EDITOR'S NOTE: The Swnews4u.com Athlete of the Week is a web-only feature that will publish each Thursday or Friday throughout the calendar year.
By Casey Lindecrantz, Tri-County Press
Ashley Rowe, Sr., G, Cuba City girls basketball
LIVINGSTON — Another Cuban has crossed the 1,000-point career threshold — a 75-38 win at Iowa–Grant on Dec. 16 was just icing on the cake.
The game at the Panthers (1–6, 1–3 SWAL) was about three quarters of the way through the first half before the host team crossed into double figures. Meanwhile, Cuba City (6–3, 4–0) was almost faultless, putting 42 points on the board over the same stretch.
Also reaching a career milestone in the process was Ashley Rowe, who had 13 points on the night. Her most impactful basket came on a layup in transition with a little over five minutes left in the half, putting her the Cubans ahead, 44–10. Rowe’s effort pushed her across 1,000 career points.
"1000 points is a great accomplishment for any athlete," said Cuba City head coach Jason Derby. "It is more impressive when it's done within the success, goals, and game plan of the rest of the team. Ashley has done that. She's reached 1000 points without taking selfish shots or compromising her team's or teammates' success. She's done it while tallying over 300 assists to teammates over her career and included her teammates the whole way.
"There are many, many players with strong work ethic, skill, and a drive to improve that never reach 1000 points. However, it is next to impossible to do the opposite: reach 1000 points without that strong work ethic, skill, and drive to improve. Ashley is no exception to that, and we couldn't be more excited to get to be a part of the accomplishment."
The race to the break featured a 57–16 advantage for Cuba City as it went into the locker room, and while Iowa–Grant crept four points closer to the final buzzer, a 41-point split at the stoppage was too much to overcome.
Aly Ingersoll (22 pts) and Ali Morovits (20 pts) led scoring for the Cubans, followed by Rowe. Rowe’s pace-setting effort came in steals (7) and assists (5), while 10 rebounds by Bethany Daugherty were a team-high.
