Players Catching My Eye

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I'll have a Kimberly-based article coming out later today or tomorrow, depending on whether my home internet is back. However, I want to discuss a handful of kids who've been eye-catching throughout this season before that goes up.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Frankie McLain</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The best players on the floor find ways to have these moments that defenses can't do anything about. McLain makes two or three of those plays every game. I saw her play last Wednesday, and she made a few stepback jumpers from the corner that made no sense and stepped through layup, going from right to left to finish with her offhand. She's physical, skilled, motivated, and is one of the best wing rebounders I know in Wisconsin.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Addison Schmidt</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Schmidt is a valued presence at Rice Lake as a freshman. Her size and skill are uncommon for kids her age, and she has some of the best hands in the state, catching passes in traffic and finishing while keeping the ball high. As talented as the Sheplee's are, Schmidt has been as integral to the Warriors' resurgence this season as anyone. After watching her in person, it's fun to watch her work for positioning for an entire possession because a significant amount of effort goes into it. She'll be an all-conference kid at some point.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='521881' first='Annika' last='Salettel']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I've always known how talented of a shooter Salettel is, and she's still making shots, but her defensive effort coming off a severe knee injury has been incredible. Watching her in person against Verona and on stream against Neenah, she was the Golden Beavers' answer to some of the top players in the state, and she did as well as anyone could've hoped.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='528116' first='Autumn' last='Dibb']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Muskego is a top-three group in the Classic Eight, and a chunk of that is down to Dibb's versatility. You can put the junior anywhere on the floor, and she'll find ways to succeed. She's tough enough to dig in, box out, and rebound. However, she's skilled enough to initiate, create, and score if that's what her team needs on any night. You won't find many other kids wired to compete quite like Dibb.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='533068' first='Kyrin' last='Lile']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As Lile gains experience, every aspect of her game is improving. She's figuring out how to maximize her ability in every game. That's translating to wins for Elkhorn this season. She's a dynamic forward/wing who can score at all three levels, create for her teammates, and rebound at an elite level in the Southern Lakes Conference. She keeps improving.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->