One Thing to Watch For in Each Large School Sectional Final

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Tomorrow, there will be 40 games played around the state of Wisconsin for the right to be one of four teams in each division to earn a berth in the 50th annual WIAA Girls Basketball State Tournament. I could probably dive into the very specific details in each game to watch, and other factors that could influence every Sectional Final. However, in the interest of time, for myself and you, the reader, I will highlight one thing to watch in each of the Sectional Final matchups, and why it could be a pivotal factor in how the game plays out.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Division 1</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>No. 1 SPASH vs. No. 2 Notre Dame</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>SPASH's off-ball defense.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Panthers have had an excellent season, and arguably boast the most talented player remaining in the Division 1 field, [player_tooltip player_id='764935' first='Jada' last='Seubert']. However, a major thing to watch will be how well Notre Dame executes some of their sets designed to get layups from their off-ball action. They're detail-oriented and will test the concentration levels within the SPASH defense, even in their zone.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>No. 1 Pewaukee vs. No. 3 Hartford</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Which Individual will Assert Themselves</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>These two teams matched up earlier in the season, and Pewaukee won it, with Giselle Janwoski still finding her footing, and [player_tooltip player_id='533085' first='Bella' last='Klages'] being out. However, in that game, [player_tooltip player_id='751281' first='Rita' last='Kuepper'] had an excellent individual night and kept the Orioles in it throughout. However, we could see a brilliant individual performance from either [player_tooltip player_id='536013' first='Giselle' last='Janowski'] or [player_tooltip player_id='533084' first='Vanessa' last='Johnson'] on the Pewaukee side or any of [player_tooltip player_id='533085' first='Bella' last='Klages'], [player_tooltip player_id='751281' first='Rita' last='Kuepper'], or [player_tooltip player_id='751236' first='Alexis' last='Shelsta'] on the Orioles side.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>No. 1 Arrowhead vs. No. 3 Brookfield East</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>The Warhawks Zone Offense</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Over the past two seasons, teams that thrive in zone defenses have frustrated Arrowhead more than most teams, and they'll face their toughest challenge against Brookfield East's 2-3 zone. The Spartans want to drag teams into the mud and allow players like [player_tooltip player_id='747942' first='Josie' last='Piurkowski'] and [player_tooltip player_id='497476' first='Maya' last='Kovacic'] to win on the margins. If the Warhawks struggle against the zone, we could see some high-pressure possessions down the stretch.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>No. 1 Wauwatosa East vs. No. 6 Kenosha Bradford</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Can Bradford Give Themselves a Chance</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Tosa East offense has been one of the best in the region this season, and Bradford doesn't have the tools to win this game if it gets into the 80s. However, if the Red Devils can find a way to frustrate the Red Raiders' offense, they could give themselves a chance to make this one more competitive than people think.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Division 2</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>No. 1 Rice Lake vs. No. 1 Shawano</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>The Rebounding Battle</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I wouldn't say Rice Lake is one of the most efficent offensive units in Division 2, but they are the best offensive rebounding unit in the D2 field. They have routinely been outrebounding teams by 20 or more in games this season, and they are winning games by getting second-chance points. I don't expect the Hawks to win the battle on the boards, but to win, they have to keep it competitive. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>No. 1 Elkhorn vs. No. 2 Milton</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Guards vs. Forwards</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The adage is guard play wins in the postseason, and that will be put to the test in this game. Milton's backcourt is playing at an elite level right now on both ends of the floor. However, Elkhorn boasts one of the most talented frontcourts in the state, led by [player_tooltip player_id='533068' first='Kyrin' last='Lile']. Whichever group asserts themself the most will likely win this game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>No. 1 Xavier vs. No. 3 Beaver Dam</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Xavier's guardplay</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Golden Beavers are a talented group with a backcourt that has been successful together over the past few years. The key for Xavier will be how much they get out of the Hafner-Krull pairing in the backcourt.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>No. 1 Whitefish Bay vs. No. 1 Whitnall</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Can Whitnall's guards make this competitive</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Falcons come into this one as heavy underdogs, and to stay in it, they'll need [player_tooltip player_id='751266' first='Kylee' last='Sias-Chaney'] and [player_tooltip player_id='654832' first='Riley' last='Ward'] to be firing on all cylinders.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->