KENT CITY – You’ll have to forgive Kent City junior point guard Lexie Bowers if she scoffs the next time a reporter refers to her as Kenzie Bowers in a published story.

This publication is as guilty as any other when it comes to that.

Last week, when MuskegonSports.com published its final girls basketball leader board of the season, it was shared on social media with the message that Kenzie Bowers was the highest scoring player in the area.

Of course it should have said Lexie Bowers, her younger sister.

While Kenzie was certainly impressive in her time at Kent City, earning All-State honors and leading the team to the Division 3 state finals last season, she’s since moved on to play at Illinois State University, leaving her sister to lead the Eagles.

Lexie has done just fine in her inherited role, averaging 17.3 points per game and helping Kent City post a 24-0 record heading into Tuesday’s Division 3 state quarterfinal game against Schoolcraft at Otsego High School.

“It’s great,” Lexie said about stepping into a leadership role this year. “I knew in the beginning of the year I had to take over that role, and I was very comfortable with it. I love being a leader and I’m glad to do it. I feel like I finally got my moment and I’m no longer in her (Kenzie) shadow.”

Fighting for recognition and the spotlight isn’t anything new for Lexie, who grew up behind two older brothers and Kenzie.

“They had lots of fights,” said Danyle Bowers, their mom, about her four athletic kids. “The two older boys beat up on the girls, too. They never had mercy on them, so we had lots of fights all the time.”

Lexie credits those scraps for making her the competitor that she is today.

“It’s honestly just because of my siblings, and especially Kenzie,” she said. “I give it my all every single game, and I think my competition with Kenzie made me a stronger basketball player.”

Lexie said her siblings also had a lot to do with her love for basketball. It was a family sport, she was dragged here and there to watch her brothers and sister play over the years, and their passion for the game was transmitted.

“I was like four,” Lexie said, when asked when she realized she loved basketball. “My older siblings all played, and I watched them all the time. I got stuck going to their games. As soon as I got to play, I thought it was really fun. It was right from the first time I touched the ball.”

While Lexie has been on the varsity team since her freshman season, her role was to do things other than score, due to the presence of Kenzie and fellow standout Jenna Harrison, who both graduated last spring.

“I knew my role wasn’t to be a scorer,” Lexie said. “I had other roles and was a defensive player. I knew I wasn’t going to be a scorer with Kenzie and Jenna there, so I just focused on the defensive aspect.”

While nobody is surprised to see Lexie’s growth as a scorer this season, Kenzie is glad to see her little sister take over as a leader for her former team.

“I knew once Jenna and I were gone, someone would need to step into that role, and I knew it would be Lex,” Kenzie said. “She’s had the capability of being All-Conference, All-Area, and probably even All-State every year she’s played. She just didn’t get the chance to showcase it as much her first two years.”

Danyle Bowers said Kenzie has just reached the point where she can admit how good Lexie is on the court.

“There are probably not two more competitive girls alive,” she said about her daughters. “They’re horribly competitive. Before this year, I don’t think Kenzie would give her much credit. She was the more competitive one and wanted to take charge. Now, she sees what her sister has done and is proud of her. She knows Lexie can lead the team.”

While the respect is now obvious between the two sisters, Lexie is still looking forward to the next time they get to play against each other at home, one-on-one.

“I’m winning, because I’m going to hit all those threes,” Lexie said. “I’m not taking it to the hoop, but I’ll pull up from behind the arc.”