I spent last weekend watching Raelin D'Alie play at the WIA State Topurnament

Whether it's a 32-minute high school game or a grueling practice, D'Alie is Waterford's Energizer Bunny.

"It's disgusting," second-year Waterford coach Mark Peperkorn joked. "There will be practices where I work the kids hard and she's not sweating. She'll complain we haven't run enough."

Added D'Alie: "I don't know why, but I've always had a lot of energy. I just go until I can't anymore."

Thanks in large part to the 5-foot-3 D'Alie, the Wolverines are headed to Madison this week for their first state tournament appearance since 1986. Waterford (20-4) will meet Janesville Parker at 8:15 p.m. Thursday in a state quarterfinal at the Alliant Energy Center.

D'Alie scored a game-high 23 points in the Wolverines' 59-43 sectional final victory Saturday over Racine Case at Racine Horlick.

"Those 30 seconds where it was just our team and the student section going crazy was probably the best moment of my career so far," she said. "It was the most excited I've been. Our community and school have (continued) to be great. People have come up to us and simply said thank you."

D'Alie's all-around game has never been better than as a senior. She is averaging about 15 points, six rebounds and four steals per game. She also dishes out six assists, many of them to Lindsey Wutt (13.2-point average) and Megan Chart (9.9).

"I couldn't ask for a better (backcourt) partner," Chart said. "We feed off all her energy."

D'Alie has not chosen a college yet, but Peperkorn said he had been contacted by a number of Division I coaches.

"She constantly pushes the ball down the court," Racine St. Catherine's coach Jeff Tarkowski said. "It's tough to slow her down. She can shoot, go all the way and score or pass to someone for a layup."

D'Alie, a four-year starter who also plays soccer, seemed destined to succeed at athletics. She is one of five sports-loving siblings. She wrestled competitively until the seventh grade and has refined her basketball skills by playing in a boys league.

"All I did growing up was play with the boys," she said.

At times this season, the Waterford girls have scrimmaged against the boys freshman team. Regardless of the opponent, D'Alie does not change her style one iota.

"She's physically strong and has no fear," Peperkorn said. "Sometimes the boys are shocked at this 5-foot-3 girl taking it to the basket."

D'Alie does not mind having to look up to almost all her opponents.

"We're all down there," she said about her family. "I knew I would be small. I can't explain why, but I wouldn't want to be taller."

D'Alie does have an explanation for how Waterford turned its season around. After starting 5-4, the team has won 15 consecutive games.

"We didn't know how to finish games (early)," she said. "We weren't all together, but we started to get to know each other on and off the court. We did more team bonding and about halfway through the season there was a turning point."

A turning point that has yielded a trip to Madison.