KIMBERLY (WLUK) -- Kimberly entered Saturday's Division 1 girls basketball regional final knowing its opponent wasn't your normal seven seed.
The No. 2 Papermakers were facing Notre Dame, a team that had played in the last four Division 2 state title games, winning three. Maybe the Tritons aren't the same team this season as past years due to graduation and injury, but they're respected.
So Kimberly came out ready, opened an 18-8 lead and managed to pull off a comfortable 57-38 win, its second win over the Tritons this season, which sends the Papermakers to a Thursday sectional semifinal against Hartford.
"Notre Dame's a very good team," senior Raegan Krueger said. "I give them credit for going to state four years in a row. It's amazing we stuck this one out and played tough."
Krueger was a catalyst for Kimberly (25-1). In her second game back from a knee injury she suffered Feb. 1, Krueger scored the game's first points en route to a 17-point game. She looked healthy and moved great, as you would never know she was injured, except for the brace on her left knee.
"Everything's going great so far, I feel amazing," Krueger said. "Brace isn't the best thing in a world, but I'll keep wearing it so I can keep playing for this team."
In addition to Krueger, sophomore Ava Van Vonderen scored a game-high 19 points, with many baskets coming on cuts to the basket.
"We just need to play at our pace and tonight we really touched the paint," Lepisto said. "Great having Raegan back, Ava was cutting extremely well and we've been working with them learning how to cut one kid at a time."
Van Vonderen and Krueger combined for two fewer points than Notre Dame (17-9) scored. Kimberly's defense stymied Notre Dame throughout, holding the Tritons to a season low in points.
"If we could keep them under 50, I thought we we were going to be able to score enough," Lepisto said. "They one-upped me because we kept them under 40. You have to be able to guard them and if you can't guard them it makes your life miserable."
Kimberly's next step, as it tries to make the state tournament for the first time since 2019, is beating Hartford in a battle of two of the top four-ranked teams in the state. Kimberly is No. 3, Hartford No. 4.
The Papermakers have won nine straight games since losing its only game of the season to Pewaukee. They feel good about how they are playing.
"I feel really good about ourselves, we've been playing great," Krueger said. "We've been moving the ball, we've been moving it inside-out like we've been working on the whole season, and if we just keep playing the way we play and not step down to anyone else or play the way people want us to play, we'll be in very good shape."