Elida's Ferguson signs with Western Texas JC

ELIDA — She wouldn't let this one get away. After coming up short in her quest to win a fourth consecutive 1A volleyball title last fall, Elida's Lacy Ferguson, along with her Tiger teammates, wouldn't be denied a fourth 1A girls basketball title last month.

Her fire, competitive spirit and leadership helped will the Tigers to another title, which happened to be her eighth in four years at the school, including three volleyball and one track and field title.

The 5-foot-4 point guard went from a backup at the position as a freshman, to Class 1A's Player of the Year as a senior. On Tuesday afternoon, in front of her family and fellow students at Elida High School, she announced that she'll take her competitive edge to Western Texas College, a junior college in Snyder, Texas, after signing her National Letter of Intent to play there.

"Volleyball was definitely a setback," Ferguson said. "But, we didn't let it set us back too far. It lasted a few days, but then the next week, we were back in the gym, and ready to go. That's all we focused on. Basketball was everything for six months, and we just kept getting better, and we continued to improve.

"I'm really thankful that (Western Texas) looked at me. Playing college basketball has always been a dream. I wanted to start small, I wanted to go to a junior college and get the experience, before I moved on. That recruiting process is tough — it's long. There's a lot that has to be put into it, not just your skills as a basketball player, but who you are as a person. The Elida community has really helped me become a college athlete."

Ferguson, who was also being looked at by some other schools, such as New Mexico Highlands, built a great relationship with Westerners coach Darryl Davis, a Hobbs native.

According to Ferguson, Davis contacted her after basketball ended last month and convinced her to skip out on a high school basketball showcase in Albuquerque and visit the Western Texas campus instead.

Ferguson soon fell in love with the campus and the coaching staff, and now she'll spend the next two years honing her skills, before potentially embarking on an even bigger school, thereafter.

For Tigers head coach Jaden Isler, the past four years have been a pleasure coaching her, and it's come with many fun moments, along the way.

"Lacy's just a special kid and a special player. Those types of players don't come around very often. You're lucky as a coach to have one in your career," Isler explained. "One (favorite moment) that comes to mind — and this shows how competitive she is, is when they were doing announcements for the state championship game. They read her off as the 5-3 senior, No. 4. I'm usually at the back of the line and give them a fist bump as they run through, and she grabbed my arm and pulled me in and said, 'I'm 5-4, coach.' I turned to my assistant coach, Drew Homer, and I said, 'They don't have a chance tonight, she's already mad.'"

Ferguson, who's played the game since she was 5 years old, really started to get the itch to play college basketball two years ago, and has continued to push herself ever since. Isler knew at a young age that she would be special, as she was fearless in guarding the team's best player in practice everyday as a "little bitty freshman."

For Ferguson, despite the accomplishment of getting a college scholarship, she's not done - not even close.

"Basketball has always been my life — it's all I've ever done since I was 5 years old," Ferguson said. "It was just countless hours in the gym, on the weekends, every Sunday. I just pushed myself from freshman year all the way here, to where I am now. I'm not gonna stop — I'm still in the gym."