Games to Watch Tonight

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With essentially everyone playing tonight, I want to highlight a few regional semifinal games to watch tonight. There are a few different reasons I'm highlighting these four games, from the potential for a team to make a run, pull off an upset, or see how a group looks going forward. That said, let's take a look at a few games to keep your eyes on.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>No. 12 Appleton North at No. 5 Eau Claire Memorial</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Of all the teams that likely favorite Neenah played in conference, outside of Hortonville, only Kimberly and Appleton North played within single digits of the Rockets, and the Lightning did it on the road. Only in the FVA can a team lead Neenah at halftime on the road and finish eighth in the conference. I would not be surprised if the Lightning pulled off an upset in this one out in Eau Claire.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>No. 12 De Pere at No. 5 Divine Savior Holy Angels (DSHA)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>DSHA played a challenging schedule and ended the season around 500. However, the Redbirds, who made a run to the state tournament a year ago, had to replace all five starters for various reasons but are hitting their stride. [player_tooltip player_id='209614' first='Sophie' last='Hafeman'] has emerged as the Redbirds' go-to-kid and made a name for herself this season. Keep an eye on the Redbirds this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>No. 5 Northwestern at No. 4 Amery</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Tigers of Northwestern are a team who got a little unlucky with seeding but has the tools to get to a sectional title game and roll the dice. [player_tooltip player_id='264943' first='Tieryn' last='Plasch'] is a legit high-level guard who can score it however you want and creates at a high level. If it weren't for some nagging injuries last season, the Tigers could've made a run last year. I would not be surprised to see the Tigers in a Sectional Semifinal next week.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>No. 6 Whitnall at No. 3 New Berlin West</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Whitnall has already beaten New Berlin West and has had a solid season with some young pieces around the floor. Riley Ward and [player_tooltip player_id='489577' first='Ella' last='Koch'] have been excellent additions to this group, and senior Abby Koch and [player_tooltip player_id='329604' first='Grace' last='King'] have been solid leaders for them all year. The fact that they've split the season series with the Vikings gives me some faith that they could do it again and play for a regional title this weekend, likely against Martin Luther.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->