SOUTH WAYNE — Black Hawk hasn’t lost a Six Rivers East game since February 12, 2016, when the Warriors lost by 41 points to league champion Barneveld. The seniors on this year’s squad, including last year’s co-conference player of the year Bailey Butler, were just seventh graders.
The Class of 2020 lost just two games in four years — both times in the playoffs, and one in the 2018 WIAA Division 5 state championship. The Warriors won the 2019 state title and reached state in 2020 before the WIAA nixed the state tournament due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.
About 60% of Black Hawk’s scoring from last year’s squad graduated, including four all-conference players. Hannah Butler and Natalie Leuzinger shared the player of the year badge with Bailey Butler and averaged a combined 35 points per game. Hannah Butler plans to play hoops with UW-Platteville, while Leuzinger will be taking the court at the Kohl Center with the Badgers this winter. Maddy Huschitt, a guard, was a second-team all-conference pick and scored more than 80% of her baskets from beyond the arc and is on the squad at the University of Dubuque. Forward Kristen Knapp was an honorable mention selection as well.
“We lost about 60% of our scoring from last year, so replacing points through role adjustment will be a challenge,” said head coach Mike Flanagan, who was picked as the conference coach of the year in 2020. “We also will not be as deep as we have been in recent seasons, so stamina during multi-game weeks will be a point of concern.”
Bailey Butler, a UW-Green Bay commit, was third on the team — and in the league — in scoring last year, at 15.3 points per game. She has been a first-team all-conference and all-state selection in each of her first three seasons, has scored 1,337 points while deferring plenty of shots (388 career assists, 4.7 per game), and is still within striking distance of the school’s all-time scoring mark. Sister Hannah is second all-time in program history with 1,582 points, and Leuzinger is No. 1 at 1,803.
Joining Bailey again this year are seniors Kaylee Marty (5.7 ppg) and Makayla Mau. Marty was a second-team all-conference pick and Mau will play at Kirkwood College in Iowa in 2021. Also back is sophomore Tara Wellnitz (4.7 ppg).
“We have a couple of kids with considerable speed on the perimeter and can score at multiple levels. We have the potential to be a very good defensive team, and we have a little more size in the starting lineup than we have had in the past few years,” Flanagan said.
Newcomers such as Raylin Peterson, McKenzie Quinn and Tatum Baumgartner will see plenty of playing time this season as well.
“Peterson will bring physical play and a very high athletic ceiling to the table. Baumgartner has a great motor and is very coachable. Quinn plays hard on the defensive end,” Flanagan said.
Flanagan knows his team has a target on its back, and he expects to face a team’s best effort each game on the court. Even still, he expects his players to make the most of their opportunity and get the job done as the squads before them have done.
“We expect to compete for a conference championship, whatever that entails. We also hope to grow collectively and individually, as we will have a different lineup and several minutes to replace,” Flanagan said. “Once we step on the floor, these kids will compete, and we have the example of seasons and teams before us in the Black Hawk tradition as our compass heading into this season.”
Flanagan said Albany continues to grow under head coach Derik Doescher, whom Flanagan said is “one of the best in the business,” and strong guard play by the Comets could pose as a threat to the Warriors. Argyle also has a good core group back this year, Flanagan said, and “brings a good mixture of perimeter and interior contributors.”
