EDITOR'S NOTE: The Swnews4u.com Athlete of the Week is a web-only feature that will publish each Thursday throughout the calendar year.
Sophie Langkamp, Jr., Potosi girls basketball
Potosi junior forward Sophie Langkamp played her biggest game of the season to lead the Chieftains to a 65-59 overtime win over visiting Belmont last Thursday night. The 5-foot-9 Langkamp, who was giving up two inches to Belmont’s front line of senior Caitlyn Gilbertson, and juniors Briana Ernst and Kassandra Palzkill scored five of the six points in the extra session and finished the game with a career-high 25 points and a new career-high 17 rebounds. Langkamp is the standout choice for this week’s Mast Water Technology SWnews4U.com Athlete of the Week award.
Langkamp drew Gilbertson’s fifth foul 20 seconds into overtime and converted the three-point to give Potosi (5–5, 2–2 Six Rivers West) a 62–59 lead. Two minutes later she scored again on a feed from classmate Abby Kaiser to make it a five-point game with just over a minute left in OT. Langkamp hit a big 3-pointer midway through the second half after Belmont had taken 34–35 lead. She then scored eight points in Potosi’s 17–4 game-turning run, that gave the Chieftains a 55–50 lead with 4:13 remaining.
Belmont head coach Alan Seabrooke admitted Langkamp was the difference in last Thursday’s Six Rivers West overtime game. “Sophie Langkamp had a great game for Potosi, more doubling her scoring average in the game,” said the Belmont coach.
Langkamp, who entered the game averaging 11.8 points per game, has picked it up as of late scoring in double figures in each of her last three games, averaging 16.7 points per game during the stretch to bump her season scoring average to 13.1 points per contest, which is second on the team.
Langkamp and the Chieftains will return to action Friday at second-place Benton (6–3, 3–1).
HONORABLE MENTION (in alphabetical order):
Sami Martin, Fr., and Skye Digman, Jr., Platteville girls basketball
The Hillmen twin towers combined to scored 51 points and grab 17 rebounds in last Friday’s 87–81 Southwest Wisconsin Conference victory at previously unbeaten and eighth-ranked Richland Center (9–1, 3–1 SWC). Martin, a 6-foot-1 freshman center scored 17 of her team-high 27 points in the first half, and grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds. Digman, a 5’10” junior forward, poured in 20 of her 24 points in the second half, including four clutch free throws and two huge defensive rebounds in the final 25 seconds to put the game out of reach. Dogma finished with seven rebounds as Platteville improved to 8–3 overall and took over sole possession of first place in the SWC at 3–0.
Max Maylor, Jr., 152, Iowa–Grant/Highland wrestling
The Highland junior and two-time state qualifier picked up his 100th career victory with a quarterfinal pin then went on to win the 152-pound title at Saturday’s 14-team Lancaster Invitational. Maylor (20–1) is currently the number two ranked wrestler in Division 3 at 152 pounds, behind Stratford senior Mason Kauffman.
Aaron McCarthy, Sr., 285, Cuba City/Benton/Southwestern wrestling
The senior heavyweight went 4–0 to win the 285-pound title at the 14-team Lancaster Invitational last Saturday. McCarthy (15–1) also posted a hard-fought 1–0 victory, just one of two Cuban wins, in Friday’s 56–6 dual meet loss to Darlington/Black Hawk last Friday night. McCarthy is currently ranked ninth in Division 2 at 285 pounds.
Joey Meyer, Sr., C, Shullsburg boys basketball
Shullsburg’s 6-foot-9 senior center scored 39 points in a pair of big wins for the undefeated Miners (9–0, 4–0 Six Rivers West). Meyer scored a game-high 18 points and had a thunderous first-half dunk in Shullsburg’s dominating 80–25 win over Benton last Friday night, then 24 hours the towering senior scored a season-high 21 points to lead the Miners to a 79–43 non-conference win over visiting Galena.
Cade Rohorbach, So., G, Platteville boys basketball
The sophomore guard hit four 3-pointers and scored a career-high 20 points in Platteville’s 66–51 victory at Richland Center last Friday night. The Hillmen improved to 7–2 overall and 3–0 in the SWC.
