Lone Star Varsity Athletes of the Week: Shallowater's Davis, Lubbock-Cooper's Blacklock
Jakari Davis, Soph., Shallowater
Now in his sophomore year, Jakari Davis is getting more and more comfortable being a key piece to the Shallowater boys basketball team.
Davis showed some of that growth during the Caprock Classic.
In the Mustangs’ four games, Davis averaged 19.8 points. This included a 30-point effort in Shallowater’s 70-54 victory over Lubbock Christian in the United Supermarkets bracket championship game to earn himself MVP honors.
“I think the biggest thing he does is he brings energy,” Shallowater head coach Jay Lusk said of Davis. “His quickness and things like that, it just helps get you going.”
Davis was limited with an ankle injury earlier this season but has since gotten back to full strength. That’s a good thing for the Mustangs.
“He’s such a great player and he’s one of the ones that we’ve got to have on the floor,” Lusk said.
Lusk said that Davis’ biggest growth on the floor this year has been his defense. That, plus having the benefit of previous varsity experience has helped him and the Mustangs.
“He’s just so explosive and just a playmaker,” Lusk said. “Just a year of maturity has really helped him, too.”
Adlee Blacklock, Sr., Lubbock-Cooper
A busy stretch of games for the Lubbock-Cooper girl's basketball team ended with another solid run in last week's Caprock Classic.
Senior guard Adlee Blacklock played a big role in helping the Lady Pirates earn a runner-up finish in the big school bracket. She was named co-MVP of the tournament after producing a 15-point, 11-rebound double-double in the championship game.
"She did a great job just leading us getting to that final game," Cooper head coach Kyle Lovorn said. "As poor as our team might've played in that final game, she had a solid performance. Overall, just a great tournament and did a good job leading our team.
Cooper defeated Odessa Permian 76-22, Lubbock Coronado 70-30 and Shallowater 45-31 before falling to Lake Dallas 62-53 in the championship game.
Blacklock had 23 points against Coronado behind a trio of 3-pointers and brought in six rebounds against Shallowater.
In her first year with Lubbock-Cooper, Blacklock has adjusted well to her new teammates and her new role with the Lady Pirates.
"It's been a pretty easy transition for her," Lovorn said. "She's smart and she realizes with this team and the situation she's in, she doesn't have to be relied on to score 30, 35, 40 points. She understands our team is a lot more dangerous when our scoring is distributed."
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Lone Star Varsity Athletes of the Week: Shallowater's Davis, Lubbock-Cooper's Blacklock
