Lovell seventh graders edge Rocky, split with Cody

The Lovell Lady Bulldog seventh-grade girls basketball squad played an exciting contest against rival Rocky Mountain Thursday at home, and Lovell narrowly escaped with a one-point win, 25-24.

“The girls are continuing to improve,” head coach Collin McArthur said. “I was impressed with their resilience against Rocky.”

Lovell led at the half, 13-5, and still held the lead,19-10, after three quarters. But Rocky came storming back in the fourth quarter, tying the score 24-24 with 30 seconds to go. Lovell had possession of the ball and was able to execute a play that gave them the lead, 25-24, on a free throw, and with the final seconds counting down, Rocky took a half-court shot, nearly hitting a buzzer beater, but the ball rimed out, giving Lovell the win.

Gemma Walker led the Lady Bulldogs with 8 points, and Emily Sanders added 6, Nellie Guccion 4, Makynna Mayes 3 and both Olivia Rael and Kylie Nicholls 2 points.

 The Grizzlies’ Josie Loyning led all scorers with 11 points, and Paizlee Fisher added 8, Ava Weierman and Penelope Wambeke 2 each and Katalina Hetland 1.

“We can do better at being aggressive and running through our options on offense, but the girls have great mentalities and are very encouraging to each other,” McArthur said. “They are making good improvements, and they are a great group of kids. I couldn’t be happier with their coachability.”

Cody

Tuesday, the seventh graders traveled to Cody to take on the Fillies. The Lovell A team was out matched and fell 39-6. Walker, Rael, and Chloe Asay scored 2 points each.

The B game was far more competitive, and the Lovell girls came home with a 22-16 win. The game had a slow start with Lovell ahead 2-0 at the end of the first quarter. The scoring picked up in the second and third quarters.  Lovell went into the half ahead 12-6 and maintained their lead heading into the fourth quarter, up 20-12. 

The fourth quarter was a defensive struggle that ended in a Lady Bulldog victory, 22-16.

“The first Cody game was rough, but the girls did a lot better defensively,” McArthur said. “ In the second game we were more competitive and pulled out a good win.”

Asay led the B team in scoring with 8 points, and Rael added 6 points, Paige Asay 4 and Nicholls and Walker 2 points apiece.

The seventh graders will travel to Powell Friday for a quad, beginning at 2 p.m. and will host Powell Tuesday at 4:15 p.m. ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday.