D3 State Semi Preview: No. 1 Edgewood vs. No. 4 Baldwin-Woodville

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>D3 is next up on the preview docket. Like last season, this division is up in the air. All four teams that made the state tournament upset teams en route to the Resch Center, so let's talk about them.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Edgewood</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Crusaders have a talented backcourt that helps them maximize every possession.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I talked at nauseam about how good [player_tooltip player_id='764918' first='Anna' last='Miller'] was coming into the season, and she's been excellent. Her ability to get the Crusader offense running is something they haven't had at a consistent level over the past few seasons. She could make a statement at the Resch Center this week.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The other thing about this team is the amount of guard depth they have that can create off the dribble. Kids like [player_tooltip player_id='209589' first='Taya' last='Fernandez'], Zhana Gnewuch, [player_tooltip player_id='914305' first='Erin' last='Schauer'], and [player_tooltip player_id='509707' first='Lilly' last='Moschkau'] can all attack off the dribble and knock down difficult shots from all over the floor.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The added dimension that this group has is [player_tooltip player_id='995775' first='Maren' last='Schmotzer']. She's a 6-1 athletic forward who is a deterrent for other guards trying to get to the rim at will. Schmotzer can switch onto guards on the perimeter if they want to switch on ball screens and keep kids in front of her.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I had a feeling that this group would play well in the postseason simply because of how talented their guards are, and I probably said they could go to state at some point, but they've controlled every playoff game they've played to this point.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Baldwin-Woodville</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>People may be writing Baldwin-Woodville off too soon.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The one thing I can tell you about the Blackhawks is that they can all sit down and defend. In the 2023-24 season, the most points this team has given up is 52. That is a wild number for a team to hold up throughout a season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>No matter who they've played, they haven't let a team run away from them. Even if they haven't scored much in a game, their defense always gives them a chance to stay in games, and I don't think that'll be too dissimilar from what their game against Edgewood will look like. They'll face the best backcourt they've seen all season, but they'll be able to weather that storm.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hailey Jordt has been a productive player for the Blackhawks in her senior season and made some things happen off the dribble. However, the issue this team may have is on the offensive end. There aren't a plethora of kids who can create and score consistently. So, this may be a low-scoring affair, but the Blackhawk's offense can't afford an off-game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Keep an eye on the team's three-point shooting here. The Blackhawks only make 22% as a team and take 13 three-pointers per game.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Predicted Winner: Edgewood</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->