Games of Note This Week

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Over the second week of the season, I'm looking at a few intriguing topics heading into the week, so we'll talk about them today. They're mainly games to watch, but there are underlying details in all of them.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Neenah vs. Homestead</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Rockets have a new-look group without their seniors from last season. They still rely on [player_tooltip player_id='189502' first='Allie' last='Ziebell'], which should come as no surprise. However, keep an eye on the two guards, [player_tooltip player_id='509694' first='Ellie' last='Buss'] and [player_tooltip player_id='533065' first='Rowan' last='Klesmit']. Those two will get open looks from behind the three-point line and will be able to attack open space from swing passes.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I've talked about it before, but Homestead has plenty to prove this season, and this game allows them to make an early statement. As good as the Highlanders have been the last few seasons, they haven't earned a trademark non-conference win, but they've had chances. They took Germantown to overtime last season and went to the wire with Arrowhead a year ago. However, mentally, I believe they need to beat a team like Neenah to prove to themselves that they're good enough to make a run. They have the scrappy defenders to bother Ziebell, like [player_tooltip player_id='209594' first='Katelyn' last='Odem'] and [player_tooltip player_id='448303' first='Grace' last='Zortman'], and the offensive weapons to punish teams on the other end with [player_tooltip player_id='329589' first='Madison' last='Fitzgibbon'], Natale Mueller, and [player_tooltip player_id='338947' first='Lauren' last='Strifling']. I talked about another "prove it game" earlier, and here's another good one.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Kettle Moraine at Whitefish Bay</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There is a real clash of similar styles tonight in Whitefish Bay. Both teams have talented guards who can run forever and love to create live ball turnovers.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Each team is coming off straight-forward wins against West Allis Hale and New Berlin West, respectively, but will test each other tonight.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The lineup of [player_tooltip player_id='338955' first='Lola' last='Bond']-[player_tooltip player_id='767268' first='Emily' last='Gomez']-Riley Haertle-[player_tooltip player_id='618804' first='Maddie' last='Schopf']-[player_tooltip player_id='602360' first='Keegan' last='Lodes'] is so balanced and fast that most teams can't keep up with it. However, one with [player_tooltip player_id='509716' first='Sage' last='Miskel']-[player_tooltip player_id='751283' first='Rowan' last='Counsell']-Grace Lodl-Madleine Volpe-Jane Wallace lineups can make this game a treasure.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Menomonee Falls vs. Appleton East</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another game that could be fun to watch is Falls against Appleton East. They are eerily similar. Each has an elite multi-sport athlete playing high-level club soccer, [player_tooltip player_id='374231' first='Clare' last='Shea'] and [player_tooltip player_id='338969' first='Lilly' last='Meulemans']. Each boasts a scholarship-level kid who can score in the paint, in [player_tooltip player_id='602354' first='Sophie' last='Trimble'] and [player_tooltip player_id='448322' first='Torie' last='Neubauer'], and each has a second guard who can alter the game on their own, in [player_tooltip player_id='329591' first='Jade' last='Warren'] and [player_tooltip player_id='749048' first='Ella' last='Sweeney'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Both programs have sneaky cases to win some games people think they shouldn't in the postseason, so they also have an underdog mentality. This one could be a fun battle.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Brookfield East at Kimberly</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Everyone I've talked to who knows the class of 2027 has raved about Kimberly's group, and they'll get tested early on against a Brookfield East team with most of their starters back from a trip to the state title game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='448299' first='Addison' last='Doyle']-Shae-Kelley-[player_tooltip player_id='497476' first='Maya' last='Kovacic'] is a balanced backcourt who knows what it takes to win high-level games, and opening the game in Kimberly for them won't be easy.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I'll name kids vying for rotational minutes this season at Kimberly. [player_tooltip player_id='764903' first='Ava' last='Van Vonderen'], [player_tooltip player_id='764909' first='Haylie' last='Dulas'], [player_tooltip player_id='764927' first='Kennedy' last='Ebben'], [player_tooltip player_id='509695' first='Emily' last='Urban'], [player_tooltip player_id='338966' first='Bentley' last='Drout'], [player_tooltip player_id='624965' first='Claudia' last='Asman'], Alix Kilpatrick, Jaydn Dietrich, [player_tooltip player_id='448243' first='Katelyn' last='McGinnis'], Ella Paveletzke, and [player_tooltip player_id='448245' first='Raegan' last='Krueger']. I don't know how much more I need to say about how deep this team is. They have 11 kids who can play extended minutes at the varsity level, which no other team can say.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->