WIAA Division Five Sectional Preview: Sectionals Three and Four

The first weekend of the postseason is in the books, and in seven days, we will know who will be the final four teams left in each division playing for a Gold Ball in Green Bay. Through Thursday morning, I will be previewing the sectional participants as we inch closer to the State Tournament in a few weeks. We will start with Division One and work our way through Division Five.   Sectional 3   No. 1 Florence vs. No. 2 Lena   Florence   The Bobcats finished in second in the Northern Lakes Conference, are a border school next to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and play a few games with Michigan schools each year. The name to watch with Florence will be their junior guard, Cece Mills. She will be the player who controls the game with the ball in her hands and will make plays on the ball defensively. They'll have a tall task if they get past Lena, but they've put themselves in a position where two wins get them to the state tournament.   Lena   The Wildcats have had an uphill battle this season, with senior [player_tooltip player_id='842247' first='Madi' last='Thomson'] playing with a severe knee injury until she physically couldn't continue. Now, Lena relies on another Thomson, [player_tooltip player_id='1231054' first='Ella' last='Thomson']. The newcomer is averaging a double-double in her first season of high school basketball. She is a player who will help Lena win on the margins. They've been a resilient team this season, and are a team that could find themselves a game away from the state tournament.   No. 1 Pacelli vs. No. 2 Almond-Bancroft   Pacelli   The Cardinals are playing with house money after sneaking out of their Regional Championship with a narrow and fortunate win against Columbus Catholic. Pacelli is led by [player_tooltip player_id='876098' first='Jaedyn' last='Zdroik'], who hit a high-pressure three-pointer late in that game against the Dons. Her ability to handle and create under pressure will help her teammates find ways to get involved in the offense. They are still among the most talented small schools in the state, and they don't have anything to lose now.   Almond-Bancroft   The Eagles have been the second fiddle to Pacelli in their conference the last few seasons, and now have an opportunity to end the Cardinals' season. Mya Dernbach is one of the more intriguing talents in small-school basketball and can attack defenses from all three levels. I like her poise with the ball in her hands, and she will be a difference maker in their Sectional Semifinal. The other senior to watch, for a heavily senior-oriented group, will be Aaliyah Newby.   Sectional 4   No. 1 Sheboygan Lutheran vs. No. 3 Lourdes Academy   Sheboygan Lutheran   The Crusaders have a diverse group of talent, with some upperclassmen and underclassmen they can rely on. Sheboygan Lutheran also plays a solid schedule against larger schools in the Big East Conference, and will be battle-tested heading into the postseason every season. I also like the edge this team plays with defensively. Offensively, they have a few players who can hurt defenses in multiple ways: Maddi Thomas, Megan Walz, and newcomer Grace Leibham.   Lourdes Academy   Lourdes Academy made the state tournament unexpectedly last season, beating an Albany/Monticello team that was the favorite to win the Gold Ball at the time. Now, the Knights are led by senior sharpshooter [player_tooltip player_id='1417587' first='Aubrey' last='Schettle'], who is shooting north of 40% from the three-point line this season. The other aspect of this team that makes them a handful are the Liabwell sisters, who are grabbing about 16 rebounds per game as a pair. The co-champs of the Trailways-East will be a tough out again.   No. 2 Fall River vs. No. 4 Madison Country Day   Fall River   The Pirates have a talented senior duo with [player_tooltip player_id='1242892' first='Emma' last='Sampson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='874589' first='Natalie' last='Fietz'], who play off each other well and have helped Fall River win its fair share of games in the past few years. They find ways to manufacture offense around the basket and rebound the ball at a high level. Those two will be key to the Pirates making an even deeper run than they already have. Those two will be the ones to watch in the Sectional Semifinal matchup tonight.   Madison Country Day   The Prairie Hawks reached sectionals last season as a No. 10 seed, and are back, but as a No. 4 seed. Elsa Lee and Ashlyn Frazier are two underclassmen who have scored in double-digits this season on average. However, the name to know from Madison Country Day is [player_tooltip player_id='992517' first='Zami' last='Gary']. Gary is an excellent perimeter shooter who can space the floor and create off the dribble, but has excelled as the focal point of the Prairie Hawks' offense over the past two seasons.

The first weekend of the postseason is in the books, and in seven days, we will know who will be the final four teams left in each division playing for a Gold Ball in Green Bay. Through Thursday morning, I will be previewing the sectional participants as we inch closer to the State Tournament in a few weeks. We will start with Division One and work our way through Division Five.