Grafton Black Hawks: 2025-26 Season Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Grafton began the 2024-25 season with new faces in new roles. After earning back-to-back Regional Titles in 2023 and 2024, the Black Hawks had a new look. Gone were Savannah James and Sarah Aleknavicius, among others. Entering were players looking to make their mark on the program.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Black Hawks started one senior last season, now at Loras College in Iowa, Marissa Morgan. Morgan brought stability to a group that was sure to face their fair share of ups and downs. However, outside of her, there were plenty of opportunities for players up and down the roster to carve out a role for themselves.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The name that people around the North Shore were most surprised by was, then, sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='769179' first='Cali' last='Tagliapietra']. Tagliapietra did an excellent job of attacking the basket off the dribble and forcing defenses to key in on her when she had the ball. She possesses the speed and length that enable her to make plays on both ends of the floor, and she developed as a leader throughout the year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>During the year, even when things didn't go as smoothly as hoped, Coach Matt D'Mato found pieces he could rely on.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Junior [player_tooltip player_id='751272' first='Melanie' last='Morgan'] is a talented perimeter threat who will space the floor for the Black Hawks and has had a green light to shoot the ball from the perimeter since her first high school appearance. Morgan took nearly seven three-pointers per game last winter, and will be someone defenses must account for.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Outside of Tagliapietra and Morgan, other players grew through the season who could help the Black Hawks find their stride in the 2025-26 campaign.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The x-factor of this group could be junior forward [player_tooltip player_id='883074' first='Liliana' last='Verplancke']. Verplancke is the one player who adds size to the Grafton rotation and looks to be a more confident offensive player than she was a season ago. She is more willing to attack off the dribble when she has a mismatch, and has the size, speed, and physicality to thrive in a guard-oriented North Shore Conference on the defensive end.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The rest of the backcourt, the Black Hawks will roll out there, will also have the ability to make winning plays in their minutes on the floor.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Players like [player_tooltip player_id='1099058' first='Ava' last='Dotson'], [player_tooltip player_id='1226502' first='Emily' last='Sewell'], [player_tooltip player_id='751249' first='Brynlee' last='Hildebrand'], and [player_tooltip player_id='882998' first='Kendyl' last='Conrad'] are all players that Coach D'Mato will be able to trust when they're called upon. Each of those guards can handle the ball against defensive units that want to pressure the ball full court, knock down open shots, and move the ball on the offensive end of the floor.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Last season, this was a group that had to figure each other out and learn what combinations of lineups would work best. Grafton may have finished with a 10-15 (8-10 North Shore Conference) record, but they were a group who showed they could play with the likes of Wauwatosa East, Whitefish Bay, and Waukesha West. They have a deep roster of guards who can make plays on the perimeter and have the makings of a team that could be one of the more challenging groups to play against in the North Shore Conference.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->