Predicting Division 3 Sectional 2 in September

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Usually, I get to predictions well before this time of year and have something posted around sectionals. However, because they were posted so late due to rule changes, and because of my schedule at the time they were originally posted, I couldn't do this sooner. That said, today, we're starting to predict what the results of this sectional could look like well before the season starts, and we'll see how right or wrong I am come February and March. We'll dive a little deeper into my picks as we move along through the divisions.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Sleeper Teams</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Denmark</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Vikings are coming off a 20-win season and return their leading scorer from last winter. [player_tooltip player_id='878990' first='Allie' last='VanVonderen'] stepped into a prominent role as a junior and helped her team win conference games. They did get a senior back last winter, who returned from a knee injury. Things will look different, but this team could surprise someone.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Regional Champions</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Mosinee</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Last season, Mosinee caught fire around the start of the new year and kept winning until they got to the state tournament. That group was younger, and their leading scorers were a newcomer and a sophomore. Paeytn Jirschele did an excellent job leading her team's offense and being an efficent scorer every time she stepped on the floor. I also liked how well [player_tooltip player_id='874409' first='Pacyn' last='Stoffel'] stepped into her role in the post, and liked how she played against one of the best teams in the state last season, Oostburg, at the State Tournament.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Seymour</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Thunder play in one of the better D3 conferences in the Bay and will be battle-tested by the end of the season. [player_tooltip player_id='1229383' first='Natalie' last='Rudnick'] was a solid contributor in her first season, and improved by playing grassroots basketball over the spring and summer. Seymour also returns their second leading scorer, Kenlee Jansen, who shot the ball well from the perimeter with time and space last winter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Little Chute</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Mustangs may have had the youngest core in the state last winter. Their three leading scorers were all freshmen and led Little Chute to one of its best seasons in recent memory. [player_tooltip player_id='879591' first='Lauren' last='Vosters'] and Hattie Grishaber were the two most reliable scorers last season and capable of earning turnovers at the point of attack. Adelyn Engle played her role last season and proved to be a reliable secondary ball handler and scorer, and understands how to help this team win games.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Winneconne</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Wolves played Oostburg well in stretches last season and were one of the better D3 teams that I've seen, but were unlucky with the talent in the division last winter. Winneconne has a core of reliable players who have been around a while. [player_tooltip player_id='751291' first='Grace' last='Mitchell'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1162234' first='Harper' last='Neace'] have been around a while and played in high-profile games in high school; they understand the highs and lows of the postseason. It also helps that they bring back [player_tooltip player_id='1225951' first='Brooklyn' last='Messerschmidt'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1223776' first='Ari' last='Reetz'], who can space the floor, and they'll bring in a newcomer in the backcourt who could play early.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Sectional Runner-Up</strong>: Mosinee</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Sectional Champion</strong>: Winneconne</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->