Allie faced a formidable opponent and guided Wisconsin Academy 17U to a near victory, finishing the day 2-1. She had ice in her veins, burying four triples from downtown. I described Allie in my notes as “smart off the ball.” She knew where to be and where teammates should be. Allie cut hard back door to cause a foul on the catch, fired passes to open teammates, and was a determined rebounder. She handled the ball confidently under pressure, worked hard on the defensive end, and poured in 15 points for the team. Allie was impressive and one of the best guards in the gym on day one of the Victory Region Finals.

You usually don’t get much from someone you specifically go to watch in a snowstorm when they’re down 21-4 in eight minutes. I’d liked Dahl before the Deerfield game at Brodhead, but I loved her as a player after that game. However, Dahl’s competitiveness and leadership stood out like a sore thumb. The Rock Valley Conference Player of the Year consistently found her teammates for open looks, attacked the rim, and was productive on a night where nothing went right. She’s an excellent player. That said, Dahl is also a person coaches will love in their locker room.

I don’t know how many kids who saw the usage increase Dahl did from her first to second year would’ve excelled like Dahl. The Brodhead guard took that added responsibility like a duck to water and thrived as the focal point of what the Cardinals did. She flew around the floor defensively and constantly made plays on the ball. On the offensive end, she used ball screens well to find open looks, got to the basket at will, and knocked down a fair amount of floaters. She’s among the best kids people don’t know much about yet.