Junior move-in helps Lady Raiders into playoffs

It’s never easy moving to a new place, especially for a teenager who spent her entire life in one place.

Alexis Baston used her love of basketball to help make the transition smoother. In the process, the junior point guard also helped the L.D. Bell Lady Raiders make a return to the playoffs.

“It was kind of difficult leaving Corsicana,” Baston said. “I didn’t want to leave all the girls I’d been playing basketball with for so long.

“It’s weird having to learn where everything is in a new place. It was a challenge. Having basketball made everything easier.”

Baston moved with her mother to Hurst before the school year began as her mother began a new job. Baston was a two-year varsity starter in Corsicana, leading her team to a Class 4A bi-district playoff berth as a sophomore.

Moving not only meant leaving behind her teammates and coaches, but coming to a program that had graduated four starters from a 5A Region I finals berth in 2014. However, she would play a key role in the Lady Raiders extending their postseason streak to four years.

L.D. Bell coach Brock Pembleton said he received a call from a counselor in Corsicana advising him that Baston would be coming to L.D. Bell. Pembleton took a trip to scout his new point guard.

“I was happy I’d be getting someone with experience,” he said.

Chief among those who greatly benefited from Baston’s arrival was sophomore Lexi Gordon, the lone returning starter and a first-team all-district selection.

“We needed some varsity experience. She’s also a pretty good shooter, and that takes some of the pressure off of Lexi,” said Pembleton. “Opponents have to guard her as well.”

Baston, only 5-4, is averaging 8.3 points. She also averages two assists and more than one steal per game, and she’s good at forcing opponents to alter their game with her defense.

“She’s got a lot of skills. She knew she would come in and start playing,” Pembleton said.

Baston immediately fit in with her new teammates. In fact, it was Gordon who first gave her a big welcome.

“I knew her from (Amateur Athletic Union) basketball. She helped make me become more comfortable,” said Baston. “It was nice to know they accepted me.

“I was very nervous when I first got here, but the more I played, the more I relaxed.”

So did the entire team, it seems. The Lady Raiders overcame a 1-5 start to the season to enter their bi-district matchup with Duncanville earlier this week with a 17-14 record.

Baston said making a return to the playoffs was very important. It helped validate her addition to the team, building her confidence and that of her teammates, not just for this season, but also for next season.

“We take a lot of pride in that,” Baston said of the playoff berth. “Had we not made the playoffs, it might have hurt our confidence.”

The Lady Raiders are a young team. They have only one senior in the starting lineup, so confidence established now will only build into next season.

And with that being her senior season, Baston said she looks forward to assuming the leadership responsibility that comes with being a senior.

“We’re building chemistry for next year, and I know that means even more from me,” she said. “I’m ready.”

This story was originally published February 16, 2015 at 4:33 PM with the headline "Junior move-in helps Lady Raiders into playoffs."