Semoball Awards: Notre Dame's Lexi Rubel rounds up career with second straight Girls Basketball Athlete of the Year award

Notre Dame's Lexi Rubel ended her historic career with the Bulldogs by winning a second straight Semoball Girls Basketball Athlete of the Year Award.

J.C. Reeves ~ jcreeves@semoball.com

Following a career that saw Lexi Rubel fill up the record book at Notre Dame Regional High School, Rubel added one more award to her name.

Rubel was named the Girls Basketball Athlete of the Year — her second straight season earning the award — at the 2022 Semoball Awards presented by SoutheastHEALTH on July 8 at LaCroix Church in Cape Girardeau.

Rubel finished her career at Notre Dame first in rebounds with 970, first in assists with 434, first in steals with 289 and finished as the second all-time leading scorer with 1,463 points.

Notre Dame's Lexi Rubel poses for a photo after winning Girls Basketball Athlete of the Year at the 2022 Semoball Awards presented by SoutheastHEALTH on Friday, July 8, at LaCroix Church in Cape Girardeau.

India Hampton ~ Special to the Southeast Missourian

Rubel said winning the Girls Basketball Athlete of the Year award was a shock, and exciting as well.

“I really didn’t think that I was going to win,” Rubel said. “When I heard my name I was just really surprised and now it’s sunk in a little bit. It’s just really cool.”

Notre Dame girls basketball coach Kirk Boeller wasn’t surprised Rubel won the award.

“Seeing the work she puts in everyday, the offseason training, the travel ball and individual skill building it doesn’t surprise me at all that she would be awarded the Girls Basketball Player of the Year,” Boeller said.

Mercy is the presenting sponsor of the Semoball Awards, the area’s premier awards show recognizing student-athletes and coaches in Southeast Missouri.

Rubel averaged 16 points per game on 52% shooting from the field and 42% shooting from beyond the arc during her senior season with the Bulldogs.

Rubel — a four-year starter for the Bulldogs — believes her biggest area of growth on the court was with her mindset.

“I think starting my freshman year I was a pretty timid player,” Rubel said. “I was more passive but as I grew up I became a much better, more well-rounded player. I knew how to pass and I was also very confident in my scoring (ability) and I really just gained a lot of confidence throughout my years of playing.”

Boeller echoed Rubel’s thoughts and said he was impressed with how hard she played.

“She probably passed up on some shots she would normally shoot,” he said. “As a freshman she wasn’t looking to be the one to score but she grew out of that really quick. Her confidence kept rising and rising every year, and she became the foundation of what we were doing.”

Rubel is now going on to play at the Division I level at the University of Tennessee at Martin in Martin, Tennessee. UT-Martin is a member of the Ohio Valley Conference.