Players Who’ve Impressed Me This Season

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Tonight, I made my way out to my first high school game since last Tuesday, and it was an overtime finish between Lake Country Lutheran and Watertown Luther Prep, where Lake Country Lutheran earned a hard-fought win over their conference rivals. However, tonight, I'd like to talk about some players who've impressed me in games I've attended this season and talk about what they bring to the floor for their teams.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Emma Julka</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I have always appreciated Julka's game because she can affect a game at any moment without needing to take many shots to do so. The Beaver Dam native is as poised as anyone and is comfortable when most of her peers aren't. She is one of the better clutch players I've seen in Wisconsin, and she plays her best basketball when her team is under the most pressure. She always finds ways to make plays when her team needs it, and that is something I can't even say about some of the elite players to come out of Wisconsin.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='877544' first='Lyndia' last='Kalumbula']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Wauwatosa East senior has found a role and has excelled within it this season. She has always been a swing player who could come in and make winning plays, as she did in the Division 2 State Championship. However, she has been an excellent bench piece for one of the top teams in the region, and she's doing it by using her strength and motor to be one of the better rebounders in any game she plays. She won't get as many plaudits as her teammates may from outside people, but anyone who plays Tosa East will know about her.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='764907' first='Ellyana' last='Petersen']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Petersen has stepped into a prominent role alongside some of the state's more talented players. Petersen has been a lights-out shooter for a team that can use as much spacing as possible with a few players who want to get downhill and put pressure on the basket. She has never seemed flustered, even when she got minutes in her team's State Semifinal game last March. Petersen could be a player who makes a massive impact deep in the postseason this February and March.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1049239' first='Noelle' last='Rauwolf']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>What makes [player_tooltip player_id='1049239' first='Noelle' last='Rauwolf'] special isn't anything you'd think would make a lead guard special. She isn't flashy, tries to string together multiple dribble moves, or is an explosive scorer. Rauwolf is the type of player who will find a way to exploit a defense, keep attacking that one specific thing, and put together excellent games by doing that. For instance, if a defense overplays her teammates, she'll make passes to players who back cut, if the defense drops their post in pick and rolls, she'll make mid-range pull-ups, and if a guard isn't quick enough to stay with her, she'll blow past them every time down the floor. She keeps things simple in the best way possible.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->