• Drama Unfolds in Girls High School Basketball 2012-13 Season

    This is the first week that the girls high school teams can officially practice, and there will be some drama during the conference season in the coming weeks. The key games in area conferences will have as much suspense as the boys games.

    Sussex Hamilton snatched the Greater Metro Conference title from Divine Savior Holy Angels at home last season. It was the Chargers' first ever title in girls basketball. The Dashers are looking to take the title back. In order to do that, they have to hit the ground running and not look back.

    Milwaukee King beat Milwaukee Vincent last season in a game that was action-packed from start to finish. There's no love lost when these two teams meet. The Vikings had a reign on the City Conference in the years that they had Nicole Griffin, all 6-foot-5 of her, near the basket when they were king of the conference for half a decade. When Griffin left for college, the Generals went in attack mode, ending Vincent's 30-plus conference win streak early this year.

    And the roller coaster ride didn't stop there for King. They were a made three-point shot away from tying the score in the state championship finals against De Pere. They will try to return to state again in 2013, but it will be a big hill to climb. Milwaukee Riverside will have something to say about the City being just a two-team race.

    The same goes for Menomonee Falls in the GMC. They don't want to be left out of the party. We'll see how serious the Indians are when they play DSHA at home, Dec. 14. They are a team to watch out for.

    The North Shore Conference title is Whitefish Bay's to lose. That's one person's opinion and it isn't written in stone. Oak Creek, Racine Case and Muskego should battle for the Southeast championship and expect nothing less than a Classic Eight title from Arrowhead. The Woodland Conference championship is New Berlin Eisenhower's to lose.

    Sophomore Arike Ogunbowale is the most exciting individual player in the area. She can do it all, but she can't win the game by herself. It was evident in the last game of the regular season at Hamilton when she took over the fourth quarter and almost brought her team across the finish line. In the end, the Chargers cut down the nets in their overtime win.

    Fellow Sophomore Shakeela Fowler, or "Baby Shaq," missed that three at state that could've dragged the title game into overtime, but woulda, shoulda, coulda doesn't get the job done. She's a 5-3 sparkplug that runs the floor, score points and harass the bejesus out of the opposition on defense. Both Fowler and Ogunbowale played on a national championship AAU 13U team.

    There are some teams that were left out, but at least you can come inside the gym and warm up to some exciting girls action during the months of December through February.