Natalie Kussow of Arrowhead Voted Wisconsin's Top Individual Standout of 2026 Girls State Basketball Championships

Congratulations to Arrowhead senior guard Natalie Kussow for being voted Wisconsin High School Girls Basketball's Top Individual Standout of the 2026 WIAA State Championships.

In the enthusiastic fan-voted poll (held March 31-April 6), consisting of 12 talented players from the state finals, the Arrowhead standout came out on top.

Kussow contributed a double-double with a game-high 34 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists as second-seeded Arrowhead defeated top-seeded Wauwatosa East 80-74 in the double-overtime WIAA Division 1 state championship game at the University of Wisconsin Green Bay's Resch Center on March 14. Wisconsin's Ms. Basketball scored eight points in the second extra period to ensure a victory.

Wisconsin high school girls basketball: Arrowhead's Natalie Kussow (22) attempts a free throw during a Classic 8 game. 2025 — Arrowhead's Natalie Kussow (22) attempts a free throw during a Classic 8 Conference game versus Oconomowoc on Dec. 19, 2025. | Scott Ash / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It was the second D1 state championship in the last three years for the Warhawks, who finished the season with a 28-2 overall record.

The three-time Classic 8 Conference Player of the Year, three-time Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association all-state selection, two-time Gatorade Wisconsin Player of the Year, and highly touted University of Minnesota recruit finished her stand-out four-year career as the fifth all-time leading scorer in state history with 2,797 points and a 103-14 overall record.

Kussow received 30% of the vote (2,400) to claim top honors, Albany-Monticello freshman Emersen Butts finished second (24%), Wisconsin Dells sophomore Jazlyn Alwin was third (17%), Beaver Dam junior Joelee Drzonek placed fourth (13%), Arrowhead senior Libby Gilmore took fifth (5%), and Pacelli junior Jaedyn Zdroik was sixth (3%). There were 7,661 votes registered in the week-long poll.

Other nominees included:

Jazlyn Alwin, Wisconsin Dells, sophomore

Alwin scored a team-high 20 points as third-seeded Wisconsin Dells lost to top-seeded Oostburg 64-37 in the WIAA Division 3 state championship game.

Emersen Butts, Albany-Monticello, freshman

Butts finished with eight points, eight assists, and four steals as third-seeded Albany-Monticello lost to top-seeded Neillsville 43-40 in the WIAA Division 4 state championship game.

Ellie Deprey, Wauwatosa East, senior

Deprey contributed 12 points with three 3-pointers, seven rebounds, one blocked shot, and a steal as top-seeded Wauwatosa East lost to second-seeded Arrowhead 80-74 in the double-overtime WIAA Division 1 state championship game. She converted a pressure-packed 3-point basket with time winding down in regulation, was fouled, and made a free throw to complete a dramatic four-point play to force overtime.

Joelee Drzonek, Beaver Dam, junior

Drzonek contributed a game-high 19 points with four 3-pointers as fourth-seeded Beaver Dam lost to second-seeded Whitefish Bay 64-63 in the WIAA Division 2 state championship game.

Libby Gilmore, Arrowhead, senior

Gilmore contributed a double-double 11 points, game-high 13 rebounds, two blocked shots, and one steal as second-seeded Arrowhead defeated top-seeded Wauwatosa East 80-74 in the double-overtime WIAA Divsion 1 state championship game.

Avery Glenz, Eleva-Strum, junior

Glenz finished with 12 points, eight rebounds, and three assists as top-seeded Eleva-Strum lost to second-seeded Pacelli 70-40 in a WIAA Division 5 state championship game.

Ady Ketterhagen, Oostburg, senior

Ketterhagen contributed 20 points with four 3-pointers, nine rebounds, five assists, and three steals as top-seeded Oostburg defeated third-seeded Wisconsin Dells 64-37 in the WIAA Division 3 state championship game.

Mikaia Litza, Wauwatosa East, senior

Litza contributed a double-double with a team-high 26 points, 10 rebounds, and nine assists as top-seeded Wauwatosa East lost to second-seeded Arrowhead 80-74 in the double-overtime WIAA Division 1 state championship game.

Eden Marg, Neillsville, freshman

Marg registered a double-double with a game-high 16 points and 10 rebounds as top-seeded Neillsville defeated third-seeded Albany-Monticello 43-40 in the WIAA Division 4 state championship game.

Sage Miskel, Whitefish Bay, senior

Miskel contributed a team-high 18 points with six rebounds, and two steals as second-seeded Whitefish Bay defeated fourth-seeded Beaver Dam 64-63 in the WIAA Division 2 state championship game. She scored on two critical inside baskets on back-to-back possessions within the final 1 minute, 32 seconds to ensure a victory.

Jaedyn Zdroik, Pacelli, junior

Zdroik contributed a triple-double with 20 points, 19 rebounds and 10 assists as second-seeded Pacelli defeated top-seeded Eleva-Strum 70-40 in the WIAA Division 5 state championship game. She established a D5 record for assists and tied the division mark for rebounds in the process.

-- Jeff Hagenau | jeffreyhagenau@gmail.com