Game Review: Garrett 46, Woodlan 44
Friday night, Garrett and Woodlan met in the first Sectional #21 Semi-Final game at Fort Wayne’s Concordia Lutheran High School. The two had previously met very early in the year on November 7, with Garrett winning 37-25. This most recent…
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Continue ReadingFriday night, Garrett and Woodlan met in the first Sectional #21 Semi-Final game at Fort Wayne’s Concordia Lutheran High School. The two had previously met very early in the year on November 7, with Garrett winning 37-25. This most recent matchup had the makings of a similar outcome, as Garrett ran out to a 13-3 first quarter lead. Woodlan fought back, though, putting together a 13-2 run behind their extended and aggressive zone defense to take the lead late in the second stanza, 16-15, before Garrett reclaimed it at 19-16 just before halftime.
The second half was nip and tuck throughout, with Garrett often taking a four or five-point lead, then Woodlan answering and cutting it to two or three points. Heading into the final period, Garrett clung to a 32-29 advantage, but Woodlan kept fighting. When the Railroaders extended their lead to 41-34 with around three minutes to go, it looked like the game was starting to get out of control, but then a steal and a Dakotah Krohn (2022) layup, an and-1 opportunity by Evah Smith (2023), and another steal by Krohn with a layup at the end, and Woodlan put together a 10-2 run to take a 44-43 lead.
Faith Owen’s (2022) free throw helped Garrett tie the game at 44, and the Warriors had their chance, but Garrett would get one more possession. With 8.4 seconds left on the clock, they had the ball out-of-bounds on their own baseline and threw a lob into 6-0 Morgan Ostrowski (2022), who caught it clean, kept it high, and stepped towards the basket to lay it in with just 2.5 seconds remaining. After a timeout, all Woodlan could muster was a half-court heave, and the Railroaders hung on to win 46-44. Below is a quick look at a few of the prospects from the game who stood out.
Morgan Ostrowski, 2022, 6-0 F, Garrett H.S.
Morgan was great early in the game and capped off her night with the final bucket. She is a long, wiry, and bouncy forward who looks most comfortable around the paint. She plays much more physical than she looks, and she knows where she’s at on the floor with her back to the basket. She elevates well to finish, pursues rebounds, will get on the floor on occasion, plus she’s a defensive presence as both a shot-blocker and someone who can get out and defend on the floor. She finished with 14 points.
Faith Owen, 2022, 5-6 G, Garrett H.S.
Faith was “Mrs. Big-Shot” on the evening, knocking down three key 3-pointers, a layup, and a free throw, all down the stretch in the second half. She finished the night with 15 points and led the Railroaders in scoring. She is a tough-nosed, gritty, fairly athletic guard who can handle it a little, attack the basket some, but she’s best known for her ability to make shots from outside. I was really impressed with her poise during key moments of the game.
Nataley Armstrong, 2022, 5-7 PG, Garrett H.S.
Nataley has had some really big games scoring the ball this year, but last night she was the perfect floor general. She took care of the ball, got it where it needed to go, and she did a nice job defensively throughout. She is extremely long, wiry strong, and she’s a nice athlete in most directions. She finished with seven assists and set the school’s single-season record at 130 and counting. A year ago she was maybe just a little thin, but now she looks so much stronger and assertive.
Bailey Kelham, 2023, 5-9 W, Garrett H.S.
Bailey is a nice-looking athlete with a solid frame, some length, plus she plays with a motor. She was very active in the mid-post area of Garrett’s zone offense, and she did a nice job of driving it or looking down hill for teammates to pass to. She has had some huge scoring games this year and is Garrett’s leading scorer on the season, but she played unselfishly and took what the defense gave her. She still managed 12 points, but she did a nice job of rebounding and defending as well. She has a really bright future.
Addison Bayman, 2020, 5-6 G, Woodlan H.S.
It was a tough way to go out for a skilled and talented guard who has been one of the better players in Northeast Indiana very few people know much about. The Spring Arbor University signee didn’t shoot it great, but she did make plays defensively, leading to several transition opportunities for the Warriors. She was in control in the half-court offensively, and she still scored 13 points. With her length, athleticism, and balanced skillset, I think she’ll become a player other schools wish they would have recruited harder.
Dakotah Krohn, 2022, 5-7 G, Woodlan H.S.
Dakotah came in as Woodlan’s second leading scorer, but Garrett’s zone seemed to really get to her. She played hard throughout the entire contest, and never stopped shooting/attacking, but she didn’t make her first basket until there were less than three minutes to go in the game. She does have some length, a wiry strong frame, and she’s a nice North/South athlete. I’m sure she’ll have much better nights next season, plus she essentially becomes the Warriors’ new leader with Bayman (above) graduating this Spring.
Evah Smith, 2023, 5-9 F, Woodlan H.S.
Evah seemed to have the game of her life last night, giving everything she could to the Woodlan effort. She came into the game averaging a little over five points and five rebounds per game, and she finished with a game-high of 17 points. I don’t have official rebounding statistics, but I’d guess she was in double-figures for that as well. She was physical, aggressive, and she played with a tremendous motor. I didn’t know much about her going into the game, but she stood out to me with her effort. She is maybe a little undersized for how she plays right now, but if she can develop a face-up game, it will really help.