Teams That Could Be Better Than You Expect

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Over the past week, I've talked about some players we know and some we don't that I like heading into the 2023-24 season. I want to highlight some teams with high ceilings, known and unknown, heading into the season next month.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Grafton</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For a few years, the Black Hawks had run into a buzzsaw with a trip to Beaver Dam for a Regional Title. People seem to have forgotten that Grafton was the better team in every aspect of that game up in Beaver Dam, and they walked away with a plaque because of it. Although they lost a few seniors who played prominent roles last season, they added one of the most intriguing newcomers in [player_tooltip player_id='751272' first='Melanie' last='Morgan'], who'll likely see the floor quickly. That said, this Black Hawks team will go as far as their two senior D2 commits, [player_tooltip player_id='209592' first='Sarah' last='Aleknavicius'] and [player_tooltip player_id='209597' first='Savannah' last='James'] will take them, and they are good enough to beat some talented groups.&nbsp; &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Franklin</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Already, the Sabers are starting on the back foot. [player_tooltip player_id='337022' first='Natalie' last='Meaux'] suffered a scary injury in their fall league a few weeks ago but will be back at some point this season. However, [player_tooltip player_id='444788' first='Lauren' last='Capstran'] and Rachel Jepsen also suffered injruies that kept them from finishing both of their fall league in Pewaukee last night. They're a little banged up heading into the season next month. Regardless, when this team is healthy, they're one of the two best teams in their sectional. Having three kids with the experience of winning sectional games last year will help in the postseason. [player_tooltip player_id='337022' first='Natalie' last='Meaux'], [player_tooltip player_id='444788' first='Lauren' last='Capstran'], and Rachel Jepsen are an excellent trio that helps get the most out of one another, and even with their injury struggles, they're the favorites to come out of their sectional.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Rhinelander</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Last year, the Hodags were a competitive group that gave some teams in the northern part of the state fits. Ava Lamers had some enormous scoring outputs and had one against Rice Lake on the road, but she's no longer at Rhinelander. However, the Hodags will add one of the best lead guard prospects in the class of 2027, Aubryn Clark. I would not be surprised if she took that conference by storm, took the Hodags to at or around the top line of the standings, and was in the running for All-Conference First Team at the end of the season. She's that talented.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Kettle Moraine Lutheran&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Chargers have an identity of being one of the scrappiest teams in Wisconsin. They don't usually have a post presence, but their guards get after it on the defensive end of the floor. [player_tooltip player_id='448257' first='Makenzie' last='Luehring'] and [player_tooltip player_id='448261' first='Madeline' last='Leffel'] broke out in their sophomore seasons, and there will likely be some more guard depth coming in and adding to their depth in the backcourt. Teams don't like playing against KML because of how irritating they can be defensively, and they've played well against some of the top teams in D3. Now that Leffel and Luehring have some experience playing at the varsity level, they could surprise some people in the East Central Conference.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->