Berkshire senior Lexi Boyk looks innocent enough, but appearances can be deceptive.
She may not steal your wallet but she won’t think twice about swiping your basketball if you’re dribbling it anywhere in her vicinity.
On Wednesday, during Berkshire’s 72-53 win over visiting Wickliffe, Boyk hit the trifecta by setting her third new school record with her 137th steal this season. The previous record of 136 was set by Renee Haurin in 1985.
“It means a lot to me but I couldn’t have done it without my teammates and coaches pushing me,” said Boyk, who will continue her education and soccer career at Edinboro. “I never expected to get basketball records when I was a freshman or even a sophomore. Last year, at the end of the season, was when I started focusing on it more.”
Boyk, who ended the game by pushing her season total to 139 steals, previously this season set the school record for steals in a game and steals in a career.
She now has 288 career steals, which broke the previous record of 288 set by Terri Brown in 1994. Boyk also recorded 14 steals in a game to surpass Haurin’s record of 12.
“The key to my defense has been my teammates helping me and pushing me along the way from freshman year going against seniors and juniors during varsity play and always encouraging me with what I have done,” Boyk said. “The impact it has on me is it makes me work harder. I always knew when I got into high school my height wouldn’t help as much as my speed and I loved playing defense more than anything.”
Boyk’s passion for defense, work ethic and commitment haven’t gone unnoticed.
“Lexi as a player has been a blast to coach because she is so coachable,” Berkshire coach James Bosley said. “There have been times she kind of goes off-script defensively but that’s the benefit of having the teammates she does because they do a great job of helping in some situations that give her more freedom to put so much pressure on the other teams. Her effort is her biggest asset. In two years of coaching her, I don’t think I’ve ever had her ask for a break during a game.”
With her career coming to a close—Berkshire opens the postseason on Feb. 19 at home against Conneaut—Boyk hopes her records inspire her younger teammates and future Badgers to follow in her footsteps.
“I hope they work hard and put it all on the court and they are determined to beat my record just like I was to beat the 35-year old record,” she said. “All I want is for the athletes coming up to not take high school sports for granted and to push themselves and their teammates to do better every day.”
