Earlier this season, the Admiral King girl’s basketball team lost a Lake Erie League game to Cleveland Heights by 26 points.

At that time, head coach Cheryl Bansek knew it was going to be a long year.

Bansek and her Admirals were coming off back-to-back seasons of winning the LEL title, but lost quite a bit of star power from the last two years.

Enter freshman phenomenon Alex Harris.

“Alex is unbelievable,” Bansek said. “She’s definitely the most improved player in the program. She is a very hard worker. She’s developing quickly, but we also see that she has a long way to go because her growth window is so large. She’s a very special player. She’s mentally tough.”

Two weeks ago, Cleveland Heights visited Admiral King’s Shot Palace looking for the season sweep, but it was the Admirals that were able to avenge the early-season loss. Madison Stoyka led the way with 11 points, while Sheral Robinson and Harris added 10 apiece. Harris also tied a Lorain County-record with 25 rebounds in the 35-34 win.

“The first game, we weren’t mentally ready,” Harris said. “We weren’t thinking straight. The second game, we came together and said ‘We wanted to win so we can tie Southview for second place’. So we went out there and we were mentally ready. Our minds were right and we we’re ready to play.”

It is rare for a freshman to play varsity and be accepted by the older players, but Harris has never had a problem.

“The rest of the team loves her,” Bansek said. “You would think sometimes in a group when someone comes in and becomes the leading scorer and rebounder there might be some animosity, but not at all. This is a wonderful group of girls who have very good chemistry and who really like each other. They welcomed her with open arms.”

This past offseason, Bansek took Harris to a Michigan State basketball camp and out of 450 campers, Harris was named the “Top Camper” to enter, which featured a lot of Division I talent.

“I didn’t think I would be the one,” said Harris, who averaged 15 points and 10 rebounds per game for General Johnnie Wilson Middle School last season. “I was very grateful that I won. I didn’t even think about it. I thought I’d be last pretty much. I know I played good there and I was overwhelmed when I won.”

Bansek doesn’t like to put too much pressure on her, because she knows first-hand what it takes to play varsity level as a freshman.

“I look back at myself, playing four years of varsity basketball and college basketball and I was a pretty good player, but I was no where near the player as a freshman that she is,” Bansek said. “Over the last month and a half, she’s been holding on to the ball a lot better. She’s taking her time on offense and scoring more. She’s averaging a double-double, leads the county in rebounding and she’s in the top six or seven in scoring. A double-double from a 14-year old at the varsity level is pretty amazing.”

Harris is excited to be a part of the varsity team and has adjusted well.

“It’s pretty exciting,” Harris said. “It’s a whole new pace, but I’m pretty much used to it by now. I’m honored to be at this level right now. (The team) has accepted me, we get along fine. We’re good friends. I knew them from open gyms when I was in junior high.”

Plus she’s relieved to be coached by someone that has been in her shoes.

“It’s really comforting being coached by Coach Bansek,” said Harris, who added that Ohio State or Tennessee are her early favorite college choices. “She’s a great coach. She knows that I’m not a freshman anymore, she tells me all the time. She played varsity her freshman year so she knows how it is. She really helps me.

“She’s helping me progress as the season goes on. I feel like I’m getting stronger. I feel like I know more about the game. I’m getting better.”

Ogle rumors

Bansek dispelled rumors that Southview’s Shanique Ogle may not be joining the consolidate Lorain team next season when the schools merge.

“There’s lots of rumors, but we believe she’s coming here,” Bansek said. “I’ve talked to her and she tells me she’s coming here. Coach (Scott) Plzak said that they are all coming here. There’s a lot of people in the county that want her and who wouldn’t? She’s a great kid and a great player. She’s probably the best player in the county right now.”

Harris has thought a lot about the possibility of teaming up with Ogle next season.

“I think about it a lot,” Harris said. “Us working together will be pretty good. She can give me some pointers and I can give her some. We’ve never played together, but it probably won’t take us long to mesh.”

Bansek is excited, but is focused on finishing this season first.

“We look forward to the blend,” Bansek said. “We still have this season to worry about and Southview has their season to worry about. Can you imagine that kind of size with the No. 1 and No. 2 rebounder together? I mean, Wow! There’ll be high expectations quickly.”

Layup line

• Wellington’s Katie Stumphauzer suffered a broken tibia in practice on Jan. 28 and will be out for the season.

She was leading the Dukes with 19.9 points and 11.0 rebounds per game.

“We’re going to have to step it up and pick it up for her,” Wellington coach Marty Yonkof said.

• Western Reserve did something last week that no other team in the Firelands Conference has been able to do for quite some time. With the Roughriders’ 66-33 win over New London, coupled with Plymouth getting upset 56-54 by St. Paul, they clinched the first back-to-back FC titles in 26 years. That says a lot about the balance of the conference.

Freshman Theresa Jackson led the way with 13 points. Erica Jenkins and Casey Molesky added 11 apiece, while Natalie Robson chipped in with 10.

• As sectional play approaches, there are plenty of interesting matchups. Even though Bansek’s Admirals are their lowest seed in quite a few years at No. 10, she still like her matchup against No. 3 seed Avon Lake.

“We’re a 10th seeded team, but we also feel like a lot of teams are close together in the district, so I think we’re going to see some surprises,” Bansek said. “We’re very young, so for us, it’s just going to depend on who shows up. Most of our kids have been on the court at Medina because we were very young at the end of last season.”