Heights girls picked for 6th in conference

EDITOR’S NOTE: The following preview of the Capitol South Conference girls basketball season was compiled by Wissports.net. Currently, Capitol Conference schools aren’t sure if they’ll have a season due to Dane County guidelines surrounding COVID-19. If there is a season, though, here’s how the Wissports predicts it will go.   2019-20 Recap Marshall went undefeated to claim its third consecutive Capitol South title. The Cardinals advanced to a Division 3 sectional final before falling 50-34 to state finalist Platteville (26-0) to end the year with a 21-5 record.  Belleville, New Glarus and Cambridge all posted 5-5 records in the league, and were followed by Wisconsin Heights (4-6) and Waterloo (1-9) in the standings.    2020-21 Preview  Predicted Order of Finish  1) Marshall  2) Belleville  3) New Glarus  4) Waterloo  5) Cambridge   6) Wisconsin Heights    Players to Watch Mya Andrews, sr., Marshall – Andrews, a 5-foot-10 point guard, averaged 6.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 3.1 steals per contest en route to earning second-team all-conference as a junior.  Jaylynn Benson, sr., New Glarus – Benson, a 5-foot-7 guard, was named first-team all-Capitol South as a junior, finishing second in the league with 17.7 points per game.  Ava Foley, jr., Belleville – Foley, a 5-foot-7 guard, averaged 12.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.2 steals per game on her way to being named second-team all-league as a sophomore.  Mayah Holzhueter, jr., Cambridge – Holzhueter, a 5-foot-10 forward, led the team in scoring (12.6) and rebounding (8.5) per game and was voted first-team all-conference as a sophomore.  Anna Lutz, sr., Marshall – Lutz, a 6-foot-1, was voted Capitol South Player of the Year and WBCA Division 4 all-state as a junior. The UW-Milwaukee signee averaged 23 points, 9.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 2.1 steals and 2.0 blocks per game.  Laura Nickel, sr., Marshall – Nickel, a 6-foot wing, averaged 15.6 points, 8.4 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.4 steals per game on her way to being named first-team all-conference and honorable mention WBCA all-state as a junior. She is committed to NCAA Division I Northern Illinois University.  Dylan Noll, sr., New Glarus – Noll, a 5-foot-9 wing, averaged 9.6 points per contest as a junior for the Glarner Knights.  Skyler Powers, sr., Waterloo – Powers, a 5-foot-9 guard, averaged a team-high 12.7 points per game as a junior for the Pirates.  Callie Smith, jr., Belleville – Smith, a 6-foot forward, earned second-team all-Capitol South as a sophomore; she averaged 8.4 points, 11.5 rebounds, 2.2 steals and 1.5 blocks per contest.  Abby Ward, jr., Marshall – Ward, a 5-foot-10 wing/guard, contributed 7.7 points and 2.8 assists per game with a team-best 36 three-pointers as a sophomore.    2020-21 Team  Previews 1) Marshall  The Cardinals are the clear favorite to claim their fourth consecutive Capitol South title. Marshall returns the majority of its scoring and experience that led them to a Division 3 sectional final and 21-5 overall record.  Highlighting the team are NCAA Division I signees Anna Lutz (6-1, Milwaukee) and Laura Nickel (6-0, Northern Illinois), who averaged 23 and 15.6 points per game, respectively, last season and have both eclipsed 1,000 career points.  Coach Doug Pickarts, who has compiled a 473-273 record in 30 years as a head coach with five state tournament appearances, told WSN that they have size and strength inside with multiple players who can knock down the perimeter shot.  “We are still looking for our younger players to step up in big games and become more consistent defensively,” he noted.  Joining Lutz and Nickel as returning starters are senior point guard Mya Andrews (5-10, 6.3 ppg, 4.2 apg) and junior wing/guard Abby Ward (5-10, 7.7 ppg, 36 3-pointers).  Other notable returners include sophomore guards Hallie Weisensel, Allie Rateike, Grace Hellebrand. Additional players who are expected to contribute include seniors Skyla Michalak and Kiana Hellenbrand, and freshman Wynn Held.  