Saxons’ Lexi Lallas rises to basketball challenge

When Lexi Lallas transferred from Freeman High School to Ferris High her freshman year, she found the adjustment to the competition level of the Greater Spokane League to be a wake-up call, particularly in practice against all-league senior center Brynn Kelly.

“Back then, as it was, Brynn was just huge and was such a strong player,” said Saxon senior guard Cheri Shigeno. “Back then, Lexi was trying to guard her.

“I was glad I was the one not trying to guard Brynn, and I felt bad for Lexi.”

“I don’t know how many times I fell down in practice, and I just got back up and tried to guard her again,” said Lallas. “I remember there was only one time I got to stuff her, and it was just the biggest feeling.”

Through those battles of her freshman year, Lallas has developed into one of the top centers in the GSL, as she is the Saxons’ leading returning scorer from last season.

“I expect her and Cheri Shigeno to lead us,” said Saxons head coach Art Rojas. “I think she’s the most powerful player in the league.

“For the most part, I don’t see many teams really want anything to do with her as far as one on one, because she plays a very physical brand of basketball.”

Shigeno also praised Lallas’ strength.

“Now, Lexi has turned into Brynn in the way that she’s very strong now and has a really good outside shot, even for a post,” said Shigeno, who has been Lallas’ teammate for all four years at Ferris. “She’s really developed as a player, which I’m really glad to see.”

For Lallas, those early lessons from Kelly have been supplemented by her work in the off-season to improve her offensive game.

“My AAU coach, Kerry Pickett, really helped me the past two or three years on improving my outside range,” said Lallas. “He saw me as this inside garbage pickup player, who just liked to pound the boards.

“He told me that’s great, but I just needed to work outside a little bit. He’s really helped me off the court too, with life lessons and that basketball’s not everything.

“He’s really shaped the person I am today. He’s a great coach.”

Lallas has also learned from her freshman year off the floor, helping a young Ferris team that has just three returning seniors bond into a tight unit.

“I remember my freshman year and how tough it was,” Lallas said. “The seniors kind of had their cliques a little bit. You kind of feel that if you’re not playing with them, you might be an outcast.

“I know this year, Cheri and I, we really wanted to make sure the other girls were all appreciated and were all a part of the team. We had team dinners before the season, and we would all practice and work out together every day after school.”

“Watching her transform into a leader this summer was the most enjoyable thing,” said Rojas. “She really took the team, a young group of kids, under her wing and brought them along. That was tremendous to watch.”

Lallas hopes her work going into her last season will help the Saxons enjoy the same success they had her freshman year, when they finished third in the state.

“The girls are so young, you never know what’s going to happen,” she said. Seeing the GSL, and playing in the off-season with some of the girls from other teams, it’s going to be a really tough year.

“The teams are so good this year, it’s not going to be two or three top teams; it’s going to be more like seven or eight really strong teams and four or five that can hold their own. LC (Lewis and Clark) and U-Hi (University) will be in the top two or three, but there will be some good teams.

“It will just be a matter of the girls knowing they can hold their own with anybody.”

“I hope to accomplish a great senior season,” Lallas continued. “I want to make sure I leave something behind for the girls and make sure they appreciate this year.

“I just want to have a lot of fun. It’s my senior year, and I just want to have fun while I’m playing.”