(PHOTOS BY JACOB KESSLER / THE VILLAGE REPORTER)
NWOAL ACTION … Bryan guard Ava Zimmerman looks to avoid contact while putting up a shot. VIEW 122 PHOTOS OF THIS CONTEST FOR FREE AT WWW.THEVILLAGEREPORTER.COM
CONTESTED SHOT … Evergreen’s Avery Emmitt takes a shot while a Bryan defender closes in.
By: Joe Blystone
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
publisher@thevillagereporter.com
METAMORA (January 30, 2025) – Bryan’s Josey Arnold (#22), isn’t ex-Iowa superstar Caitlin Clark, also #22. But Arnold put up a Clark-like performance, ripping the nets for 22 of her game high 29 points in the second half as the Golden Bears blew open a close game to notch a 57-36 win at Evergreen.
Bryan is now 10-8 (2-3 in NWOAL) and currently No. 3 in the RPI, used to determine tournament seeding, in Division IV, Northwest District 2.
“That was a big one,” veteran Bryan coach Todd Grosjean explained. “That should keep us in the three spot ahead of Napoleon.”
“It isn’t an easy Division IV District. We have Kenton in front of us and Wauseon, then Napoleon right behind us.” “I love the fight in our kids. We aren’t very big, but we scrap.”
Arnold and Piper Hanna each hit triples in the first three minutes of the first to pace Bryan to a 10-5 lead. Kennedy Emmitt and Bailey Lumbrezer retaliated with buckets in close, then Avery Emmitt nailed a three-ball to give the Vikings a 12-10 advantage with 2:25 left.
Hanna answered to tie, then Arnold gave the Golden Bears the lead for good with a bucket with 50 ticks left in the quarter.
Those two hoops began a 13-0 Bryan run that pushed them ahead by 11. Averyann Fisher and Mylie Vollmer extended the margin to 18-13.
Hanna stuck her second from outside the arc in the first half, then Ava Zimmerman got to the rim for a score to put Bryan up 23-12 with 3:25 left.
“The kid who stuck out, especially in the first half was Piper Hanna,” Grosjean stated. “She does all the little things coaches don’t see unless you are looking for a hustle play and at 5’4” she is one of our leading rebounders. Tonight, she made some shots to help get us a decent lead and we have been waiting to see that.”
Kennedy Emmitt’s triple reduced the Vikings deficit to single digits at 28-19 at the break. After Arnold tripled to begin the second half, Evergreen chipped away even more.
Lumbrezer, Lanae Manz and Avery Emmitt notched six straight points to bring Evergreen back to 31-25 with 3:15 left in the third.
It would be six minutes before Evergreen dented the scoreboard again. During that span, Bryan rang up 16 straight to open a 22 point bulge and put the game away.
In the last 1:50 of the third, Vollmer scored a putback, Arnold canned yet another three-pointer and Hanna hit with 20 ticks left to make it 38-25.
Arnold opened the fourth with a three-point play and yet another bomb from long range to make it 44-25, then finished the barrage with a basket with 5:38 to go, putting the Golden Bears ahead 47-25.
“She’s pretty good,” Grosjean said of Arnold with a smile. “When she gets her feet set, she doesn’t take a lot of time getting it off and she’s really good shooting the ball.”
“She’s put in a lot of work. She went from being our sixth or seventh on the floor last year to being the only person coming back with varsity experience.”
“She is a great leader, she’s had game where it hasn’t gone in like tonight, but she has found other ways to help win, defending, handling the ball against the press, guarding a post, guarding perimeter, she does pretty much everything.”
Arnold got help in the scoring column from Vollmer and Hanna who had 10 each. Kennedy Emmitt had 16 to pace Evergreen, who is 9-10 (2-4 in NWOAL) on the season.
BRYAN (57) – Mason 0; Zimmerman 2; Langham 0; Hanna 1-; Fisher 4; Thiel 0; Arnold 29; Vollmer 10; Hepker 2; Kidston 0; Miller 0; Totals: 14-9-2 – 57
EVERGREEN (36) – Risner 0; Manz 6; Lumbrezer 4; Vaculik 0; K. Emmitt 16; Burgermeister 2; A. Emmitt 8; Radel 0; Totals: 11-4-2 – 36
BHS 14 14 10 19 – 57
EHS 12 7 6 11 – 36
Junior Varsity: Evergreen, 26-22