Both Bethany and Bison stellar freshman Lindsey Garrison are coming off a rough shooting performance in Saturday’s 67-38 loss to Chatham.
Garrison made only one shot in nine attempts—fittingly a 3-pointer—as the team itself shot only 27 percent from the field. But for both Garrison and her Bison teammates, that effort is more of an outlier than standard shooting for the Green & White.
In fact, Garrison is blowing past what were likely already lofty expectations.
How so? In the previous game, a win against Franciscan, Garrison led all scorers with 26 points, including a trio of triples. One of those, coming in the third quarter, gave Garrison the school’s single-season 3-point mark.
There are also three more games left in the regular season, plus the tournament. That number, which currently stands at 67, is sure to grow. The previous record-holder, Shadyside alum Hayley Holenka, set the mark back during the 2015-2016 season.
But that’s just what Garrison is bringing to the table up at Bethany. Her name is found scattered throughout the Presidents’ Athletic Conference leaderboard. Garrison was leading the PAC in scoring before the Chatham game. Still, she’s second at 17.8 points per game, just behind Westmisnter’s Natalie Murrio at 18 even.
She’s 14th in FG percentage at 41.3 percent, first in free throw percentage at 87.7 percent, as well as leading the PAC in both 3-pointers per game (3.2) and percentage (39.2 percent). Despite her true freshman status, Garrison is also third in the conference in minutes played (33.6 per game). Teammate and fellow freshman Ashleigh Wheeler is fifth at 32.0.
In most of those categories, she’s in the Top 15 nationally, save for minutes played. Her highest ranking, 3-pointers per game, Garrison is No. 10. Her efforts have earned multiple Rookie of the Week awards from the PAC, and her play is one of a number of key reasons why Bethany is having a solid season, including its win against previously unbeaten in the conference Washington & Jefferson.
The Bison showed flashes during last season’s PAC tourney of what they would be capable of. That time could be now come this postseason.
More Records Falling
Garrison isn’t the only former OVAC stand out to have a record-setting performance last week. Former Union Local track standout Hannah Kemp, one of the West Liberty Hilltoppers’ top performers both during the indoor and outdoor track season, was at it again.
This time, Kemp, a two-time All-Region runner, shaved almost 10 seconds off her own school record time in the indoor mile. Kemp finished in 5:10.96 at the Doug Raymond National Qualifying Meet held at Kent State.
Clay-Battelle grad Hailey Carreon also bettered her own school record, posting a 26.64 in the indoor 200-meter-dash. Not to be outdone teammate Mikhi Anderson ran an 8.33 in the 60-meter hurdles, besting the previous mark set by Christian Oberdick two years ago.
Wheeling U’s Jabez Reeves didn’t break a school record, but the sophomore did win the 60-meter dash event at Kent State in a time of 6.84 seconds.
