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North Henderson basketball's Lexie Gunter joins 1,000-point club

zachary huber, hendersonville times-news
·4 min read
North Henderson’s Lexie Gunter celebrates her 1,000 career point in a home game vs. Stuart W. Cramer.
North Henderson’s Lexie Gunter celebrates her 1,000 career point in a home game vs. Stuart W. Cramer.

North Henderson senior Lexie Gunter never imagined that she would eclipse 1,000 career points after she was called up to the varsity team as a freshman. Three years have flown by since.

Coach Zachary Wilkins told Gunter that she only needed 24 points to reach that milestone after her junior year, when she averaged 19 points, 9.3 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game. Gunter couldn’t believe it.

“Seriously?” she said.

It only took Gunter one game to reach that milestone. She blew past the mark in the Knights’ season opener on Nov. 18 at North Buncombe. Gunter poured in 37 points in a 66-46 loss to the Black Hawks.

North Henderson honored her achievement during its first home game vs. Stuart Cramer, pausing the game after Gunter scored on a backdoor layup. A couple of seniors from her freshman season presented her with a poster, purple and yellow balloons and a basketball commemorating her 1,000 points.

Gunter is the second North Henderson girls' basketball player to join the club. Morgan McMinn was the first to do it, tallying over 2,000 points in her career before a college career at Clemson.

“It feels really great, especially since all those years of hard work,” Gunter said. “I finally got that accomplishment. I finally have something to show for all of that.”

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Wilkins said she’s a special basketball player because she’ll do whatever it takes to win.

He first saw Gunter play with her middle school team in eighth grade, impressed by how she was a complete player and didn’t take any plays off.

Later that spring, she played club ball with what would’ve been North Henderson’s junior varsity team. Gunter impressed Wilkins again, telling her that she was going to be pulled up to varsity as a freshman.

She took some lumps during her first season, due to being younger and her 5-foot-5 frame, but still averaged 10.3 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game.

“My freshman year I was able to go against girls who were a lot better than me,” Gunter said. “That was really tough on me because I was used to always being one of the better players. But going against those girls really taught me that there’s always going to be somebody better than you and you just have to figure out how to deal with it.”

Gunter and Wilkins credit those upperclassmen with her growth and development.

“That older group really took her under their wing,” Wilkins said. “Supporting her, encouraging her, and I think that really helped her growth as well.”

North Henderson's Lexie Gunter (12) shoots the ball against A.C Reynolds' Sarah Fletcher during a game last season.
North Henderson's Lexie Gunter (12) shoots the ball against A.C Reynolds' Sarah Fletcher during a game last season.

Gunter blossomed after her first season and grew a couple of inches. She eventually transitioned to being a forward after starting as a guard.

She believes her physicality is one of her biggest strengths. Gunter said her experience from being on the perimeter also helps her find success.

Despite her on-court success, basketball isn’t Gunter’s main sport. She plays catcher for the Knights' softball team and has committed to play collegiately at North Greenville.

This spring, she recorded a .438 batting average while tallying 10 RBIs, nine doubles and a home run.

North Henderson's Lexie Gunter in November 2021 at Erwin.
North Henderson's Lexie Gunter in November 2021 at Erwin.

North Greenville first reached out to Gunter during her sophomore year. Coach Sarah Hall then came to some of Gunter’s games the following season and offered her a scholarship after her final junior year tournament.

She verbally committed to the Crusaders after watching one of their games on a visit.

Wilkins said it’s been fun to coach Gunter, who also played volleyball for North.

“It’s been a joy to coach her the last four years,” Wilkins said.

This article originally appeared on Hendersonville Times-News: North Henderson forward Lexie Gunter joins 1,000-point club