This morning's snowfall, on top of the non-stop Christmas music now playing on several local radio stations, indicates we are heading into winter.
That means the start of the high school basketball season, one of my favorite times of the year.
Some games have already been played, and there are more non-conference contests on tap for the Thanksgiving week. Most conference play will begin on Friday, Dec. 5.
You can find a detailed outlook on the girls teams in our NOW newspapers on Thursday, Dec. 4, but until then, here's a quick look at the prospects of the teams I will be covering this season:
GREENFIELD (0-1 going into this week): The Hustlin' Hawks struggled last season and lost top scorer and rebounder in Alyssa Evans to graduation, and they got off to a rocky start with a 54-28 loss to Waterford last week. Sisters Stacey and Shannon Butts will provide some inside power but the key to the season will lie in developing a consistent backcourt.
MUSKEGO (1-0): The Warriors return most of the key people from last year's WIAA sectional finalist, led by Katie Ellerson, Rachel Neuberger and Sarah Mlachnik. Muskego,which welcomes a new coach in Brian Hirtz, should challenge Oak Creek for the top spot in the Southeast Conference North Division.
NEW BERLIN EISENHOWER (0-1): The Lions must pick up the scoring slack left by the graduated Kelsey Sperka, last year's Community Newspapers Inc. Player of the Year, but coach Gary Schmidt thinks they have a number of players who can do so. Senior Annika Selvick is a key, and sophomore Anna Hahn and freshman Nicole Bauman bear watching.
NEW BERLIN WEST (2-0): The Vikings must replace leading scorer Ashley Averkamp, but versatile Liz Radtke, Jess Liban and Toni Cruciani are all back and have received some help from other players in West's first two games.
WEST ALLIS CENTRAL (1-0): The Bulldogs, who reached a WIAA sectional last season, return dynamic guard Iesha Barkley and strong post player Lauren Hibbard. They also welcome freshman guard/forward Mehryn Kraker, who tallied 16 points in a victory over Madison East last week.
WEST ALLIS HALE (1-0): The Huskies hope to continue rebuilding under coach Darren Pitzner and return sharpshooter Emily Grayson and Ashley Mettelmann-Berry, among others. Pitzner wants his team to play more of an up-tempo style on both ends of the floor.
Finally, here's my educated guess as to this year's top five teams in the CNI area:
1. Oak Creek, 2. Brookfield Central, 3. Muskego, 4. Cudahy, 5. Whitnall.
Others to watch: New Berlin Eisenhower, New Berlin West, Franklin, Nicolet, South Milwaukee.
Next week, I will take a look at the boys teams.
