Scott Keyes
Sports Scene
Lexi Gussert had to feel like she was carrying the whole state of Michigan on her shoulders.
Well, maybe not the whole state, but at least part of it.
After her 43-point effort gave Forest Park the victory over Posen in the state quarterfinal round on March 11, Gussert traveled with her team and friends to Detroit the next day to accept the 2014 Miss Basketball trophy. A day later she was playing in the Class D semifinal against Athens.
Forest Park defeated Athens to set up a Class D state final matchup against Sacred Heart Academy.
With a perfect season on the line, Forest Park was stunned by a pesky Sacred Heart team, 56-53.
Gussert took to her Facebook page after the loss and gave a heartfelt apology to all of the followers who supported her over the last four years.
“Not how we wanted it to end, and it will kill me for some time,” she wrote. “But this team did everything they could today, and I couldn’t be more happy to share these experiences with them. Huge learning experience for me, but hope to see some of you at State next year. Lastly, it is easy to say I will greatly miss playing at Forest Park with these amazing girls. Crystal falls, and the whole UP, we love you and thank you.”
Sacred Heart clamped down on defense late in the game to secure the victory.
Gussert’s free throw with 2:42 to play put Forest Park up 50-42, but the Trojans didn’t score again until Gussert’s long three pointer with 3.7 seconds remaining. By then, Sacred Heart had closed out the game on a 16-4 run, and Gussert put the blame on herself.
“The shots didn’t fall, mine definitely,” she said. “My team did everything they could possible. I just feel really bad because I didn’t finish well. The pressure was tough, but personally, I still think I had really good looks, and I just couldn’t finish today.”
Gussert, a two-time Class C Player of the Year, will leave Crystal Falls as one of the best players to ever have played in the Upper Peninsula.
She averaged about 30 points per game this season, surpassed the 2,000-point plateau in her fourth game, and became the all-time leading scorer — boy or girl — in the history of the Upper Peninsula.
With more than 2,500 career points, Gussert will finish her prep career among the top five scorers in state history.
Gussert, who also plays volleyball and golf, had seven triple-doubles this season and averaged 12 rebounds, 7.7 assists, and 3.9 steals per game.