Division 5 Preseason Top 10

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The basketball season is inching closer, and there are plenty of things I'd like to get posted before the season starts. We're finishing October with the preseason rankings in every division, starting from D5 and ending with D1. I'm sure some things will look silly a few weeks into the season, but that's the fun of getting them posted now and seeing where I'm wrong when the season gets underway. Today, we're looking at D5 and D4.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>1. Argyle/Pecatonica</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The last time Argyle/Pecatonica played in Division 5, they went into the state tournament as the No. 1 seed in D5. They have the same core of players back in [player_tooltip player_id='767257' first='Kylie' last='Butler'], [player_tooltip player_id='874373' first='Brooke' last='Wellnitz'], and Averi Steiner. They'll be among the elite groups in D5 this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2. Barneveld</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Eagles won't have many of the same faces on the floor that ended the season in the D5 title game last March. However, having, in my opinion, the best player in D5, [player_tooltip player_id='533073' first='Izabel' last='Durst'], will still allow them to compete at a high level.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>3. Pacelli</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Pacelli has been the youthful group who have been on the cusp of making a deep run in the postseason. The 25-26 season has the potential to be a special one for the Cardinals. [player_tooltip player_id='876098' first='Jaedyn' last='Zdroik'] has been a do-it-all player who excelled in her first few seasons, and Madelyn Pionek, Ella Van Order, and Haylee Cisewski, who all scored in double figures on average last season, are back.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>4. Eleva-Strum</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Eleva-Strum were the surprise of last season, improving from a five-win season to a 22-win season last winter. [player_tooltip player_id='751245' first='Avery' last='Glenz'] is a talented guard/wing who can handle the ball, score, and create for others. The Cardinals also have plenty of pieces back from the team that appeared in a Sectional Final</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>5. Shullsburg</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Shullsburg showed positive signs last season and has an intriguing prospect in sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='888330' first='McKinley' last='Russell']. There are plenty of pieces returning from last year's group in Haley Alt, Addy Woodworth, and Alexis Alt. It'll look a little different this season, but there are talented pieces there.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>6. Assumption</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Assumption won the D5 title last season and returns Augustana (D2) commit [player_tooltip player_id='842260' first='Jordyn' last='Jaglinski']. Plenty of talent walked out the door at graduation this past spring for the Royals. However, they will have some pieces back who will still contribute to their 25-26 group.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>7. Blair-Taylor</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Blair-Taylor still has a key figure from the team who went to the D5 title game in [player_tooltip player_id='842237' first='Andrea' last='Waldera']. Waldera has become an elite frontcourt piece in D5. The Wildcats also appeared in the Sectional Semifinals last winter. Watch for them to return to the second weekend this winter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>8. Almond-Bancroft</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Eagles lost to the eventual state champions, Assumption, last winter. However, Almond-Bancroft has a deep group of seniors, led by Mya Dernbach. They won 20 games last season and were among the top units in Central Wisconsin at the small-school level in 24-25. They'll be a challenging team to beat in the postseason.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>9. Columbus Catholic</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Izzy Holz had an excellent first season of high school basketball for Columbus Catholic, winning 16 games last year. The Dons have a young core of players who have some experience to their name. However, the addition of newcomer [player_tooltip player_id='1236090' first='Elly' last='Gardner'] could take the Dons to another level.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>10. Wauzeka-Steuben</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Hornets had some players exit after graduation last spring. However, there are a few players in Macey Mitchell and Natalie Wright who have won plenty of games in a Wauzeka-Steuben jersey. New faces will have to step up, but having Mitchell and Wright back is a solid start.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->