It was a mere formality at the beginning of the season, but the Lowry High School boys basketball team made it official last weekend, clinching a spot in the Division I-A North regional tournament.
The Buckaroos (20-2 overall, 11-1 Division I-A North) went on the road and defeated Sparks 57-16 on Friday and Truckee 64-47 on Saturday.
A year ago, Sparks nearly upset Lowry in the semifinals of the regional tournament but the Railroaders have fallen on hard times. Sparks came into the match with just one win on the season and did its best to keep the score down.
The Railroaders went into a four-corner offense at the start of the game and took just two shots in the opening period. Despite the keep away game, Lowry managed to take a 9-0 lead after the first quarter. It would only get worse for Sparks after that.
The Buckaroos went on a 19-5 run in the second period to lead 28-5 at halftime. Lowry took a 51-9 advantage late in the third quarter and the contest was played with a running clock the rest of the way as part of the NIAA 40-point mercy rule. The Railroaders did manage to outscore the Buckaroos 7-6 in the fourth quarter.
Ten players scored for Lowry with Josh Watterson leading the way with 10. The senior added three rebounds, three steals and three assists. Christian Gray scored nine points and had four steals and Calvin Connors, Tanner Lecumberry and Garrett Naveran each had seven points. Dusty Bryan collected six points, Justin Albright four, Josh Shaver three and Sterling Dennis and Tytus Millikan two each.
Lowry made the short trip from Sparks to Truckee on Saturday and used a strong first and third quarter to the Wolverines away. Lowry began the game on a 21-5 run in the first period and then held Truckee scoreless in the third quarter, with a 14-0 spurt.
Trailing by 16 points after the opening eight minutes of play, the Wolverines outscored the Buckaroos 20-12 to cut the deficit to eight points at the break. Lowry used the 14-0 run in the third quarter to build the margin back to 22 points and cruised to the victory from there and complete the season sweep.
Three Buckaroos reached double figures, with Gray posting 12 points. Shaver and Watterson added 11 and 10, respectively. Watterson was one rebound short of a double-double with nine boards, and he also had two steals and two assists.
Connors scored eight points, grabbed five rebounds and dished out three assists and Delane Black and Naveran had five points apiece. Millikan added four, Nate Eldodt three and Albright and Bryan two each.
With two weeks left in the regular season, Lowry can finish no worse than fourth in the league. The top four teams advance to the regional tournament. If the Buckaroos win twice this weekend, they clinch one of the top two spots.
Spring Creek is third in the Division I-A North at 8-4 and then it's a three-team fight for the final playoff spot. South Tahoe and Churchill County are tied for fourth at 6-6 and Dayton is game behind. Truckee, Sparks and Fernley, all 2-10, have been eliminated.
Lowry travels to Fernley on Thursday for a 7:30 p.m. tip and is back on the road Saturday to Fallon to play Churchill County at 3:30 p.m. It is the final regular season road trip for the Buckaroos.[[In-content Ad]]
