Breaking Down Other D4 Contenders

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We're getting close to the end here, and some teams got their postseason underway last night. However, we still have two divisions left to talk about. D4 is up today, and like the past few days, we'll start with No. 1 seeds, then close with other contenders.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Phillips</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After yet another Marawood-North Conference title, Phillips finds themselves in a place where they can compete for a Regional Title and beyond.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Matya Eckert and Kacy Eggebrecht are two of the most disruptive perimeter defenders from their part of the state. Their group also does an excellent job of getting easy points at the basket and has one of the highest-scoring offenses from the Marawood.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Phillips is looking for their first trip to the state tournament.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Laconia</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Spartans are the reigning D4 champions and have been excellent all season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>They lost Reece Keel, who started for them last year, and have more than weathered that loss with an increased role for some of their bench players, and adding [player_tooltip player_id='764914' first='Finley' last='Morgan'] as the freshman is massive.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>They'll play [player_tooltip player_id='375953' first='Aubrey' last='Leonard'], [player_tooltip player_id='448258' first='Payton' last='Morgan'], [player_tooltip player_id='342096' first='Tierney' last='Madigan'], Eva Engel, Callista Vande Berg, [player_tooltip player_id='764914' first='Finley' last='Morgan'], Molly Duel, and others. There are D1 schools that don't have that depth, and these kids are mainly juniors, so they've been together forever. It'll take an out-of-this-world performance to beat this Spartan group.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Spartans are looking for their fourth trip to the state tournament, third in a row, and back-to-back state titles.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Bonduel</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Two years ago, the Bears were a [player_tooltip player_id='209906' first='Carly' last='Drew'] fadeaway 35-footer away from possibly going to state. Now might be their last chance.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='209613' first='Ella' last='Hischke'] is their go-to player and has been a reliable scorer all four years she's played at Bonduel. If they make a run, expect Hischke to play like one of the best players in D4.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bonduel is looking for their first trip to the state tournament.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Westfield</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Pioneers have a history of winning the South Central Conference and did it again this season. They've also made the state tournament in two of the past three seasons, and [player_tooltip player_id='209906' first='Carly' last='Drew'] has been there for all of them.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Their backcourt of [player_tooltip player_id='448289' first='Haddie' last='Showen'] and [player_tooltip player_id='209906' first='Carly' last='Drew'] have been as good as any backcourt in D4, and if Westfield gets out of their sectional, it'll be due to those two.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Pioneers are looking for their third trip to the state tournament and first title.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Winnebago Lutheran Academy</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Vikings haven't earned much hardware in the past few years because Laconia has been dominant, but they've gone toe-to-toe with them.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Vikings earned a split of the Flyway last season. They won a Regional Title before falling to Laconia in the Sectional Semifinals and don't have to see the Spartans in Sectionals this year.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Abby Cole and [player_tooltip player_id='337021' first='Lindsey' last='Nell'] are a talented duo. If anyone looks past them, that could be a mistake that ends their season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>WLA is looking for their first trip to the state tournament.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->