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Indiana High School Basketball team competes with only five players

Lawrence Andrew Fernandezby:Lawrence Fernandez•02/26/25•

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Cannelton Bulldogs - Indiana high school basketball
Cannelton players (from left) Isaac Fuqua, Brayden Puckett, Gage Garrett, Jayden Cecil and Jarrett Coon sit in the locker room in halftime during a high school basketball game Monday, Feb. 17, 2025, in Cannelton, Ind. Cannelton’s high school team has five players total. (© Christine Tannous/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

An Indiana high school basketball team has no choice but to compete with exactly five players or cancel the season. As the Indianapolis Star’s Kyle Neddenriep wrote, Cannelton High School has 57 students in a town with 1,574 people.

Five of those students carry the banner of their hometown Bulldogs. One of them, Gage Garrett, is coach Mike Garrett’s son. Joining the younger Garrett on the squad are Jayden Cecil, Jerrett Coon, Isaac Fuqua, and Brayden Puckett.

Being in this situation wasn’t their choice. Last year, the Bulldogs had 11 players but won only one game. However, six seniors graduated, leaving him with five players. They should have six players, but the other one quit before the 2024-25 Indiana high school basketball season started.

The results can be rough, considering they don’t have substitutes and the limited talent pool. Neddenriep pointed out that some opponents ran the scoreboard on them. As of writing, Cannelton is on a four-game losing streak with an average deficit of 42.5 points.

Likewise, their last victory came against Kentucky’s Frederick Fraize on February 13, their second win against the Aces this season. Cannelton’s record stands at 3-18 before competing in the Indiana high school basketball Class 1A Section 64 playoffs. Their other victory came against winless Washington Catholic.

However, the ‘Cannelton Five’ is aware that they are playing beyond this season. Instead, they are competing to keep the program alive and prevent students from switching schools. As coach Garrett mentioned, they’ll have a hard time reviving the program once it’s shut down.

Luckily for the Bulldogs, their situation won’t stay like this for long. Only Puckett will graduate from the five remaining players, while six eight-graders will join the four holdovers. The incoming group finished their season at 15-4, giving hope for better days ahead. Cannelton is so optimistic that the younger Garrett is predicting double-digit wins for their inspiring Indiana high school basketball program.