Mishicot set for return to State Tournament

WATCH: Mishicot set for return to State Tournament
Published: Mar. 8, 2023 at 8:45 PM CST
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GREEN BAY, Wis. (WBAY) - It’s been ten years since the WIAA moved the State Girls Basketball Tournament to Green Bay, but not every championship has been decided in Titletown since then.

Mishicot has one of those gold balls from 2021.

“The group they had worked really well together. They were leaders on and off the court. They kind of set the stage for everyone else now. We got to see what they did and what helps them win, and we try to replicate it,” said junior Julie Koeppel.

The younger players from that last title run are now upper classmen. Leading the way for Mishicot’s latest run to the Resch Center.

“Know your role. Every role is super important no matter if you’re a bench player or on the court. Know your role and be super supportive of your teammates,” said senior Maddy Tingerthal.

The Indians are peaking at the right time on this playoff run after winning 13 of their last 14 contests in route to a sectional championship over St. Mary’s Catholic last weekend.

“Midway through the season, we just started gelling. We have a younger team. So, it was really hard for us to find that balance between the younger classmen knowing their role and like stepping up to the plate. They just accepted that. So, we were like ‘we’ve got this, we can beat them,” said Tingerthal.

Mishicot will have to continue playing their best in order to beat the best, Aquinas. The top seeded Bluegolds have been ranked number one all season, and their lone loss coming against Providence Academy, one of the top teams in Minnesota.

“Number two, Macy [Donarski], we know she’s a really good player, and they have a ton of shooters on their team. So, we’re going to have to run them off the line. We’re working on our defense and not so much helping because they have a lot of shooters. So, we’ve got to take them away,” said Koeppel.

“It’s going to be super nerve racking for sure, but we’ve just go tot tune everything out and it’s just a game. We’ve got to play our game and do what we do best,” said Tingerthal.