LSE not dwelling on going unbeaten
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BY RON POWELL / Lincoln Journal Star
The seniors on the Lincoln Southeast girls basketball team have seen measurable improvement from year to year.
With four freshmen seeing extensive playing time in 2006, the Knights lost in the first round of the Class A state tournament and finished 14-10. In 2007, Southeast ended up 18-8 and reached the state semifinals before being eliminated.
Last season, the Knights went all the way to the top. Southeast won its ninth state championship under coach John Larsen by going 26-1, the only setback being a 51-49 loss to eventual Class B state champion South Sioux City on the Cardinals’ home floor.
The next logical step for the Knights is an undefeated state championship, right? Well, not exactly.
Going unbeaten might be a good topic of discussion among the fans and pundits, but it’s not something Larsen or his players dwell on. Larsen, who has had two undefeated girls basketball teams in his 29 years of coaching, says setting a goal of going undefeated “is unrealistic.”
And that’s with two Super-State guards back (seniors KK Houser and Marissa Kastanek), four returning starters and eight letterwinners in all. A schedule that has games against No. 3 Omaha Marian, No. 7 Lincoln East, No. 9 Omaha Westside, No. 10 North Platte, as well Class B No. 1 South Sioux City and Class B No. 3 Lincoln Pius X keeps things in perspective.
“Our schedule is extremely tough, and there’s a large number of games on it that if we don’t show up and play our best, we could get beat,’’ said Larsen, whose team opens the season at home today at 7:30 p.m. against Westside in the first round of the Great Nebraska Shootout.
“We never set a goal of going undefeated,’’ the Southeast coach added. “Our top goals have always been to qualify for state and make sure we’re playing our best basketball at the end of the season.’’
Even the ultra-competitive Houser, a state champion hurdler and Super-State shortstop in softball, shies away from the topic when talking about the upcoming season.
“Things happen and things don’t go your way every game, we know that,” she said. “We need to focus on being prepared each game and not look too far ahead or dwell on what’s happened in the past.”
This might be one of the most experienced teams ever in Class A girls basketball. Four seniors — Houser, guard Paige Hubl, guard Alyssa Lake and forward Rachel Masin — have been part or full-time starters since they were freshmen. Kastanek was a two-year all-stater at Crete before transferring to Southeast as a junior.
Another returning starter from last season — 6-foot junior Haley Lake — is entering her third season in the lineup. The only starter gone from 2007-08 is graduated Super-Stater Katie Birkel, who now plays at North Dakota State.
With that much experience and firepower surrounding her, the 5-6 Houser seems more content to use her exceptional quickness and basketball skills to set up her teammates instead of score. Houser averaged 13.4 points and almost five assists per game last season operating Southeast’s fast- break attack.
“This team is like the Energizer bunny, we’re going to run, run, run and never stop,’’ Houser said. “We have a lot of depth so if we get tired, we can get fresh legs in there and not miss a beat.’’
When Kastanek became eligible after her transfer, she took pressure not only off the guards, but also inside, where the Knights are sometimes at a height disadvantage. The 5-9 North Carolina State recruit led the Knights in the final 12 games last season in both scoring (17.2-point average) and rebounding (6.5) while also getting almost four steals per game.
Reach Ron Powell at 473-7437 or rpowell@journalstar.com.
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