The Arizona Interscholastic Association (AIA) had a late start to the season, thus the condensing of schedules. One of the benefits of a condensed season is more Saturday games. In looking at which game to cover on a Saturday, Casteel’s game looked intriguing, since coming into the game they are the #1 ranked team in 5A, with an 8-0 record. Besides that, the Lady Colts of Casteel have (8) student-athletes with interests and offers from D1-NAIA/JUCO college programs.
Coach Dan Trageser has done a phenomenal job in his 3rd year as the Head Coach of the Lady Colts. One of the most interesting things I have ever seen, as I came into the game, was I was greeted with a media packet, which contained stats, college interests, offers, contact information and academic information for his top prospects. *High School Coaches, please take note as it was refreshing to review prior to the game.
The Lady Colts came running out of the barn to start the game. They wasted no time in pushing the tempo - looking to press and trap all 94 feet from the get-go.
Horizon struggled to get their offense going, due the smothering defense, which created numerous turnovers and offensive opportunities for Casteel.
After the first half, the Lady Colts led big 50-17. The Lady Colts went on to beat the Lady Huskies of Horizon 77-32.
Here were the top performers from the game:
2021 - Casteel - 5’10 G/F Daeja Johnson - A nice prospect with a lot of upside. Very aggressive on both ends of the floor - showed unselfish play. Nice scoring ability inside, mid-range and long range. A huge steal for a D-2 or JUCO. Could develop to be a Mid-Major Prospect.
2021 - Casteel- 5’3 G Autymn Franks - Very aggressive on both ends. Has a high IQ can facilitate the offense to provide scoring opportunities for herself or her teammates.
2022 - Casteel - 5’3 Jaleah Hendrix - Another aggressive guard who’s quickness and anticipation can cause havoc for opposing teams. Great vision and decision making a steal for any college program.
2023 - Horizon - 5’7 G Natalie Scherzer - Showed a nice floater, ability to handle the ball with great vision and motor on both ends of the floor.
2022 - Horizon - 5’9 W Sedona Nuessle - A lanky wing with a great motor on both ends of the floor. She rebounds well and has a smooth jumper and can convert consistently from mid-range.
Notes: Don’t let the score fool you. Horizon is young and Coach Chris Young has a nice foundation of prospects to build for the future. Casteel is proving why they are the #1 team in the 5A Division. Their roster is loaded with prospects, and I look forward to observing more of their games, as they look to make a deep playoff run.
For all you subscribers and readers we have a treat for you in the up-coming weeks, as our staff is working on team and individual player rankings. Stay tuned….
