D2-D4 Programs to Keep Tabs on This Season

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Now that we can slowly shift gears and look toward the upcoming 2023-24 high school season, I want to point out some teams to watch around the state today. Today, we'll look at a few teams who could surprise some people with what they bring this upcoming season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Hartford</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Orioles have one of the top rising juniors in the region in [player_tooltip player_id='338945' first='Makena' last='Christian'], who's established herself as one of the best forwards in Division 1. She has a physical advantage in every game she plays and has the skill to hurt defenses from anywhere on the floor. [player_tooltip player_id='533085' first='Bella' last='Klages'] is coming off a competitive run with her [program_tooltip program_id='713045' first='Wisconsin' last='Lakers'] team, even making a deep run and beating multiple shoe programs in the US Open down in Memphis. I also expect their incoming class to make a difference and could make the top of the North Shore interesting for the first time in a few years.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Rice Lake</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The BRC is one of the better conferences in the state, and people in most of the state will never see those teams play because of their location, which is reasonable. However, this Rice Lake team has a chance to be one of the fastest groups in the state. Most of that is down to the Sheplee sisters, Eliana and Adaline. Both are high-level track kids and can cover ground in a hurry. Lucie Habas will hopefully have a healthy season this time around. The Warriors also boast an intriguing 2027 post in Addison Schmidt.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Monona Grove</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Silver Eagles nearly knocked off McFarland this past season, and we all saw what they were capable of at the Resch Center. MG will have most of their roster back, and with their success last season, that's huge. Kids like [player_tooltip player_id='329598' first='Abbey' last='Inda'], [player_tooltip player_id='209606' first='Aubrey' last='Smith'], and Karsyn Nelseon had excellent summers playing travel ball with Let it Rain, and having an athlete with size like [player_tooltip player_id='209611' first='Brooklyn' last='Tortorice'] is a massive help against elite 6-foot wings that will be in D2. That's not even to mention rising senior Tia Justice, who had a solid summer with Midwest Elite. This program is deep with talent.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Cuba City</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In [player_tooltip player_id='374234' first='Olivia' last='Olson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='534426' first='Dea' last='Crist']'s first two seasons, they ended the year with a battle with Aquinas in games that could've gone their way. Looking at this season, I'm eager to see what they can do at the highest level in D4. We're about to learn how good the Cubans are this season, and they are the D4 group I'm most curious about.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->