Three Lady Bulldogs receive postseason honors

Two members of the young but successful Lovell Lady Bulldogs girls basketball team were honored after the season by being named to the Class 3A West All-Conference team, with a third receiving honorable mention recognition.

Junior Brooklin Clark and sophomore Avery Walker were named all-conference, and Ali Walker received votes for honorable mention status, Lovell head coach Brian May said.

Clark led the Lady Bulldogs in scoring, averaging 9.3 points per game, and in rebounding (fifth in the 3A West and seventh in the state) at 6.0 boards per contest. She also led the team in steals with 2.6 swipes per contest, good for sixth in the conference.

“Brooklin, she’s just tough, a tough, tough player,” May said. “She has high energy and brings a lot of physicality to the game. Her overall intensity is high on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. She does a really good job rebounding and getting second-chance points for our team, and she’s willing to guard posts that are bigger than she is when she plays the four spot. She’s not afraid to compete with players that perhaps are a little bigger than she is.

“I think her mid-range game has improved quite a bit. And then with the energy that she brings, getting steals and things like that, that helps our team, as well. She also brings a lot of great leadership, just by the way that she is coachable and on time, with good grades. She leads by example and how she plays out on the floor.”

Avery Walker averaged 8.7 points per game, second on the team, and she led the squad in blocked shots with 25, good for eighth in the state, second in the 3A West. She also led the team in assists at 2.2 per game, ninth in the West. She finished second on the team behind Clark with 5 rebounds per game and 1.9 steals per contest, tied with sister Ali.

“Avery is probably one of our most athletic players in terms of her ability to run, jump and just get up and down the floor,” May said. “She has good length, which helps her as the second leading rebounder on our team. It also helps her defensively, being able to guard with length, and she can guard multiple positions.

“I don’t know if she understands her potential yet. She’s learning how to attack the basket, too, and use her length as she drives. She can post up if she’s matched up against guards that might be a little smaller, and she has the ability to go inside and out.”

Ali Walker averaged 8.4 points per game, third on the team, and she dished for 1.8 assists per game, tied with Hannity Felkins for second on the team.

“Ali’s shooting is coming. She had some really great games for us this year, as far as scoring,” May said. “She also is very athletic and runs the floor well. Her ballhandling is improving, and she’s also able to guard multiple positions, especially the one, maybe the one through three spots.

“For both Ali and Avery throughout the year, it was big for them to gain more confidence. And I think just being out there under the pressure of 3A basketball. They’re learning how to handle that pressure better.”

Though the Lady Bulldogs did not have a player average in double figures this season, the team scoring was up from the previous season by about 7 points per game, May said.

“That was one of our goals, to increase our scoring output and increase our shooting percentage. That still needs to improve.”