Lincoln Pius X primed for run at back-to-back Nebraska state titles
LINCOLN, Neb. (BVM) — The Lincoln Pius X girls basketball program has established a long tradition of success with 23 state tournament appearances, including seven runner-up finishes and four state titles, so expectations are high at the start of every season.
“But I think this year they’re a little bit higher,” Pius X head coach Ryan Psota said.
With the return of four starters and their first player off the bench, the defending Class A champion Thunderbolts are viewed as the clear-cut favorite to win another state title. And it certainly doesn’t hurt that one of those returning starters happens to be arguably the best high school player in the state: University of Nebraska commit Alexis Markowski. The 6-foot-3 future Cornhusker averaged 21.5 points, 12.1 rebounds, 1.4 blocks and shot 63% from the field as a junior last season. She also tied a Class A state tournament record with 80 points in three games.
“Alexis is the most dominant player in Class A and possibly the state,” Psota said. “She just garners so much attention during a game and constantly has two or three bodies draped all over her just to try and slow her down and everybody tries to game plan around her. She seems to have her best games in the biggest games of the season. She’s just a really good competitor, really skilled for her size, has great hands, great feet and is becoming a really good leader for us.”
But even the most dominant players need a supporting cast, and Markowski has that. It starts with senior point guard Jillian Aschoff, who averaged 11 points, 3.7 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 2.9 steals a year ago.
“She takes a lot of pressure off of the rest of the guards because she’s a one-man press breaker for the most part,” Psota said. “She just makes some elite passes and can do things that a lot of high school guards can’t do and she’s a kid that is very competitive, (has) just great floor vision and her and Alexis really make a pretty good combo together.”
The team’s other returning starters are senior Miriam Miller and sophomore Adison Markowski, Alexis’ sister. Adison averaged 6.4 points and drained 37 3-pointers as a freshman, and Psota believes she’s starting to become a more well-rounded player.
“She’s become a better defender and is doing a better job of taking the ball to the basket and trying to get more aggressive in our offense instead of just kind of deferring a little bit to Jillian and Alexis.”
Miller, meanwhile, has already established herself as a top defender but could have a bigger offensive season in store this year.
“Miriam is probably the best perimeter defender in Class A,” Psota said. “She kind of takes on that role of guarding the other team’s best offensive threat but has really had a really good summer and has become more offensive-minded herself.”
Junior Charlee Hagedorn made a big impact last season as the first player off the Thunderbolts’ bench, but now she’ll join Aschoff, Miller and the Markowski sisters in the starting lineup.
“We’re expecting big things out of her,” Psota said. “She can make shots from the outside which takes a little bit of pressure off of Alexis.”
Pressure is something Pius X will have to deal with all season long. The Thunderbolts are now the team to beat in Nebraska, unlike a year ago when they were somewhat of a surprising state champion.
“It was a lot more rewarding last year to kind of come in and sneak through against some really good teams to win a state championship,” Psota said. “But I’ve told the team since Day One, it’s much harder to win when everybody has the target painted on your back. There’s just a lot more pressure, a lot more expectation. You know you’re going to get everybody’s best shot every night out and so we just have to take it game by game and try to get better in the process and enjoy the experience.”
