Top midseason performers for Gaylord, St. Mary and Johannesburg-Lewiston basketball
GAYLORD ― Welcome to 2024 and the second half of the winter sports season.
The past two months had their ups and downs, with plenty of memorable milestones to celebrate across multiple sports as well as unfortunate injury situations to some of the stars of the Gaylord area.
As area basketball teams get geared up leading into the MHSAA postseason, get caught up on who is performing at the highest level from Gaylord, St. Mary and Johannesburg-Lewiston:
Luke Gelow, Gaylord boys basketball
Perhaps no player has had a more impactful first two months of the season than Gaylord senior Luke Gelow.
He averaged over 20 points per game as a junior despite a lingering injury in his shooting shoulder. This season, a healthy Gelow has taken his game to another level.
He has turned in three of the best performances of his career in the past three games, scoring a career-high 48 points against Traverse City Central, 38 against Petoskey and 32 against Sault Ste Marie.
He also became the eighth player in program history to reach the 1,000-point milestone during the Petoskey game, working his way up the Blue Devils' all-time scorers list.
Gelow scores 1,000th career point but Marshall, Fralick lead Petoskey to late victory
Avery Parker, Gaylord girls basketball
The first few games of the season went as expected for the reigning Big North Conference Player of the Year Avery Parker, averaging over 20 points per game for a Gaylord girls basketball team looking to compete for a conference title in 2024.
Unfortunately for the Blue Devils and Parker, those would end up being the final games of her Blue Devil career.
Parker suffered a torn ACL in an overtime loss to Elk Rapids on Dec. 18, wrapping her basketball season early and, more than likely, bringing her softball career to a close in the process.
Still, she will be remembered as one of the top players in the program's recent history, heading to Northwood University next year to join a team once coached by her mother, Kelli Parker.
Daniel Jacobson, Gaylord St. Mary boys basketball
The story around Gaylord St. Mary's athletics this season is how nearly every coach has gone about replacing the Class of 2023, an impactful group of seniors that had success in nearly every sport, boys or girls.
For the boys' teams, a big part of the strategy has been to rely on junior Daniel Jacobson.
After having an impactful fall on the football field as the team's starting quarterback, Jacobson has become the go-to scorer for the Snowbirds basketball team. He showed his effectiveness in an emotional win over Onaway last week, leading all scorers with 17 points.
Payton Glasby, Gaylord St. Mary girls basketball
The GSM girls team is also replacing a lot from a team that won three straight district titles from 2021-23.
This year, Payton Glasby is leading a group of sophomores hoping to keep their winning ways going in 2024, using her size to not only rebound with the best of the Ski Valley Conference but shoot over the top of defenders from 3-point range.
Her play was on full display in back-to-back conference victories back in December, going for 22 points and 12 rebounds against Forest Area and 23 points and 8 rebounds against Pellston.
Jayden Marlatt, Johannesburg-Lewiston girls basketball
The status of senior Jayden Marlatt was up in the air to start the season after the multi-sport star suffered an ankle injury in a volleyball district final at Charlevoix in November. However, she is back in action and thriving for the girls basketball team, showing her value as the top player for three different JoBurg teams.
After a slow start, Marlatt has played a big part in three straight wins, scoring 20 points in a win over Hillman while putting up matching 10-point, six-steal performances in wins over Posen and Onaway.
Thomas Fox, Johannesburg-Lewiston boys basketball
The JoBurg boys have struggled the past two seasons, winning just three games in their last 32 tries including this year's 1-9 start.
Still, individuals have found ways to make their names known, and senior Thomas Fox has been the guy for the Cardinals. His 15-point performance against Inland Lakes single-handedly kept JoBurg in a game with the defending SVC champions.
Contact GHT Sports Editor Dylan Jespersen at Djespersen@gaylordheraldtimes.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @dylanjespersen, and Instagram, @dylanjespersen
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Gaylord-area high school basketball midseason storylines
