Coulee Conference Preview
Let’s look at some small-school conferences on the western side of Wisconsin. Today, we have the Cloverbelt-West and Coulee Conferences, which sent a team to the Resch Center in D5 and D3. Both conferences have teams who figure to be…
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Continue ReadingLet’s look at some small-school conferences on the western side of Wisconsin. Today, we have the Cloverbelt-West and Coulee Conferences, which sent a team to the Resch Center in D5 and D3. Both conferences have teams who figure to be threats come March, so let’s talk about them.
West Salem
The Panthers of West Salem only lost one senior, but it was a significant loss in Anna McConkey. If it wasn’t for a hand/wrist injury she played through at the state tournament, D3 could’ve looked different. However, the Panthers get an early POY candidate back in junior Megan Johnson Megan Johnson 5'11" | PF West Salem | 2025 State WI . Johnson led the Coulee Conference in rebounding last year as a sophomore with 9.5 per contest, and outside of McConkey’s graduation, everyone is back for another run in the 2023-24 season.
Westby
The Norsemen, which may be my favorite team name, lose five players who earned all-conference recognition, which usually leads to a season of decline. In Westby’s case, they’ll need to get multiple kids up to speed quick if they want to continue in the top half of the Coulee Conference. If that doesn’t happen, they can get young talent experience playing against some talented teams and build for a year or two down the road.
Luther
The best part about getting kids back is that continuity means most kids can improve within their role and master that. Now that Luther gets back kids like Allie Zittel and Macie Neuinmeister, everyone else can continue to thrive in spots where they excel. Losing Hannah Matzke makes things more challenging, but the continuity is there.
Arcadia
Losing a POY in Breah Golden will sting, and missing a scorer like Golden, who’s impossible to replace, is challenging. However, the biggest challenge is finding offense this season outside Casidi Pehler because the next leading scorer was below four points per contest. Offense is the question mark this season for Arcadia, without a doubt.
Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau
The Red Hawks lost their two leading scorers last season and will look to rebuild their offense.
Black River Falls
After a season where Black River Falls struggled, they’ll look to continue building their program and improving from within.
Viroqua
After the loss of Zoey Clark, Viroqua will have to figure out where their offense comes from and how they’ll structure their lineups next season.
My Prediction
- West Salem
- Luther
- Westby
- Viroqua
- Arcadia
- Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau
- Black River Falls