Bay Conference: Preview

Bay Conference: Preview <img class="size-medium wp-image-181852 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/06/PGHFeaturedImage9-300x168.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="168" /> Last season in the Bay Conference, West De Pere swept the conference with a 14-0 season. A roster that consisted of only two seniors, West De Pere had a lot of talent ready to come back even stronger this season. West De Pere standout and Player of the Year in the conference [player_tooltip player_id="155758" first="Alexa" last="Thomson"] will be returning as a senior this season. She earned First Team All Conference as well. Two of her teammates, [player_tooltip player_id="202259" first="Casey" last="Jepson"] and [player_tooltip player_id="204135" first="Imani" last="Ninham"], both earned Second Team All Conference and will be returning. Bailey Baeten earned Honorable Mention as well as Defensive Player of the Year, she will be a senior this season. New London finished second in conference play with a 10-4 season overall. Their squad was led by senior Samantha Pfefferie. However, with only four seniors from last season gone, New London still has high expectations coming back this season. The squad returns [player_tooltip player_id="155762" first="Mikayla" last="Henderson"] who finished second in scoring. As well as Paeton Kringel and BreAnna Hacker. Look out for sophomore guard [player_tooltip player_id="206582" first="Lizzie" last="Steingraber"] to make some noise as well. Below is a list of players in the conference who are posed to make an impact as returners this season: [player_tooltip player_id="155758" first="Alexa" last="Thomson"] | West De Pere | 5’8 G | Senior Thomson is entering her senior campaign with quite the accolades. Last season she led her team in both rebounding and points. She averaged 16.9 points and 9 rebounds per game. Thomas handles pressure well when attacking the lane. She’s a fierce competitor that plays at a high level the entire game.l A defensive threat as well, West De Pere looked to Thomson for energy and footwork to alter shots and create turnovers. She had 41 steals last season. [player_tooltip player_id="155762" first="Mikayla" last="Henderson"] | New London | 5’7 G | Junior Henderson finished second in scoring with 12.2 points per game. She’s a quick guard that can score at all three levels. She is a consistent finisher around the basket and keeps her eyes up the entire game. Her basketball IQ makes her difficult to defend as all of her moves are unpredictable. In a huge win over Xavier last season, Henderson dropped a team high 25 points. Henderson exemplifies her deep bag of offensive skills, pulling up from behind the arc, and showing her separation skills. She has also proved to be a menace when attacking the lane. Imai Ninham | West De Pere | 5’8 G | Junior Ninhaam is a high IQ two-way guard who has such a high ceiling for the game. She is a floor spacer and very active on both ends. She creates a game for herself and her teammates. This season I’d expect Ninham to take more of a leadership role and become more confident controlling the tempo. Ninham showed glimpses of being an offensive powerhouse last season. In a win over Ashwaubenon, Ninham scored a season-high 27 points. She’s consistent, patient and poised which makes her such an impact player. She shot 78% from the floor and finished with 19 points in a win over Green Bay West. [player_tooltip player_id="156053" first="Maggie" last="McGinnis"] | Xavier | 5’7 G | Sophomore McGinnis is the glue for her Xavier team and really makes the offense run. She’s efficient and smart with the ball- rarely making the bad pass or taking the wrong shot. She pushes the ball in transition but remains calm in the half court. Last season she finished with 16.2 points per game. She’s confident with the ball in her hands and has really developed her perimeter shooting consistency as well. She works well with her teammate and fellow sophomore [player_tooltip player_id="156051" first="Sammie" last="Buss"]- the chemistry is there and the two score well and have good court vision for one another. [player_tooltip player_id="156055" first="Mara" last="Rieder"] | Menasha | 6’0 F | Sophomore Rieder surprised a lot of people with her immediate impact on her Menasha squad. She immediately became a force in the paint and put up huge numbers each game. She led her team in both points and rebounds per game. Rieder averaged 13.1 points per game and 8.3 rebounds per game. An offensive rebounding specialist, Rieder consistently dominated the glass and finished strong inside. She is continually improving her downhill game so look for Rieder to come into this season more versatile and comfortable doing a bit of everything for Menasha.