Lady Bulldogs split final home games

The Lovell Lady Bulldogs basketball team hosted a pair of games over the weekend against 3A West opponents from the south, Mountain View and Lyman.

On Friday night, the 16-3 Mountain View Lady Buffalos proved their legitimacy of being a strong contender down the stretch with a 44-32 victory over the Lady Bulldogs.

Lovell is 12-10 on the season and still waiting on a game that proves their potential.

The Lady Bulldogs had a stronger first quarter performance compared to their normal slow starts and put 10 points on the board in the period.

Kenadee Rael led the charge knocking down two field goals while Raegan May drained a 3-pointer during the stretch.

Mountain View countered with 11 first-quarter points to hold onto the one-point lead.

“If we could have rebounded better and held them to only one opportunity on their end of the floor, we would have won the game,” Lovell head coach Chris Edwards said.

Mountain View’s height and athleticism allowed the Lady Buffalos to grab multiple offensive rebounds and score 14 points off of second chances in possessions, and the difference in the game was only 12.

“They are a good team, but we showed we have the capability to compete against them,” Edwards said. “Our defensive scheme kept them at bay, but they capitalized on the multiple opportunities they had to eventually score.”

The second quarter gave Mountain View the biggest advantage as they outscored Lovell 13-6.

The remainder of the game, the Lady Buffalos narrowly outscored the Lady Bulldogs 20-16 in the second half.

“Offensively, we had some opportunities we didn’t finish at the rim,” Edwards said. “Unfortunately, their length and height were able to affect our shot quality at close range.”

Halfway into the third quarter, the Lady Bulldogs clawed back to be only down one at 23-22 before Mountain View went on a 9-2 run to finish the period.

“As coaches, we felt the girls did a much better job limiting turnovers,” Edwards noted. 

The Lady Bulldogs only had 12 turnovers in the game and took better care of the ball while it was in their possession.

Lovell will focus on getting to the free throw line more against Mountain View if their paths cross in the future in the post-season.

It was a better game than the first time the two teams matched up, so Edwards believes if his team plays four complete quarters, they can beat a team of their caliber.

Summer Teter and May led the way offensively for the Lady Bulldogs, scoring 8 points each.

Rael added 7 points and snagged 4 steals in the game. Libby Mickelson scored 4, Kennadee Owens 3 and Breeah Jones 2.

Lyman

Determined to win their final home game of the season and the designated “Pink Game,” the Lady Bulldogs bounced back and handily beat the Lyman Lady Eagles, 46-23, on Saturday morning. 

The first few minutes of the game, both teams struggled to find a rhythm before Lovell ended the first quarter up 8-5.

“Once we settled in, I felt like we played one of our best stretches of basketball,” Edwards said.

Halfway through the first quarter until the end of the second, Lovell went on a 24-4 run to take a 25-7 advantage into the break.

“We were scoring in transition, sharing the ball to get our teammates better shots, and that led to converting on opportunities instead of squandering those chances,” Edwards said. 

Defensively, Lovell held Lyman’s halfcourt sets and inbounds plays to minimal production, and that has been where they have found most of their success on the season.

Lyman only made five field goals in the whole game, which Edwards said reflects his team’s desire to play better on the defensive end.

Owens had a very impactful game as she scored 8 points and snagged 12 rebounds.

Mickelson had 9 points, four steals, six rebounds and two assists and was 4-of-4 from the field.

May knocked down two three-pointers along the way to end with 8 points and had six rebounds of her own.

Teter, Rael and Jones all scored 6 points apiece and had at least three assists each. 

Celeste Lindsay made a couple of free throws to have 2 points while Keyanna Walker added 1.

Looking ahead

Regional match-ups aren’t set in stone yet as Mountain View and Lyman face off this week in a game that could still affect seeding positions.

The Lady Bulldogs travel to Powell on Thursday afternoon for their last regular season game.

Although the outcome won’t change the finishing spots of Northwest conference standings, the Lady Bulldogs
want to play good basketball to carry confidence going into the regional tournament.

“We know Powell is versatile and can hurt us in transition if we don’t get back on defense,” Edwards said. “They’re big and quick and will try to get lots of points in the paint.”

Lovell’s goal is to take care of the ball and limit how many multiple chances Powell gets on the offensive end and control the transition game.

The Lady Bulldogs will tip off in Powell against the Lady Panthers at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday.

JV games

The Lady Bulldogs junior varsity squad won both games over the weekend against Mountain View and Lyman.

On Friday afternoon, Lovell topped Mountain View 32-22 and then beat Lyman 32-26 on Saturday morning.

During the Mountain View game, Becca Nichols led the way with 7 points while Lindsay added 6. CeCe Collins scored 5, and both Kaydree Owens and Brooklin Clark had 3.

Kindle Collins, Jenna Hessenthaler, Hannity Felkins and Kandace Asay all had 2 points in the game for Lovell.

They kept their momentum on Saturday morning against Lyman.

This time, Lindsay led the way with 8 points, and Hessenthaler scored 7, Clark 6, Asay 4, Owens 3 and Kindle Collins and Nichols 2 each. 

The final game of the season for the JV girls will be in Powell this Thursday as they will tip-off at 4 p.m.