WINNEMUCCA - It was business as usual for the Lowry High School girls golf team, who continued its winning ways with two more Division I-A victories last week.
The Lady Bucks traveled to Sparks this past Wednesday and shot a 286 on the par-56 Wildcreek Executive Golf Course. Elko finished second at 300, Fernley was fourth with a 322 and Spring Creek (348) and Churchill County (354) were fourth and fifth, respectively. South Tahoe (371) and Dayton (384) rounded out the teams standings.
"It was another successful couple of days for us," said LHS head coach Vince Mendiola. "It was a little different playing on the par-3 course, but we got through it. It certainly takes the driver out of the bag on the day."
The Division I-A North made its way to Ponderosa Golf Course in Truckee, Calif., on Thursday, and Lowry was on top for the sixth consecutive time this year, shooting a 377. Fernley grabbed second place at 388, while Elko was third at 402. Spring Creek finished fourth at 426, Churchill County (472) was fifth and South Tahoe (473) and Dayton (483) were sixth and seventh, respectively. Truckee and Sparks did not record team scores in both tournaments.
"It was one of those cold, rainy, snowy miserable days," Mendiola said. "I was surprised that we were able to get on the course when we did. The girls got a little taste of what kind of weather the boys play in the springtime."
With the two victories, the Lady Bucks are assured them a spot in the Division I-A state championship to be played later this month in Mesquite.
Alyssa Dendary led Lowry in Sparks with a round of 67 to finish in second place. Spring Creek's Mikal Jerman was the low medalist with a 64 and Fernley's Brittany Evans and Elko's Kaily Beatty each shot 67 to tie for third place.
The Lady Indians' Ryley Hicks stole the show with a hole-in-one on the 120-yard, par-3 fifth hole. It was the first hole-in-one in school history in tournament play.
Ning Landt helped Lowry to the victory with a round of 70, while freshman Elise Rose carded a 72 for the Lady Bucks. Caitlin Orr shot a 78 for the final kept score. Freshmen Brooklyn Backus and Savanna Cox shot 87 and 90, respectively.
"Once again, our top four turned in good performances," added the coach. "Brooklyn and Savanna played well too. Any other team would be happy to take those scores. Overall, we are staying solid and that is nice to see."
The league was greeted with cold and wet conditions in Truckee on Thursday, but Lowry was able to overcome the poor weather to stay perfect on the season.
Evans ran away with the low medalist honors with her round of 76. Truckee's Sienna Scibird finished second on her home course with an 81 and Dendary was third at 85. Dendary is currently third in season-long individual standings with an average score of 80.7. Evans and Beatty are first and second, respectively.
Orr was sixth overall as she shot a 93, Landt shot a 96 and Cox had the last kept score at 103. Rose and Backus shot 110 and 112, respectively, for the Lady Bucks.
"We showed that our depth is working for us," Mendiola added. "Savanna comes in and shoots one of her best rounds of the year and picks us up. If someone has an off day, another girl is there to help us out. If you look at the individual standings, we have seven girls in the top 19 and no other team has that."
Lowry is closing in on the Division I-A North championship, as it leads the league with 54 points. Elko is second at 46 and Fernley is third with 44 points. With two tournaments left, all three schools are all but assured of advancing to the state championships in Mesquite on Monday, Oct. 21, and Tuesday, Oct, 22.
Lowry travels to Fallon on Monday and closes out the regular season on Tuesday, Oct. 15, in Fernley.
"The girls are playing consistent golf right now," Mendiola said. "They are still going out there and putting the work in and want to get better."
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