February 12, 2021 – Washington Co., WI – Six high school girls basketball teams from Washington County have WIAA regional games on tap Friday night, February 12, starting at 7 p.m.
WIAA Division 1: No. 4 Hartford (16-8, 12-6 conference) at No. 1 Beaver Dam (21-2, 6-0 conference), Friday Feb. 12 at 7 p.m.
Due to the conference alignment these two teams do not face each other much outside of the state tournament. Earning a bye for stellar play Beaver Dam, has had no team create much real opposition this season, with multiple 30, 40, 50 and even a few 60 point-plus victory margins over the season. Their only two losses were by four points to New Berlin Eisenhower and three points against Kimberly, both on the road. Senior Matyson Wilke leads the team in points per game (21.6), despite having only 8 games this season, which shows how much Beaver Dam spreads the ball despite outscoring their opponents nearly 2 to 1 this season (1,713 to 876). Beaver Dam’s greatest weakness might be its rebounding as they have just 16.5 rebounds per game, which is ranked 316th in the state out 443 registered teams.
Hartford has had a rollercoaster season in terms of momentum, splitting season series against Slinger and Grafton, while sweeping West Bend West, Nicolet, and Cedarburg. The Orioles advanced to the second round of the tournament with a 73-58 win over West Bend East. Hartford has played consistent basketball all season, averaging 70 points per game, led by senior Maci Meyer who is averaging 15 points per game (second overall in the North Shore Conference) with 41.8% field goal efficiency. As a team, Hartford has a significant rebounding advantage they will have to exploit to have any chance of overcoming Beaver Dam’s high scoring offense. Hartford has generated 30.3 rebounds per game this season which ranks 157th in the state. If Hartford controls the glass, they might just pull off a big upset.
No. 3 West Bend West (15-6, 14-4 conference) at No. 2 Slinger (16-6, 14-4 conference), Friday Feb. 12 at 7 p.m.
West Bend West enters the regionals on 3-game winning streak, including a 56-49 victory over their upcoming tournament opponent Slinger. The teams split the season series. West Bend West’s most impressive victory on the season had to be a 39-24 win over Kewaskum. The Spartans are a team that thrives on glass control (29.6 rebounds per game), stealing the ball (10.1 steals per game) and second-half scoring, having almost 100 more points scored in the second half. Senior Elle Meurer leads the Spartans offense with 13.5 points per game (fourth overall in the North Shore Conference), a 42.1 % FG, and a 32% 3-point with 41 three-pointers made. The Spartans clearly finish games better than they start them, so a complete game will be required for Slinger to win, as they found out in their last matchup.
Slinger comes into the tournament on having suffered a loss to West Bend West. The Owls started the season on rocky ground including a three-game losing streak in the early goings but found form with only one other loss since turning the calendar to 2021. The Owls split season series with all their toughest rivals (Grafton, Cedarburg, West Bend West, and Hartford), a sign that the North Shore Conference is very competitive and even surviving against the Spartans doesn’t guarantee a birth in the regional semifinals. Slinger’s greatest advantage is their rebounding ability as they rank 46th in the state in that category with 35.4 rebounds per game. Much like West Bend West, Slinger also excels at scoring in the second half putting up 742 points overall in the second versus 490 overall points in the first half. Scoring wise the team is led by sophomore Mallory Hoitink, who is 3rd overall in the North Shore Conference in scoring with 14.5 points per game. The two teams are so evenly matched that winner of the game might simply be the team who plays the best second half, since that is when these teams thrive. Slinger head coach Tony Dobson said the only major injury on the team heading into this matchup is the of junior Callie Ziebell, who suffered an ACL tear last month. Dobson expects a tough matchup. “When you play a team like West Bend West you tend to know each other really well and have put forth extra effort to win.” Dobson said, “No one has home court advantage, so we have to find that extra energy from ourselves as opposed to the student section or pep band.”
No. 4 Nicolet (9-14, 6-12 conference) at No. 1 Germantown (23-1, 15-1 conference), Friday Feb. 12 at 7 p.m.
