Tough act to follow

Consider Lexie Pettersen’s basketball career as an act in three plays.

The first act is about exploring athletics in general and learning to compete.

In act two, Pettersen, approaching high school, discovers her zeal for the game.

And the final act encompasses an impending career at Washington State University.

Pettersen is in her fourth year as a starter for Shadle Park. This year she became the 16th Greater Spokane League girl to surpass 1,000 points for her career and is approaching former teammate Lexi Bishop’s year-old school record. Her coach, Chad Dezellem, believes she is the career rebound leader.

“Since I’ve been here she’s been the leader, and it’s not been remotely close,” he said.

Yet it wasn’t until the eighth grade that she began to take basketball seriously.

“Even when I started playing AAU basketball and was tall, I wasn’t really sure I loved the game,” Pettersen said. “I just played it.”

Distance running and track and field were more her thing as a youngster, before the 6-foot-1 eighth-grader realized there was a reason for that combination of competitiveness and size.

As the curtain rose on the second act, Highlanders coach Chad Dezellem took immediate advantage of Pettersen’s gifts in her first year of high school.

“She’s basically started every game when she’s been healthy since her freshman year,” Dezellem said. “We wanted her inside and she was a legitimate scoring option for us anywhere from the high post in.”

She averaged nine points a game for the 6-14 Highlanders that year, but as Pettersen’s stats increased, the team has steadily improved. During her sophomore year she averaged 14 points and Shadle went 12-9 in qualifying for district. Last year she topped 15 per game (nearly 16.0 in league) as the 16-10 Highlanders qualified for regionals.

This year Shadle is 14-3, third in the GSL, and Pettersen is second in the league in scoring at 15.4 per game.

Her role, however, has changed. Pettersen plays more wing than post.

The reason is to move the double- and triple-teams she draws away from the basket to involve teammates in the scoring with her passing, Dezellem said.

Pettersen said the change will help her adapt to a role she anticipates filling when she begins the next phase of her basketball career as a Cougar.

That will lead to the third act in the Pettersen basketball story.

“I’m definitely ready for college,” she said. “I think it will be a good experience and I really like (head coach) June (Daugherty) and all the assistants a lot.”

WSU’s new coach offered Pettersen a scholarship just prior to Daugherty’s sudden cardiac arrest last summer.

“She told me my name was on her radar, and she remembered me from playing the previous summer,” Pettersen said.

“Lexie had a phenomenal summer and I saw her practice,” Daugherty said Tuesday. “I’m really proud to sign Lexie as part of the No. 16 recruiting class in the country.”

She envisions Pettersen playing the No. 4 position and because of her athleticism even the 3. How soon she plays will depend on the results of a strength and conditioning program following the high school season that prepares recruits for the rigors of Pac-10 play, Daugherty said.

“It’s definitely a much different level,” said Pettersen. “I still need to get stronger and this spring, ball handling is something I’m going to work on a lot.”

Before the curtain rises for the final act, there’s still a month remaining in her senior season.

“I’ve had fun starting every game since I’ve been here and last year I felt like we finally had some success,” she said.

Pettersen would like to partake of a state tournament before taking her final bow at Shadle.