Name: Lexyonna Ingram
Age: 17
Year: Senior
Winter Sport: Basketball
Position: Center, Forward
Years on Varsity: 1 Year
Height & Weight: 5’9”, 139 lbs.
Experience: 8 Years
ROCKINGHAM – Lexyonna Ingram has been named the Official Richmond County Female Athlete of the Week presented by McNair Auto Sales. In her first season at the varsity level, Ingram is member of the Lady Raiders basketball team, and has helped Richmond win four of its last six games. Not only a consistent shooter with great range all over the floor, Ingram’s nomination comes as a result of her defensive efforts, too, against Purnell Swett High School.
RSHS Academics: As a senior, Ingram only has one more semester to go at Richmond Senior High School until she graduates. Finals week for the first semester is wrapping up, and Ingram took Honors English IV, Health Science II and Weight Training the last two marking periods. She also was enrolled in an online Criminal Justice class at Richmond Community College.
The second semester of her final year is set to start Friday, and Ingram isn’t taking it easy before graduation. She’s gearing up for another full semester, which includes Essentials of College Math, World History, Weight Training and another Criminal Justice class at RichmondCC.
When asked what her favorite class is, Ingram, who is an A/B Honor Roll student with a 3.5 GPA, explained that math has always been her best subject.
“Math is simple and fun for me,” Ingram said. “It’s self-explanatory and I can apply it in the real world.”
RSHS Sports: Ingram is in her fourth year with the Richmond basketball program and her first with head coach Rosalind McDonald and the varsity team. During her freshman, sophomore and junior seasons, Ingram played for the Lady Raiders’ junior varsity team. And while Ingram doesn’t participate in any other sports for the Lady Raiders, she’s committed herself to being the best she can be at her true passion.
“I’ve learned (during the last four seasons) that basketball is a total team sport,” Ingram explained. “We have to work as a team, and play as a team. You have to work hard in order to be great. And that’s what I think I’ve done.”
Hobbies: It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Ingram, or any featured Official Richmond County Athlete of the Week, enjoys spending whatever downtime she has between practice and school playing pickup basketball with her friends.
“I like playing pickup (basketball) games with my friends,” Ingram said. “We’re always trying to get better, plus we like to compete against each other.”
Other things that Ingram considers to be her hobbies are “shopping, going to the movies and just hanging out with friends and family” to spend quality time together. She also noted that she loves social media and spends a lot of time on several different platforms.
Interesting Fact: By far the most challenging question Official Athletes of the Week are tasked with answering, Ingram took some time to come up with hers. And simply put, she said most people would find it interesting that she really enjoys watching comedy movies.
“Comedies are the best, and my favorite type of movie,” Ingram said. “I like to laugh a lot, and watching movies gives me a chance to hang out with my friends and family.
“My favorite comedy movie is ‘Friday,’” Ingram continued. “There’s lots of joking around and I enjoy all comedy movies.”
College Aspirations: As noted, Ingram’s final semester as a high school senior is set to begin Friday. While her course load is jam packed, she has already decided what career path she’d like to pursue after graduation.
“My goal is to work in the corrections field,” Ingram explained. “I’d like to become a police officer because I want to help people, obviously. But it seems so exciting and like a big adrenaline rush. That’s why I started taking Criminal Justice classes (at RichmondCC).”
In terms of which school she’d like to attend, Ingram said she has two in mind: UNC Chapel Hill and Fayetteville State. She explained that she plans to get a psychology degree and pursue the corrections field afterward.
“I’ve always like both schools,” Ingram said. “My uncle was always all about UNC, so that’s how I got interested there. And one of my coaches, Nellie Harrington, is a Hall of Fame basketball player at Fayetteville State. She made it sound like a great school and somewhere I could play.”
Ingram is hoping to play college-level basketball, expressing that whichever school gives here the opportunity she’ll gladly “take.”
Mentor: Each week, the Richmond Observer asks its Official Female Athlete of the Week to explain a person who has influenced her life. And for Ingram, she chose one person close to her and one person who is on the National Basketball Association’s biggest stage.
“I look up to my mother, Cyteria Ingram,” Ingram stated. “She always helps keep me going, and stays on me about being great and doing better than she was at my age.”
Ingram also pick NBA and Golden State Warriors superstar Kevin Durant as her role model.
“KD is one of the best players in the league,” Ingram noted. “And he likes to get to the basket. Nobody can stop him. I just like to watch him play and try to use his (aggressive) style when I play.”
Player of the Week Stats: In what has been an upward climbing season for the Lady Raiders, Ingram has grown into her role as a leader. Not only that, she has proven to be one of Richmond’s most consistent scorers and defensive threats.
On the road at Purnell Swett last week, Ingram had a monster second quarter when she tallied eight points to help Richmond jump out to a huge 30-8 halftime lead. Ingram finished the night with a team-high 14 points and helped secure a 44-29 Lady Raiders win.
In the first quarter, Ingram swatted away two Lady Rams shots, all while playing strong defense. All eight points in the second frame came off jumpers in and around the paint. Being one of the taller Lady Raiders players, Ingram uses her height and strength to battle for possession and put back shots on the rebound.
One of her most athletic plays of the night was when she hit a turnaround 12-foot jumper with just over 5:30 to play in the second quarter. In the second half, Richmond’s offense stalled, but Ingram did hit a bucket early in the fourth quarter to help maintain the lead.
You’ve been one of the Lady Raiders’ most consistent scorers this season. What’s working well for you offensively?
“Nothing really stops me,” Ingram said confidently. “I don’t stop when I’m playing. I always follow up (my shot) and put it back as best I can. Coach (McDonald) always tells me to keep putting shots up and that’s what I do.
“I just tell myself that I can’t be stopped,” Ingram added. “I have to keep it going (good or bad) until the buzzer sounds.”
Coach McDonald says you’re a great defender – but what do you think you’re best at: offense or defense? And why?
“I think I’m a better help to the team on offense, but I love to block shots,” Ingram said. “Sometimes I slap on defense, so I need to work on that. But I’ve limited my turnovers, and am getting more rebounds.”
Coaches Corner: As aforementioned, the Lady Raiders basketball team has been playing much better of late, and head coach Rosalind McDonald has set high expectations for her leading senior forward.
“Lexyonna has had spurts of great offense and great defense,” McDonald said. “And when we’re lucky, they happen on the same night. She’s a leader and we expected her to step up during her senior season.
“Even though her shots weren’t falling offensively (early against Purnell Swett), I let her know we needed her to come through defensively,” McDonald continued. “And she did that for us. She’s got great range and I’ve told her I expect with her to get double digits every night. Overall, she’s a great player.”
Look for Ingram on the Richmond Observer’s flagship news program LIVE AT 5, as she’ll be in studio for Thursday’s edition.
