The Owls take the hardwood one final time before the holiday season, against the Andale Indians on Tuesday. Their fellow Renwick rival is currently 3-0, winning two of those three at home. In last year’s matchup, the Owls lost 22-40 at home. This year, Garden Plain travels to Andale to take on the Indians on their home court.
On Friday, the Owls travel 90 miles north to take on the one-loss Ell-Saline Cardinals. The Cardinals, led by junior guard Brogan Rowely, would take down Garden Plain in a tight game (43-50). Ell-Saline’s only loss came against the Bennington Bulldogs, who are one of the top teams in the state. Garden Plain led for most of the game, but the Cardinals would take the lead late in the game. After several intentional fouls and some free throws, the margin would grow to 7 points.
This week, the Owls will take on the Andale Indians. In last year’s matchup, the Owls had no answer for the Indians. The cross district rival’s scored almost all of their points in the paint and at the free throw line. You can count on one hand how many jump shots they hit in that game. The Indians would force Garden Plain into a number of silly turnovers, and also out rebounded them by nearly 10 rebounds. Garden Plain would also shoot a season low 9% from three, and only 22% from the field which was a season low as well. These fancy numbers only tell half the story. Andale would score almost all of their points in the paint against the Owls defense. The inexperienced Garden Plain team would end up losing 22-40.
In this year’s matchup, Garden Plain will miss the leadership of 2023 Senior Collin Haukap. Haukap was the point guard last year, and was a big loss in the Owls ability to handle ball pressure. Head coach Mark Powell said, “Collin did a great job of being a model of how upperclassmen leadership should be demonstrated. He was a mentor to the underclassmen, and was always willing to help the younger guys. On top of that he gave great effort all the time, even when he wasn’t getting subbed out as much as other players.” Haukap was a great player in the program over the last couple of years and was a big loss for the Owls. Garden Plain has turned to several players to step up into that role, such as junior’s Seth Dugan and Cooper Scheer, as well as sophomore Eli Eck.
The Owls hope to bounce back to .500 on the season going into the holiday season. With players such as Gabe Kampling and Seth Dugan playing some of their best basketball right now, it is definitely a possibility the Owls can pull off the upset in Andale on Tuesday. With great defense, and taking care of the ball, Garden Plain could find themselves in a game just like last week.
Garden Plain looks completely different compared to last year’s team. The Owls have kept their turnover numbers down, and are really thriving under second year head coach Mark Powell. Many great coaches say that it takes three years to turn around a program. Coach Powell has done a great job in only two years. This has fans excited for what may come next season, with the Owls returning all but two varsity players in 2024.
Leadership has been great this year at all levels compared to last year. From vocal leaders such as Kaeden Kasselman, to players who lead by example like Ty Scheer, the Owls are loaded with leadership. While this trait may be small, it is a big piece in their success. Along with their great leadership, Garden Plain has shown excellent sportsmanship at all three levels. Regardless of the call, situation, score, or game the players are always good sports. Players such as Seth Dugan hand the ref the ball, which not only looks nice, but is something the refs appreciate as well. Other players follow behind Dugan’s leadership, and it makes the team look very professional.
It will be packed on Tuesday in Andale, as both of these teams will have something to play for. The Indians look to continue their hot streak, and the Owls look to bounce back to .500 after their heartbreaking loss to the Ell-Saline Cardinals. As always, Garden Plain encourages fans to make their way out to the game and watch all of the Owl teams in action.
