Oostburg's Brynn Wisse reflects on career as 1,000-point scorer, 'quiet leader'

OOSTBURG — With the game and a conference championship on the line Tuesday, Oostburg Flying Dutchmen girls basketball player Brynn Wisse did what she has been trained to do — come up clutch.

Wisse hit a pair of 3-pointers late in the victory over the Sheboygan Lutheran Crusaders to help Oostburg claim a fifth-straight Big East-South title.

It was just another highlight in Wisse’s career which has seen her recently cross the 1,000-point plateau for her career.

And Flying Dutchmen coach Isaiah Ketterhagen says its exactly the type of shooting he wanted to see unlocked when Wisse joined varsity as a freshman.

“Brynn’s been fun to watch because we have really worked on her from freshman year to being kind of a mid-range to all the way to a 3-pointer shooter,” Ketterhagen said.

After a freshman season where she was learning and adjusting to varsity, Ketterhagen says Wisse took off the next season.

“Sophomore year she came out of the woodwork because you could tell her summer was really strong,” Ketterhagen said. “She really worked at those parts of her game. She’s an inside out, got a beautiful reach and beautiful post game.”

She’s been a model of consistency since then, scoring at least 330 points her sophomore and junior seasons. Wisse is on pace to once again do so as a senior for a team which has won 21-straight games and is ranked No. 3 in Division 3 in the latest Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association poll with state title aspirations.

It’s the type of production Wisse didn’t expect.

“I don’t know if I’d have believed it back then but I’ve had the privilege to play on a good team every year,” Wisse said.

Ketterhagen says while Wisse’s success has been in part due to the team’s overall success, as evidenced as the four conference championships the program has won in her career, the senior is making the most of her opportunities.

“Brynn comes from a long line of athletes in her family,” Ketterhagen said. “I think a lot of that has been passed down to Brynn and she brings that stuff in. She is the most quiet, hardworking leader. That combination of quiet and hardworking. She goes about and does her job at a high level. She can score nine points or 25 and she’s the same old Brynn.”

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Ketterhagen’s twin daughters, sophomore’s Riley and Ady Ketterhagen, both spoke about the benefit they’ve gained by Wisse taking them under her wing.

“We all take after Brynn,” Ady said. “Brynn is such a hard worker and a positive person that we all love being around her.”

During Tuesday’s 68-60 win over Sheboygan Lutheran, Riley says Wisse gave her a pep talk at halftime which made all the difference. After scoring just six points in the first half, Riley scored 14 after Wisse’s words of encouragement to finish with 20 points.

“It means everything,” Riley said of Wisse’s leadership. “It’s good to have a senior leader. She’s a quiet leader but she comes up when we need it. During the game she patted me on the back at halftime. I wasn’t on but she said, ‘We need you, let’s go.’”

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The twins might average a combined 40 points, but just as she’s done her whole career Wisse plays her role to perfection.

“I try to encourage them always and let them know they’re doing good or if they’re down on themselves let them know they’ve got this,” Wisse said. “We’ve got each others back always.”

When it matters most, as it did against the Crusaders, Wisse delivers.

“Her success kind of goes with the team, the kids find her open and she gives us that other threat,” Isaiah said.

Added Riley:

“Her shot is fire,” Riley said. “Every time I think its going in. The coaches have instilled confidence in herself and she believes in that now.”

When her time comes to an end in Oostburg, Wisse has very modest hopes for legacy in the program.

“I just hope that it was I was always happy and played my role,” Wisse said.

Adding state champion wouldn’t be a terrible way to end, either, as the Ketterhagen twins were quick to add they don’t intend to stop playing with their teammate anytime soon.

Contact Tom Dombeck at 920-686-2965 or tdombeck@htrnews.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @Tom_Dombeck.

This article originally appeared on Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter: Oostburg girls basketball's Brynn Wisse reflects on impactful career