Sun Athletes of the Week: Martrel Johnson and Nickie Olson

Thursday, Feb. 8, 2001 | 10:11 a.m.

Named on Feb. 8, 2001

Male Athlete of the week: MARTREL JOHNSON

School: Durango

Class: Junior

Sport: Basketball

Last week: Johnson, the Trailblazers' leading scorer and rebounder, had his best week of the season to lift Durango to victories over top-10 teams Western and Clark. After contributing 29 points and 15 rebounds in a loss to No. 1 Bishop Gorman Monday, the 6-4 Johnson scored 31 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to help the Blazers to a stunning 81-65 win over No. 2 Western on Wednesday. Two days later, Johnson chipped in 25 points and six rebounds in a 66-62 win over then-No. 6 Clark as Durango moved into third place in the Southwest Division. "At some point in the season you have to win big games, and we're at that point now," Blazers coach Al LaRocque said. "Our best players need to step up now, and we felt Martrel did that last week. He's hard to guard when he's playing like that."

Female Athlete of the Week: NICKIE OLSON

School: Centennial

Class: Junior

Sport: Soccer

Last week: Olson, a center-midfielder, racked up nine goals to help the Bulldogs to three victories, including a win in round one of the 4A Sunset Region Tournament. Olson scored all four goals in her team's 4-0 shutout of Cheyenne on Tuesday, then tallied both Centennial scores in a 2-0 win over Palo Verde on Wednesday. For an encore, the junior found the net three times to lift the Bulldogs to a 7-0 victory over Western in Saturday's playoff game. "She's really stepped up when we needed it," Centennial coach Jay Howard said. "It just seems like she's getting good looks and hitting the ball better now. She's got a strong leg, and she's a real accurate shooter."