Beaver Dam senior Nataya Donaldson
DIVISION 2 | BRACKET
Friday, March 13
#1 Rice Lake (25-3) vs. #4 Beaver Dam (22-6) - 1:35 p.m.
#2 Whitefish Bay (24-4) vs. #3 Elkhorn (24-4) - 3:30 p.m.
Championship Final - Saturday, March 14 - 6:35 p.m.
Rice Lake (25-3)
Conference: Big Rivers; 12-2, Tied for 1st Place
State Tournament Seed: #1
Bound Power Index: #2 in D2; #17 overall
Final Bound WI/Zaleski Media Poll Rank: #1
Strength of Schedule Rank: #18 in D2, #59 overall
Combined Opponents’ Record: 403-325
Points Per Game: 71.3
Points Allowed Per Game: 49.2
Top Players:
Adaline Sheplee, Sr. - 28.0 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 2.7 SPG, 3.7 APG
Addison Schmidt, Jr. - 17.7 PPG, 15.2 RPG, 0.9 SPG, 1.2 APG
Abby Doebereiner, Jr. - 8.2 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 0.8 SPG, 2.3 APG
Notes: Rice Lake made its first-ever WIAA girls basketball state tournament appearance last year, and follows it up with a return trip in 2026…Adaline Sheplee is a finalist for Ms. Basketball and second in the state, averaging 28.0 points per game…She is committed to Wisconsin…Schmidt is second in the state in rebounding, averaging 15.2 rebounds per game.
Whitefish Bay (24-4)
Conference: North Shore; 11-1, Tied for 1st Place
State Tournament Seed: #2
Bound Power Index: #1 in D2; #7 overall
Final Bound WI/Zaleski Media Poll Rank: #2
Strength of Schedule Rank: #4 in D2, #18 overall
Combined Opponents’ Record: 433-303
Points Per Game: 72.7
Points Allowed Per Game: 46.8
Top Players:
Rowan Counsell, Jr. - 21.4 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 4.0 SPG, 3.3 APG
Sage Miskel, Sr. - 17.7 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 3.4 SPG, 2.6 APG
Madeline Volpe, Jr. - 11.8 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 1.7 SPG, 2.7 APG
Notes: Whitefish Bay is at the girls basketball state tournament for the ninth time overall and first since 2019…The Blue Dukes were part of the very first WIAA girls basketball state tournament in 1976, going out in the Class A quarterfinals…Whitefish Bay is still searching for its first state title after eight previous trips to state…Leading scorer Rowan Counsell, a junior, is the daughter of Chicago baseball manager Craig Counsell.
Elkhorn (24-4)
Conference: Southern Lakes; 13-1, 1st Place
State Tournament Seed: #3
Bound Power Index: #6 in D2; #33 overall
Final Bound WI/Zaleski Media Poll Rank: #8
Strength of Schedule Rank: #15 in D2, #54 overall
Combined Opponents’ Record: 455-381
Points Per Game: 61.3
Points Allowed Per Game: 45.9
Top Players:
Kyrin Lile, Sr. - 16.3 PPG, 11.2 RPG, 1.9 SPG, 4.4 APG
Ayla Saunders, Jr. - 8.8 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 1.4 SPG, 1.8 APG
Emilyn Bonow, Sr. - 8.1 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 0.9 SPG, 2.6 APG
Notes: Elkhorn’s only previous state tournament appearance came in 1997, when the Elks captured the Division 2 title…Elkhorn is on a 14-game winning streak heading into the state semifinals.
Beaver Dam (22-6)
Conference: Badger-Large; 11-3, 2nd Place
State Tournament Seed: #4
Bound Power Index: #4 in D2; #24 overall
Final Bound WI/Zaleski Media Poll Rank: #6
Strength of Schedule Rank: #9 in D2, #34 overall
Combined Opponents’ Record: 424-335
Points Per Game: 64.0
Points Allowed Per Game: 46.7
Top Players:
Nataya Donaldson, Sr. - 16.8 PPG, 9.2 RPG, 1.4 SPG, 1.6 APG
Emma Julka, Sr. - 11.4 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 3.5 SPG, 3.7 APG
Sheamarie Ashley, Sr. - 9.8 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 2.2 SPG, 5.0 APG
Notes: Beaver Dam is making its seventh WIAA state tournament appearance and sixth since 2010…The Golden Beavers won three consecutive state titles from 2017 to 2019 and qualified for state again in 2020 before the WIAA canceled the event due to COVID…Nataya Donaldson became the program’s all-time leading scorer earlier this season.
Travis Wilson serves as the Bound Wisconsin Manager. Wilson was selected as part of the Sports 40 Under 40 list by Coach & AD Magazine and the National High School Athletic Coaches Association for 2019. The Wisconsin Football Coaches Association (WFCA) named Travis the 2015 recipient of the Dave McClain Distinguished Service Award. He currently serves on the WFCA Executive Board and is a member of the Executive Board of the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association. A graduate of Richland Center High School and Mount Mercy College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Travis was a three-sport athlete in high school (football, baseball, basketball), inducted to the Richland Center High School Hall of Fame in 2023, and currently resides in Reedsburg. You can follow him on Twitter at @travisBound or reach him at [email protected].
