Marleigh Givens was working her way back into playing shape after sitting out last season with a torn ACL.

The 5’11” post player was expected to be a key contributor for a young Lexington High basketball team with nine freshman, four sophomores and two returning starters.

Lady ‘Dawgs coach Jacobi Couch had said Givens, a junior, could be “one of the best post girls around this area and maybe even in our state.”

But all that changed in Lexington’s season-opener at Dickson on Dec. 2 when Givens injured her other knee in the game’s first six minutes.

“She caught the ball at the high post and drove it right and tried to go up and her knee just buckled,” Couch told The Register. “I’m big on lessons, especially when it comes to sports. I just told (the players) ‘we’ve got to go play for her.’

“Life isn’t fair, because she showed up all summer and was trying to rehab that knee and getting it strong and getting her other knee strong. She did all the right things, and sometimes life just hits you.”

Couch confirmed that Givens tore her ACL.

The injury put a damper on the beginning of the season for Lexington.

After beating Dickson 33-19, the Lady ‘Dawgs lost 50-40 to Dibble on Dec. 5 and 47-38 to Cache on Dec. 6. All three games were on the road.

Senior Lexi Torres and freshman Blayke Givens — Marleigh’s sister — picked up the slack for the Lady ‘Dawgs.

Torres, one of the team’s two returning starters along with senior Hadley Wilkins, scored a team-high nine points while Blayke Givens added eight points in the win over Dickson.

Torres scored 14 points against Dibble and Givens scored 10 points and Torres added nine against Cache.

Since the injury, Couch has encouraged his players not to take things for granted.

“Let’s go play every possession like it’s the last possession we may ever play,” he said.

“I guarantee you Marleigh didn’t think that possession was going to be that last possession she would play this season.”

Boys

The Lexington boys got off to a rough start, losing their first three games of the season by a combined score of 220-97.

The Bulldogs, who return one starter from a team that won eight games, lost 90-33 to Dickson, 55-39 to Dibble and 72-25 to Cache.

“We have to do a better job of taking care of the basketball and finding ways to score,”

Lexington coach Derek Clark told The Register.

Cash Dierking scored 15 points and teammate James McMillian added eight to pace the Bulldogs against Dickson.

Dierking scored nine apiece against Dibble and Cache to lead the team.

Clark said the Dibble game was “much closer than the final score.”

“They pulled away in the fourth late,” he said.