EDITOR'S NOTE: The Swnews4u.com Athlete of the Week is a web-only feature that will publish each Thursday morning throughout the calendar year.

Abby Kaiser, Jr., G, Potosi girls basketball

     Kaiser is off to an incredible start to her junior season, proving her worth as one of the most talented scorers in the area. Through four games, Kaiser has pumped in conference-best 95 points for the 2–2 Chieftains, and she is not just doing it on one end of the court. The talented Potosi guard is also leading the team in both rebounds and steals. Kaiser’s hot start is worthy of this week’s Mast Water Technology Athlete of the Week award.

     “She is such a tough matchup,” said Potosi head coach Brad Bierman. “She’s 5’9”, but she moves and plays like a guard and she can really jump. If you put a bigger girl on her she can go around them. If you try to put a smaller guard on her, she can rise up and shoot over them in the lane. She is a special talent.”

     Kaiser opened the season with an amazing stat-stuffing performance of 23 points, 13 steals, seven rebounds and six assists in Potosi’s season-opening win at De Soto on Nov. 17. Last Tuesday she scored a career-high 32 points and had eight boards and eight steals in a 68–52 victory over Wauzeka–Steuben. Monday night she pumped in a game-high 25 points, but the Chieftains came up seven points short in a 54–47 non-conference loss at Iowa–Grant. Tuesday night, she again led Potosi with a game-high 15 points in a narrow 44–43 loss at Lancaster.

     Through four games, Kaiser is averaging 23.8 points, 8.0 rebounds, 7.5 steals and 3.5 assists per game. Kaiser scored a team-high 401 points a year ago to earn second-team All-Six Rivers West honors, while helping the Chieftains reach the Division 5 sectional semifinals and in the process became just the third player in school history to top the 400-point mark in a single season.

     Kaiser and the Chieftains will return to action Thursday, Dec. 8 when they open conference play at Highland.

HONORABLE MENTION:

Emma Lawrence, Jr., G, Benton girls basketball

     Lawrence averaged 26 points and 12.5 rebounds as the Zephyrs split a pair of non-conference games last week. Lawrence had 24 points, 14 rebounds and two blocks to lead Benton to a dominating 57–26 victory over Southwestern on Tuesday, Nov. 22. She then posted a game-high 28 points and 11 boards in a narrow 56–55 loss to Platteville last Friday night.

Natalie Leuzinger, Fr., G, Black Hawk girls basketball

     Leuzinger scored 21 of her game-high 28 points in the first half to carry Black Hawk to an easy 61–33 victory over visiting Stockton (Ill.) on Monday night. She added seven steals for the victorious Black Hawk.

Sami Martin, Fr., F/C, Platteville girls basketball

     Martin scored all 14 of her points in the second half and overtime, including a key basket in the final minute of OT that provided the final margin of victory in Platteville’s 58–55 overtime victory at Shullsburg last Tuesday night. He also had six rebounds in the win. Last Friday, the 6-foot freshman led the Hillmen with 17 points and 10 rebounds as Platteville edged Benton 56–55 in another non-conference win.

Blake Robson, So., G, Cuba City boys basketball

     Robson drained a pair of free throws with 10 seconds left to lift the Cubans to a 61–59 non-conference victory over Pecatonica in a non-conference game on Monday night. The win was the 900th career victory of legendary Cuba City coach Jerry Petitgoue, who is now 900–224 in his 50th year of coaching (46th at Cuba City).