Predicting D3 Sectional Three

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The grind is over after today. My final sectional predictions for sectionals three and four go up today. We'll compare mine to yours tomorrow, and after that, basketball season will tip off in 48 hours.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Last season, Edgewood emerged from Sectional Three in a dominating fashion. Now that they're off to play in D2, we'll have a new sectional champion and a new D2 champion, which could come from this sectional again.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Regional Champion: Lakeside Lutheran</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the bottom half of this sectional, most teams lost talent, and the Lightning is one of the few teams that kept kids and have more talent coming in.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Maddie Ratzow and [player_tooltip player_id='535481' first='Ava' last='Petersen'] have been successful in the Midwest Classic and have established LCL as the top program there for a few years. Each has had productive careers thus far, and if not for Petersen's late-season injury, the Lightning could've made a deeper run in the postseason.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The name to watch is newcomer [player_tooltip player_id='885270' first='Aubri' last='Elmore']. The lead guard hasn't played at a name-brand program in Wisconsin in AAU but has impressed with T.R.U.T.H Elite. Adding another ball handler to this group could earn them a Regional Title plaque.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Regional Champion: Brodhead</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Cardinals were in D4 last season and ran into a talented New Glarus team in a regional title game. Brodhead could win a plaque even though enrollment pulled them into D3.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The most significant threat to opposing defenses from the Cardinals is [player_tooltip player_id='509483' first='Allie' last='Dahl']. Dahl is a relentless athlete with a motor that never turns off, which makes her an exciting player to watch. Dahl will attack for 36 minutes and set the tempo on both ends.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Addie Yates' graduation opens the door for others to step up, which is the make or break for this Brodhead group.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Sectional Runner-Up: Edgerton</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Few teams in the state could cope with losing their top scorer from the previous season, but Edgerton will do that this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Nickie Shaw may have graduated, but there is depth in the Crimson Tide's program. [player_tooltip player_id='914989' first='Claudia' last='Jenny'] stepped in as a newcomer and took like a duck to water. Jenny's poise and balance of scoring and creating helped Edgerton succeed last season. Adding her to a backcourt with [player_tooltip player_id='533071' first='Marti' last='Rebman'] put them well over the top in the Rock Valley, which they won running away.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another name in the Crimson Tide's frontcourt is [player_tooltip player_id='624854' first='Gracee' last='Langer']. The 5'10 athlete will guard talented kids with some size around the rim, with the flexibility to defend teams that play five out and score the ball when needed.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Sectional Champion: Laconia</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I have nothing to add about Laconia that I haven't said ad nauseam for three years.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Spartans are a well-coached bunch who know each other better than any program players know each other, and they know what it takes to win a state title.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>They'll throw lineups of [player_tooltip player_id='375953' first='Aubrey' last='Leonard']-[player_tooltip player_id='764914' first='Finley' last='Morgan']-[player_tooltip player_id='448258' first='Payton' last='Morgan']-[player_tooltip player_id='342096' first='Tierney' last='Madigan']-[player_tooltip player_id='877430' first='Eva' last='Engel'] in crucial minutes, I'd guess, with flexibility for players like Molly Duel or even a [player_tooltip player_id='842233' first='Marissa' last='Johnson'] or [player_tooltip player_id='889662' first='Hayden' last='Johnson'] if they find their way into minutes.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Regardless of how you slice their minutes up, they're the team to beat in this sectional and D3.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->