Marshall dropped down to Division 4 this season and the senior class will look to make it three state titles in their career (D3 titles in 2018 and 2019). The Cardinals were placed in the same sectional as Aquinas, a state qualifier the past four years with two D4 state titles in that span.    2) Belleville  The Wildcats return three starters from its 2019-20 team that went 5-5 in the league and 14-10 overall. Leading the group of returners for second-year head coach Tony Pharo are second-team all-conference selections in juniors Ava Foley (5-7) and Callie Smith (6-0), who averaged 12.2 and 8.4 points per game, respectively.  Coach Pharo told WSN that Smith has a large presence in the inside on both ends of the floor and Foley brings athleticism, quickness and ability to score from the guard spot. Also back as a starter is junior guard Mickey Stampfl (5-8), who averaged 7.0 points, 5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game, while senior Cecilia Grefsheim is another key returner.  Eight additional letter-winners are back, including senior Shylah Lietz, and juniors Kenna Edge, Madi Winterburn and Alyssa Caskey. They could also get contributions from sophomore Lainey Winkers.    3) New Glarus  The Glarner Knights welcome back the majority of their roster that went 5-5 in the Capitol South and 13-11 overall.  New Glarus will have to adjust to a new head coach this season with Kevin Parman taking over the program. Highlighting the group of returners is 5-foot-7 senior guard Jaylynn Benson, a first-team all-league choice, who tallied 17.7 points per game. Other key returners include seniors Dylan Noll (5-9, 9.6 ppg) and Shealyn Klosterman-Havens (5-2, 6 ppg), and juniors Ellie Eichelkraut (5-9, 6 ppg) and Emma Marty (5-10, 4.9 ppg).  The Glarner Knights are also expected to get contributions from juniors Peyton Yaun, Morgan Thompson, Libby Maclean and Paige Johnson, amongst others.    4) Waterloo  The Pirates will look to take a step forward this season with the return of four starters from last year’s team that went 1-9 in the Capitol South and 12-12 overall.  Waterloo will miss the production of Brooke Mosher (8.8 ppg, 9.6 rpg, 2.1 bpg) who decided not to play her senior year to prepare college volleyball at University of Illinois. Coach Gabe Haberkorn told WisSports.net that guard play and shooting will be a strength again this year.  Leading the group of returners for the Pirates is 5-foot-9 senior guard Skyler Powers, who led the team with 12.7 points per game last season. Joining her as top returners are sophomores Julia Asik (5-8) and Sophia Schneider (5-10), who averaged 11.2 and 10.2 points per game, respectively. Other key returners include 6-foot senior Joslyn Wolff (6.2 ppg, 7.4 rpg) and sophomore Ava Jaehnke (5-4, 3.8 apg). Additional returners include sophomore Maddie Webster,  junior Alyssa Baumann, and seniors Gizelle Zimbric, Kaiya Albrecht and Ashley Gonzalez.    5) Cambridge  The Blue Jays will need to fill the void left with the graduation of three starters from their 2019-20 squad that finished 5-5 in the Capitol South and advanced to a Division 4 sectional final (falling to Aquinas) to end the year 13-12 overall.  Highlighting the group of returners for the Blue Jays is 5-foot-10 forward Mayah Holzhueter, a first-team all-league selection, who averaged a team-best 12.6 points and 8.5 rebounds per game as a sophomore. Joining her as a returning starter is junior guard Taylor Stenklyft (5-6) who averaged 5.8 points and 3.1 assists per game last season.  Coach Kelly Cunningham told WSN that they have some supporting underclassman to go along with their two returning starters who have played together and love to be around each other.  Those returners who played reserve roles last season are juniors Kate Downing and Maggie Schmude, and sophomore Kayla Roidt.  Coach Cunningham said the freshman class will provide them with some talent as well. Among that group is Saveea Freeland who is expected to contribute right away.    6) Wisconsin Heights  The Vanguards graduated four of their top five scorers from last year’s team that went 4-6 in the league and 9-14 overall.  Wisconsin Heights’ top returner is 5-foot-8 senior Hanna King, who averaged 6.9 points per game last season. Other notable returners include senior Daryn Schaefer, junior Sydnee Duhr and sophomore Emily VanRiper.