EDITOR'S NOTE: The Swnews4u.com Athlete of the Week is a web-only feature that will publish each Thursday throughout the calendar year.
Sami Martin, Fr., Platteville girls basketball
Platteville’s Sami Martin posted a monster double–double and drained a pair of clutch free throws with eight seconds left to lift the Hillmen to a conference title-clinching 73–68 win over Richland Center last Friday night. Martin finished with 25 points and a career-high 21 rebounds and as the Hillmen improved to 8–0 in the Southwest Conference and clinched at least a share of a second straight league title. Martin then scored a team-high 13 points on 6 of 7 shooting and grabbed six boards as the Hillmen clinched the outright conference crown with a 54–18 victory at Prairie du Chien on Monday night. She added 16 points and 10 rebounds, her 11th double–double of the season, in a 62–41 non-conference victory over Iowa–Grant on Tuesday, Platteville’s seventh straight win.
“Sami brought her ‘A game’ both times we have faced the Hornets this year,” said Platteville head coach Brandon Temperly. “Twenty-five points is very impressive, but to grab 21 rebounds shows an incredible work ethic and toughness. Her teammates were able to get her the ball in good positions and she capitalized. She has a good head on her shoulders and understands she is the beneficiary of her own work and the work of others. She is very quick to give credit to her teammates.”
Martin is this week’s Mast Water Technology Athlete of the Week after averaging 18 points and 12.3 rebounds per game in three Platteville wins over the past week. The Hillmen will close out the regular season Friday night at Dodgeville before opening the WIAA Division 3 playoffs a week from Friday with a regional semifinal game at PHS. Second-seeded Platteville will face the winner of Tuesday’s #10 Prairie du Chien (1–20) at #7 River Valley (7–14) regional quarterfinal.
“This group had a vision of a conference championship from the beginning of the season,” added Temperly. “That is a credit to them and to last year’s team for raising the expectations of our program. Championships do not come easy and I am proud of this group to staying focused all season. We have more games to go so the focus will need to continue but February/March Madness is right around the corner. This is a great time of year.”
HONORABLE MENTION (in alphabetical order):
Gavin Greene, Sr., F, Seneca boys basketball
Greene made an astonishing 11 3-pointers and scored a game and career-high 33 points to lead fifth-ranked and undefeated Seneca (19–0) to a 98–29 victory over Weston last Tuesday night. Greene then scored 11 points in the Indians’ 82–41 victory over visiting North Crawford last Friday night.
Dan Iselin, Sr., Platteville/Lancaster boys swimming
A week after winning a pair of individual conference titles, Platteville’s Dan Iselin qualified for the WIAA Division 2 state championships with a pair of sixth-place finishes in the 100-yard butterfly (56.62) and the 100 backstroke (57.62) at last Saturday’s D2 Stoughton Sectional.
Reid Larson, So., G, Fennimore boys basketball
Larson made four 3-pointers and finished with 21 points, seven rebounds and three assists in a 74–46 win at Cuba City last Thursday night. He then had 13 points, eight boards and four assists in a 69–50 win at Southwestern Monday night and followed that up with a 16-point, five-rebound, four-steal performance in a 63–54 win over Iowa–Grant on Tuesday night. Larson is averaging 17.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game for the Golden Eagles (14–6, 9–3), who have won six straight games.
Madison Rizner, Jr., Richland Center girls basketball
Rizner scored 25 of her game-high 33 points in the second half and twice cut the Platteville lead to two points in the final two minutes of last Friday’s SWC girls basketball showdown. Rizner, who sat out most of the first half with two fouls, also grabbed nine rebounds in the game. Richland Center ultimately fell five points short, 73–68, but it wasn’t for a lack of effort and will on Rizner’s part.
Justin Tollefson, Sr., 145, Fennimore wrestling
Tollefsen (39–6) won his fourth straight individual WIAA regional title with a pin of Iowa–Grant/Highland junior Clayton Kite to win the 145-pound weight class at last Saturday’s D3 Riverdale regional. Tollefsen’s performance helped the Golden Eagles outscore Mineral Point 270.5–200.5 to win a third-straight regional team title. Tuesday night, Tollefsen scored a pair of pins to help Fennimore defeat both Westby, 57–9, and SWAL rival Darlington/Black Hawk, 43–24, to win the D3 Orfordville Parkview team sectional Tuesday night an earn a third straight trip to the WIAA D3 Team State Tournament, that will be held March 4 at the UW Fieldhouse in Madison.
Kolbe Ubersox, So., 132, Darlington/Black Hawk wrestling
Kolbe Ubersox (37–2) won the 132-pound regional title at the Marshall WIAA Division 3 Meet on Saturday, Feb. 11, after defeating previously unbeaten and #1-ranked Cal Hansen (41–1) of Deerfield by injury default in the championship match. Ubersox led by a score of 2–1 in the second period when Hansen was injured. The WarBirds went on to win their second straight regional team title with 270.5 points. At the team sectional meet at Ordfordville Parkview on Tuesday, Feb. 14, Ubersox helped the WarBirds advance to the sectional final dual meet before falling to Fennimore by a score of 43–24. Ubersox, a sophomore from Darlington, pinned Brookwood's Colton Brueggeman in 1:48 in the WarBirds' 54–26 sectional semifinal win over the Falcons, and then defeated Fennimore's Hunter Wardell by a score of 5–1 in the sectional final match to improve to 37–2 on the season.
