If you follow me on Twitter (@skyskibosh), you know I worked for CNINOW the past 14 years and retired on June 30. But I still free-lance for the paper/web site and my teams reside in Brookfield, New Berlin and Wauwatosa.
This week I wanted to rank my girls teams.
- New Berlin West (12-1)
The Lady Vikings sit on top of the Woodland West with an 8-0 record, having won 10 straight games going into a non-conference game with Bay View on Tuesday, Jan. 17.
West has three solid starters to lead this team, including two outstanding shooters in 5-foot, 8 inch guard Alyssa (Chubby) Nelson and 5-10 forward Maddie Fritz. Senior Morgan Henrichs, a 5-9 forward, has been the straw that stirs the drink for the Lady Vikings according to assistant coach Jef Radtke.
“It depends on how Morgan plays,” Radtke told me before the West-Ike game on Jan. 13. “We go, how Morgan goes.”
Henrichs had a team-high 15 points, 9 rebounds and 4 steals in the 41-33 win.
But first-year head coach Collin Thompson has plenty of depth in starters Ewelina Schlomann, a 5-8 senior guard, Lily Adkison, a 5-9 senior forward, and Skylar Berens, a 5-4 senior point guard, among other.
West has 8 games left, including battles with Pius XI (8-5, 6-2), Pewaukee (11-3, 5-3) and Eisenhower (9-3, 7-1).
- New Berlin Eisenhower
Coach Gary Schmidt’s team has lost two straight games to top-ranked Beaver Dam (13-0) and New Berlin West and face Milwaukee King (14-0) on Jan. 17.
Sophomore guard Julia Hintz and junior guard Katie Ludwig lead the backcourt-oriented offense, while Olivia Canady, a 5-8 junior guard, rounds out the backcourt.
Hannah Plockelman, 5-11 junior forward, and Jasmyn Somarsingh, a 6-1 senior forward, give the Lady Lions a solid post combination.
Schmidt has plenty more depth, but a possible difference-maker down the stretch is 6-2 freshman Erin Hedman, who moves well and has an outside shot like most guards. But she is still a freshman.
- Wauwatosa East
Coach Rob Hamell’s Red Raiders are 11-2 and in third place (4-2) in the Greater Metro Conference race.
Like the New Berlin teams, Wauwatosa East has a solid three-person trio to work with – led by sophomore Brooklyn Blackburn, a 6-0 guard/forward (15.3 points, 8.0 rebounds).
Johanna Taylor, a 6-2 senior post, averages 10.1 points and 6.8 rebs, and junior forward Eric Bueckers averages 7.1 points, 4.8 rebounds. Add Mariana Ibanez-Baldor, a 5-6 junior guard, who averages 8.2 points, 3.5 assists and a team-leading 22 3-pointers and you can see why Tosa East has only lost 2 games.
Junior guard/forward Molly Persin averages 6.4 points and is second in 3-pointers with 14. Sophomore guard Sydney Halstead (4.6 points) also contributes.
- Brookfield Central
The Lady Lancers have won 3 of 4 games to improve to 5-6 overall and are now 3-3 in conference play. They have a tough schedule coming up with Menomonee Falls (3-4), Tosa East and Divine Savior Holy Angels (5-1). They beat the Indians, but lost to the Red Raiders and Dashers.
With senior All-GMC forward Claire Haynes still out with injury, and senior All-GMC guard Caroline Busch, now Central’s second all-time scorer, coach Mallory Liebl needed some offensive help.
Expected to be the third wheel, freshman Anna Mortag (10.1 points, 5.4 rebounds) has stepped up to No. 2 to give Busch (15.3 points, 4.8 rebounds) some help. Mortag scored 15 points in the upset of Brookfield East, 16 against West Allis Hale and 17 vs Menomonee Falls.
- Brookfield East
The Lady Spartans are 8-6, but only 3-4 in the GMC. They should be ranked higher, but have lost 3 in a row and 4 of 5.
There are no seniors, but plenty of talent and I do expect them to get better as the season goes on. Molly DeValkenaere and Lizzy Cagle are two of the best big players in the area. Nikki Pink, Adriana Plavsic and Emma Ralfs are sharpshooting 3-point guards.
Experience comes by playing together for coach Michael Goodman’s squad.
- Wauwatosa West
The Lady Trojans are 5-9 overall, already surpassing last year’s win total (4) under first-year coach Gordon Nikolic, going 2-4 in conference play.
Senior Dasia Davis, a transfer from Dominican, leads the team with averages of 10.8 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists. Senior Cheri’a Adams, sophomore Irene Phillips, junior Emma Elliott and junior Emily Wagy give Nikolic some talent to play with as the Lady Trojans are deep, but must learn to play together.
