natalie backhaus

Wisconsin Predictions: [Click to see more about my favorite, leading contender, sleepers, and young guns teams for Division 3.] Division 3: Favorite: Oostburg (@oostburgschools ) Oostburg (28-2, #2) survived one of the most difficult post-seasons that I have seen, beating Sheboygan Falls (22-4, #9), Kettle Moraine Lutheran (25-2, #1), Catholic Memorial (22-6, #4), and Laconia (24-5, #3), before defeating Xavier (19-11) 49-36 to win the division 3 state championship. They return 4 starters in twin sr @gbphoenixwbb commits @ady_ketterhagen (5'10"--22.5ppg, 8.6rpg, 3.1apg, 3.6spg) & @rketty_hoops (5'10"--16.2ppg, 3.4apg), & their younger sister soph @KinsleyKetty10 (6'1"--20.1ppg, 3.0apg) as well as sr Macy Bruggink (5'8"--3.6ppg, 5.0rpg, 3.2spg), who stepped up for 16 points in their semifinal win and recorded 9 rebounds in the state championship game. Oostburg shares a half-regional with Laconia and Sheboygan Falls this year, while Winneconne occupies the other half of the sectional. [Ady Ketterhagen and Kinsley Ketterhagen earned WBCA D3 All-State, while Riley Ketterhagen earned HM.] . Leading Contenders: Aquinas (@AquinasBlugolds ) Aquinas (23-5, #4 in D4) reached a division 4 sectional final before dropping a 4-point decision to eventual state champion Cuba City (25-5, #2 in D4); both teams move up to division 3 this year. They return their top 3 scorers in sr @BradleyWBB commit @_SamanthaDavis5 (6'--17.2ppg, 10.1rpg), & jrs @oliviapassehl (5'6"--9.6ppg) & @ava_fernholz (5'6"--8.4ppg, 3.8apg) as well as scrappy little defensive specialist Eva Willenbring (5'1"--3.5ppg), also a jr. They share a half-sectional with Wisconsin Dells and Viroqua, while Cuba City, Edgerton, and Platteville all reside in the opposite half. [Davis earned WBCA D4 All-State.] Edgerton (@edgertongirlsbb ) Edgerton (25-3, #7) lost to Laconia (24-5, #3) in a sectional final. They return all but 1 player from last season's roster, including their top 9 scorers, highlighted by srs @UWWWomensHoops commit @Graceelanger (5'11"--13.0ppg, 10.1rpg, 1.0bpg) & @martirebmann (5'8"--11.9ppg), jr @Claudiaj_3 (5'5"--9.9ppg, 5.2rpg), & soph @ReeseZellmer (5'7"--10.0ppg, 3.4apg). They reside in the same half-sectional as D4 state champion Cuba City and Platteville, while Aquinas, Viroqua, and Wisconsin Dells lie in the other half. [Langer earned WBCA D3 All-State, while Jenny earned HM.] Wittenberg-Birnamwood (@WBChargerSports ) Wittenberg-Birnamwood (27-1) completed an undefeated regular season, but was yet somehow unranked, before falling to eventual state runner up Xavier (19-11) in a sectional final. They return 4 starters, including their top 3 scorers in srs @WIUWBB commit @melaina42 (5'11"--19.7ppg, 10.3rpg) & Minnesota softball commit @rsalvesen34 (5'7"--17.5ppg, 5.0apg, 4.7spg), & jr @harperrogs (5'4"--10.1ppg, 3.0apg, 3.3spg). They share a half-sectional with Mosinee. [Granquist earned WBCA D3 All-State HM.] . Sleepers: Mosinee (@MosineeGBB ) Mosinee (18-7) lost in a division 2 regional final to Lakeland (22-5, #8 in D2), but drops down to division 3 for this season. They return 4 starters and their top 3 scorers in Northwestern softball commit @taelynj35 (5'5"--17.9ppg, 3.2spg), her soph sister @paetynj22 (5'7"--10.1ppg), & jr Addyson Henrich (5'9"--8.5ppg, 5.8rpg). They are in the same half-sectional as Wittenberg-Birnamwood. [Taelyn Jirschele earned WBCA D2 All-State HM.] St. Thomas More (@cavaliers_stm )/St. Catherine's (@AngelAthletics ) winner St. Thomas More (19-8) lost to Catholic Memorial (22-6, #4) in a sectional semifinal, while St. Catherine's (17-9) lost to Catholic Memorial in a regional final. St. Thomas More