Becker big reason for Lakeview’s surge

February 8, 2016 at 12:05a.m.

Bulldogs chasing

D-II district title

By BRIAN DZENIS

If there’s anyone who can best judge the Lakeview girls basketball team’s chances of winning a district title, it’s Addie Becker.

She was a key part of the Bulldogs’ run to a district final four years ago, which ended in a 53-38 loss to Chagrin Falls in the final.

“In my opinion, we were a very athletic team. We ran the ball a lot and we pushed, but we didn’t have the best fundamentals,” Becker said. “Now, we’ve worked on our skills over the summer. We really refined our game and our defense.

“Nothing against the girls that played on that team. They were great athletes and basketball players,” she added. “I just feel this year, we’ve really focused on the little things that will get us to a district title game and even win that district title game.”

Lakeview is in the Division II tournament at Austintown Fitch.

Becker is the Bulldogs’ leading scorer, averaging a double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds. On Saturday, Becker surpassed 1,000 career points in the team’s regular-season finale, an 80-24 win against LaBrae.

“I’m glad it came before districts,” Becker said of the milestone. “I don’t have worry about my teammates passing to me every possession knowing I was so close.”

The Bulldogs (20-2, 12-1 AAC White Tier) aren’t surprised at their record, but did admit they’ve exceeded expectations. Head coach Adam Lewis described the team’s offseason as “kind of rocky.”

There were injuries and some players quit, leaving a roster of just nine players heading into the regular season. The players who stayed are committed.

“We were really close last year and that just really carried over to this year,” Becker said. “We don’t fight. No one hates each other. We don’t talk bad about each other behind each others’ backs. We just really get along and I just think it’s really important to have that team chemistry.”

Becker credits her ability to box out and position herself for her rebounds and put-backs off those rebounds for her team-high mark in points. Over the course of her time playing AAU ball in the summer, she’s also picked up a few post moves. Lewis considers her to be one of the best bigs in the area.

“She works so hard on establishing her post moves, getting in position and doing the extra work that a lot of kids don’t want to do,” Lewis said. “She’s very scrappy and she’ll get that rebound and she knows how to use her body. She’s not a huge post by any means, but she knows how to get in position and use it to her advantage.”

Lakeview’s lone senior and captain carries a 4.0 GPA and has garnered attention from Division III schools for basketball, but Becker hasn’t committed anywhere just yet. Post-high school, she looks to major in public relations or communications with a possible double-major in mathematics. Now she’s looking to get a title that she nearly had her freshman season.

“This is it. This is my last year,” Becker said. “I don’t want to go out without having made my mark on Lakeview.