HARTLAND, Wis. — After closing out the 2023-24 season with the school's first state championship in 33 years, Arrowhead is chasing a two-peat this weekend at the Resch Center.
However, instead of being the hunters, they're now considered the hunted.
“We've kind of had that in mind," senior captain Gabby Haas explained. "We know that we're going to get everyone's best game, so we really just try to always have our best game.”
Their ticket to the WIAA State Girls Basketball Tournament nearly slipped away in Saturday's WIAA Division 1 sectional final against Waunakee.
With 1:38 remaining in overtime, the Warriors led Arrowhead 68-61. However, the Warhawks (25-3) responded with an 11-1 run to pull out a 72-69 victory.
“One of our overall messages – we call it Sisu – but it means embrace struggle," junior shooting guard Natalie Kussow explained. "So when you have something that doesn't maybe go your way, just keep going, keep pushing through it.”
“It's embracing the day, working hard, and being happy working hard," Warhawks head coach Ron Reichle added.
With offers from both the Big Ten and ACC, Kussow is one of the nation’s top shooting guards for her class.
According to247Sports, the junior is ranked first in Wisconsin and fifth nationally.
Natalie Kussow 5'11 2026 G scores 24 points and 43 points in a pair of wins for Arrowhead. Sectionals on Thursday against Verona @NKussow
— Wisconsin Lakers (@WisconsinLakers) March 5, 2025
"She's always playing hard, but she somehow has this next level," Reichle explained. "She kind of has this mentality where okay enough is enough. Let’s just kind of finish this off.”
Watch: Arrowhead girls basketball on the hunt for back-to-back state titles
With a Classic 8 rematch on the horizon with Muskego, Arrowhead is expecting Friday’s semifinal to both look and feel like a boxing match.
“We know Muskego is a really good team," Kussow stated. "We went one and one with them this conference, so it's kind of like another conference game to us.”
The Warhawks most recently played Muskego on January 24, which Arrowhead won 53-51.
“Coach also always says play the game, not the situation, so we've really been trying to just focus on the game," Haas added. "You know, same basket, same size ball, same – well the courts going to be a little bit bigger – but that's really what we're just going to do is just play our game.”
#2 Arrowhead (25-3) plays #3 Muskego (24-4) Friday night in the state semifinals. Tip is scheduled for 15 minutes after #1 Kimberly (27-1) and #4 Appleton East (19-8) concludes, which is initially scheduled for 6:35 p.m.
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