Small-School Names to Know the Rest of the Season

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Now that we're past the Christmas breather, I got to look at some kids from around the state's first third of the 24-25 season. Today, we're highlighting a few kids from off-the-beaten-path.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Lexi Kuffel</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I love watching kids play that have a screw loose, and Kuffel is one of those types of kids. The Cameron native is an excellent athlete who can set the tone of a game on the defensive end of the floor. The senior can stick with anyone you throw in front of her, and she'll generate some live-ball turnovers just because of persistence and competitiveness. She doesn't seem like the type of person who accepts anything but success, and it's made the Comets one of the more formidable teams in the Heart O' North.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='842230' first='Amaya' last='Brooks']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Brillion guard is among the program leaders in any stat you can think of. Brooks has been a reliable scorer for the Lions, and her ability to create for others has helped the program improve since the departures of their 2023 class. She's shot the ball well from the perimeter, which opens up lanes for her to attack off the dribble and create for others. The Lions have consistently moved the ball well since I've been around, and Brooks is continuing that tradition. Brillion was a little down for their recent standards last season but are back near the top of the Eastern Wisconsin standings in 24-25.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jadelynn Kroll</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After a season where Kewaunee will likely feel like they left something on the table, Kroll has taken another step and been the best player in the Packerland this season. She's leading the conference in scoring and has the Storm in a position to win another conference title. The volume of scoring she's been able to handle since she walked into Kewaunee's doors has been impressive, and due to her athleticism, she can create easy offense for herself and her teammates in transition or offensive rebounding on the weak side of the floor. Last season may have been disappointing, but that may fuel them for a deep run this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='992515' first='Sydney' last='Loerke']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I knew Loerke had been excellent in the first portion of the season, but after seeing her, I left that game more impressed than I was by looking at the numbers. She's a skilled six-foot kid who can shoot, pass, and rebound. However, her passing in the Deerfield zone offense jumped out quickly. Loerke has all the tools to play scholarship-level basketball and has been the kid who's surprised me the most in the 2028 class thus far.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->