Wisconsin High School Sports | Wisconsin Sports Network | WisSports.net

Alexis Eckles of Milwaukee King girls basketball has been selected as the Army National Guard Athlete of the Week for the week of March 12th through the 18th following a statewide vote on WisSports.net.  The Generals top scorer (16.7 ppg) scored what would become the game-sealing shot when she pulled up in the lane with less than a minute left in regulation.  King will face De Pere tonight in the Division 1 girls’ state championship at the Kohl Center in Madison.  Eckles tallied 797 votes (42.5%) to lead an impressive group of nominees from last week.

With their counterparts on the boys side losing a tough game to Germantown in the Division 1 state finals last Saturday, the Lady Generals made an effort to bring a gold ball back to Rufus King one way or the other.  The fifth-ranked team in D1 knocked off Pius and Oak Creek over a week ago  to reach the state tournament for the fourth time in school history.  Eckles, a Drake commit, was the spark plug for King in the winding seconds of the sectional semi-finals game with the Lady Popes.  With 56 seconds left, and the Generals down by one, the senior guard hit a jumper in the lane to put King ahead, 53-52.  With a couple steals after her shot, the Generals put the game away with free throws and a put-back basket.  In the 74-65 sectional finals win over upset-minded Oak Creek, Eckels was second on the team in scoring with 17 points; freshman Shakeela Fowler led the way with 28.

Remember, the only way your favorite player can be named Army National Guard Athlete of the Week is to vote and share the word. Look for the next week's nominees to be posted Sunday afternoon.