The Mexico girls had a down season, but a couple of players propped them up.

The Lady Bulldogs finished 9-18 and had sophomore Claire Hudson and senior Lexie Willer make the North Central Missouri Conference team. Mexico this season finished 5-5 in conference to sit fourth in the standings.

Hudson was the team’s leading scorer and rebounder at 10.7 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. She was especially impactful on the defensive glass, head coach Ed Costley said, as she picked up 113 defensive rebounds out of her total 131. As for other numbers, Hudson drained 43 3-pointers, averaged two steals per game and shot 70 percent on free throws.

“Claire was hard-working on the defensive end of the floor and continued to show her ability to score from the perimeter arc, but one of her biggest assets for us this season was her rebounding on the defensive end,” Costley said. “As a guard, she led the team in rebounds for the season. She's improved her scoring threat this season by adding the more mid-range game.”

Willer was the team captain and served as a “steady leader” in that role, Costley said. As the point guard, she averaged 5.8 points, 2.7 rebounds and shot 75 percent on free throws while she led the team with 2.1 assists and 2.2 steals.

“Lexie was crucial for our season,” Costley said. “Lexie was the player you can put at any position on defense and you could trust she'd find a way to get the job done. As the season went along, she became more effective off the dribble attacking the defense. She learned to use the dribble to create opportunities for teammates on offense.”