The Lowry High School junior varsity boys used a pair of strong defensive efforts last weekend to stay perfect at home on the season.
The Buckaroos knocked off Dayton 59-31 on Friday and South Tahoe 51-19 on Saturday to improve to 15-5 overall and 9-1 in the Division I-A North.
"Coach (Chad) Peters (varsity coach) came down before the game and asked them if they were ready to play, because they didn't look like it," said LHS coach Jeff Rinas of the South Tahoe game. "I challenged them and they got after it. It was good to see. The guys wanted to hold them scoreless in the first half."
In the match-up with the Vikings on Saturday, the Buckaroos scored the first 25 points of the game and held South Tahoe scoreless for 12 minutes.
Omar Guerrero netted 10 points in the first quarter, which included two 3-point field goals and Lane Johnson added a 3-pointer as well. Jared Taylor contributed six points in the second quarter and Jacob Hales knocked down a 3-point field goal to give Lowry a 29-6 lead at halftime.
After the Vikings scored the first bucket of the second half, the Buckaroos countered with eight straight points, with half of those by Guerrero.
Leading 43-16 midway through the fourth quarter, Lowry scored the next eight points, when South Tahoe hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
"I was very pleased with the effort," Rinas said. "The defense was great and we ran a bunch of different sets on offense. We had just 11 turnovers and I will take that every time."
Guerrero and Taylor led paced the Buckaroos with 17 and 13 points, respectively. Nathan Lutzow added five Jacob Von Aspern four, Johnson and Hales three each and Dominic Diaz two.
Lowry was just as dominant on Friday, jumping out to a 24-12 lead in the first quarter on the strength of 14 points by Lutzow. The Buckaroos were held without a field goal in the second period, but still maintained a 25-17 advantage at halftime.
The Buckaroos increased the margin to double figures in the third quarter and put the game away in the fourth quarter with a 22-9 run. Lowry had just seven turnovers in the contest.
Lutzow and Guerrero had 19 and 16 points, respectively. Taylor added nine, Diaz five, Brian Shettler four and Trey Marriott, Hales and Von Aspern two each.
"I was happy that we came out ready to go and got after it right away," Rinas said. "It's just not a couple of guys, everyone is contributing and we have kids looking for their shot. They are starting to have fun and that is what it's all about."
Lowry traveled to Spring Creek on Jan. 21 and used a strong defensive effort to win 46-19. The Spartans made just seven field goals on the day and were held to two points in the first and third quarters.
The Buckaroos took a 13-2 lead in the opening period behind five points from Lutzow and four by Chris Tyree. Lowry pulled away with a 26-10 run in the second half.
Guerrero and Lutzow finished with 15 and 13 points, respectively. Taylor and Tyree scored four points each, Von Aspern three and Marriott three apiece and Diaz and Hales two each.
Lowry travels to Sparks on Friday for a 4:30 p.m. start and to Truckee on Saturday for a 12:30 p.m. tip.
"The next four games are on the road and my challenge to the kids is see how they react and come out and play," Rinas said. "No one wants us to come in their house and beat them. We are going to get the best from everyone we play. If we play like we have been, we will be OK."
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