Prospect profile: Alicia Lest, Pueblo Central 2021
Being 6 feet tall comes with the repeated questions about playing basketball for Pueblo Central High School girls basketball’s Alicia Lest. For her, the answer is yes, but basketball isn’t her only love in sports as Lest has also been…
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Continue ReadingBeing 6 feet tall comes with the repeated questions about playing basketball for Pueblo Central High School girls basketball’s Alicia Lest.
For her, the answer is yes, but basketball isn’t her only love in sports as Lest has also been a standout volleyball player for the past two falls.
And on the basketball court, she has come into her own down low with 4.5 blocks per game and a South-Central League third-best 6.1 rebounds a contest.
“When Alicia sees one of her teammates gets beat, she comes to the rescue and that’s where she has to learn to make sure to raise her hands up and be solid,” Central coach Carlos Lopez said.
Defense is what Lopez has stressed the most to Lest and the importance of being solid and not going too far and fouling.
The Wildcats don’t have the deepest of benches, leaving Lest to learn what it takes to play disciplined defense.
Part of what has helped learn defense on the basketball court comes from what she did in the fall for the Wildcats’ volleyball team.
Lest was selected to the All-S-CL first-team by the league’s coaches due to her leading the Wildcats in kills with 150 and total blocks with 63.
Translating those skills to defense in basketball has been a natural transition.
“Blocking shots and steals,” Lest said about where volleyball and basketball can overlap. “My hand eye coordination comes in with that (from both sports).”
Granting the ability to focus on the defensive end has been Lest’s ability to get open under the basket or box out for a rebound and a put back on offense.
The junior currently averages 7.6 points per game, the second most on the 5-8 Wildcats squad.
But what Lopez enjoys the most from Lest has been growth in maturity he’s seen from Lest in her junior season.
“Out of every single girl on this team, every single person will tell you I’m the hardest on her,” Lopez said. “We fight, we makeup, but the thing that I really appreciate about her is her leadership skills.”