Lady Bulldogs split with Powell and Thermop

The Lovell Lady Bulldogs put together a strong home series against Powell and Thermopolis on Thursday and Saturday and really could have gone 2-0, but cold shooting at the foul line cost the team a home conference win Thursday, leaving the Lady Bulldogs 1-1 in the pair.

The Lady Bulldogs were their own worst enemies at the free throw line Thursday at Winterholler Gym as they made just four of 15 attempts at the stripe in a one-point loss to Powell, 47-46, but a determined Lovell squad regrouped Saturday against strong 2A opponent Thermop and crushed the Lady Bobcats 59-39.

Thursday, the Lady Bulldogs had to continually battle from behind against Powell, in part because of their cold free throw shooting. Powell took an early 8-2 lead and used a late 5-1 run to lead 13-6 at the first quarter break.

Lovell battled back in the second quarter and pulled within two, 20-18, late in the quarter, and had the team not missed six foul shots in the quarter, they might have led. But a late Powell mini burst left the Panters up 23-18 at halftime.

The Bulldogs turned things around in a hurry in the third quarter as the Walker sisters went to work. Ali Walker opened the quarter with a driving bank shot and a steal and layup, and twin Avery drained a three-pointer as Lovell led 25-23. The game was then tied at 25, 27, 29 and 31 before Powell took a 36-31 lead at the end of the quarter.

Lovell missed three of four free throws early in the fourth quarter but still managed to tie the score 44-44 on a trey by Ali Walker from the corner with just under three minutes left. Coy Erickson hit a three ball with just under two minutes left to put Powell up 47-44, but a move and jumper by Avery Walker cut the lead to one for Lovell, 47-46.

With just under a minute to play, Ali Walker stole the ball just inside the half-court stripe but drove and missed a three-pointer. Down the stretch, neither team could score again, though Lovell had the ball after Powell missed two free throws with 42 seconds left. Lovell called timeout with :35 left and took time off the clock before calling a second timeout with 12 seconds left.

Looking for the last shot, a pass to the key was tapped away, but Lovell retained the ball after a scramble with 1.5 seconds left. After each team called a timeout, Becca Nichols tried to hit Brooklin Clark in the paint on an in-bounds pass, but Powell tapped the ball away to preserve the win.

May said Clark had a nice seal on the in-bounds pass, but the Bulldogs needed a better pass fake to draw the Powell defender in the middle away from the pass to the paint. He said there likely wasn’t enough time for a perimeter shot if it was contested.

Other than the foul shooting, May was pleased with how his team executed on Thursday, noting that the Lady Bulldogs did a credible job against Panther talented guards Emery Hernandez and Erickson, who he said have the ability to penetrate as well as hit from beyond the arc.

Offensively, the Lady Bulldogs were able to penetrate the Powell zone for drives, while also hitting the offensive boards and running the fast break.

“I felt like our girls attacked the zones, the gaps in the zones, and got a couple of easy baskets where they dished it to a post player or a perimeter shooter for open looks,” May said.

Ali Walker led the Bulldogs with 19 points, and Clark and Avery Walker added 9 each, Hannity Felkins 4, Morgan Hashman 3 and Nichols 2. Clark pulled down a team-high 11 rebounds, and Ali Walker led with five steals. Nichols had four assists, Avery Walker three.

Hernandez scored 22 for Powell, Erickson 13, combining to hit 10 of 15 shots at the free throw line.

Saturday win

The Lady Bulldogs had a battle on their hands against Thermopolis Saturday afternoon before clamping down on defense in the second half and pulling away for a 20-point win. Thermop clung to a one-point lead after the first quarter, 11-10, but Avery Walker got hot in the second quarter to score 8 points as Lovell outscored the visitors 20-15 to lead 30-26 at halftime.

“I don’t know how many times we played them this summer, too, and it was just always a battle, because they don’t give up,” May said. “They’re feisty. They just keep at it, and they’ll surprise you with a variety of different girls hitting three-point shots, too, that you’re not expecting them to make. I thought that helped them stay in the game in the first half. … They can beat anybody.”

Thermop tied the score 30-30 early in the third quarter, but the rest of the game was all Lovell as the Bulldogs outscored the Bobcats 29-9 the rest of the way, winning the third quarter 15-7 and the fourth 14-6, putting together runs of 13-1 and 11-0 in the process. Avery Walker stayed hot, scoring 9 points, and Clark added 8 in the half.

May said the team’s defensive rotations were better in the second half, and the team defended well in the half court while also picking up the pace offensively and getting out on the fast break.

“We just challenged them to get in their stances and move their feet and communicate better defensively so there wasn’t anything easy to the basket,” May said.

Avery Walker finished with 19 points to lead Lovell, and Clark scored 13, Ali Walker 11, Felkins 6, Jenna Hessenthaler 4, Nichols and Kandace Asay 3 each. Clark grabbed a remarkable 21 rebounds, and Felkins grabbed eight caroms while dishing for five assists. Nichols, Clark and Avery Walker had four steals each.

“It’s fun to see more of our girls being in double figures,” May said. “We’ve been really trying to get our girls to be more offensive minded in attacking the basket, and so when you’re starting to see some of those things, it’s pretty exciting.”

More home cooking

Now 11-4 overall, 1-1 in the 3A West, the Lady Bulldogs will stay home this weekend to face a pair of 3A Southwest foes, hosting Pinedale Friday at 4 (JV) and 5:30 p.m. and Lander Saturday at 1 and 2:30 p.m.

Second-ranked Pinedale (12-2, 2-1) fell to third-ranked Lander 49-39 last Friday in the only weekend action for both teams, and Lander improved to 13-2 with the win, 3-0 in conference games.

Pinedale is led by senior Erica Wilson, who averages around 19 points per game, while senior Alyxsis chips in with 12 points per contest.

“They like to get up and down the floor and pressure you,” May said. “They’re long and athletic. I think there are four seniors that have returned. So they’re just athletic and long and can shoot it, and they can attack the basket. So we’ll definitely have our hands full.”

In a schedule change, the girls junior varsity game against Lander Saturday will be played at the middle school gym at 12:30 p.m., followed by the varsity contest at LHS Winterholler Gym at 2:30.

Like Pinedale, Lander will come in with a talented squad, May said.

“They have a core group of senior returners that have lots of experience, and they shoot the three-point shot really well,” he said. “They also have lots of slashers that can take it to the basket and dish it. And then they’ll also try some zone presses and different defensive type of things in the half court, as well, trying to slow you down.”

Leading scorers are Daisy Goklish at 13.5 points per game, Breana Lincoln at 11.3 ppg and Hayden Goggles at 10 ppg.

“They do have some shooters,” May said. “They’ll go up and down the court, they’ll transition, and you’ve got to make sure you have girls back and not give up easy baskets at the other end.

“It’s going to be fun to see where we’re at with our growth. It’s an opportunity to learn and to grow and get better. And I think our girls want to do that.”