Tatum Drazkowski tried to communicate with her bench during a random inbounds pass during the Arcadia High School girls basketball team’s opener at Sparta on Tuesday.
The sophomore forward was holding the ball under the basket and ready to pass it to junior teammate Joselyn Lockington, but they wanted different help to set up the offense.
“We need a guard!” Drazkowski shouted a couple of times toward the other side of midcourt.
When one didn’t materialize, Drazkowski tossed the ball to Lockington and motioned for Lockington to get it back to her so she could bring it up the floor.
It was hardly the most impressive thing Drazkowski did during her team’s 46-32 win over the Spartans at the Alton D. Ask Gymnasium, but it was a quick decision to take control of the situation for her team.
With all of the things Drazkowski showed she could already do well as a freshman starter, becoming more of a vocal leader has been emphasized on a varsity roster that includes one senior, three juniors and seven sophomores.
“I have to talk more and be a better leader,” the 5-foot-10 Drazkowski said after scoring 15 points and grabbing 18 rebounds in the win over the Spartans. “That helps guide me and my teammates.”
She was a downright chatterbox — a loud one — as the Raiders chased their first victory. She talked while defending, she talked while the ball bounced around the perimeter and called for it in the post. Drazkowski let her shooters shoot and concentrated on keying some transition and controlling the boards at both ends of the court.
The three-sport standout maximized opportunities for herself and teammates with the ball and created havoc for her opponents when they had it.
“She was a fifth-grader when I came here,” Arcadia coach Evan Pagel said. “This whole group of sophomores really loved basketball, and I couldn’t ignore that as the varsity coach.
“Tatum, especially, had a special talent. With her, it’s instinct and an endless motor. She’s a great leader who was vocal, but she needed to be more vocal for this team.”
Drazkowski had little trouble getting to the rim against the Spartans and scored 11 points in the first half. Her instinct showed with positioning for rebounds and a couple of early blocked shots.
Perhaps the most impressive thing about Arcadia’s victory over Sparta was the way in which it gained separation.
The Raiders had a 24-21 halftime lead, but they came out and scored the first 12 points of the second half. They held the Spartans scoreless for the first 7 minutes, 9 seconds and did all of that without Drazkowski, who averaged 10.2 points and 11.5 rebounds per game last season, scoring a point.
“That shows that we’re selfless and don’t care who does what,” Drazkowski said of the run, which included four scorers and seven points from Lockington. “It shows how tight we really are and that we can get a win no matter what.”
Drazkowski may not have scored during that key stretch of the game, but she was an integral part of it.
She started it when a defensive rebound led to assist to Lockington on a break and got teammate Madison Grotjahn to the foul line after solid screen. Drazkowski recorded two offensive rebounds and blocked two shots before Sparta was able to score and get within 36-23. Drazkowski had four blocked shots and four assists in the second half.
“She’s very good at controlling the pace,” Pagel said. “She can be that point guard when I need her to throw the ball over traffic, and she’s that inside presence for us when the outside game isn’t working.”
It was a nice continuation of her athletic career with the Raiders. She set this season up by recording 137 kills, 170 digs and 47 total blocks as a middle hitter on the volleyball team. That followed a softball season where the shortstop batted .450 with 14 doubles, 22 runs scored, 19 runs batted in and 30 stolen bases.
Arcadia won 15 basketball games a season ago and returns the second, third, fourth and fifth scorers from that team. With Drazkowski taking on an even more prominent role, the Raiders’ excitement is warranted.
West Salem, with two straight WIAA state tournaments and 28 straight Coulee Conference victories under its belt, is the obstacle if Arcadia wants to improve on last year’s second-place finish. The Panthers are still loaded and don’t appear on the schedule until Dec. 13.
