The562’s season previews for the 2022-23 school year are sponsored by Vertical Raise, the official team fundraising partner of The562.
The562’s coverage of Lakewood Athletics is sponsored by J.P. Crawford, Class of 2013.
The future is now for the Lakewood Lancers.
Lakewood finished fourth in the Moore League last year behind Poly, Wilson, and Millikan, and had a 14-13 overall record. But the Lancers return more talent than arguably all three of those teams combined, and are positioned to have their best season in years in 22-23.
“Our expectations are to pick up where we left off last year and compete in every game,” said Lakewood coach Eric Oswell. “The young girls grew up last year and understand what it takes to win in the Moore League, and they can’t wait for the 2022-23 season to start.”
Key among those youngsters is sophomore Nyemah King, a combo guard who was among the very best freshman in the Moore League last year in any sport. King’s ability to score at will was a big part of Lakewood’s impressive league performance.
The Lancers weren’t able to unseat the top three consistently, but they were in games. They went 1-5 against the Jackrabbits, Bruins, and Rams with a 72-61 win over Millikan their only victory. But King scored 35 points in that game, showing that the future was bright for Lakewood.
They also lost a pair of games to Wilson by three and six points, a rematch with Millikan by just one point in overtime (58-57) and were more competitive with Poly than they’ve been.
King isn’t the only returner for the Lancers, either. Cristina Jones is a talented post who was second team All-League last year, and combo guard sophomore Amy Rubio is also back, also with second-team All-League honors.
The Lancers also return their third-leading scorer behind King and Jones in senior Laci Berecochea (pictured), a rare senior on a young Laners team. Berecochea has been a “glue” player for Lakewood and is also a standout pitcher on the school’s softball team.
The Lancers open play today against Whitney.
