EDITOR'S NOTE: The Swnews4u.com Athlete of the Week is a web-only feature that will publish each Thursday throughout the calendar year.
By Casey Lindecrantz, Tri-County Press
Cuba City junior guard reached 1,000 career points win blowout win over Fennimore
CUBA CITY — SWAL conference play opened last week for the Cubans, who trounced Fennimore on the road on Tuesday, 78–37, before closing the week with a win at home over Mineral Point on Friday, 64–42.
The Golden Eagles (4–2, 1–1 SWAL) fell with relative ease as Cuba City went into the break with a 41-17 lead, and it outscored Fennimore 37-20 in the final 18 minutes.
Oliva Olson led the Cubans (5–2, 2–0) in the win tallying a double-double with 23 points and 12 rebounds. Both Dea Crist (14 pts) and Ashley Rowe (12 pts) crossed into double digit scoring. Emily Weigman was also in the mix with eight points on the night.
“Crist and Weigman were both extremely efficient, scoring a combined 22 points on only 12 shots,” Cuba City head coach Jason Derby said. “It was good to see us come out with the energy and focus we did on the second game in two days, which is something we’ve done twice already and will get to do two or three additional times this year.”
The nights later, and the Cubans kept the good times rolling as they blew through the Pointers (4–1, 1–1). Cuba City raced into halftime leading Mineral Point 39–19, and the second half didn’t see the Pointers improve their position.
“We played really well defensively in the first half,” Derby said. “I thought we looked comfortable in the environment throughout the game. We had players across the roster play well for us.”
Olson led the Cubans again with a 19-point effort, and she was joined in strong performances by Alexis Runde (8 pts, 6 reb, 5 ast, 5 stl) and Crist (10 pts, 8 reb).
“I thought (Crist) had her best defensive game of her career so far,” Derby said. “Her defensive positioning and communication are key for us, and she excelled in both.”
Derby also was confident that the next showdown between the two squads on Jan. 23 would be more hotly contested than last Friday’s.
“Mineral Point is a team that will improve rapidly over the season, so it will be another battle when we go up to their place in January,” he said.
On top of kicking off conference play with a pair of wins, there was another high note on Tuesday night. Olson became just the ninth player in program history to score her 1,000th-point.
“She had a great nights all-around,” Derby said of Olson’s performances last week. “She became the ninth Cuban City Cuban in program history to surpass 1,000 career points.”
Between Tuesday’s and Friday’s performances, Olson sits at eighth on the all-time scoring list for the Cuban girls with 1,024 points, surpassing 2019 graduate Elizabeth Misky’s 1,005 career points. Next on the list is Kiera Holzemer, a member of the class of 2020 with 1,092 career points.
HONORABLE MENTION (in alphabetical order):
Lucas Christiansen, Jr., 120 pounds, Iowa–Grant/Highland wrestling
Christiansen went 3–2 to help the Panthers finish second at last Saturday's 32-team Duals in the Dells Tournament. Christiansen's biggest win was a second-period pin over Freedom's Ben Micke in the final match of a 34–31 semifinal victory to put IG/Highland into the championship match against Prairie du Chien.
Blake Thiry, Jr., 215 pounds, Prairie du Chien wrestling
Prairie du Chien junior Blake Thiry picked up his 100th career victory in his first match of the day, becoming the 20th wrestler in program history to reach 100+ wins, then scored a scored a pin in the Blackhawks' 33–32 comeback victory over Iowa–Grant/Highland in the title match of last Saturday's 32-team Duals in the Dells Tournament.
Devin Tydrich, Sr., 144–150 pounds, Lancaster wrestling
Tydrich won both his matches at the Ithaca/Weston Quad by pin on Tuesday, Dec. 5, one in 14 seconds and the other in 28 seconds. He also placed fifth at the Tomah Scramble on Saturday, Dec. 9, with a record of 3-1 He wrestles at 144 and 150 pounds.
