D1 Semifinal Preview: No. 2 Hartford vs. No. 3 Neenah

It's finally here. State Tournament week is upon us. The brackets are out. In less than a week, we'll crown five state champions. There is no better week in high school sports than this one we're heading into. Throughout the week, we'll preview the semifinal games and what to watch for from each team. Today, I'll release the D1 previews, and we'll end with D5 on Thursday.   Hartford   If you told me on January 1st that the Orioles would be playing at the Resch Center, I'd have thought you were crazy, but they deserve to be here.   Before the season started, I talked about all the talent they had, but most of them were young, and it's a cop-out to say if a team is young, they can't win at a high level, but at the high school level you never know what you'll get from 14-year-olds playing against 17-year-olds.   The turning point of their season was their loss on the road against Homestead. To say it was the most disappointing performance I've seen this year wouldn't be honest enough. The defensive breakdowns, lack of effort, and lack of competitiveness were unacceptable. However, since then, they've been outstanding.   The Orioles offense has gone to another level since that game. They seem more engaged on the defensive end, are more willing passers, and play like a more cohesive unit.    I've talked about how critical [player_tooltip player_id='533085' first='Bella' last='Klages'] is to what they do, but I've told people who've asked me about Hartford that they'll go as far as [player_tooltip player_id='338945' first='Makena' last='Christian'] would allow them to go.   Christian has been one of the more dominant players in her class and been one of the most productive players in the North Shore since she got there, but she'd always been the kid who had to do everything, and this year, she didn't, but it may have taken some getting used to for her. Against McFarland, Christian scored 43 and shot it well from the floor. That's excellent, outstanding, and every complimentary word under the sun, but she took 42% of her team's shots. At some point, the law of diminishing returns became an issue for Hartford. You can't reliably win games with one kid taking nearly half a team's shots because the other kids have no rhythm late in games when teams key in on Christian.   The difference between Hartford then and now is that Christian looks to get her teammates involved more. Due to her slight tweak in play style, [player_tooltip player_id='751236' first='Alexis' last='Shelsta'] is making threes consistently, [player_tooltip player_id='751281' first='Rita' last='Kuepper'] is creating off the dribble more, and [player_tooltip player_id='751285' first='Taressa' last='Hennes'] is becoming a dangerous cutter. Now, the Orioles have an offense that's cooking with fish grease heading into Green Bay. It feels like a switch flipped for her this season, and her game has allowed the 26s and 27s to become weapons in a dangerous Oriole offense.   If you're someone who picks the team playing the best basketball heading into the state tournament, Hartford is your pick.   Neenah   Finally, the Rockets have emerged from the dreaded Sectional No. 1 in Division 1.   After two years of running into a pair of FVA juggernauts in Hortonville and Appleton East, it's the Rockets' turn to represent the FVA.   There is a clear kid that defenses have been terrified of for years in the Fox Valley, and it's UConn commit [player_tooltip player_id='189502' first='Allie' last='Ziebell']. Ziebell has been the best scorer in the state the past few years and has single-handedly won Neenah games they had no business winning since her sophomore season. People who haven't seen her play before are in for a treat. In any game, she could go for 40, and in her only career trip to the Kohl Center, I expect her to be at her best.   Two other kids who allow Ziebell to operate off the ball are [player_tooltip player_id='533065' first='Rowan' last='Klesmit'] and [player_tooltip player_id='509694' first='Ellie' last='Buss']. Klesmit is more of the secondary playmaker for the Rockets, and she has a complete scoring arsenal. She can get to the basket, score with her floater after stopping on a dime, and knock down perimeter shots off the catch or off the dribble. Buss is an excellent floor spacer who's quietly been coming into her own as a creator off the dribble. She's gotten better with more experience at the varsity level.   The kid who adds another element to the Rockets is [player_tooltip player_id='444784' first='Amaya' last='Jones']. Her size, mobility, and ability to rebound in bunches add so much to them. In her sophomore year, when the Rockets beat Hortonville in a Sectional Semifinal, Jones was the only player not named [player_tooltip player_id='189502' first='Allie' last='Ziebell'] to score in double figures, and she had a double-double.   Predicted Winner: Neenah

It's finally here. State Tournament week is upon us. The brackets are out. In less than a week, we'll crown five state champions. There is no better week in high school sports than this one we're heading into. Throughout the week, we'll preview the semifinal games and what to watch for from each team. Today, I'll release the D1 previews, and we'll end with D5 on Thursday.