Recapping Main Contributors in the Two Neenah-Hortonville Games

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Last night, I watched the second matchup between Neenah and Hortonville of the season, and these two teams have given the state of Wisconsin some of the best games in recent memory. So today, I want to talk about some of the characters in this rivalry this season and highlight them as players.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='533065' first='Rowan' last='Klesmit']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The freshman has two older brothers who'll be playing division one basketball next season, and she seems to be living up to the Klesmit name. Klesmit missed the first Hortonville game with a foot injury but made a statement in a packed house last night. The Rocket made plays with the ball in her hands and showed that if [player_tooltip player_id='189502' first='Allie' last='Ziebell'] got doubled, she's more than capable of making plays with a four-on-three advantage. She'll be a difference-maker over the next three seasons.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='156051' first='Sammie' last='Buss']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The senior transferred over from Xavier and made this Rockets group incredibly lethal. Every time defenses throw bodies to attempt to slow [player_tooltip player_id='189502' first='Allie' last='Ziebell'] down. She will make teams pay. She's shooting well over 40% from the 3-point line. Having multiple kids who can shoot the lights out when defenses double one player is hard to defend, and Buss has taken this team to the next level.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='189502' first='Allie' last='Ziebell']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I haven't seen everyone in the country play, but you'll be hard-pressed to find a scorer more complete than [player_tooltip player_id='189502' first='Allie' last='Ziebell']. She can score whenever and however she wants, and she makes it look easy. Last night she scored 36 points and didn't look like she broke too much of a sweat. I don't think the defense played on her was awful, but good offense will beat good defense every time.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='444784' first='Amaya' last='Jones']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Unfortunately, Jones will be out with injury indefinitely, but Jones was one of the most influential players in this rivalry over the past few years. Jones rebounded at an elite level and recorded a double-double in the infamous sectional-semifinal last season. Without Jones, I don't think the Rockets beat the Polar Bears last season. She's incredibly talented.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='374227' first='Rainey' last='Welson']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There aren't many kids who can get into a rhythm as quickly as [player_tooltip player_id='374227' first='Rainey' last='Welson']. She's an explosive scorer and physically able to handle the game at the highest level. She can score at all three levels and isn't afraid to pull the trigger at any time. She didn't have her best night last night, but just because the Polar Bears lost last night, they'll always have a shot with [player_tooltip player_id='374227' first='Rainey' last='Welson'] on the floor.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='209902' first='Kallie' last='Peppler']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Unfortunately, Peppler is another one who was injured and will be out indefinitely, but the Neenah versus Hortonville story has her all over it. Even when she wasn't scoring, she did everything else to help Hortonville win games. She defended, rebounded, ran the floor, created off the dribble, and moved the ball. I can't wait to see her back in action.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='266988' first='MiKayla' last='Werner']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I'll always find reasons to talk about why [player_tooltip player_id='266988' first='MiKayla' last='Werner'] is better than people may think at first glance. That kid does all the dirty work that people say they love but don't always notice in the moment. She gets her hands on every loose ball, plays inside and out, and defends all five positions on the floor. I can't suggest coaches watch her more. She'll help you win games and find her way on the floor quickly in college. She's a special kind of player.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='206727' first='Trinity' last='Mocadlo']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There is nobody that Mocadlo is afraid of when she's on the defensive end. She's one of the most competitive kids I've ever met and the most significant swing factor in this matchup. If she can force a few more misses and create issues for Neenah in transition, as she did in the first game, Hortonville can still take a potential third matchup.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='421314' first='Kyra' last='Funk']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The senior wing is the Polar Bears' answer to how they space the floor. Funk can stretch the floor well beyond the 3-point line, and when the Polar Bears get rolling, Funk usually knocks down a shot or two in a big run. Her name isn't the biggest in this matchup, but she is the barometer of how good this team is playing at any given moment.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I hope we see these two teams match up one more time.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->