Nicolet enters the game having won a match against Menomonee Falls (45-41) on Tuesday. Nicolet has had a rough time against top-tier opponents, especially in conference, being swept by Cedarburg, Grafton, West Bend West, and Slinger, with their most quality win coming against West Bend East in a 63-48 road victory. Nicolet is scrappy, with the most rebounds per game in the North Shore Conference (35.8) and the second most overall rebounds in the conference (and 12th in the state) with 824. To survive the Germantown juggernaut, the Knights must outplay their opponents on the glass and hope for monster scoring efforts since Nicolet prefers to spread their points across the lineup.
Top-seed Germantown is one of the favorites in Division 2, with an eight-game winning streak on their side for extra momentum heading into the tournament. Germantown has dominated most games with only a handful of close calls on their resume, outscoring their opponents 1,760-1,176. In fact, Germantown is the highest scoring team in the state overall and the team is No. 4 in overall rebounds with 911, whilst averaging 38 rebounds per game. Offensively the team is led by sophomore Kamorea Arnold who is leading the team in both points and assists per game (22.1 and 4.8 respectively). To lose in the regionals round, a lot of things need to go right for Germantown’s opponent, because the Warhawks are playing well right now.
WIAA Division 2: No. 4 Plymouth (9-9, 7-5 conference) at No. 1 Kewaskum (19-5, 10-3 conference), Friday Feb. 12 at 7 p.m.
Plymouth lost its final two games heading to regionals, so momentum might not be on their side. Plymouth split with Kettle Moraine Lutheran while also scoring a huge 30-point win over Ozaukee (Fredonia). Plymouth is a good rebounding team with 27.8 rebounds per game, which will be necessary as the team averages just 43.6 points per game. The rivalry with Kewaskum might also give Plymouth an extra edge.
Kewaskum enters regionals on a two-game win streak, a season series split with Kettle Moraine Lutheran and season-series sweep over Plymouth. Kewaskum has a one-two punch in terms of scoring and rebounding with 966 total points scored and averaging 32.3 rebounds per game. The team’s top scorer is sophomore Madilyn Dogs, with 11.1 points per game and she leads the team in rebounds with 7.1 per game. Prior victories over Plymouth and knowing what it takes to win against them could the deciding factor in Kewaskum’s favor.
No. 3 Grafton (11-10, 10-6 conference) at No. 2 Kettle Moraine Lutheran (20-8, 10-4 conference), Friday Feb. 12 at 7 p.m.
Grafton had some struggles during the season but gave themselves a boost in the form of a three-game win streak heading into this game. Grafton was supposed to face Kettle Moraine Lutheran during the regular season, but that game was cancelled due to weather. Several of the Black Hawks big wins and losses this season have come down to the wire, meaning Grafton is than prepared to face off in a tight game. Grafton is the top rebounding team in the North Shore Conference with 832 total rebounds, which places them 10th overall in the state. Senior Allison Garncarz leads the team with 11.7 points per game and 8.4 rebounds per game.
Kettle Moraine Lutheran heads into regionals coming off a last-second loss to Waupun and far from an easy opponent to start the tournament. KML split with Kewaskum and Plymouth, with their biggest non-conference win coming against Hartford. KML definitely puts up a respectable number of points, but teams often manage to find ways to hang in there with them, scoring 1,182 points and allowing 1,048 points. Defensively, the team does take advantage of rebound opportunities (30.9 rebounds per game), and steals (203 total), which when combined with an effective offense that has a 44.2 FG percentage, creates a tough matchup for most teams.
Senior Emma Thistle leads in team scoring with 13 points per game and under 50% FG shooting. This may come down to whose seniors can take better charge of the game. Head coach Jason Walz said the Chargers are focused. “We preach from day one the visualization of the end goal, playing our best ball in the end and taking on the best team in front of us,” said Walz. With no major team health concerns, the ball is truly in the Chargers court to see who advances to the next round.