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Prediction: Rockford</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>If Renaissance controls the tempo, they most likely win. They have a host of players that are fast down the floor and can play in transition. Their elite defense often times forces pace. All that being said Rockford has the ability to shoot any team in state out of the building and has some ball handlers that can deal with the pressure.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["527617"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Espanol gets the job done on both ends of the floor. I talked about their team defense right? Well Espanol can be a key factor in that defensive prominence. She can defend the length of the floor and is nasty in a trapping defense. Espanol generally forces multiple turnovers in every game. When she's on the offensive end, Rockford will need to close out quickly on her.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["189318"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"Wypych is a steady veteran and the type of leader that a championship teams needs. She's a savvy player that can help keep the turnover numbers low and get the offense rolling. Wypych is one of the shooters on this squad that can really hurt their opponent and quash momentum.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":2,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64130a6f52728"} /-->