FOCUS ON GIRLS BASKETBALL
AREA RANKINGS
LW 1. Arrowhead (8-0) 1 2. Beaver Dam (8-0) 2 3. Germantown (7-0) 3 4. Milwaukee King (10-0) 4 5. N.B. Eisenhower (7-1) 5 6. Mukwonago (7-0) 6 7. Oak Creek (6-2) 8 8. New Berlin West (8-1) 9 9. Kettle Moraine (5-2) — 10. Pewaukee (7-2) 10
NOTABLE Player of the week: Jazmine Young, Dominican.
The junior guard has really started to emerge as a standout in this her third season of varsity ball. She has raised her scoring average from 8.8 points per game to 12.8 last season to 20.5 through eight games this season. During the Knights three-game winning streak, she is averaging 22.3 points per game, while shooting 45.3% from the floor. She also averaged seven rebounds and 2.7 steals per game during that stretch as Dominican improved to 5-3 overall with a 2-2 mark in the Metro Classic. “She works really hard during the off-season and like the old saying goes, players are made during the off-season,” Knights coach Kevin Schrmaka said. “She puts her time in especially with shooting and getting to the basket. She’s always working on her dribbling and her footwork. I think that’s been a big improvement for her over the last two summers.”
Team of the week: Heritage Christian.
The Patriots aren’t deep but they do have five solid starters, and on Dec. 20 they teamed up to defeated Midwest Classic favorite Brookfield Academy, 52-51, at home. The Knights had won 16 straight league games since 2015. “Our five stayed out of foul trouble and I played five exclusively for the entire game except, I think, for a 42-second stretch," Heritage coach Pat Hintze said. Senior guard Abby Shane finished with 21 points, went 5 of 9 from three-point range and clinched the victory with a free throw with 2 seconds to play. Senior forward Grace Hintz added 14 points and six rebounds and sophomore guard Makayla McIntrye had a career-high 12 points and grabbed six boards. Brookfield Academy held the ball for the final shot, but after a miss, Shane grabbed the rebound, raced toward her basket and drew the foul that led to the winning free throw. “Something clicked that night and everybody was talking, everybody was rotating, everybody was watching out for one another. They played just a great game of basketball and that’s the only way we could beat Brookfield Academy,” Pat Hintze said of the team's defense. “They’ve got a nice team.” Bounce back: On Dec. 13, Franklin suffered its biggest loss of the season, 56-36, to Oak Creek. One week later, the Sabers scored their biggest triumph of the season, 42-30, over Greater Metro leader Sussex Hamilton. Senior Megan Lee filled the box score, finishing with 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting with nine rebounds, three steals and two blocks. The all-around showing has been a consistent part of Franklin’s performance this season as the 5-11 forward leads the team in scoring (13.8 ppg.), rebounding (9.6 rpg.), steals (1.5 spg.) and blocks (0.9 bpg.). Lee did the dirty work for Franklin last season, while departed seniors like Carly Graverson, Abby Schauer and Sarah Neumann carried the scoring load. This year Lee has raised her scoring average about 8.5 points per game. “Megan plays almost every minute of the game — I’ll play her every minute if I have to — and she responds to that,” Sabers coach Tony Kathrens said. “She’s just so physically strong.”
COMING UP Christine Rathke Memorial Tournament at Franklin, Tuesday-Thursday:
The host Sabers will try to defend its tournament crown against a field that includes four teams ranked in the wissports.net state coaches polls. Middleton and Germantown entered the week fourth and fifth, respectively in Division 1. Oshkosh Lourdes and Kenosha St. Joseph were ranked second and eighth, respectively in Division 4. Union Grove at Cedarburg, 7:30 p.m. Thursday: Union Grove is one of the favorites in the Southern Lakes. Cedarburg is 6-2 and has yet to lost to an area team.
Oak Creek Christmas Tournament, Thursday-Friday:
Barring an upset, Oak Creek and Beaver Dam will meet in the final at 5 p.m. Friday.