SPARKS - While its junior varsity and varsity counterparts had just one game this past weekend, the Lowry High School freshmen boys basketball team spent two days in western Nevada.
The Buckaroos (11-5 overall, 6-1 Division I-A North) were in Truckee on Friday for a league contest with the Wolverines. Lowry held Truckee to single digits in every quarter in the 42-29 victory.
"It wasn't pretty, but a win is a win," said LHS coach Grant Beatty. "It was another long trip and we had trouble getting going. We missed a lot of easy layups."
Lowry led by three points after the first eight minutes of play, but held Truckee to just 18 points in the final three quarters. The Buckaroos held a five-point advantage at the start of the fourth period and used a 10-2 run to pull away.
"We were in a funk for much of the game," said the coach. "But we held on and got the win. It was a chance that a lot of are guys got to play."
Eight different players scored for the Buckaroos, with Brady Lange netting eight points. Dustin Gray added seven, Darrin Nelson and Jacob Hernandez six each, Jed Teichert five. Travis Hardy and Salvador Perez four each and Brian Kelly two.
Lowry moved down from the Sierra Nevada on Saturday to play at Reed. The game was tied after a quarter of play, but the Raiders used an 11-point run in the second quarter to win 59-43.
"We played good at times, but got ourselves in foul trouble," Beatty said. "The referees let us play and it was physical. Reed scored a lot of points by penetrating the lane and getting by our defense."
Taylor collected five points in the first quarter and Teichert added four to help tie the game at 14 after eight minutes. The Raiders scored the first seven points of the second period and never trailed again. Lowry closed within four points at 24-20, but Reed went on a 9-2 run to close the first half.
The Raiders continued to pull away in the second half, scoring 15 of the first 20 points to lead 48-27, their largest on the day. Hernandez closed the gap to 12 points with two minutes to play but the Buckaroos could get no closer.
"We showed glimpses of playing good," Beatty said. "I thought we came out ready to play after a slow start in Truckee. We just couldn't keep the momentum going."
Taylor and Teichert paced the Buckaroos with 15 and 10 points, respectively. Hernandez scored seven, Perez and Lange four each, Jacob Barnes two and Gray one.
After a month on the road, Lowry returns to its home floor on Tuesday to play Spring Creek at 4:30 p.m. The Buckaroos go back on the road Friday and Saturday to face Dayton and South Tahoe at 4:30 p.m. and 12:30 p.m., respectively.[[In-content Ad]]
