Stock Risers: Morgann Gardner and Nevaiah Bell- Tenner
Racine Lutheran has become a team to watch over the past few years. The division 4 squad has a deep bench and runs a high- tempo offense. They fill their roster with scorers and players who know how to get…
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Continue ReadingRacine Lutheran has become a team to watch over the past few years. The division 4 squad has a deep bench and runs a high- tempo offense. They fill their roster with scorers and players who know how to get themselves and their teammates open. In addition to fantastic offensive players, Racine Lutheran has really developed themselves into a defensive powerhouse. The team’s pressure defense has helped lead them to the top spot in the Metro Classic Conference.
Racine Lutheran is undefeated this season with a 19-0 record. Leading the team is 5’11 senior guard Caroline Strande. She is averaging 36.7 points per game. Strande recently hit a huge milestone in her career, scoring 2,000 points as a high school basketball player. Strande is committed to play at Minnesota. While it is clear Strande does a great job of leading her team, there are many players that have helped in the undefeated success. Let’s breakdown two players whose stocks have rose this season:
Morgann Gardner
Standing at 6’1, Gardner is a powerful forward for Racine Lutheran. She is helping her team big time this season. Averaging 16.3 points per game, Gardner uses her presence inside to score around defenders and uses savvy post moves in the paint. Gardner grabs multiple offensive rebounds per game that leads to put back points. In turn, Gardner fights for boards on defense and runs the break exceptionally well. Garder has also brought an outside shooting range to her game this season and has taken multiple three-point shots per game.
In her first game of her junior season she shot 78% from the floor and had 25 points. She also was 2-2 from the 3 point line. This opened the gates for Gardner to see a lot of minutes on the floor this season. She went on to score a season-high 34 points in a win over Saint Thomas More. Gardner plays alongside Minnesota commit Caroline Strande who averages 36.7 points per game. Gardner has played well with her all season, they find each other on the break very well. They also have almost mastered their inside- outside passing to one another. Gardner steps up for her team and makes up for a lot of the points when defense is over pressuring Strande.
Nevaiah Bell- Tenner
A role player who will continue to develop over the summer is Bell- Tenner. She is averaging nearly 9 points per game for Racine Lutheran. Bell- Tenner is a 5’8 sophomore guard who has dropped huge numbers this season. On a team with multiple standout players, Bell- Tenner has made her own impact. She does all the little things correctly for the team, she finds players open on the floor and runs the offense so well. She has become quite the floor general this season and her leadership will only evolve.
Bell- Tenner opened her sophomore season with 18 points for Racine Lutheran in a victory over rival Racine Case. She has really developed her outside shooting each game and seems to be getting much more confident shooting the ball. Bell- Tenner had 14 points and shot 77% from the floor in a close win over Wilmot. In a recent win over Saint Thomas More, Nevaiah Bell- Tenner scored 28 points for Racine Lutheran. She has been incredibly consistent this season while she plays with poise and patience. Bell- Tenner is a 78% free-throw shooter.