Recently, we unveiled our plan to name area programs’ top five players of the 21st century, which sits at 25 seasons in both football and basketball.
Reminder, this is based on high school career performance ONLY. This is by no means a definitive list and, if anything, is encouraging debate on potential omissions to this list.
Through exhaustive research, reaching out to former coaches and players and our own personal opinion, here is the OTH Quarter Century Team for Garrett Railroaders girls basketball.
Note: The list is in alphabetical order
Nataley Armstrong
A four-year floor general for Garrett, Armstrong headlined the Railroaders’ 2022 run by shattering the state’s single-season assists record (8.6 per game) while guiding the program to NECC titles and a sectional/regional sweep. As a senior, she added averages of senior averages of 9.4 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.4 steals. She paired steady scoring with relentless distribution — stringing together 15 games of double-digit assists as a senior —and earned honors as ICGSA All-State, IBCA Senior All-State, and Lady Tiger Classic MVP. As a junior, Armstrong averaged 7.8 assists, also one of the top marks in the country, and 5.7 points per game. After graduating in 2022, she took her game to Malone University.
Brandi Dawson
A dominant two-way wing for Garrett, Dawson capped her 2013–14 senior season by averaging 20.5 points and 10.7 boards while piloting the Railroaders to a 23–1 record and a regional-semifinal berth. She finished with a then-program-record 1,432 career points and earned IBCA Senior All-State Honorable Mention along with multiple area honors. As a junior for the Railroaders, Dawson averaged 17.8 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 2.5 assists. Dawson played at Trine, where she became a national DIII standout and eventual Hall of Famer.
Jade Januseki
At Garrett, Januseski was a mid-2000s standout who piled up 1,178 career points and earned NECC All-Conference honors while helping the Railroaders share the 2004-05 NECC title. As a junior, she averaged 15.1 points, 7.7 rebounds, and three blocks per game and helped Garrett to the semi state round after going to the regional round in each of her first two seasons as a Railroader. She went on to continue her career at Grace.
Bailey Kelham
A prolific four-year scorer, Kelham closed her prep career as the program’s all-time points leader and DeKalb County’s third all-time scorer, capping a senior season of 19.8 points and 9.2 boards per game while powering the Railroaders to a sectional championship. Across 103 varsity games, she averaged 17.2 points per game, hit 190 FTs to rank among national leaders, and stacked signature moments in her career — including a 45-point outburst as a freshman that was the most scored by a female freshman in a single game in state history – while helping lead the program to three Sectional titles and a Regional crown. As a junior, Kelham put up 16.2 points per game to go along with 5.2 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 1.2 blocks per game. As a sophomore, Kelham averaged 16.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.5 steals, and as a freshman, she contributed 16.1 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game. She moved on to Huntington University.
Kelly Surfus
When Surfus finished her senior season in 2003, she was Garrett’s all-time leading scorer. She finished her career with 1,243 points, which still ranks third all-time in Railroader girls scoring. A consistent presence, Surfus averaged 13.7 points per game during her senior season while leading the Railroaders to the Regional round. As a junior, Surfus averaged a team best 17.5 points per game while Garrett won a Sectional title. Surfus ranked second in Garrett girls career three pointers with 121 and third in free throws with 228. She also had over 500 rebounds in her career.
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