Area Distributors Area Athlete of the Week: Central’s Breyhar Wiskirchen

CAMP POINT, Ill. — A position change is allowing Breyhar Wiskirchen the comfort to carry the Central boys basketball team to success, just like he did last Friday night.

The junior guard scored 22 points, including 15 in the second half, as the Panthers went on the road and upset state-ranked Liberty 57-53. The Panthers withstood the Eagles’ fourth-quarter rally — Liberty scored 24 points in the final frame to nearly erase a 14-point deficit — with Wiskirchen hitting the fourth of his four 3-pointers.

“He attacked downhill,” Central coach James Barnett said. “When you get him going, he has fun out there and he’s excited to play. It’s fun coaching a group like that.”

Last season, Barnett and the Central coaching staff moved Wiskirchen from point guard to a wing guard.

“He’s really taken a hold of it, and we’ve seen him grow a lot as a player,” Barnett said. “He’s talking in practice. He has confidence. He’s one of the guys who last year and his freshman year was quiet all the time.

“This year, he’s kind of broken out of that shell and given us the leadership. He’s so much more aggressive within the game itself. He’s not worried so much about making a mistake as he used to be running that point guard spot.”

Wiskirchen’s effort against the Eagles earned him the Area Distributors Area Athlete of the Week honor.