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 Jason Nihles, The Platteville Journal, Fennimore Times, Boscobel Dial
Lucas Ludlum, Sr., G, Platteville boys basketball
POTOSI — Senior Lucas Ludlum scored 10 of his career-high 31 points in the final seven minutes, and Platteville forced four straight Potosi turnovers to spur the Hillmen to a wild 64–59 comeback victory at Potosi last Tuesday night.
The Chieftains led by 11 at 52–41 with 7:24 left, but the Hillmen responded with a 15–0 run over the next two minutes and held on for the five-point win
“When we were down 11 points, we told our guys that we were ready to make our run,” said Platteville head coach Mike Huser. “We felt that Potosi had expended a lot of energy to build the lead and it was our time to really ramp up our pressure and we could force some quick turnovers and if we converted them, we would be right back in the game.
“Our guys believe in what we are doing and they responded magnificently. Of course, we made some quick three-point baskets but our defensive effort on both the full and half court was much better in the second half. Our kids really responded and battled back but they never wavered from our plan.”
Potosi senior Dawson Weber, who scored 15 of his team-high 21 points in the second half, pushed Potosi’s led back to 11 at 52–41 on a bank shot from the block with 7:24 left.
Senior Nathan Mumm was fouled shooting a 3-pointer on Platteville’s ensuing possession and made all three free throw attempts to begin the 15–0 run. Junior Myron Reuter made a 3-pointer at the 5:48 mark following a Potosi turnover, then Ludlum splashed a triple following his own steal just seconds later to trim the deficit to two points at 52–50.
After another Hillmen steal in the backcourt, Ludlum gave Platteville a 53–52 lead when he converted a 3-point play with 5:26 left. Potosi committed its fourth straight turnover and senior Jonah Vorwald hit a 3-pointer from the left corner to make it 56–52 with 5:06 remaining.
Weber kept Potosi close with a 3-point play of his own on the opposite end, but Ludlum was fouled and made a pair of free throws to make it 58–55. Senior Oliver Post scored on Potosi’s next possession, but Reuter made 4 of 6 at the free throw line in the final 1:13 to close out the Platteville win.
Ludlum finished with 31 points on 10 of 18 shooting, 12 rebounds, five steals and two assists.
Ludlum and the Hillmen continued its momentum with a 75–57 non-conference win at Fennimore in the nightcap of a girls–boys non-conference doubleheader. The senior WBCA D3 All-State selection from a year ago pumped in 28 points, grabbed eight rebounds, and had four assists and four steals to lead the Hillmen. Ludlum is currently averaging an SWC-best 25.5 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.8 steals and 3.2 assists per game for the 4–1 Hillmen.
Tristan Steldt., Sr., 165 pounds, Fennimore wrestling
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Fennimore wrestling team bounced back from SWAL dual meet loss to Mineral Point last Tuesday with a strong showing this past weekend at the 74-team Kansas City Stampede. The two-day tournament featured teams from 14 states.
Senior Tristan Steldt (11–1), who place fourth a year ago at the Stampede, went 5–1 and placed second at 165 pounds this year. He breezed to the finals with a pin and four dominating technical falls to score a team-high 30 points to lead the Golden Eagles (96.5) to an 18th place team finish.
Steldt’s run for an individual title ended when was caught in a scramble and pinned by Jadyn Johnson (20–0) of Melissa (Tex.) in the 165-pound championship match.
“I think Tristan’s own expectations were to perform really well and go in there and win it,” said first-year Fennimore head coach Riley Lull. “He came up short, but that’s wrestling. He was unfortunate to be on the losing end of the scramble in his last match, but he dominated leading up to the finals and showed the type of wrestler he is.”
After going 3–0 on Friday to earn a spot in quarterfinals, Steldt dominated William Emendorfer of Baylor School (Tenn.), 16–0, then Kenneth Carter of McAlester (Okla.), 19–3 in the semifinals. Steldt’s 62-man bracket featured four Division 1 recruits (including Steldt who has committed to Pittsburgh), and state champions from multiple states.
HONORABLE MENTION (in alphabetical order):
Aiden Keleher, Jr., G, Southwestern boys basketball
Keleher posted a game-high 21 points, seven rebounds, three assists and five steals to lead the Division 5 #5-ranked Wildcats (7–1, 3–1 SWAL) to a commanding 83–36 win over Boscobel last Friday night. Keleher is leading the balanced Wildcats in both scoring (14.8 ppg) and rebounding (5.9 rpg) through eight games.
Jonah Knowles, Jr., F, Boscobel boys basketball
Knowles posted a rare 12-rebound, 10-block double–double in a SWAL loss at Southwestern last Friday night. Knowles is currently fourth in the entire state with 31 blocks shots and a 4.4 blocks per game average. Knowles posted two points, 16 rebounds and three blocks in the Bulldogs 57–54 win over Wisconsin Heights Monday night. It was Boscobel's (1–7) first win of the season.
Ashley Rowe, Sr., G, Cuba City girls basketball
Rowe had game-high 19 points, seven assists, six steals and five rebounds in a 79–38 SWAL win over Riverdale last Tuesday night, then posted a game-high 22 points, seven assists, five rebounds and two steals in an 83–26 SWAL win at Boscobel Friday night as the Division 4 #2-ranked Cubans improved to 9–0 overall and 5–0 in the SWAL.
Dylan Weigel, Jr., 144 pounds, Belmont/Platteville wrestling
Weigel (15–2) won the 144-pound title with a 19–4 technical fall over GET/Melrose–Mindoro's Jayce Stetzer (12–2) after a bye, a 20–5 tech fall and a 13–2 major decision to help the Belmont/Platteville wrestling team finish third at the 17-team Richland Center Invitational last Saturday. Weigel recorded his 100th career victory a week earlier when he placed second to help BP win the nine-team Sugar River Raider Invitational.
Emily Wiegman, Sr., G, Cuba City girls basketball
Wiegman made 7 of 9 3-point attempts to set a new school record for 3-point makes and scored a career-high 25 points in a 72–39 win over Galena (Ill.) in the Wendy's Classic at Loras College Saturday, Dec. 14.
Dalton Wolf, Sr., 285 pounds, Fennimore wrestling
Wolf (13–4) overcame a second-round loss to Noah Cooper (Mo.), Wolf recorded six straight pins to reach the consolation semifinals at 285 pounds. He suffered a 5–2 overtime loss to Brady Hagan of Dowling Catholic (Iowa) and ended his tournament with a loss to Liberty’s (Mo.) Trenton Bindel in the fifth-place match. Wolf placed sixth, led then entire 75-team tournament with seven pins and scored 25 team points for the Golden Eagles. “Dalton Wolf competed like how we know he can this weekend,” said Fennimore head coach Riley Lull. “He had a tough loss at Mineral Point, and lost early at the Stampeded but battled back with six straight wins and led the tournament with seven pins.”
