D1 State Tournament X-Factors

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We are down to the final four with the Division 1 state semi-finals starting Friday. Today I will be pointing out one player, from each team, that could be an X-Factor in helping their team take home the gold ball on Saturday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/ellie-deprey/"><span style="text-decoration: underline">Ellie Depre</span></a>y</strong>-Wauwatosa East</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In an earlier article I wrote about [player_tooltip player_id='400915' first='Mikaia' last='Litza'] and what she brings to the table for the 27-0 Red Raiders however one X-Factor, for 'Tosa East, to run the table is Litza's teammate fellow senior Ellie Deprey (5-11). A solid all-around player, Deprey is averaging 12.5 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 2.1 apg, and 1.8 spg while shooting 44.3% from three and has been a key reason why the Red Raiders are the #1 seed and betting favorites for the Gold ball on Saturday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='842209' first='Aspen' last='Abel']</strong>-Notre Dame</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Notre Dame, a perennial D2 state contender, makes its first appearance at the D1 level largely in part to the play of 5-11 Senior [player_tooltip player_id='842209' first='Aspen' last='Abel']. The future Bemidji State Beaver has been an X-Factor, all season, for the Tritons who finished 23-4 and just knocked off defending champion Kimberly in the Sectional semi-final. Averaging 10.7 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 4.3 apg, 1.8 spg, 0.8 bpg while shooting 45.4% from three has helped ease the transition of fellow senior [player_tooltip player_id='842199' first='Kaia' last='Waldrop'] back into the lineup, from injury, and has Notre Dame red hot heading into their biggest game of the season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='751284' first='Sidney' last='Zehner']</strong>-Arrowhead</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It is easy to think of Arrowhead as a superstar-driven team with University of Minnesota commit, [player_tooltip player_id='533057' first='Natalie' last='Kussow'] on the floor but they have assembled some nice pieces around her including 5-9 junior [player_tooltip player_id='751284' first='Sidney' last='Zehner']. Fresh off of a 17 point Sectional semi-final game, Zehner's been solid all season scoring 12 ppg while grabbing 5 boards, 4.4 assists, and 1.7 steals. Her play will be key to help pull defensive pressure off of Kussow and spread the floor against Pewaukee.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='533086' first='Kylie' last='Pieper']</strong>-Pewaukee</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>23-4 Pewaukee rolls into the tournament winning their games by an average of 27 points per game. That will be put to the test when they face off with 25-2 Arrowhead, the #2 seed. There were several good options to pick from but I'm picking senior [player_tooltip player_id='533086' first='Kylie' last='Pieper'] as my X-Factor on Thursday. For the season Pieper is averaging 8.6 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 2.9 apg, 1.7 spg while shooting a high percentage. 53.9% from the floor, 41% from three and 84.2% from the free-throw line coming up clutch, in the Sectional final, when she went for 17 points including 6 of 8 from the free-throw line in putting away Hartford 67-58.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->