Stock Risers Heading into the New Year

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Today is the final day of the year, and we'll publish my final two articles of the year before moving on to the second half of the high school season. Today, I'll be highlighting some players who are helping themselves by playing excellent basketball as they figure out their next step after graduating from high school. That said, let's highlight some stock risers from the first half of the 2025-26 season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Athena Lehman</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Shell Lake has an intriguing unit with Athena Lehman and another 6'2 forward in their frontcourt. Each of those two is averaging a double-double, and I've highlighted Lehman's frontcourt mate this season, and I wanted to highlight her to end the year. Lehman is a physical kid who can power her way through contact around the basket and will have a role to play at the next level. Everyone is looking for a physical post player, and Lehman is a good one.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Allyah Schwem</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Viroqua native may be the most entertaining player to watch this season, and I'd highly reccommend watching a stream of one of her games if you can. Schwem is an excellent athlete who went to the state track meet last spring. However, watching her run circles around defenders on the court is incredible. She can beat a press on her own and always wants to get downhill. Schwem has plenty of room to grow, but there aren't many players who move as she does with the ball in her hands.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='751240' first='Autumn' last='Crowe']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The St. Mary Catholic guard/wing is one of the best athletes and most physical players in D4 this season. Crowe has been one of the best rebounders I've seen this year, and her ability to put pressure on the rim is second-to-none in D4. She has attacked the basket at will and earned second-chance points by rebounding on the offensive glass. I thought she had an opportunity to take a massive step forward this season, but she's exceeded even the highest expectations I may have had.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='751245' first='Avery' last='Glenz']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Glenz and Eleva-Strum have been one of the perimeter groups in D5 this calendar year, and it's in part due to their junior guard/wing. Glenz is a do-it-all player who can create with the ball in her hands for herself and her teammates. She has helped turn her program around and has them in the conversation of potentially winning a state title this March. She is a well-rounded player who will have plenty of opportunities to play at the next level, if she doesn't already.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->