How Lakeside quietly became an Augusta-area girls high school basketball powerhouse
Lakeside girls basketball’s 49-46 win over Brunswick Friday was a microcosm of its 2023 season.
The Lady Panthers (12-3) watched a 29-18 halftime lead crumble to a 40-36 deficit by the end of the third quarter. A big final quarter from junior guard Asunti Porter sealed the victory over the Pirates, who were a Class 6A Final Four team a year ago.
“To get that one out of the way is huge,” Lakeside coach Matt Scott said. “I think my heart rate got to about 250.”
Heading into Friday night, Scott and Company knew a path to a potential Region 2-AAAAAA title would run through Brunswick. The three-point win served as a bit of a statement for the Lady Panthers, putting the rest of the region on notice.
“I think fatigue set in and that was part of why we missed those free throws,” he said. “We gave (Brunswick) every opportunity to take one, but our defense has been our identity and our toughness and that showed up in the fourth quarter.”
This isn’t last year’s Lakeside team. With the return of Porter and the emergence of sophomore forward Kobi Barnes, Scott already has his squad two wins shy of its 2022-23 win total of 14. He also built the season schedule to prepare his players for games like these.
To this point, Lakeside’s only two non-region losses have come to South Carolina power North Augusta (winners of five of the past seven South Carolina High School League 4A state titles). The Lady Panthers have beaten teams like Josey, Butler and Augusta Christian.
“Games like that, Butler over Christmas break, Josey earlier in the year, North Augusta, those prepare you for the playoffs,” Scott said. “Down the stretch, you probably saw me looking up at the basketball gods. Basketball is a game of runs, and I think we got down four or five and those girls dug deep. The combination of our leadership and our youth is such a good balance.”
Acting as a reminder of the up-and-down nature of region play, Lakeside fell to region foe Glynn Academy 44-42 Saturday for its third loss of the season. The Lady Panthers will return to action on the road Tuesday at Effingham County.
Photos: Josey defeats Laney in girls high school basketball
Photos: Lakeside tops Brunswick in boys high school basketball
Back in the saddle for Lakeside girls’ basketball
The hero of Friday night’s win is no stranger to making big plays. Porter helped lead Lakeside to a state playoff appearance during her freshman year. The 17-win mark is still the most for a single season in program history.
She transferred to Grovetown the following year, which she led the Lady Warriors in scoring with 16.3 points per game and helped the team a Georgia High School Association 6A state playoff berth. Back where her high school career began, Porter is still showing us why she’s an elite-level player.
“She’s had so much growth mentally and emotionally and her game has obviously grown. With her, it’s mainly compartmentalizing the mental and emotional stuff,” Scott said. “I never have to tell her to work hard. To make those free throws down the stretch, that takes guts and focus. Not everybody wants to be in that spot, but she has meant a lot and we’re finally starting to learn how to play with each other.”
Lakeside’s double-double machine
In addition to Porter’s presence, Barnes, a 6-foot-2 sophomore, has shown the ability to make plays on both sides of the ball. A walking double-double, she can put points on the board while making life difficult for opposing offenses. Through the first 10 games of the season, she averaged 12 points, 11 rebounds and seven blocks per game.
“I think she had six rebounds in the first quarter and she was getting no calls. She could have easily lost her temper, but she kept it up here,” Scott said. “She played 32 minutes tonight. Those (Brunswick) girls were strong and she didn’t bat an eye. She has grown so much, getting stronger and more disciplined. I’m proud of her.”
Her physical presence may be hard to quantify in the box score at times, but it’s easy to see how much better this team is when she’s on the floor.
Growing chemistry on the court
One thing Scott pointed out in his first year leading the program is that team chemistry doesn’t happen overnight. A group of players without a ton of history together will take some time to gel on the court, regardless of the talent level.
“You can’t manufacture that in practice. Through 14 games, we’re starting to see that in practice, we’re starting to see that in games,” he said. “The first couple of games of the season, a run like that from Brunswick would have been tough, but playing Josey we were down, playing Butler we were down. Those wars get scar tissue built up.”
With the meat of its region schedule ahead of it, this Lakeside team could be figuring it out at just the right time.
This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Asunti Porter, Kobi Barnes lead Lakeside girls basketball to dominance
