Small School Teams to Watch This Postseason

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Tonight, the second season of the 2025-26 WIAA girls basketball season kicks off with Regional Quarterfinal games tipping off around the state as we begin the journey to the Resch Center. In the next few weeks, we will see the highs and lows of high school basketball as five teams look to earn a storybook ending by lifting a gold ball on March 14th in Green Bay. Before the game's tipoff this evening, we will examine some teams to watch before the tournament starts and highlight some programs that could make deeper runs than some may expect at the large and small-school levels.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Elk Mound</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Mounders were the No. 1 seed at the state tournament last season, and have some of the players who played a role in last season's Sectional Championship group. The No. 5 seed in the top half of Sectional One played in a talented Cloverbelt-West Conference. The name to know in this group is Allie Robel. Robel had a solid showing at teh Resch Center last season, and her athletic tools make her a headache for opposing defenses. She was excellent in her senior campaign in a talented conference. If you're looking for a team that plays tonight who could make some noise over the next few weeks, this may be the team. Keep an eye on players like Loftyn Awe and [player_tooltip player_id='1240927' first='Scarlett' last='Woolever'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Mosinee</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mosinee is riding a 15-game winning streak heading into the postseason, and I'm not sure if I could have expected this from Mosinee. After losing an excellent senior, [player_tooltip player_id='842211' first='Taelyn' last='Jirschele'], to a knee injury before the season, it felt like the season was over. However, they have hit their stride after their loss against Rice Lake and are flying heading into the postseason. Sophomore Paetyn Jirschele has excelled in her sophomore season and has been the key figure. They have also had a newcomer in [player_tooltip player_id='874409' first='Pacyn' last='Stoffel'], who has stepped up and been a double-double threat this season. They will be a dangerous No. 3 seed in Sectional One.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Seymour</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Thunder have been an afterthought in the Bay Conference for some time. This season, they have punched above their weight. Seymour also welcomed a newcomer in their backcourt in [player_tooltip player_id='1229383' first='Natalie' last='Rudnick'], who has stepped up in high-pressure situations, including knocking down a game-winner as time expired agaisnt Shawano. There are also pieces in that program who can help swing games like [player_tooltip player_id='1229434' first='Natalea' last='Hill'] and Kenlee Jansen, who have been around a while and have shown they can contribute to winning.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Fall Creek</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Crickets are one of the most successful programs in small-school basketball around the state. Fall Creek also got back one of the program's top players in recent memory, [player_tooltip player_id='491719' first='Jasmin' last='Heuer'], who returned from a knee injury she suffered last May. Now that Heuer's back, she adds a different element to their offense, which could create some intriguing single-game matchups in their sectional.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Kewaunee</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Storm is a senior-oriented team, and they're led by [player_tooltip player_id='777574' first='Jade' last='Kroll'], who does a little of everything for the Storm. She is a physical and athletic guard who can create off the dribble and make plays for herself and her teammates. The other player whom I have appreciated in this team is [player_tooltip player_id='1220487' first='Braelyn' last='Chevalier']. Chevalier is an undersized guard who can make opposing guards uncomfortable. They have been on the cusp of making a deep run for some time, and this may be their last shot to reach the latter stages of the postseason, barring something unexpected.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->