Analyzing D5 No. 1 Seeds

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Today's the final day of going through divisions before most schools get their playoff push going tomorrow night. The final division on the docket is Division 5, so let's start with the No. 1s and then close with other contenders.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Clear Lake</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Warriors won the Lakeland-West with a 16-2 record in conference and earned the top seed in the top half of Sectional One.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Clear Lake plays an effective 2-3 zone. They have a solid seven-player rotation and, on any night, get significant contributions from any of those rotational kids. The Warriors do all the small things that give them a chance to win. They don't foul, force turnovers, play with discipline, and get after loose balls.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>South Shore</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sneakily, South Shore, a school of fewer than 70 kids, has produced two Big Ten Players of the Year, a National Player of the Year, and two of the three highest-scoring players in Wisconsin High School Girls Basketball history.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Cardinals won the newly named Northern Lights Conference with a 17-1 record, only dropping one game to Drummond late in the season.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='444792' first='Emily' last='Montgomery'] has been playing on another level this season and has been comfortable as the go-to scoring option for the Cardinals this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Pacelli</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Cardinals won the Central Wisconsin-South this season in dominant fashion, going 12-0 in conference play.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 2027 class, including Jaedyn Zdroik, Madelyn Pionek, and Haylee Ciesewski, has been game-changing for the program. Those three have been excellent for the Cardinals and give them the identity of a team looking to score in transition as much as possible.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Lena</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Last season, Lena fell to Sevastopol in the Regional Title Game. This season, there's an opportunity for them to make a run to Resch Center.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Wildcats won the Marinette &amp; Oconto Conference with a 15-1 record, behind an incredible season by 6-0 wing/forward [player_tooltip player_id='767273' first='Eva' last='Brooks']. Brooks, a junior, led the Wildcats in every statistical category and has a case for D5 Player of the Year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Cochrane-Fountain City</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Pirates have had a successful run over the past few seasons. They finished second in the Dairyland-Small, behind D5 runner-ups Blair-Taylor, but played them well each time they faced off.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Now, the Pirates are 22-1 heading into their first playoff game tomorrow as a No. 1 seed with some expectations.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Emmalee Mann has been excellent this season and a kid they can rely on to get points on the board. It's also helpful that the Pirates have multiple kids who can step out and knock down shots if they get time and space.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Argyle/Pecatonica</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The new faces in the door this year changed everything.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='767257' first='Kylie' last='Butler'], transferring in from Darlington, and Brooke Wellnitz, even as a 2027, have flipped the program on its head. Butler's ability to create at the D5 level and defend one-on-one makes her one of the most impactful guards in D5. Wellnitz's size and length, paired with her athleticism, allow them to press the other team at will, which they do well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Assumption</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Royals have had some injuries this season, which makes them a bit of an unknown over the next few weeks.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>They have solid talent with kids like [player_tooltip player_id='842260' first='Jordyn' last='Jaglinski'], Sarah Shaw, and Anna Schooley. Shaw and Schooley are also kids who made a run to the state title game two years ago, so don't underestimate the experience of this group.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Albany/Monticello</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Before merging, Albany made it to the state tournament a year ago and may return this year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Their two main contributors, Alana Durtschi and [player_tooltip player_id='448295' first='Abby' last='Hollis'] are back this season. I'd also assume they're using what happened at the Resch last year against McDonell to get back to Green Bay this season. They have a path to return and make some noise.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->