Foes might think twice before riling Clyde's Carlson, she's a loyal, protective hornet

Lexi Carlson is a hornet.

"If somebody makes me mad, I go extra hard," she said. "[Coach] Dave [Lozier] knows it sometimes. If you've got me, I got you."

The Clyde senior isn't talking about her sting. She means a team bond makes her quick to defend the Fliers' hive.

Carlson often comes at you in bursts. Similarly, she surges at different points in her development.

This is true of her skills, as well as her mental game.

She did add six points to her average scoring jab, from 4.3 as a junior to 10.4. She scored 20, 30, 18, 21 and 17 points in recent games.

"It was the first time I got to have minutes," she said of junior year. "I'm a cluster scorer, so it was nice to stay on the court more than I used to to make things happen. I got to play and prove I can play. I missed most of freshman season and sophomore was a whirlwind.

"The coaches trusted me."

She didn't play most of her freshman season because of an adverse response to stress and played sparingly at the varsity level during the pandemic season. She continued to regroup off the floor and expand her game on it.

"I came to the realization as a senior, I needed to get it and go," she said. "I had my first 20-point game. 'This feels good.' I wanted to keep producing like that for my team. It's a mentality thing, it's time to go. I know I can put those points up, what's stopping me?"

Carlson's heart impacts her basketball in many ways.

"I look up to Dave and I want to please Dave and show him I can be a great player and play hard for my team," she said. "Help my team out. Push myself as hard as I can to be the best player I can for my team."

As a freshman, Carlson's love wreaked a little havoc on her whole body. Upset by her parents' divorce, she found herself with a mysterious ailment.

"I played a little on JV," she said. "Then I was in the hospital. It was never identified. My legs were numb. My reflexes weren't responding. I was in the hospital for a week to figure it out. My body was weak. That's how my nervous system responds to stress.

"I have to roll with it. I've learned to let it go. School was hard. When I'm stressed, my body thought I was sick. I lost weight. I'm more mature. My joints still get tight, but I can maintain it and I know what it is. I'm not an emotional 14-year old any more.

"It hasn't effected my basketball since freshman year."

Things stabilized again for Carlson at home and she learned how to move forward.

"I put my big-girls pants on," she said. "The divorce was stressful. Growing and accepting. At first it's new and how will I be OK? It's mental. I got through my freshman season and grew up and got used to things. I took care of myself more."

Now, she scored 30 points against Norwalk, which is tied with Bellevue atop the league standings. She earned most of the points the hard way.

"It wasn't a bunch of 3s," she said. "I made four 3s, the rest was drives and free throws. That's the grittiest I've ever played. We lost by four."

Carlson averages 4.2 rebounds and 2.1 steals in her second season as a starter. She made 22 3-pointers in 18 games.

"The player I was last year is completely different," she said. "A little work. Learning the physical, maybe a Euro-step, and the knowledge. I felt like more of a role player last year. I've got my hands on the ball more. My mental game has been great.

"My dad says, 'You play a mental game.' Not in a bad way. If I have to drive 100 miles per hour at a girl, I will. I'm confident. I feel like I can do more on the floor this year than prior years."

She never knew how much she'd play as a junior. She likes having a more established role.

"As a sophomore, I came off the bench," she said. "I'd play four or five minutes. It was COVID, so we couldn't go back and forth from varsity to JV. Dave threw me on varsity and I made things happen now and then. I was seventh man."

Katie Shiets averages 10.7 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.8 steals. She made 23 3-pointers in 18 games.

"Katie shares the ball, so it's easy to get the ball on the move," Carlson said. "Last year, I'd be happy with one 3. I'm confident shooting and driving, not just passing it around. Katie gets things moving so I can score."

Carlson is starting to see face guard tactics.

"I see it as a challenge," she said. "When I get face-guarded, I do everything I can to get off the girl. We have a few strategies to get a girl off me."

Cora Liskai adds 5.6 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game.

"She's fast," Carlson said. "She's rebounding. She's big. She's gritty. She's somebody every team wants to have, rebound after rebound and an unspoken hero doing things you don't think of. Aubrey Sengstock, she sets screens and she's rolling to the basket.

"She's on the floor 24/7 for rebounds and loose balls. They're gritty, doing things people might not notice."

Krista Cook averages 4.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, two steals and 1.4 blocks. Brooklyn Root made 14 3-pointers in 18 games.

Clyde (9-11, 5-6) was 7-16 last season, including three wins in the SBC Lake Division. The Fliers beat Lexington and Tiffin Columbian in the Lake Division this season.

"Last year, we got smoked," Carlson said of Lexington. "That was one of the most aggressive games, it was like a football game. We stuck with it and it was a great win. Tiffin only lost to Bellevue by one and we lost to Bellevue by 20.

"We won a close game by four points."

The Fliers beat Seneca East and Oak Harbor, before falling to Bellevue in the Lake Division early in February.

"We needed to win," Carlson said. "It was a close game with Oak Harbor. This stretch was good for team confidence. Dave's main goal was to have a winning record. We're on track. What the coaches ask, especially as a senior, is for a positive attitude and effort.

"Play with heart. The main thing this year was effort, grit has been on our minds and it influenced some girls. Go hard, with heart."

Carlson does everything in life that way.

mhorn@gannett.com

419-307-4892

Twitter: @MatthewHornNH

This article originally appeared on Fremont News-Messenger: Clyde girls basketball already has more wins than all of last season