Girls state tournament basketball preview

ASHWAUBENON - The girls state basketball tournament tips off Thursday and the FOX 11 area has six teams representing at the Kohl Center in Madison.

Oshkosh West and De Pere will play each other in a Division 1 semifinal, while New London and Notre Dame meet in a Division 2 semifinal. Also, Kewaunee returns to state in Division 3 and Oshkosh Lourdes is in the Division 4 field.

With that in mind, here’s a look at each team’s first game as it enters the state tournament:

Division 1
Oshkosh West (20-6) vs. De Pere (22-4)

The Lowdown: Oshkosh West reached the state tournament by beating Marshfield, 46-43, in a sectional final. The Wildcats have made it to state despite losing one of its best players and three-year starter, Lauren Zuleger to a knee injury. Since her injury, ironically, West is 6-0.

De Pere beat Arrowhead, 57-46, in a sectional final to make the state tournament for the second time in three seasons. De Pere has won 18 games in a row and has not lost in 2012. The Redbirds’ last loss came to Algoma, which was the last time a team scored 50 or more points against them.

About West: The Wildcats are led in scoring by three-year starter Ashley Neustifter at 11.3 points per game., while sophomore Deidra Unger adds 9 ppg. and 4.7 rebounds per game. … West averages just 42.4 ppg., but allows 36 ppg., which ranks fifth in Division 1. … West has at least reached the sectional final for five straight seasons and also made the state tournament in 2008, when it placed second. … West tied for second in the Fox Valley Association.

About De Pere: The Redbirds are led in scoring (10.2 ppg.) and rebounding (6.4 rpg.) by junior Kayla Dawson, while UW-Parkside recruit Alayna Cotter adds 10 ppg and Morgan Anderson 9.7 ppg., respectively. … St. Cloud State recruit Emma Konopasek averages 8.3 ppg. and 3.8 rpg. … Coach Kelly McNiff is 68-10 in three seasons at De Pere. … De Pere won the Fox River Classic Conference with a 17-1 record. … De Pere was ranked No. 1 in the preseason poll by the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association. ... De Pere was runner-up in 2010.

West’s key: West needs to slow the pace and make De Pere work on offense. Based on West’s offensive numbers, a high-scoring game or games in the 50s will not equal a win. The Wildcats have to make this a grinder.

De Pere’s key: The Redbirds average 51.2 ppg., which isn’t a huge number, but they are a team that can get out and run. If De Pere can speed the tempo up and make West play fast, it works to its advantage.

West coach Niki Sutter quote: “We’ve had to have kids step up without starters in the lineup and just persevered. They’ve done a great job. They are a pretty resilient bunch. It’s been a tough road. We’ve hit our stride at the right time.”

De Pere coach Kelly McNiff quote: “We talked about it a little bit. The kids that were on the team two years ago, they know the feeling what it’s like to play in Madison. They know the feeling of what it’s like to play in Madison. All the other players we have I felt they deserve that.”

Division 2
Notre Dame (21-5) vs. New London (26-0)

The Lowdown: Notre Dame reached its fourth state tournament with a 74-66 overtime win over Beaver Dam, a team it lost to start the season, in a sectional final. The Tritons are all about underclassmen. Sophomores Allie LeClaire (17.1 ppg.) and Eliza Campbell (8.8 ppg.) and Brianna Byrne (13.3 ppg) lead the Tritons.

Meanwhile, New London, the defending Division 2 state champs, are riding a 40-game winning streak because its defense suffocates opponents. New London didn’t allow a postseason opponent to score more than 23 points and the Bulldogs allow a measily 26 ppg., which ranks third in the state in all divisions.

About Notre Dame: The Tritons are led by first-year coach and former UW-Green Bay player Sara Boyer-Rodhe, who scored more than 1,000 career points. … One assistant is her husband, former UWGB player Matt Rodhe, who also scored 1,000 career points, while a second assistant is Bill Farrell, who was the head coach last season. … Byrne leads Notre Dame in rebounding at 5.6 rpg., while LeClaire leads the Tritons with 78 assists and 70 steals. … Notre Dame tied for fourth in the Fox River Classic Conference.

About New London: The Bulldogs reached their second straight state tournament with a 37-21 win over Hayward in a sectional final. … The Bulldogs are lead in scoring by UW-Parkside recruit and 1,000-point scorer Tara Knapstein (14.1 ppg.), while Brenna Heise adds 11.3 ppg. and Bridget Pethke 9.7 ppg. … Knapstein leads New London with 5.7 rpg., while Pethke has 101 steals, Knapstein 78. … The most points scored on New London this season is 46 by Luxemburg-Casco and it has held seven opponents to less than 20 points. … New London leads Division 2 in points scored (60.8) and points allowed (26.0).

Notre Dame’s key: Handle pressure. New London is going to come at Notre Dame with full-court pressure and if the Tritons can handle it and get into their offense, they

have a chance to pull the upset. If Notre Dame turns the ball over, it could be a long game.

