Female Athletes of the Week: Kenzie Eckhart & Laci Lesher (Week Ending December 10, 2023)

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Kenzie Eckhart

The ELCO Girls are off to a 5-0 start to begin the season. Through their first three games, they won the Hamburg Tip Off Tournament and notched an exciting come-from-behind win at Martz Hall over Pottsville. Sophomore Kenzie Eckhart was the leading scorer for the Raiders in those games, averaging 14.3 points. Two of those points provided the go-ahead bucket in the final minute against Pottsville. For her efforts, Eckhart was selected as a LebCo Female Athlete of the Week.

Though in only her second year playing varsity Basketball, “Kenz” sees her role on the team as being a leader by example, working hard in practice. This is something that Coach Karl Keath mentioned when talking about Eckhart, “Kenzie is a hard-working sophomore that combines a very good inside and outside game.” She has developed that versatility using her work ethic, something she hopes will pay off in helping the team reach their goal of making a postseason run.

Eckhart is no stranger to athletic competitions, as she is also a member of the ELCO Soccer and Track and Field teams. While involved in three sports, she wants to continue developing her Basketball skills to the point where she can play in college.

Given that she’s only in 10th grade, Eckhart still has time before she needs to worry about college. For now, she and her teammates are hoping that her skills will help them be able to play in March. We wish her and the Raiders the best of luck in making that happen.

Laci Lesher

The Cedar Crest Girls Basketball Team currently holds a 4-3 record as they navigate the early part of their schedule. They went 2-2 to begin the year, including three double-digit scoring performances by senior Laci Lesher. Two of those games were in the Cedar Crest Tip Off Tournament, a win over Mechanicsburg and a loss to Lancaster Catholic. In those tournament games, Lesher came off of the bench and scored 11 points in each. She earned her sport on the All-Tournament Team. In addition to the scoring, Lesher is a key part of the tough defensive effort that Cedar Crest has exhibited. As a result of her dynamic start to the season, Lesher was chosen as a LebCo Female Athlete of the Week.

Lesher on right w/ Megan Donley

Coach Ashli Shay had high praise for her senior, saying, “Laci has been off to a hot shooting start this season, shooting 50% from the three-point line and 71% from the foul line. She is instant offense when she enters the game.”  Shay continued, “Laci has been a great leader on and off the court.”

When asked about her performance, Lesher said, “I made good decisions on offense. I hustled the whole game, played great defensively and the shots went in.”

Regarding her overall philosophy, Lesher sees her role on the team as being positive and impacting the outcome of games through her hard work. She said, “Just to go out there and try my hardest on every single play.” Lesher is also quite clear that it does not matter what the scoreboard says, as she will always stay engaged.

The Falcons aim to make it to the postseason, something that Lesher plans to positively impact. We wish Laci and her teammates the best of luck in battling through the regular season so they can enjoy the thrill of playoff Basketball.

Read about this week’s Male Athletes of the Week – Micah Gray & Elisha Slabach 

For a full list of this week’s nominees, check out: Athlete of the Week Voting: Week of December 4th.