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 Jason Nihles, The Platteville Journal
Davyn Edge, Sr., G/F, Platteville boys basketball,
The Southwest Wisconsin Conference champion Platteville Hillmen rolled to a pair victories over Mauston and Lodi last weekend to win the program's first regional title since 2018, and senior Davyn Edge played a huge roll in both games with his all-around production.
Edge averaged 19 points, 9.5 rebounds, 9.5 assists and 2 steals in the two wins and helped the Hillmen with his scoring, rebounding, passing and defense.
He first posted a double–double of 13 points and 12 assists, and added an crowd-pleasing breakaway dunk in Friday's 101–67 victory over No. 8 seed Mauston. A night later, Edge led the offensive again, this time with his scoring, pouring in a game-high 25 points on 7 of 13 from the field, and 9 of 12 from the free throw line in an 80–66 Division 3 regional final victory over No. 4 seed Lodi. Edge also posted seven rebounds, seven assists and three steals in the win.
Edge's strong play helped Platteville advance to the WIAA sectional semifinals for the third time under head coach Mike Huser (2017, 2018, 2024), and the sixth time (1984, 1993, 1997, 2017, 2018, 2024) since Platteville last advance to the WIAA State Tournament in 1967.
Edge and the #7-ranked Hillmen (23–3) will now face No. 3 seed Wisconsin Dells (20–6) Thursday night at 7 p.m. at Dodgeville for a WIAA D3 sectional semifinal. The winner will advance to Saturday's D3 sectional final against either #5-ranked Lakeside Lutheran (24–2) or #8-ranked Lake Mills (23–3).
Platteville beat the Chiefs 64–54 Monday, Feb. 19 at Platteville High School.
HONORABLE MENTION (in alphabetical order):
Zach McClain, Sr., C, Platteville boys basketball
McClain posted 16 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and four blocked, and added a pair of one-hand dunks in Platteville's 67-point second half to lift the Hillmen to a 101–67 regional semifinal victory over Mauston last Friday night. McClain then finished with 12 points and nine rebounds despite first-half foul trouble in Saturday's 80–66 regional final victory over Lodi.
Will Murray, Sr., F, Darlington boys basketball
Murray had 21 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks to lead Darlington to a 65–54 Division 4 regional final victory over Belleville last Saturday night. Murray also had 18 points, eight rebounds and four assists a night earlier to help the SWAL co-champion Redbirds (24–2) to a 77–57 regional semifinal victory over Brodhead last Friday night. Darlington will face SWAL rival and co-champion Mineral Point (24–2) in a D4 sectional semifinal Thursday at 7 p.m. at Lancaster High School.
Garrison Tashner, Sr., PG, Platteville boys basketball
Tashner erupted for a career-high 26 points to help lead Platteville to a 67-point second half explosion that resulted in a 101–67 victory over Mauston in a WIAA Division 3 regional semifinal last Friday night. Tashner shot 10 of 13 from the field, including 5 of 7 on 3-pointers, and chipped in four assists and three rebounds in the win. Tashner posted 10 points, eight assists, seven rebounds and two steals in Saturday night's 80–66 regional final win over Lodi.
Aiden Uppena, Jr., F, Potosi boys basketball
The 6-foot-6 Uppena had a fantastic week averaging 16 points on 58.6 percent shooting (17 of 29) and 6.3 rebounds to lead the Six Rivers West West champion Chieftains (23–4) to a WIAA Division 5 regional title. Uppena had 12 points and five rebounds in last Tuesday's 68–27 first-round blowout of Wonewoc–Center, then had 17 points and four rebounds in Friday's regional semifinal win over Hillsboro, before a 19-point, eight-rebound performance in Saturday's 79–62 regional final victory over Ithaca.
Emily Wiegman, Jr., G, Cuba City girls basketball
Wiegman, who averages 6.8 points per game, went off for a season- and game-high 22 points in Cuba City's 67–52 Division 4 sectional final victory over No. 1 seed Neillsville (23–5). She also scored nine points a night earlier in the Cubans' 70–48 win over another No. 1 New Glarus (23–3) in a sectional semifinal last Saturday night.
