Story and Pictures by Michael Roy
Lady Dawgs confident in basketball program; looking to contend for conference, section titles again despite losing a few key players
It’s a new era for the JWP girls’ basketball team. After facing difficulty finding wins at the start of the 2020s, the Lady Dawgs have undergone a resurgence. They came off the heels of a Gopher Conference championship for the first time since the early 2000s, when the team was ranked and advanced to the state tournament, and were seeded at the top of Section 2AA last season.
Head Coach Brandon Goebel will return for his third year, with the entire coaching staff from last season joining him: Emily Olson, Liz Kvebak, and Andrea Kronbach. The team’s record under Goebel is 44-11, including a 1-2 record in the playoffs. Despite the losing record, it’s worth noting again that the team was the top seed in Section 2AA last season, earning a bye for their efforts.
2024-25 season
The girls earned their best record in years, going 24-4 (14-1 in conference). Their only three losses in the season were all on the road. The first two came over Christmas break, when they lost both games in Norwood Young America’s showcase. The first loss came from the hosting Raiders, and the second was against a competitive BOLD Warriors team that nearly won their section. Their third loss was against New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva, their only in-conference loss on the season.
JWP made it to the conference championship over NRHEG, defeating the hosting Triton Cobras on the road 64-57 before preparing for the playoffs. They received a bye in Section 2AA before facing St. Clair, a team they had put 86 points on earlier in the season. After taking care of them with a 58-42 victory, they faced Glencoe-Silver Lake, a team they blew out in Maple River’s holiday showcase in December, 67-29. However, GSL was much healthier and upset them 54-61. NRHEG got the last laugh, as they defeated GSL’s Panthers to win the Section 2AA title and make it to the state tournament.
Expectations
Coach Goebel and the team are excited about this season. “We graduated a few key players who were a big part of our program,” he acknowledged. “But we return a strong core group with valuable experience.”
Despite losing key players to graduation, Goebel is confident in the underclassmen’s ability to step up and make their presence known on the court. “Overall, I think we have the pieces to be an excellent team again this year,” he said.
He’s so confident, in fact, that he and the team are aiming to be either first or second seed this year. “It won’t be easy, but I believe with the right approach every day in practices and in games, we have the opportunity.”
Key Returnees
Returning this year will be seniors Nevaeh Weimert, Mikayla Wheelock, Katelyn Olson, Kwynn Krause, Ellie Morsching, and Aubrey Adams. Weimert, Olson, and (Wheelock?) will serve as this year’s captains. Olson and Weimert were All-Conference honorees, with Olson receiving an All-State Honorable Mention from the Minnesota Girls’ Basketball Coaches Association. Wheelock was an All-Conference Honorable Mention. The team voted Olson as the Offensive Player of the Year and the MVP, with Weimert receiving the Practice Player of the Year for her leadership and hard work in practices.
Key losses
The team lost many seniors last year. The most notable losses were Presley James, Lilly Strauss, and Hope Dimmel. James, one of last year’s captains, was the team’s defensive player of the year, led the team in rebounds, and was an All-Conference player. Strauss, another team captain, won the team’s DAWG award and was an aggressive player, especially on defense. Dimmel was one of the team’s most important depth players, and her rebounding made the difference, especially in the conference championship game last year.
Other players the team lost were Autumn Thissen, Ava Appel, Onikia Herme, and twins Claire and Paige Walz. State managers Ellah Oliver and Ella Stenger also graduated. Although they didn’t get much time on the court, they energized the crowd and their teammates. Thissen was especially a student section favorite.
Team Strengths and Weakness
Goebel felt that the team’s quickness and overall condition were their strengths. “We’re able to run the court well and play at a fast pace,” he said.
One glaring weakness is the team’s overall height. While many of the seniors from last year’s team didn’t see the court that often, many of them – especially All-Conference player Presley James – were 5’10” or over. Goebel expects the team to utilize its speed and rebounding ability to compensate for the lack of height.
He also shared that the team is working on communication on the court. While there were many games they were on top of things, there were a few times where they struggled to communicate, making some games a lot closer than they probably should have been. “We’re also working on playing for each other and staying connected when we face adversity throughout the season,” he added.
Key to Success
Goebel reiterated the importance of competing on the defensive side of the court. “Defensively, we take pride in competing at a high level, and that will have to continue to be a big part of our identity,” he said.
Goebel believes that JWP will once again be conference and section favorites. Although he listed NRHEG (the Section 2AA champions) as a conference favorite, he didn’t list them as a section favorite for this year, instead choosing Norwood Young America and Tri-City United.
Players to watch
It’s difficult not to compare these girls to the Hall of Fame 2003 team. The team has played at nearly the same caliber as their counterparts who made the state tournament. However, a record was already broken last season, and this year, another one could be broken.
The three players to watch for are the captains, Nevaeh Weimert and Katie Olson, along with fellow senior Mikayla Wheelock. Wheelock, who has been the team’s three-point merchant, already holds the school record for career 3s and will look to continue piling on the long shots this season.
Olson is only 200 points away from being the team’s all-time scorer and could potentially be the program’s first-ever 2,000-point player. Weimert is also looking to reach her 1,000-point milestone, and as of the start of the season, was over 300 points away from doing so. She’s made significant progress toward that goal already, scoring 36 points in JWP’s first two games of the season.
The editor’s choice of a fourth player to watch is freshman Ashlynn Wolff. Although this is her first year starting on varsity, she has already made an impact, scoring 26 points in JWP’s first two games so far this season.
Buckle up, Bulldog fans. It’s going to be a fun season.
