H-S Athlete of the Week: Ava Clark, Brownsville
Brownsville softball record-holder scores 1,000th point in basketball
Name: Ava Clark
School: Brownsville
Class: Senior
Sport: Basketball
Clark无毛视频檚 week: Ava Clark scored her 1,000th career point on Monday during the second quarter of Brownsville无毛视频檚 girls basketball game against Our Lady of the Sacred Heart at PennWest California无毛视频檚 Convocation Center in the Cal U Holiday Tournament. 无毛视频淚t was on a layup,无毛视频� Clark said. 无毛视频淚 drove through the lane between two people and shot it and made it. It felt like a great weight off my chest to check off another one of my goals I had for sports at Brownsville.无毛视频� Clark, who scored 11 of her team无毛视频檚 17 points in the loss, recalled three years ago writing down what she wanted to achieve in sports at Brownsville. 无毛视频淚 made a list of goals before my freshman year for softball and basketball,无毛视频� Clark said. 无毛视频淚 wanted to get the school record for strikeouts in softball and score 1,000 points in basketball. It felt good to be able to check both of those goals off.无毛视频�
Humming hurler: This was Clark无毛视频檚 third career milestone of 2025. In softball the hard-throwing right-hander broke Stacey Knox无毛视频檚 school record of 376 career strikeouts and also notched her 500th career strikeout. She has one additional goal she has set for the 2026 softball season. 无毛视频淚 have over 600 strikeouts now and I want to get to 700 this year,无毛视频� said Clark, the 18-year-old daughter of Terry Christina Clark of Cardale. 无毛视频淚 accomplished almost all the goals I set for myself so I think it无毛视频檒l feel really rewarding when I walk out of Brownsville after I graduate.无毛视频�
Doing it for mom: Clark无毛视频檚 mother is a Bentworth graduate, then known as Christina Heckman, who came up just short in her quest for reaching 1,000 points for the Lady Bearcats. 无毛视频淪he was really close to 1,000 in high school,无毛视频� said Clark, who received a big hug from her mom after Monday无毛视频檚 accomplishment. 无毛视频淚 think she had around 950. So for her to see me get there to 1,000 I think was really exciting for her, too.无毛视频� Christina also, like her daughter, was a softball pitcher in high school. 无毛视频淎 lot of people who supported me throughout my school basketball career were there to watch me get 1,000 and cheer me on,无毛视频� Clark said. 无毛视频淎 lot of my family and relatives, and a lot of friends and even my college softball coaches were all there.无毛视频�
Switching to Cal: Clark originally made a verbal commitment to play college softball at West Liberty but later switched to PennWest California to play under head coach Kristin Erb and assistant Richele Hall. 无毛视频淚 got accepted into the honors program at Cal for schooling and I also wanted to be there with my sister Olivia who also goes there,无毛视频� Clark said. 无毛视频淲hen I met with the coaches and they offered me I felt that无毛视频檚 where I wanted to be. I wanted to play close to my hometown so all of the younger players could come and watch me play and maybe look up to someone playing at the next level.无毛视频�
Kudos to Columbia: Clark cited Lady Falcons basketball coach Patty Columbia as a positive influence on her throughout her high school athletic career. 无毛视频淧atty has been my coach since my freshman year,无毛视频� Clark said. 无毛视频淪he无毛视频檚 seen me grow up and grow as a player in person. She helps the softball team, too, with coach Jane (Bock). Patty has been there through all of it and has supported me the whole way.无毛视频�
Multi-position star: The 5-foot-10 Clark has played just about every position for the Lady Falcons as a four-year starter on the basketball team. She is still showing her versatility as a senior, especially since the departure of fellow 1,000-point scorer Slyler Gates who graduated from Brownsville early to get a jump on her college volleyball career at the University of Virginia. 无毛视频淲e lost one of our main players in Skyler so I无毛视频檝e had to change positions some and I am trying to be more of a leader now with her gone,无毛视频� Clark said. 无毛视频淚无毛视频檝e been point guard and shooting guard for most of the year and now I无毛视频檓 even playing other positions. When we无毛视频檙e on defense sometimes I无毛视频檒l be down low, sometimes I无毛视频檒l be up top, but I无毛视频檓 usually everywhere or just anywhere they need me that game. We have a really young team now so for the rest of the season I无毛视频檓 going to focus on helping them improve.无毛视频�
Memorable moments: Clark has several games that stick out as her most memorable in basketball in addition to her 1,000th-point contest. 无毛视频淕oing to the playoffs is always fun and exciting and we did that twice,无毛视频� said Clark, but it was a heart-breaking loss earlier this season to Seton LaSalle that she无毛视频檒l never forget. The Lady Rebels avoided the upset by scoring at the buzzer to hand the Lady Falcons a 62-61 defeat, one of four this season Brownsville has lost by two or fewer points. 无毛视频淓ven though we lost, that is probably one of the best games we无毛视频檝e played together,无毛视频� Clark said. 无毛视频淲e had a lot of fans and it was just such an exciting game.无毛视频� Gates led the Lady Falcons with 35 points and Clark tallied 20 in the close clash.
无毛视频� Compiled by Rob Burchianti