Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

TIFFIN – From the time Ava Locklear joined the Clear Creek Amana basketball program last season as a freshman head coach PJ Sweeney could see the potential.

Locklear owns a combination of size, agility and skill that few prep post players possess.

All that was missing was a little bit of experience and a slight boost of confidence.

Locklear has gotten both and in the process has emerged as one of the top young post players in the state.

“I think it all comes with confidence,” Sweeney said. “We’ve all known she has the skill level to do what she is doing at the varsity level sometimes you have to have a little confidence and she has had some games where she has been able to go 9-for-12 or get 12 rebounds and now she understands she can do that every game and she is playing with a ton of confidence.”

The experience for Locklear came last season when she averaged 4.5 points and 4.1 rebounds per game as a freshman

After a strong debut season the confidence came for Locklear over the summer as she played on the AAU circuit.

“I think during the summer is when I saw what I could do,” Locklear explained. “I saw that in the summer and I was able to bring it into the season.”

A more confident Locklear has been a handful for opponents this season.

The 5-foot-10 Locklear is averaging team highs for 13.6 points and 7.4 rebounds per game while helping Class 4A No. 15 Clear Creek Amana to a 13-5 record that includes a 12-4 mark in WAMAC Conference play.

“I learned a lot from the people above me last year and that has really helped me this season,” Locklear said. “It was tough because I wanted to play all the time but I learned a lot from them about mental toughness and how to work to get where you want to be.”

The more Locklear plays the better she gets.

Locklear is averaging 15.7 points and 7.4 rebounds per game during the Clippers’ current seven-game winning streak and has scored in double figures in all seven games.

The sophomore had back-to-back double-doubles in wins over Dyersville Beckman and Williamsburg to start the winning streak and had 16 points and nine rebounds in a 43-37 win over Marion on Tuesday.

“I think my confidence is really what has helped me improve,” Locklear said. “If you have more confidence you can make more plays and feel better about yourself with every part of the game.”

Locklear is a tough matchup for opponents.

She has the size and strength to score on the block but is equally effective facing the basket and hitting jump shots out to 17 feet.

Locklear is shooting 51 percent from the floor and 63 percent from the free throw line and also averages 1.9 steals, 1.7 assists and 1.2 blocked shots per game.

“She is very unique,” Sweeney said. “She can post up on the block and go through contact and she can step out and hit that 15-footer. We have her bring up the ball on the press break at times because she handles the ball so well.”

Locklear also has a perfect post partner in 6-foot-2 classmate Bliss Beck who is second behind Locklear in both scoring (10.4) and rebounding (6.6) this season.

“It’s really fun having someone like Bliss that is taller than everybody else, who can jump higher than everyone else where you can just throw it up and you know she will get it or if you miss a shot you know she will get it,” Locklear said. “It’s really fun playing with her.”

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