returns their top 5 scorers, including srs @UMNCrookstonWBB commit @HannaBultman (6'--20.0ppg, 8.2rpg, 1.0bpg), @IndStWBB commit @ZoeDispennette (5'10"--13.7ppg, 6.0rpg), & Olivia Wojtyra-Lavigne (6'--8.6ppg, 7.4rpg), & jr @l_wardlow27 (5'7"--7.8ppg, 5.0apg). St. Catherine's returns their entire roster and 10 of their 13 players were underclassmen last year; their top players include srs @Biglaiii3 (5'5"--20.3ppg, 7.6rpg) & @ap_baller01 (5'6"--8.4ppg), & sophs @JaydaKing_1034 (5'11"--15.7ppg, 10.0rpg, 1.0bpg) & Laniyah Hamilton (5'5"--9.5ppg, 5.3rpg). STM and SC share a half-sectional with Milwaukee Academy of Science. [Bultman earned WBCA D3 All-State HM.] Wisconsin Dells Wisconsin Dells (21-3) lost a 4-point game with Elk Mound (26-2, #6) in a sectional semifinal. They return all but 1 player from last season, including 3 double-digit scorers in srs @USFCougarsWBB commit @nat_backhaus (6'--18.7ppg, 8.1rpg, 1.0bpg) & @AshiyaHopkins24 (5'9"--14.3ppg), & soph Jazlyn Alwin (5'10"--10.8ppg). They are in the same half-sectional as Aquinas and Viroqua, while D4 state champion Cuba City, Edgerton, and Platteville are all in the other half. [Backhaus earned WBCA D3 All-State HM.] . Young Guns Teams: Platteville (@plattevillesd ) Platteville (21-5, #8) lost in a regional final to rival Prairie du Chien (24-3, #5), whom they split with in a pair of single-digit games in conference play. Their top 2 scorers were underclassmen last year in current jrs Rianna Dye (6'2"--15.3ppg, 11.5rpg, 1.8bpg) & @averyrichard_1 (5'8"--14.2ppg, 6.1apg, 3.6spg). They share a half-sectional with D4 state champion Cuba City and Edgerton, while Aquinas, Viroqua, and Wisconsin Dells occupy the other half. [Dye and Richard earned WBCA D3 All-State HM.] Winneconne Winneconne (23-4, #10) reached sectional play before falling by 6 to eventual state runner-up Xavier (19-11) in a sectional semifinal. They return all but 1 player from last year's squad, including their top 5 scorers, 4 of whom were underclassmen last year in current jrs @GraceMitch67126 (5'11"--13.5ppg, 3.5apg, 3.0spg), @HarperNeace (6'--13.4ppg, 7.4rpg), & @brooklynmessers (5'7"--7.0ppg), & soph @AriReetz4 (5'7"--5.1ppg). They also return a third double-digit scorer in sr @KaiserJada112 (5'5"--10.7ppg). They are in the opposite half of the sectional as D3 state champion Oostburg. YGT HM: Milwaukee Academy of Science (@MAS_Athletics ) Milwaukee Academy of Science (16-10) lost in a regional final to St. Thomas More. They graduated 4 of their 6 players that spent considerable time in the starting lineup last year, but they will look to reload around a dynamic pair that finished 2nd and 3rd on the team in scoring as underclassmen in current jrs Ariell Allen (5'7"--13.0ppg, 6.1rpg, 3.7apg) & @Kourtlyn_hoops3 (5'10"--9.9ppg, 5.0rpg). They also return soph Kamiya Polk-Lowery (5'8"), who missed her freshmen year due to an ACL injury. They share a half-sectional with St. Thomas More & St. Catherine's. Viroqua (@ViroquaHSsports ) Viroqua (9-14) has won 17 games in the last 2 years, but hadn't won more than 5 games in a season since a 6-17 mark during the 2009-2010 campaign prior to that. They lost to eventual state semifinalist Elk Mound (26-2, #6) in a regional semifinal. They return all but 7 points from last year's team, including their top 8 scorers, half of whom were underclassmen last year, headlined by high-scoring soph @AllyahSchwem (22.5ppg, 5.4spg). With Aquinas and Wisconsin Dells in their half of the sectional, winning a regional title might be a tall task, but recording their first winning season since the 2006-2007 season is a definite possibility. Stats Source: WisSports . com