Lake View – As the 2023-24 regular season winds to a close, the boys and girls basketball teams at Lake View High are in position to claim region 6-A championships this season.
Both teams entered play on Jan. 30 in control of their own destiny. The girls team, in fact, had all but secured a region championship while the boys team sat in first-place with three games remaining in the region slate.
Boys coach Jeffrey Ceasar saw his team get off to a slow start this season but that is not unusual. Due to the success of the football team, the basketball teams often struggle early.
Lake View started the season with a 2-8 record but has since rallied. Entering the game on Jan. 30 against Green Sea Floyds, the Wild Gators were 6-11 overall but 4-1 in region six play.
“We normally get off to a little slow start, and that’s okay really,” Ceasar said. “We need December to get them in basketball mode so that we’re playing our best when it comes time for region games. Christmas break will be good for us so we can practice and start developing the chemistry.”
The chemistry has been developing and the coach likes the way his team is playing.
“We still have our issues, missing too many free throws and some inconsistent play offensively, but we are playing hard defensively,” Ceasar said. “I like the way these guys have worked. We never panicked when we had the slow start. We just keep working to get better. We have a chance to win the region and that was the No. 1 goal. We have put ourselves in position.”
Lake View won the region championship last year, its first under Ceasar as head coach. The program also has a couple of runner-up finishes.
Several players are working in the backcourt rotation early on, led by senior Jayden Ford. Ford, a full-time starter last season, is leading the team in scoring overall, averaging 12.1 points per game. Senior Camden Umphries is also in double figures, averaging 10.9 points per game.
Senior DJ Hardee is one of the top defenders on the floor and contributes 8.2 points per game. Another leader defensively is junior Daniel Ray, who also averages about five points per outing. Senior Ahmarion Nichols is scoring about four points per game.
Manning most of the early time in the post are juniors Ray, Caleb Roundtree and Timothy Waters.
Senior Tamir Bellmon has been another key performer on the defensive end. Junior Ja’Mire Barden has been effective in the post and junior Jonathan Carter is performing well as a backup point guard.
Also competing for playing time are seniors Jamarion Jones and Ja-Quentin Johnson; and juniors Brayden Borders, Connor Abraham, and Tyrell Foxworth.
The key to Lake View’s success, according to Ceasar, is defense. The Wild Gators look to pressure the opposition into turnovers, which leads to lay-up opportunities on the offensive end.
“We use our defense to score in transition. That has to be a strength for us to have a chance,” the coach said. “We want to play fast but, at the same time, play under control and play smart. We want to run but if we can’t. we have to be able to execute the offense in the halfcourt.”
The Lake View girls look to finish out the regular season strong and make another deep run in the Class A playoffs.
Lake View opened the season with eight straight wins and went through a three-game losing streak just after Christmas. Entering play on Jan. 30, the squad is 18-4 overall and 5-0 in region play with a two-game lead in the standings.
“We are working hard and they are improving,” coach Larry Inman said. “We just working to get more consistent production and we have a few stepping into new roles for us this year.”
Inman looks for team leadership from two veteran senior performers. Both Gwendasia Page, a forward, and point guard Jaleya Ford have been with Inman on the varsity since they were seventh-graders. Both players already have scored more than 1,000 career points and Page is closing in on 1,000 career rebounds.
“We know what we’re going to get from those two,” Inman said. “Both have been great players for us and we expect big things from them in their senior year.”
Both are responding to their coach’s call this season. Ford is averaging 21.2 points per game, to go with 5.6 rebounds and 3.9 steals per game.
Page is averaging 13.1 points and 9.8 rebounds, but is excelling defensively with 7.4 steals per game.
Freshman Zy’kira Waters, a two guard, is adding 8.6 points per contest.
Junior Takyia Waters returns with solid experience as a forward, and junior Alexis Blackmon is learning to play the forward position this season.
Seventh-grader Sophia Rogers also has seen solid minutes in the early season.
Other seventh-graders on the roster include Delilah Jones, Aaliyah Hardy, Ky’Asia McDonald, along with eighth-graders Ny’Kya Jones, Aura Green, and LaShanna Jordan.
Seniors Eva Newell and Emma King, freshmen Sydney McAllister and Adrionna Jacobs, sophomore Shayla Johnson and junior Kayleigh Bugarin round out the roster.
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