It's a showdown: Kimberly at De Pere

KIMBERLY - Saturday afternoon two of the best girls basketball teams in the state will meet each other when De Pere, ranked No. 1 in the FOX 11 Top 11 girls basketball poll, hosts No. 3 Kimberly in a battle of unbeatens.

Kimberly coach Troy Cullen, whose team leads the Fox Valley Association, talks about meeting the Redbirds (11-0), who are on a 31-game winning streak and the reigning Division 1 champs.

"I know in our sectional they not only have been getting us, they've been getting everybody else in getting to state," Cullen said. "Just a very disciplined group of kids, some outstanding players in (Kayla) Dawson and (Morgan) Anderson. We just need to be fundamental, not make mistakes and compete.

"I think we're athletic enough. The team that makes the fewest mistakes ... and you got to make shots to beat a team like that. But I have a lot of respect for them. Obviously, they're the top team in the state until somebody knocks them off."

Kimberly (10-0), which plays Menasha on Friday, has players of its own the Redbirds have to keep an eye on, including sophomore Frankie Wurtz, who's averaging 15.2 points per game.

"It's a huge game," Wurtz said. "It's just kind of our test for the year to see how we'll be in the playoffs since they're in our sectional. We just have to have confidence. They're ranked No. 1 in the state but I think we have confidence, and if we play the way we've been playing, we have a good chance."

Kimberly senior Elly Pirman is looking forward to the chance to play De Pere, which beat Kimberly last postseason, 47-39. However, she knows the Papermakers can play with De Pere because last season Kimberly beat De Pere, 48-33, during a regular-season meeting.

"We're really excited; we usually play De Pere every year, so it's always a good test of where we are," Pirman said. "They're No. 1 in the state, right now, I think. We're up there as well."

Follow Doug Ritchay on Twitter @dougritchay

doug.ritchay@wluk.com