Heights girls picked for second

The following preview of the Southern Capitol Conference was compiled Wissports.net.   2018-’19 Recap: Marshall went undefeated in the Capitol-South and claimed its second consecutive Division 3 state title, defeating previously unbeaten Laconia, 64-56, in the championship game to finish the year with a 26-2 record.  Belleville finished second in the league with an 8-2 record and went on to reach a Division 4 sectional final before losing to state champion Aquinas, 89-53, to finish the year 19-6 overall. New Glarus and Waterloo each went 4-6 in the conference, while Wisconsin Heights (3-7) and Cambridge (1-9) rounded out the league standings.    2019-20 Predicted Order of Finish: 1) Marshall  2) Wisconsin Heights  3) New Glarus  4) Belleville  5) Waterloo  6) Cambridge   Players to Watch (in alphabetical order):  Ashlee Adler, sr., Wisconsin Heights – Adler (5-9) was named second-team all-conference as a junior after averaging 10 points per game. Mya Andrews, jr., Marshall – Andrews, a 5-foot-5 guard, will take on an expanded role this season after averaging 3.3 points, 2 assists, and 2 steals as a sophomore for the D3 state champs.  Jaylynn Benson, jr., New Glarus – Benson, a 5-foot-7 guard, was voted first-team all-league after averaging 16.8 points per game as a sophomore.  Ava Foley, soph., Belleville – In her debut season, Foley (5-7) averaged 9.4 points and 3.8 rebounds per game. Looks for those numbers to increase this season.  Lily Himmelman, sr., New Glarus – Himmelman, a 5-9 forward, will take on an expanded role this season after posting 7.5 points per contest as a junior.  Anna Lutz, jr., Marshall – Lutz, a 6-foot-1 forward, was named co-player of the year in the Capitol-South and WBCA Division 3 all-state as a sophomore, after averaging 18.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks per game for the state champions. She currently holds five NCAA Division I offers.  Brooke Mosher, jr., Waterloo – Mosher, a 6-foot wing/forward, will move into an expanded role this season after playing a complimentary role as a sophomore. Mosher is a University of Illinois volleyball recruit.  Laura Nickel, jr., Marshall – Nickel, a 5-foot-11 forward, averaged 12.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 2 assists per game on her way to being named second-team all-conference as a sophomore.   Skyler Powers, jr., Waterloo – Powers, a 5-foot-8 guard, will move into a larger role after averaging 6.6 points and 3.1 rebounds per contest as a sophomore.  Jenna Shrader, sr., Belleville – Shrader, a 5-foot-9 guard, will move into a larger role and provide leadership She averaged 9 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2 assists per game as a junior.  Olivia Williams, sr., Cambridge – Williams, a 5-foot-8 guard, averaged 10.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game as a junior, earning second-team all-conference honors.    2019-20 Team Previews 1) Marshall  The Cardinals dominated the Capitol-South for a second consecutive year and went on to repeat as Division 3 state champions with a 26-2 overall record. The Cardinals outscored league opponents by an average of 33 points per game last season.  Marshall had a change at the top in the offseason with Alex Koeller stepping down after guiding the Cardinals to two state titles in as many years. He is now an assistant for Edgewood College women’s basketball team.  Former DeForest and Barneveld head coach Doug Pickarts was named the Cardinals’ new head coach over the summer. Pickarts enters the season with a 452-232 career record, which includes five state tournament appearances and two state runner-up finishes (DeForest, 2014; Barneveld, 2016).  Highlighting the group of returners for the Cardinals is junior Anna Lutz, the co-player of the year in the Capitol-South and a first-team WBCA all-state player who averaged 18.7 points per game last season. Fellow junior Laura Nickel is a second-team all-league pick who averaged 12.2 points per game last season. The duo of Lutz and Nickel will take on even larger roles this season after the graduation of key players Bailey Neuberger and Ceraya Morel. WBCA all-state player Mia Morel (16.8 ppg) also transferred to Madison Memorial.  Pickarts told WisSports.net that post play, team chemistry and leadership are strengths.  “Overall team quickness and learning a new system are weakness,” he noted. Joining Lutz and Nickel as a returning starter is junior Mya Andrews, while senior Rain Held, junior Skyla Michalak, and sophomore Abby Ward are among others who will take on expanded roles this season. Additional players who are expected to contribute include senior Sandra Assaba and sophomore Alayna Cramblit.    2) Wisconsin Heights  The Vanguards will look to take a step forward this season after going 3-7 in the league and 7-14 overall last year.  Heights coach Bill Sullivan told WSN that returning all of its varsity players will be a huge positive.  “Hope to contend for conference title,” he added.  Leading the group of returners is Ashlee Adler, a second-team all-league pick, who averaged 10 points per game as a junior. Other top returners are seniors Kelsi Handel (8 ppg) and Natalie Hering (7.5 ppg), and junior Hana King (7.3 ppg).  Additional contributors back from last season include seniors Miranda Keith (5.7 ppg) and Jada Wood (5.3 ppg), and sophomore Daryn Schaefer.  “We have a nice mix of returning sophomores and incoming freshman that will push for varsity playing time,” Sullivan said.    3) New Glarus  The Glarner Knights went 4-6 in the league and 11-13 overall in 2018-19. New Glarus welcomes back first-team all-league pick Jaylynn Benson, who averaged just under 17 points per game as a sophomore, and senior Lily Himmelman (7.5 ppg) as top players from last season.  They will, however, need to replace the production of three players that graduated who all averaged between six and nine points per game a year ago.  Players who are expected to move into expanded roles this season include juniors Dylan Noll and Shealyn Klosterman-Havens, sophomore Emma Marty, and senior Brooke Watrud.    4) Belleville  The Wildcats finished second in the Capitol-South and 19-6 overall, reaching a sectional final before falling to eventual Division 4 state champion Aquinas. Belleville will need to fill the void left with the graduation of two starters, including Rachael Heittola, who averaged 17.4 points and 14 rebounds per game.  New Glarus also had a change in leadership with former Mount Horeb assistant Tony Pharo replacing Sean Greenleaf as the Wildcats’ head coach. Pharo told WSN that New Glarus will have a nice mix of seniors, juniors, and sophomores returning this year which all saw action last year.  “The team’s strength will be speed and depth, but we will need to focus on rebounding,” Pharo said.  Highlighting the group of returners for the Wildcats are sophomore Ava Foley and senior Jenna Shrader who averaged 9.4 and 9 points per game, respectively. Senior Sophia Grady (5.5 ppg) also returns as a starter.  Other notable returners include Erin Kittleson (sr.), Ashely Hanson (jr.) and Callie Smith (6-0, soph.). Sophomore Mickey Stampfl is also expected to move into a more prominent role this season.    5) Waterloo The Pirates went 4-6 in the league and 14-9 overall last year, their first winning season in more than 15 years. Waterloo will have a near complete overhaul of its roster after the graduation of all five starters.  Coach Gabe Haberkorn told WisSports.net that shooting and defense will be strengths.  Three letter-winners return for the Pirates, led by junior Skyler Powers, who averaged 6.6 points per game last season.  “Powers is the leader offensively, but incoming freshman Julia Asik, Sophia Schneider and Ava Jaehnke improve on outside shooting for Waterloo,” Haberkorn said.  Haberkorn added that Waterloo will be very quick and be able to defend from everywhere. Joining Powers as a returning letter-winner are juniors Brooke Mosher, an Illinois volleyball recruit, and Joslyn Wolff.    6) Cambridge  The Blue Jays will be an improved team with the return off nearly its entire roster that went 1-9 in the league and 7-17 overall.  “We have five returning Seniors (Gracie Korth, Olivia Williams, Ashlynn Jarlsberg, Mary Hommen, Meghan Bolger) with Williams and Korth being large contributors to the team with their versatile talents from bringing the ball up the court to playing solid in the post,” second-year head coach Kelly Cunningham told WSN.  Williams and Korth averaged 10.7 and 8.5 points per game, respectively, last season. Other top returners include Jarlsberg (8.8 ppg, 44 three-pointers) and sophomore Mayah Holzhueter (6.2 ppg, 8.2 rpg).  Sophomore Taylor Stenklyft also saw action in the starting lineup last season.  Cunningham told WSN that Holzhueter (5-10) has a larger presence in the inside offensively and defensively, and securing rebounding on both ends.