Thursday Night X-Factors To Watch

<p>Sectional Semi-Finals are taking place across the state tonight, with teams looking to advance just one step closer to the state tournament. Most people know about each teams’ start players, but these seven x-factors have a chance to make a huge difference in their teams’ hopes of advancing.</p> <p><strong>Adrian Bryant (6’1 2022 G, Racine Case)- </strong>Case lost to Franklin twice this season by a combined 7 points, with Adrian scoring a combined 16 points in those two games. He averages 15.4 ppg this year, so Franklin has done a good job of containing the scrappy guard thus far. It’s difficult for anyone to beat a team as good as Case three times in one season, so Adrian will look to step up and help lead his team to a win. He’s fearless attacking the basket and has a quick first step that allows him to blow by his defender and get to the rim. Not only that, but he’s developed into a 40% shooter from three this season. Adrian has been extremely productive over the past few games, averaging 16.4 ppg since the beginning of February, and he’ll look to extend that into tonight’s matchup.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1240335" first="Kai" last="Rogers"] (6’10 2025 C, Wauwatosa West)- </strong>Tosa West heads into a tough matchup with Wisconsin Lutheran. [player_tooltip player_id="1021573" first="Colin" last="Hardrick"] has been playing great basketball lately, but against a team filled with guard talent, it could be the 6’10 freshman [player_tooltip player_id="1240335" first="Kai" last="Rogers"] who’s the difference maker. Kai has great touch around the basket, so Lutheran will likely have to double team him to prevent him from scoring at the rim. If Kai is able to locate the open man, it should lead to plenty of uncontested looks. Defensively he’s a shot blocking presence who will be able to disrupt a lot inside. If he stays out of foul trouble he’ll have a big impact on this game.</p> <p><b>[player_tooltip player_id="1203602" first="Sekou" last="Konneh"] (6’7 2024 F, St. Thomas More)- </b>In a regional final matchup, STM is back and taking on Brown Deer. Brown Deer has some talent at the guard spots, but won’t have the size to match up with Sekou inside. If his team can get him some looks inside, he should be able to take advantage. The long and athletic sophomore has explosive finishing ability, but can also step out and knock down the open jumper. He’s been putting up 11.5 points and 8 rebounds per game this year.</p> <p><strong>Travis Alvin (6’6 2022 F, Randolph)- </strong>The Wisconsin football commit will be looking to use his physicality in a matchup of 2 loss teams at the Division 5 level. With his size at 6’6 he’s been a double-double machine, as teams just can’t keep him off the glass on both ends of the floor. Reedsville does have a 6’8 player who doesn’t play much, and outside of that they’ll have a 6’4 wing who could be matched up on Travis. Either way, his physical attributes will be causing mismatches all game long, and Randolph will have to look to take advantage of that to come away with a win.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1134929" first="Devin" last="Griffin"] (6’ 2022 PG, Westosha Central)- </strong>Since a bad loss to Pewaukee in mid-January, Westosha has gone on to win 14 straight, including a win against Milton. In the first meeting of those two teams, Devin had a solid game with 9 points and 4 assists, and helped hold [player_tooltip player_id="865836" first="Jack" last="Campion"] to 17 points. His job tonight won’t necessarily be to put up big scoring numbers, but in the past he’s shown he’s capable of stepping up when needed. Instead, he’ll be looking to put his teammates in good positions to score, as he’s an unselfish point guard who can get into the lane and kick it out to open shooters. Defensively he’ll have a tough task against [player_tooltip player_id="865836" first="Jack" last="Campion"], but if Devin can make things difficult for him, Westosha Central has a good chance to advance.</p> <p><strong>Brady Helbing (5’10 2022 PG, Beaver Dam)- </strong>Beaver Dam will face off against Nicolet in their sectional semi-finals matchup. The senior point guard will play a key role for his team as a high level facilitator who can also score the ball when needed. He’s quick and plays under control, and always has his eyes scanning the floor looking for the open man. Brady will be trusted to handle the ball under pressure and limit turnovers, allowing Beaver Dam to play with efficiency on the offensive end. If Brady has a big game, BD could advance to the next round.</p> <p><strong>Davion Thomas-Kampula (6’ 2023 G, Racine St. Catherine’s)- </strong>Both St. Cats and Big Foot have made impressive runs to get to this point of the playoffs. Big Foot possesses 6’3 wing [player_tooltip player_id="988845" first="Gus" last="Foster"], who can absolutely stuff the stat sheet. Despite giving up 3 inches, we could see Davion match up with Gus, as he’s a tough defender capable of guarding an opposing team’s best player on the perimeter. He’s an impressive athlete on the ball, but has shown he can compete in the paint at his size, and averages 7.9 rebounds per game. Davion’s defensive contributions will be key in St. Cats’ hopes of making it back to the state tournament. </p>