Girls Basketball Division 1 Preseason Top 10

Arrowhead has been to back-to-back state tournaments, winning gold in 2023-24 and falling in the semi-finals to Muskego last year. Head coach Ron Reichle returns his top four scorers from that squad, headlined by Minnesota commit Natalie Kussow. Fellow senior Presley Samz has all the intangibles and is a leader for the Warhawks, and also is committed to Lipscomb. Juniors Sidney Zehner and Karina Klemz averaged 11.2 and 9.1 points per game last season respectively and are both next level recruits. The Warhawks will compete in the difficult Classic Eight conference with a grueling non-con slate of Whitefish Bay, Edgewood, Hartford, Kimberly, Waunakee, Notre Dame, Oostburg and Wauwatosa East.

The reigning Division 1 champions are led by Dave Lepisto, one of the best head coaches in the state. Despite the loss two double-digit scorers, the Papermakers will be a contender to get back to the Resch Center for a second straight season. Some players from this squad are also coming off a state tournament appearance at volleyball. Senior Ava Van Vonderen is a 6-1 wing, with multiple Division 1 offers, that can score the ball from anywhere on the court. Junior Haylie Dulas also has multiple Division 1 offers. Senior Emily Urban and junior Kennedy Ebben are Division 1 soccer commits, and Claudia Asman is a UW-Stevens Point basketball recruit. The basketball talent, athletic pedigree of the team as a whole, and discipline instilled from Coach Lepisto are all huge advantages. Kimberly will play Brookfield East, Wauwatosa East, De Pere, Pewaukee, Arrowhead, and Hartford scheduled in non-league games.

SPASH won 22 games a season ago, came two games shy of the state tournament, and return all but two players. Junior Jada Seubert is a dominant combo guard with multiple Division 1 offers that leads the way for head coach Janel McCarville. 6-2 Leah Awe is one of, if not the best sophomore in the state, and another game changer atop the Panther rotation. SPASH has some top end talent and an experienced group back that will be motivated to get to Green Bay. Rice Lake, Eau Claire Memorial, Hortonville, Middleton, and a few out-of-state opponents headline the non-con slate for Coach McCarville’s group.

The Warriors came three points shy of a the Resch Center last year and head coach Marcus Richter has done a great job of building his program to be a contender for a deep playoff run year in and year out. Just two graduate from that 22-win team a year ago, as the returnees include junior guard Tessa Bryan who averaged 18.6 points, 5.6 assists, and 5.2 rebounds a season ago. Senior Graycin Phillips is committed to DII Grand Valley State and classmate Audrey Meudt will head to UW-Oshkosh next season. The Warriors program has done a great job of developing a winning culture and Coach Richter will challenge his team with non-conference tilts with Neenah, Wisconsin Lutheran, Madison Memorial, Arrowhead and more.

Neenah has churned out some great individual talent and teams over the past few seasons as Andy Braunel has been at the helm for the Rockets for 21 years. Senior Rowan Klesmit recently committed to DI Wright State and is one of the top returning scorers in the entire state, regardless of division. Classmate Ellie Buss is a DII Maryville commit while junior Celia Gentile won a pair of gold medals in track a year ago. The pedigree of the Rockets program means this team will be a contender in Division 1 come March. Non-league games with Wauwatosa East and Waunakee are good measuring stick games for the Rockets early in the year.

The Red Raiders move into Division 1 after winning the Division 2 state title a season ago. Head coach Mary Merg has done an incredible job of turning the Tosa East program around and building a culture in Wauwatosa that has bred success of the past few years. A good deal of players return this season for Merg that have been varsity starters or contributors for the past two or three seasons. Mikaia Litza is heading to DePaul next season. Emma Close will be going to Northern Illinois, while Ellie Deprey is heading to DII Purdue Northwest. The depth and experience of this group matches any in the state. Coach Merg has scheduled one of the toughest non-con slates as well with matchups with Wisconsin Lutheran, Neenah. Kimberly, Pewaukee, and Arrowhead.

The Old Abes came three points shy of a state tournament appearance a season ago and have a lot of experience back in 2025-26. Norah Kling is one of the top sophomores in the state and has already garnered Division 1 offers to play basketball at the next level. Millie Cayley and Marlee Ferguson were major contributors as sophomores while Raya Shaw is a DII Missouri-St. Louis commit. Head coach Brandon Fanning will have his Old Abes ready come postseason play after competing in the Big Rivers and with non competitions against Stevens Point, Appleton East, and La Crosse Central among others.

Vinny Daniels has built a winning program in Hartford, so despite the graduation of Makena Christian, a freshman at Minnesota, the Orioles will have the talent back to be considered one of the best in Division 1. Junior Rita Kuepper has committed to DI Milwaukee, while senior teammate Bella Klages will head to DI Cal-Baptist next season. This Orioles group has seen what it takes to succeed over the past few seasons, and are looking to get back to the Resch Center. Non-conference matchups with Wisconsin Lutheran, Edgewood, Notre Dame, Pewaukee, Kimberly, and Arrowhead are just a few gams that will battle test Hartford throughout the season.

Verona won 24 games a season ago, return all but two players from that roster, and have a young head coach Lexy Richardson that is one of the up and coming leaders in the state. Senior point guard Alli Jirsa is a DII Northern Michigan recruit while Macy Stremlow is a top sophomore in our state after averaging 9.3 point and 6.7 rebounds per game as a freshman. Noelle Rauwolf was a playmaker as both a scorer and facilitator as a sophomore last season and will have another year of progression. The Wildcats will play 18 Big Eight conference games, but will play Hortonville, Pius XI Catholic, Brookfield East, and Edgewood in their non-con slate.

Brookfield East returns all but two players from last year’s team that won 23 games. Head coach Tyler Saxton has had plenty of success at East, getting to the state tournament in 2022 and 2023. Back for Saxton this season is St. Thomas MN recruit Maya Kovecic as well as Josie Piurkowski who has received Division 1 offers. The Spartans will challenge themselves with non-conference games against Kimberly, Beaver Dam, Verona, and Edgerton.

Colton Wilson serves a contributor and member of Bound Wisconsin. Wilson has worked in high school sports for 10 years, covering the state of Wisconsin in various sports. He has had roles in content creation, boys basketball coverage, director of events, and data management. Wilson is a graduate of Richland Center High School where he will currently serves as the Varsity Reserve boys basketball coach, entering his eleventh year coaching at the high school level. Wilson also has officiated basketball and organized youth tournaments for multiple years. You can follow him on Twitter at @ColtonWilson23 or reach him at [email protected].