We have reached the top 5 in our countdown of Outside the Huddle’s Top 50 girls basketball player countdown. This is No. 4 in our annual preseason crowning of the top 5 players in northeast Indiana that we call the ‘First Five;’ our highest individual preseason honor.
The ‘First Five’ was started in 2018, following in the 35-plus year tradition of naming the top five area basketball players, started by a now defunct prep sports department in Fort Wayne. It is our honor to pick up and carry on that tradition with the ‘First Five,’ including our third group of honorees coming this season at the top of our Top 50 countdown.
No. 4 – Bailey Kelham, Garrett
Bailey Kelham didn’t just slam the door open on her way into high school basketball as a freshman last season, she ripped it off the hinges and threw it at her opponents. It has been a long time since a freshman announced herself on a varsity level so loudly. She is a prime scorer who can put the ball in the basket at three different levels. She averaged 16.1 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game and had a tope five scoring average in the entire area while leading a young Garrett team to a Sectional title.
Kelham’s scoring broke so many marks, becoming the program’s single season free throw leader at 129 makes. She also scored 45 points against New Haven which broke program records too, but most impressively became the top scoring game by a female in the history of the state; it was the second best freshman scoring outing in Indiana history regardless of gender. Kelham plays the game so confidently and indicated all season that she was growing by leaps and bounds. The work she puts in at Garrett and with her trainers indicate that she is going to be even better, somehow, than she was last year.
COACH’S QUOTE ON BAILEY KELHAM
“Bailey has worked on becoming a threat at all three levels over the summer. Her ball handling and three point shooting have become much more steady. She never stops working to get better. Her improvement on defense will lead to more scoring opportunities each night.” – Garrett coach Bob Lapadot
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