GREEN BAY — Destiny awaits one of the final four teams left standing in the Division 5 girls basketball field.
Lena and Clear Lake square off today at the Resch Center in Green Bay, with a berth in the WIAA Division 5 State championship game on the line.
Today’s game tips off approximately 15 minutes after the conclusion of the other semifinal matchup between the No.1-seeded Argyle/Pecatonica (26-1) and No. 4 Albany/Monticello (25-3), which tips off at 9:05 a.m.
The winners of today’s games will battle for the Division 5 State championship on Saturday at the Resch Center, with tipoff set for 11:05 a.m.
Lena (27-2) earned the No. 2 seed and is making its fourth appearance at State and its first since 1991, when the Wildcats finished runner-up to Monticello in Division 4.
Lena already has one State title under its belt after the Wildcats captured the Class C title in 1980 with a 70-34 victory over Oakfield, capping off an undefeated 26-0 season.
This will be the third State appearance for No.3 Clear Lake (26-3), who fell in the Division 5 semifinals in 1997 and qualified for the 2020 tournament, which was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Both teams enter today’s contest champions of their respective conferences, with the Wildcats winning the Marinette and Oconto Conference title, while the Warriors took home the West Division crown of the Lakeland Conference.
The similarities between the two squads don’t end there, as both teams feature high-powered offenses and lockdown defenses.
Lena averages 62.2 points while allowing just 31 points per game, all while averaging 35.4 rebounds, 16.4 assists, 15.1 steals, 6.4 blocks and 15.4 turnovers each night.
On the other side, the Warriors rack up an average of 56.8 points and 12.7 assists per game. Defensively, Clear Lake allows a mere 27 points and averages 28.3 rebounds, 11.3 steals, 3.1 blocks and 15.9 turnovers.
The Wildcats are led by junior center Eva Brooks, the M&O Conference’s Most Outstanding Player, who averages 19.7 points, 11.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 3.2 blocks per game, all while shooting 51 percent from the floor and 36 percent from 3-point range.
However, Brooks is not a one-woman show, as the Wildcats also boast sophomore forward/guard Madilyn Thomson, who has poured in 20.4 points per game over the span of Lena’s five playoff tilts.
Throw in junior forward Kali Fischer (9.3 points per game) and senior guard Whitney Potter (6.7), and the Wildcats have four legitimate scoring options to put stress on Clear Lake’s defense.
Senior forward Kate Rosen plays a crucial role on both ends of the court, leading the team in points per game (12.7) and rebounds (9.3), as does senior guard Nora Eggert, who averages 2.1 steals and 9.1 points.
Kaylynn Kurtz (8.7 points per game), Ellie Cross (8.6) and Brenna Peterson (7.1) all average seven points or better for Clear Lake.
By the numbers
The four schools in the Division 5 final four have a total of four State titles between them.
While Argyle/Pecatonica is making its first trip to State as a co-op, Pecatonica has advanced to the State tournament five times as a standalone program, winning back-to-back championships in 1993 and 1994, in addition to runner-up finishes in 1992, 2001 and 2002.
Much like Argyle/Pecatonica, Albany/Monticello is making its debut in the State tournament as a co-op program, but both schools have been to the dance before.
In fact, it was just last season that Albany qualified for State for the first time as a standalone team, advancing to the semifinals before falling to McDonnell Central 59-20.
Monticello added a State trophy to its name when it defeated Lena 66-56 in 1991.
Most Popular
Comments / 0