New London’s key: Have its defense dominate. Not only do the Bulldogs frustrate on defense, their defense leads to easy points on offense via the fast break. If the defense plays its normal game, which is hardly normal by most standards, New London should advance to the state title game again.

Notre Dame coach Sara Boyer-Rohde quote: “We’re young and we’ve grown a lot over the year, offensively and defensively. We’re going down to Madison for a reason, it’s not just a weekend vacation. I guess speaking from experience. I can relate to these girls and relive this information. It’s very easy to get caught up in the excitement.”

New London coach Troy Krause quote: “We are undefeated, we’ve played with high expectations, but the girls have done a pretty good job of keeping that in check in this long basketball season.”

Division 3
Kewaunee (22-4) vs. Barron (21-5)

The Lowdown: The Storm is making its second straight trip to state after beating Xavier in a sectional final, 59-50. Xavier beat Kewaunee, 40-33, earlier in the regular season. What makes the Storm so good is it’s the definition of a team. No star player, just a lot of good ones who know how to get it done at the most important moments. Furthermore, the Storm has allowed a team to score 50 or more points just twice this season, as it allows 31.5 points per game, second in Division 3.

About Kewaunee: Four starters – Marissa Selner (10.9 ppg.), Nicole Geier (10.1 ppg.), Jill Kleiman (9.8 ppg.) and Alex Richard (9.1 ppg.) each average more than 9 ppg. … The fifth starter is Kelsey Stangel, who has come back from an MCL injury, and that starting lineup was the same last season when Kewaunee reached the state title game. … Kleiman has hit 40 3-pointers, while Geier has made 38. … Richard leads in rebounding at 5.7 rpg., while Geier has 102 rebounds. … Kewaunee shared the Packerland Conference title with Algoma.

Kewaunee’s key: The Storm wins games first with its tough defense, so if Kewaunee can come out early and establish its defense against a Barron team that averages just 43.5 points per game, the Storm should find itself in its second straight state title game.

Kewaunee coach Lynn Geier quote: “We’ve been blessed to get here again this year. Hopefully we can show some of that experience in the tournament. I feel with the experience from last years’ team, we know what it’s all about, any jitters we had last year we can overcome those.”

Division 4
Oshkosh Lourdes (25-1) vs. Regis (22-4)

The Lowdown: Lourdes’ is making its first state tournament appearance after defeating Edgar, 68-47, in a sectional final. The Knights are a high-powered team that runs and presses and is second in Division 4, averaging 64.9 points per game. What makes Lourdes so good is it has multiple threats on offense in Maddy Reed (13.1 ppg.), Lexy Petermann (12.6 ppg.), Teenie Lichtfuss (11.5 ppg.) and Hatti Bartlett (9 ppg.). While this is the Knights’ first state tournament, the senior trio of Petermann, Lichtfuss and Bartlett have a 69-8 record since their sophomore seasons.

About Lourdes: Lourdes’ only loss this season came to defending Division 1 state champion Nicolet in a holiday tournament. … Lourdes lost sophomore Lauren Fischer (9.2 ppg.) to an injury early in the season. … Lichtfuss hits 43.4 percent of her 3-point shots and has 100 assists. … Petermann and Lichtfuss each have topped 1,000 career points. … Sophomore Reed is 101-for-130 (78 percent) at the free throw line and leads Lourdes with 64 steals and adds 7.5 rebounds per game. … Petermann leads Lourdes in rebounding, 7.7 rpg. … Lourdes won the Trails North Division.

Lourdes’ key: Regis post Heather Bowe is going to Vanderbilt, but may have to chase St. Cloud State recruit Petermann around. Petermann goes inside and outside and if she can run Bowe around and score, that will be a big key in Lourdes beating Regis.

Lourdes coach Ali Fett quote: “Success isn’t always measured by wins or losses, but this year for this group particularly, it would’ve very much have been a disappointment if we didn’t get to the state tournament this year.
Girls State Basketball Tournament Schedule

DIVISION 1
Semifinals - Friday
Game-1: Oshkosh West (20-6) vs. De Pere (22-4) - 6:35 p.m.
Game-2: Middleton (21-5) vs. Milwaukee King (20-6) - approx. 20 min. following Game 1

Championship Game - Saturday
Game-3: Winner of Game-1 vs. Winner of Game-2 - approx. 20 min. following Division 2 game

DIVISION 2
Semifinals - Friday
Game-1: New London (26-0) vs. Notre Dame (21-5) - 1:35 p.m.
Game-2: Reedsburg Area (23-3) vs. New Berlin Eisenhower (26-0) - approx. 20 min. following Game 1

Championship Game - Saturday
Game-3: Winner of Game-1 vs. Winner of Game-2 - 6:35 p.m.

DIVISION 3
Semifinals - Friday
Game-1: Barron (21-5) vs. Kewaunee (22-4) - 9:05 a.m.
Game-2: East Troy (24-2) vs. Oostburg (22-4) - approx. 20 min. following