Wisconsin high school girls basketball: Whitefish Bay and Beaver Dam will play for the D2 crown

Beaver Dam to play in the D2 state final

Beaver Dam advances to the Division 2 state championship game, knocking off Rice Lake 70-58 in a state semifinal.

The Golden Beavers built a 44-28 lead at the break after outscoring Rice Lake 32-14 over the final 12 minutes of the first half.

Senior Nataya Donaldson, a UW-Milwaukee signee, finished with a game-high 25 points. She shot 8 of 12 from the floor and made nine of eleven from the foul stripe.

Other key performers for coach TJ Julka and the Golden Beavers included seniors Sheamarie Ashley and Emma Julka, who tallied 12 and nine points, respectively.

Rice Lake was led by senior Adaline Sheplee, a Wisconsin signee, who totaled 24 points and seven rebounds. The Warriors end the year with a 25-4 record.

Beaver Dam, 23-6 overall, will try for its fourth WIAA state title in program history when they take on Whitefish Bay in the Division 2 state title game on Saturday.

Whitefish Bay rolls past Elkhorn in state semis

Whitefish Bay shot the lights out in the second half en route to a 78-42 win over Elkhorn to advance to the Division 2 state championship game.

The Blue Dukes led 28-15 at halftime before getting hot from the outside in the second half. They went 7-for-10 from three and used a 19-0 run to put the game away.

Four players scored at least 12 points for the Blue Dukes, led by junior Madeline Volpe, who finished with 23 points, making seven of nine shots, including four of five from 3-point land.

Junior Carrington Balthasar netted 17 points, making four of five from three, and fellow junior Rowan Counsell collected 15 points, six rebounds, seven assists, and five steals.

Another key player for coach Jon Schneider and the Blue Dukes was senior Sage Miskel, who totaled 12 points and five rebounds.

Leading the way for Elkhorn were seniors Emilyn Bonow and Kyrin Lile, a UW-Green Bay signee, who tallied 14 and 13 points, respectively.

Whitefish Bay, 25-4 overall, is in search of the program's first gold ball. They will meet Beaver Dam in the state final on Saturday at 6:35 p.m.