D2 State Semifinal Preview: No. 2 Notre Dame vs. No. 3 Tosa East

There isn't a division with a divide in the public's view of the teams in the state tournament than D2. Everyone has talked about the potential trilogy of the previous two D2 State Title games between Pewaukee and Notre Dame. Most, including myself, believe that on Saturday night, we'll see round three at the Resch Center, but let's talk about the semifinal games today and what to expect from each team.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Notre Dame</h2>   After losing their opener to Pewaukee, Notre Dame blasted almost everyone they've lined up against outside the Hortonville game, which is always competitive.   The senior trio of [player_tooltip player_id='209880' first='Gracie' last='Grzesk'], [player_tooltip player_id='209879' first='Trista' last='Fayta'], and [player_tooltip player_id='209882' first='Sydney' last='Whitehouse'] have won just about everything they could have won in high school and AAU together. They know each other like the back of their hand and play well together. Fayta is the lead guard, Whitehouse is their defensive ace, and Grzesk is a dynamic offensive threat from all over the floor and a plus defender. Those three know what it takes to win at the highest level, and beating them at the Resch Center will be no small feat.   The other two kids who've been massive pieces for the Tritons the past two years are [player_tooltip player_id='338948' first='Peyton' last='Musial'] and [player_tooltip player_id='842199' first='Kaia' last='Waldrop'].   Musial came in as a freshman, was the first sixth-person for the Tritons, and asked to space the floor and knock down shots. Nowadays, she's an aggressive wing who gets downhill and soaks up minutes as a lead guard whenever Fayta needs a breather or gets into foul trouble. She's become an excellent two-way player over her first two seasons at Notre Dame.   [player_tooltip player_id='842199' first='Kaia' last='Waldrop'] was the piece that put the Tritons over the top a year ago. Her size and physicality allowed Grzesk to play with more versatility, which was a big reason why the Tritons found so much success using her in the post and giving her catch-and-shoot opportunities on the perimeter.   The Tritons beat quality out-of-state teams handily from Illinois, Tennessee, and Alabama and primed for a run at their fourth gold ball in a row.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Wauwatosa East</h2>   Without a shadow of a doubt, the Red Raiders came out of the most challenging sectional in D2. There were four teams capable of making it this far, and Tosa East had to beat two of them.   They have the youngest group in the field and are the only one of the four D2 state-qualifying programs that didn't play at the Resch Center last year.   They start with four talented sophomores. [player_tooltip player_id='509715' first='Sadie' last='Kubacki'], [player_tooltip player_id='766594' first='Audrey' last='Sellinger'], [player_tooltip player_id='509696' first='Emma' last='Close'], and [player_tooltip player_id='400915' first='Mikaia' last='Litza']. Those kids have played multiple games against teams who qualified for state last season. The Red Raiders also beat Brookfield East to end their conference-winning streak in Wauwatosa this season after a late [player_tooltip player_id='766594' first='Audrey' last='Sellinger'] basket sealed the win.    They've been underdogs in their conference the past few seasons and have been a tight-knit unit since they arrived a year ago.   You'll see plenty of [player_tooltip player_id='400915' first='Mikaia' last='Litza'] creating off the dribble, and she's been outstanding in her sophomore season. She'll be a first-team all-conference kid in the GMC. No matter what defense gets thrown at her, she can make a play, and kids like Kubacki, Close, Sellinger, and Cassie Krause all play off her well.   [player_tooltip player_id='509696' first='Emma' last='Close'] and Saide Kubacki have to make open shots that come to them, and Sellinger and Krause must stay out of foul trouble and win their 50/50 balls to give them a shot to make it to Championship Saturday.   Predicted Winner: Notre Dame

There isn't a division with a divide in the public's view of the teams in the state tournament than D2. Everyone has talked about the potential trilogy of the previous two D2 State Title games between Pewaukee and Notre Dame. Most, including myself, believe that on Saturday night, we'll see round three at the Resch Center, but let's talk about the semifinal games today and what to expect from each team.