Top Performers: Jan. 20
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Thursday night was packed, with action all around Wisconsin. With 128 games played, there were sure to be plenty of standouts. Today I want to highlight some of those players who excelled last night. I have five players in mind…
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Continue ReadingThursday night was packed, with action all around Wisconsin. With 128 games played, there were sure to be plenty of standouts. Today I want to highlight some of those players who excelled last night. I have five players in mind that I want to highlight and discuss. These players are in no particular order.
Jorey Buwalda Jorey Buwalda 6'0" | PF Randolph | 2023 State WI -6’0 PF-’23-Randolph
Buwalda is the leader on the best Division 5 team in Wisconsin. In last nights dominating win over Montello, Burwalda finished with 28 points, seven rebounds and five assists. The 6-foot forward has been as dominating as anyone else in D5, and last night was another example of that. There aren’t many schools that have other personnel to deal with Burwalda in the first place, let alone small schools in D5. Just because the junior may not play in the biggest games during the season is no excuse for her not to be mentioned as one of the best forwards in the state. She is an efficient scorer who nearly averages a double-double and is an excellent defender. I highly suggest you check her out if you haven’t already.
Brooke McCune-5’9 G/F-’22-Osseo-Fairchild
Undefeated Osseo-Fairchild’s leading scorer is senior Brooke McCune. McCune led her team to a 77-65 win last night over Regis. She finished that game with 36 points. Those 36 were a new career-high for a player averaging over 17 per game. McCune has been a consistent scoring presence for a team looking to contend for a Division 4 state title. To add to her scoring, she makes a lot o winning plays like not turning the ball over, rebounding, fighting for position and being consistent.
Sadie Jarmolowicz Sadie Jarmolowicz 5'9" | CG Freedom | 2023 State WI -5’10 G-’23-Freedom
The Freedom guard is one of the complete players in Wisconsin. Do you need a player to run an offense? Jarmolowicz does that. Need a player who can help space the floor? She does that. How about a player who can help steady teams in the halfcourt and maximize transition opportunities? The junior can do that too. Last night against Denmark, Jarmolowicz’s line went 27 points, five rebounds, three assists and four steals. It’s weird to say that feels normal, but it is. The junior does everything she’s had games where she’s flirted with quadruple-doubles this season. I’m a massive fan of hers, and I have to imagine more schools will come and inquire about her playing at the next level soon.
Gabby Wilke Gabby Wilke 6'1" | PF Beaver Dam | 2024 State WI -6’2 F-’24-Beaver Dam
Wilke causes defenses issues every time she steps on the floor. It’s hard to play against Beaver Dam because they have two bigs who beat teams up on the blocks and guards who can shoot and pass extremely well. The sophomore scored 22 points in a 62-49 win over a team they were level with at the top of the Badger East, Monona Grove. The issue teams run into is figuring a way to deal with her multi-faceted offensive game. Wilke is essentially a 6-foot-2 wing who can also excel in the post. So putting guards on her is futile because she will score 30 by pinning her defender under the basket. If you put someone of a similar size on her, you hit two problems. One, Wilke can drive by or shoot over anyone, and the second issue is even if you force the Golden Beaver into tough shots and she misses, Kylie Wittnebel Kylie Wittnebel 6'0" | PF Beaver Dam | 2023 WI will be left unaccounted for and beat teams up on the offensive boards. I genuinely don’t think there’s a good answer in dealing with her, other than hoping she misses.
Emily Jaenke Emily Jaenke 5'10" | CG Fox Valley Luthern | 2023 State WI -5’10 G-’23-Fox Valley Lutheran
Last night, the junior nearly scored half of the Foxes’ points in their 59-32 win over Marinette. Jaenke finished with 27 points, which was her new high this season. The junior has played effectively at Fox Valley Lutheran this season. However, the big test for Jaenke and the Foxes will be the postseason. The Foxes have the talent to surprise some teams in the Division 2 ranks. Even though they sit at 9-4, those losses have come to talented teams, but they’ve played well in those games. If the Foxes advance deep into the D2 playoffs, it will likely be from Jaenke putting in performances like last night.