Wisconsin State Tournament-Saturday Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Wisconsin State Tournament is underway, at The Champion Center, and here are just a few of the players that had a great showing on Saturday in the 15-17U divisions.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='874550' first='Veronica' last='Hoell']</strong>-[program_tooltip program_id='1847685' first='Wisconsin' last='Blizzard'] Ice Kuranda</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hoell, a 5-10 freshman showed out in a big way for [program_tooltip program_id='1847685' first='Wisconsin' last='Blizzard'] Ice Kuranda on Saturday at The Champion Center. The springy, athletic Hoell dominated on both ends of the floor. Offensively she showed three-level scoring ability not only knocking down four 3-pointers, in game 1, but also getting to the basket, at ease, and finishing over traffic and through contact. Defensively she confounded the other team with her athleticism, long arms, and quick hands resulting in several steals and easy buckets for her team. Hortonville has a budding star on their hands from what I saw!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1231344' first='Arianna' last='Eddins']</strong>-Madison 365</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Madison LaFollette's Eddins, a 5-11 freshman, was the most dominant rim protector that I had the opportunity to watch on Saturday. Her shot blocking ability, where I counted at least 8 in game one, caught my eye immediately however as I watched further, her overall game stood out. Possessing good size, Eddins showed advanced handles and a nice outside touch knocking down multiple 3-pointers and was dominant on the offensive glass.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Maliyah</strong> <strong>Thompson</strong>-Madison 365</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Thompson, also of Madison 365, impressed me with her play on Saturday. Smooth, athletic player that can get to the hoop, with ease, and plays a physical style of basketball adept at drawing contact and finishing in a variety of ways. She was also impressive on the offensive glass using her strong frame to battle for rebounds and kept many possessions alive.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='874389' first='Kailynn' last='Thompson']</strong>-[program_tooltip program_id='713127' first='Wisconsin' last='Legends'] 2027 National Blue</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Every time I watch the Bay Port product play it seems like she adds another tool into her bag of tricks. Always solid in the post, Thompson showed a nice array of moves finishing around the basket with either hand often through contact. What impressed me the most, on Saturday, was not only her court vision where she made several pinpoint passes, to cutting teammates but also, on one occasion, blocking a 3-pointer, leading the fast break off the dribble, and finishing the layup, drawing a foul and sending her defender flying in the process.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1231069' first='Madison' last='Lemke']</strong>-[program_tooltip program_id='713339' first='Next' last='Level Grind'] 15U</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lemke, a 5-4 freshman out of Denmark, impressed me with her knockdown shooting ability drilling six long balls, in the early game, and kept the defense on their heels with her constant threat to pull from anywhere. If what I saw Saturday, was an indication, I fully expect Lemke to help fill the outside scoring void left by graduated senior Kiarrah Micolichek for the Vikings this winter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->