State of WIAA Division 1 Girls Basketball: 30 Days In

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We're about 30 days into the regular season, and it's time we take a day and dissect the state of the D1-D2 and D3-D5 heading into the holidays. We'll highlight some standouts, surprises, significant games, and things to watch as we head into the holiday season. We're starting with large schools today and closing with small schools tomorrow and Saturday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>The Elite have Been Elite</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Whenever you have one of the top kids in the country, you'll likely have an advantage in most games you play. In that tier of player, we have kids like [player_tooltip player_id='189502' first='Allie' last='Ziebell'] and [player_tooltip player_id='533057' first='Natalie' last='Kussow'], each consistently giving their teams an efficient 30 points and leading their units to impressive starts. In a game against one another, Kussow and Ziebell put on a show, scoring 30 and 39, respectively.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Game Wreckers</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Some teams have started well and got consistent performances from their main contributors. I look at Kimberly and what they've got from [player_tooltip player_id='448243' first='Katelyn' last='McGinnis']. She's scored between 17 and 24 in all six Papermake games and shot the ball efficiently in each contest.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After a highly anticipated contest in McFarland, Verona has been a cut above everyone in the Big Eight. They've dominated everyone in their conference behind strong all performances from [player_tooltip player_id='209608' first='Reagan' last='Briggs'], who scored 31 in McFarland, and [player_tooltip player_id='209595' first='Taylor' last='Stremlow'], who recently recorded a quadruple-double against Madison La Follette.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In another corner of the state, even after losing their Conference Player of the Year, Eau Claire Memorial has been as effective as they've been the past few years behind some dominant performances from 5-11 post-player [player_tooltip player_id='653806' first='Rayna' last='Welsch'], who had a 30-20 game earlier this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Who's Been the Biggest Surprise?</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I don't know if anyone expected [player_tooltip player_id='329591' first='Jade' last='Warren'] to open the season with a 29-point outburst. In that game, we saw how good she could be with her speed, touch, shot-making, and ability to get to the free-throw line.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On the team side, I think it's fair to say that we didn't know how Germantown would look in their first season without KK Arnold, but they've scored more without her this season than they did with her. That doesn't mean they're better, but it suggests that they're playing at least slightly differently, which is true. They were always an aggressive defensive team and subbed more than most, but now that you don't have a kid good enough to run everything through offensively, it's a by-committee system that's even more aggressive on the defensive end. Last season, the Warhawks had three kids scoring double figures, and their third was at 10.7. Now, they have four kids solidly in double digits every night. Without looking, I'll assume they're, at worst, a top-five scoring offense, and most of that comes from their defense. Kids like Lucy and Mary Leininger, Rachel Murphy, Reese Berge, [player_tooltip player_id='558941' first='Jaycee' last='Mani'], and more are athletic kids who can run forever and create turnovers in their diamond press that can lead directly to points. I love watching this group and believe they're one of the most unique teams in the state, which will make them hard to beat.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->