WINNEMUCCA - The race for the Division I-A North girls golf championship just got that much more interesting. After two consecutive wins by Lowry High School at South Tahoe and Dayton, Elko came back with its second victory of the year this past Thursday in Fernley.
The Indians had five girls finish in the top 13, on their way to shooting a 372, their best round of the season. The Lady Bucks had three of their golfers place in the top nine, as they shot a 381 to place second. Spring Creek finished third at 409 and Fernley and Churchill County, were fourth and fifth, respectively, with scores of 417 and 455. Dayton (496) and Truckee (503) rounded out the team scores.
"Its game on now," said LHS head coach Andrew Meyer. "We are nearing the end of the season and time for us to step up. Our fourth score was a little higher than usual and Elko had a good round. You have to give credit to Elko. They have a good group. Anytime we have beaten them this year, we have put four good scores together. Anytime we have a rough day, we are going to lose. Elko is just consistent through its lineup."
Fernley freshman Brittany Evans was the low medalist with a round of 9-over par 81. Evans has had the low score in four of the five tournaments. Lowry's Cortney Kieser and Alyssa Dendary were second and third, respectively, with scores of 82 and 87. Elko's Makayla Johnson and Kaily Beatty placed fourth and fifth with rounds of 88 and 90.
"Cortney and Alyssa put together two good rounds," Meyer said. "This is the time of the year when they start getting it going. Both girls have shown a lot of dedication and are in the top three of the league standings. It was good for Alyssa to get a medal and get her confidence up a bit. Alyssa has a lot of pressure on her, but she has handled it well for only being a sophomore. Her swing is changing as she gets taller and taller."
Ning Landt finished ninth with a score of 97, and Tori Echeverria was 19th with a 115. Abby DeLaMora, playing in her first high school meet, shot a 117 and Caitlin Orr finished with a 125.
"Tori is a grinder and a competitor and wants to win," said the coach. "Abby came out and played well for her first time in a high school tournament."
Lowry holds a one-point lead over Elko (38-37) in the season-long league standings. The top three teams advance to the NIAA State Championships at Wildcreek Golf Course in Sparks on Monday, Oct. 15, and Tuesday, Oct. 16. Spring Creek is third with 29 points and Fernley is fourth at 26.
Lowry travels to Truckee and Ponderosa Golf Course on Thursday for a 9 a.m. start.
"It is going to come down to who wants it more," Meyer said. "The way I see it, Truckee is a must win for us. If Elko wins, it is all tied up and we go play on its home course for the northern championship. If we win, we have a two-point lead going into Elko. It is a pretty cool rivalry and there is no love lost between these two teams. There is respect but both teams want nothing better to do than beat each other."
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