'Lacie is our player'

NORTH BALTIMORE – The secret is out, and has been for a long time. Teams know how good North Baltimore guard Lacie Allison is. The Tigers standout, who scored 61 points Saturday at Sandusky, poured in 53 Jan. 8 against Elgin and needed just 13 games in her sophomore season to reach 1,000 for her career, has established herself as one of the most prolific scorers in the state and the nation. Despite opposing defenses best efforts, Allison still finds a way to get open, hit her shots, and pile up the numbers. "Obviously, it's very known that Lacie is our player," said her teammate, senior forward Aubrey Cotterman. "She can get the ball no matter where she's at." There's more to Allison than just putting the ball through the basket. Yes, she's averaging 34 points per game after going for 24.3 last season as a freshman. She scored 37 in North Baltimore's Northwest Central Conference championship-clinching win over Ridgemont Monday night, and that game had a running clock for all of the second half. But Allison also is a tremendous rebounder and defender. She's already recorded a pair of triple doubles this season, averaging 11 rebounds and six steals a contest. Not bad for a player who's listed at 5-foot-7. North Baltimore coach Clinton Ebright said the team's defensive schemes allow Allison to be aggressive. "Our press (has Tigers freshman guard) Avery (Benedict) out top, and she's causing havoc on the ball," Ebright said. "It allows Lacie to take the ball away off the pass, and play the passing lanes." That was on display Monday against the Golden Gophers. Three times in the third quarter, Allison forced a steal, then raced to the other end of the court for fast-break buckets. "That's something I always look at," she said. "It's important to be active and be there on defense, because an offensive player is nothing without defense." Allison, who was a first-team All-Ohio selection last season as a freshman, said she feels she's made a jump as a player. "I think I've just built off of what I did last year, and I think I've put in a lot more work than I did last year," Allison said. "I think I've had more confidence, too, and I've been able to trust my teammates more, too." The numbers may be incredible, but one person who isn't surprised by Allison's success is her older sister, Kaylee. Kaylee Allison, in the middle of a strong senior season (7.8 ppg., 3.8 apg, 5.4 rpg., 2.6 spg.) praised Lacie's work ethic. "She works hard, and her hard work pays off," Kaylee said. "She's in the gym almost every day." Lacie Allison countered that Kaylee and the team's other seniors (Cotterman and Josselyn Paynter) have set the standard in practice. "It's really fun. I love playing with all of them," Lacie said. "(Kaylee has) meant a lot. She's one of the reasons I can do this. She's like a motor, and just pushes all of us." With the Allisons, Cotterman and Paynter leading the charge, North Baltimore is 19-2, claiming the program's first league title in 36 years. The team will play at Arcadia Saturday to close out the regular season, then enter the Division VII postseason Feb. 21 when it hosts Horizon Science Academy. It's an opportunity for Lacie Allison and the Tigers to continue adding to their accolades. Lacie said she's looking forward to the postseason. "I want to go as far as we can," she said. And her numbers will keep going up.