Prep athletes of the week: Maranatha's Lee growing into a leader

Scoring has always come naturally to the 5-8 guard. Taking on the mantle of leadership, on the other hand, has taken much more work.

The youngest of three Lee sisters (McKenzie is the oldest, Madison next), Lexi has always had a sibling to follow. But when Madison graduated after last year, Lexi, who topped 1,000 career points as a junior last season, recognized it was her time to be the guiding force for a team seeking its sixth straight Class 1A state tournament appearance.

"I thought it would be a lot easier," Lee said. "I'm used to having one of my sisters around. I'm growing into it."

Despite the added responsibilities, Lee's role as a scorer for the Mustangs has not suffered. She scored a career-high 45 points in a 103-73 victory over Lester Prairie/Holy Trinity, bumping her season average to 28.1 per game.

For that, she again credits her sisters.

"We've always been competitive," Lee said. "I don't think I've ever beaten [Madison] in one-on-one, because I'm not that tall, but playing against them has made me a better player."

JAKE ALLAR

The sophomore 138-pounder ran his record to 23-0 on the season with a 5-0 week. Among his victories was a 10-3 decision over No. 5-ranked Aaron Wilson of St. Francis and a 3-2 victory over No. 1-ranked Ben Brancale of Eden Prairie.

With three victories last week, the Huskies improved to 11-3. The sophomore guard provided much of the scoring punch, notching 65 points, including a career-high 27 in a tight 54-51 decision over Duluth East. She leads the team with a 14.1 point average.

The 6-5 senior forward poured in a career-high 44 points in a 79-77 victory over Eastview. The game came on the heels of close losses to Prior Lake (60-59) and Shakopee (73-71) in which he totaled 58 points.

The ninth-grade forward had a career-best effort in Saturday's 7-3 win over Andover. She had a pure hat trick — three consecutive goals — in the first period and finished with five goals and an assist. She leads the Cougars with 23 goals.

The junior forward spent one game setting up his teammates and another putting the puck in the net himself. He assisted on all three goals in a 3-2 win over Centennial and had his first hat trick of the season in a 6-4 victory over Elk River.

Big things have been expected of the freshman since she burst on to the scene as a seventh-grader. She accomplished one of those big things Saturday, winning the All-Around at the Park Wolfpack Invite with a score of 37.45.

JIM PAULSEN