Athletes of the week: Annandale's Knickerbocker assumes scoring load

CHASE KNICKERBOCKER, Annandale • basketball

Graduation has left Knickerbocker, now a senior, as one of the few holdovers from Annandale's Class 2A state tournament teams of 2013 and 2014. It's meant a larger role for the 6-6 forward.

So far, so good. The Cardinals won three times last week, improving to 7-5, thanks toKnickerbocker. He had 34 points in a 65-59 victory over Morris, a school-record 44 in a 68-61 victory over Cannon Falls and 22, despite a box-and-1 defense designed to stop him, in a victory over Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted.

Knickerbocker, who has signed with Minnesota-Crookston, wasn't aware that he was approaching a school record for points until the opportunity was staring him in the face.

"I had made three three-pointers in a row and that put me at 42," he said. "I went to the [free-throw] line with 9 seconds left and I knew the record was 43. That's when it hit me."

Scoring aside, Knickerbocker said more important is how well the Cardinals have been playing recently.

"We got three victories, " he said. That's the thing I'm most excited for."

ANDRAYAH ADAMS, St. Paul Como Park • basketball

The junior guard led the Cougars to the championship of the Burnsville Tournament. She had 28 points in a 66-63 win over Rochester Lourdes and 32 points — her sixth 30-point game of the season — in a 64-61 victory over Burnsville.

MATTHEW BONCICH, Cretin-Derham Hall • wrestling

The senior 195-pounder improved to 13-0 this season with seven victories last week. He won four times in leading the Raiders to the team title at the North St. Paul Duals and took first place at his weight with three wins at Tartan's Clash of the Titans.

BAILEY DUPAY, Northfield • gymnastics

The senior, a multiple-time athlete of the week, earned another mention with a dominant performance at the MJGA Invite Saturday in Faribault. She won all four events en route to an all-around score of 38.625, the best of the season in Minnesota by nearly a full point.

ADAM HEDIN, Rosemount • wrestling

The junior, who is the No. 2-ranked wrestler in the state at 132 pounds in Class 3A, won the 138-pound title at the 60-team Rumble on the Red in Fargo, N.D. He defeated four-time North Dakota state champ Erik Loepp 3-2 in double overtime in the finals.

SAM SCHILLING, Minnetonka • swimming

In Saturday's Maroon and Gold Invitational at the University of Minnesota, Schilling was the lone two-event winner from Minnesota in the elite Gold Division. He won the 200 freestyle in 1:42.27 and the 500 freestyle in 4:39.64, helping the Skippers to third place.

TAYLOR WENTE, Maple Grove • hockey

The sophomore forward paced the undefeated Crimson (15-0-1) to four victories last week, including the championship of the Edina Tournament, scoring five goals and adding four assists.