By Robert Wilson
Not even Germantown High junior guard Madison Booker, rated as one of the top players in America in her class, has done what her teammate Alana Rouser did last week.
Rouser, a 6-foot sophomore forward, grabbed a career-high 22 rebounds and had 13 points in a 53-32 victory over MSHAA Class 6A contender Brandon last Tuesday night at Brandon.
Rouser also had another double double – 11 points, 10 rebounds, 3 steals and 1 blocked shot – in a 60-41 victory over Tupelo, another Class 6A contender, Saturday at Tupelo.
For her outstanding performances, Rouser has been named the Performace Therapy/Mississippi Scoreboard Metro Jackson Girls Basketball Player of the Week.
Rouser, who has been starting since the eighth grade, is overshadowed by her teammate Booker, who was a starter on the USA Under 16 National Team this summer, ranked as high as No. 3 in the nation in her class and is wanted by every high ranked college in the country. But Rouser has plenty of talent as well and it showed last week. She had those 22 rebounds, 13 defensive and nine offensive, to help Germantown dominate Brandon for the second time this season. Rouser has had seven double double games this season and her high rebound game was 18 along with a season-high 21 points against Class 5A power and undefeated Neshoba Central this season until last week. Only twice this season has she been below nine rebounds in a game.
Rouser is averaging 10.5 points, 11.9 rebounds, 2 steals, 1.0 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game for 13-2 Germantown this season. Rouser, like Booker, is a member of the Priority One Bank/Mississippi Scoreboard Metro Jackson Preseason Elite 11 Team. Rouser has been offered by Southern Miss, Alcorn State, Jackson State, Mississippi Valley and Louisiana-Monroe and many other Division I schools have shown interest.
“Alana stepped up her rebounding game up a level last week in two big games,” Germantown coach Jamie Glasgow said. “She is so strong, athletic, and relentless, that’s it’s hard to keep her off the boards. Alana was out with an (ankle) injury at the beginning of August until mid-October. She was a little rusty offensively at the beginning of the season, but she really turned it as of late. I know she will continue to improve throughout the season.”
Rouser’s performance helped break Brandon’s 11-game winning streak. Brandon has only lost three games, two to Germantown. Tupelo had only lost two games prior to Saturday and Rouser helped Germantown hand Tupelo its worst loss of the season.
Rouser averaged 13.1 points, 10.9 rebounds, 2.0 blocked shots and 1.4 steals last season as a freshman and helped Germantown to a 13-4 record and a MSHAA Class 6A runner-up finish. She was a member of the Priority One Bank/Mississippi Scoreboard Metro Jackson second team last season. Rouser was a third team member of the All-Metro Jackson team as an eighth grader.
Germantown’s next game is Dec. 27 when it plays Desoto Central in the Desoto Central Holiday Tournament.
