EDITOR'S NOTE: The Swnews4u.com Athlete of the Week is a web-only feature that will publish each Thursday afternoon thruoughout the calendar year.
Sierra Brecke, Sr., Platteville girls basketball
Friday's Southwest Wisconsin Conference game against sixth-ranked Dodgeville was supposed to be a litmus test for the Platteville girls basketball team, a chance to gauge how well the Hillmen could match up with the reigning SWC champs.
First-year head coach Brandon Temperly's squad passed with flying colors.
Senior forward Sierra Brecke posted her fifth straight 20-point game of the season, pouring in a game-high 26 points on 10 of 15 shooting and grabbed a game-high nine rebounds to spur a surprising 66–37 rout of the preseason SWC favorite Dodgers and earn this week's Mast Water Technology Athlete of the Week award.
“Sierra has put in a lot of hard work this offseason,” said Temperly, who coach the Platteville boys JV last year, after five years as the Waupaca girls basketball coach. “She stays after practice to get extra shots up, with many of her teammates. She is a matchup problem for many teams since she can handle the ball and step outside for 3's or she can pound others in the post. Her teammates do a great job of feeding her when she is open and Sierra takes advantage. To improve the way Sierra has this year really shows how much extra time she has been willing to put in.”
Last Tuesday, Brecke scored a game-high 25 points and had six rebounds in a 66–51 non-conference victory at Darlington.
Through five games Brecke is averaging a league-best 27 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2 steals per game, while shooting 58.5 percent (48-for-82) from the field with 10 three-pointers for the undefeated Hillmen (5–0, 2–0 SWC).
HONORABLE MENTION:
Isaac Anderson, Sr., Iowa–Grant boys basketball
The sweet-shooting senior forward surpassed the 1,000-point mark for his career with a basket late in the first-half of last Friday's 71–67 victory over visiting Southwestern. The game was stopped briefly to honor the four-year varsity starter with a 1,000-point game ball signed by all his teammates. Anderson went on to finish the game with 29 points and a team-high nine rebounds. Monday night, Anderson scored a game-high 20 points in a 59–38 non-conference victory over Platteville as the Panthers improved to 4–1 on the season.
“Isaac is a very versatile scored and extremely level headed when he plays,” said Iowa–Grant head coach Toby Tripalin. “He never gets rattled and that allows him to stay focused and in control and not dwell on a missed shot or turnover; he stays focused. His ability to beat you from the outside and inside really gives us a valuable weapon and we do a nice job finding him in his comfort areas. Isaac scored 1,000 points the right way, by being extremely unselfish and put his team first always.”
Anderson is averaging 24 points and more than eight rebounds a game this year for the Panthers.
Brianna Leahy, So., Shullsburg girls basketball
The sophomore center had a big week leading the Miners to a 4–0 record. She averaged 18 points, 13 rebounds, five blocked shots, two assists and a steal per game for Shullsburg (6–0, 1–0) in wins over Boscobel, 57–45, Highland, 60–32, Dakota (Ill.), 65–37, and Pearl City (Ill.), 51–44. Against Boscobel, she pulled down 18 rebounds to tie her older sister Maureen's school record.
Abby Kaiser, So., Potosi girls basketball
Kasier had 15 points, 10 steals and eight rebounds to lead Potosi (5–1, 2–0) to a dominating 82–51 victory at Belmont last Thursday night. Kaiser also scored a game-high 21 points to go with six rebounds and six steals in the Chieftains' 78–47 victory over Argyle last Tuesday. Kaiser is averaging a conference-best 20 points, 7.2 rebounds, 6.0 steals and 3.5 assists per game for Potosi, which has scored at least 74 points in all five of their wins.
Angie Maag, Jr., Fennimore girls basketball
The junior center came of the bench to scored a game-high 21 points and corralled a whopping 29 rebounds to lead Fennimore to a 49–47 double–overtime victory over visiting Iowa–Grant last Tuesday night. Maag played extended minutes in the absence of leading scorer Cheyenne Udelhoven, who eventually fouled out in regulation with just two points. Maag had eight points and five rebounds in a win over Highland last Monday for the Golden Eagles (2–5, 1–2 SWAL).
Bradon Roen, Jr., Riverdale wrestling
Roen won his first prep wrestling title by going 5–0 to capture the 152-pound championship at Saturday's Waunakee Warrior Invitational. Roen (10–0) defeated previously unbeaten Nate Lorenz of Waunakee in the semifinals, 6–1, the blanked a second-straight undefeated state qualifier Jacob DeMeyer of Rhinelander, 6–0, in the championship match. Roen also scored a 6–1 decision, just one of two Riverdale victories, in Friday's 63–6 SWAL dual meet loss to ninth-ranked Mineral Point.
Devon Schmitz, So., Richland Center boys basketball
The sophomore guard scored a career-high 30 points, including six in overtime, as the Hornets (1–4) ended a 28-game losing streak with a 71–68 non-conference victory over Wonewoc–Center on Monday night. Schmitz also scored a team-high 23 points in Saturday's
76–64 loss to Hillsboro at Wisconsin Dells' Just A Game Fieldhouse and seven points in last Thursday's SWC loss to Prairie du Chien. Schmitz is averaging a team-high 17 points per game.
Max Stockwell, Sr., Hillsboro boys basketball
The senior forward had 22 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists to lead Hillsboro (3–0, ranked first in Division 5) to a 78–57 season-opening victory at Royall last Friday night. Stockwell, a three-time All-Scenic Bluffs Conference performer and 2015 WBCA Division 5 all-state selection, scored 25 points and grabbed nine boards in a 76-64 win over Richland Center Saturday at Just A Game Fieldhouse in Wisconsin Dells, and had 23 points and eight rebounds in Monday's 68–35 win at La Farge.
