A season ago, the Lowry High School girls basketball team came out of nowhere to cap off a Cinderella season and win its sixth state championship over Boulder City at Lawlor Events Center in Reno.
The Lady Bucks, who went through the Division I-A North this season without a blemish, are back to defend their title starting today at Silverado High School in Las Vegas. Lowry will be looking to capture a seventh state title in school history, which would be the third most in Nevada history.
However, instead of being the feel good story, Lowry has a huge target on its back, with a pair of Southern I-A powers and Elko looking to take over the crown.
"We are in a totally different scenario than we were last year," said LHS coach Chelsea Cabatbat. "No one expected us to be there and now we are the defending champs. We have our work cut out for us. We are the only team that is back from last year and I think that experience is going to play a huge factor. The girls are going to know what to expect. They were nervous last year, because none of them had been to a state tournament."
The Lady Bucks begin their title defense against Faith Lutheran, a squad that beat Lowry 50-43 on Dec. 4, in Reno. That was the opening game of the season for Lowry, while Faith Lutheran was playing its sixth game. The Crusaders are also the 2013 state champions, winning the last time it was played in Las Vegas.
"We know the team we are playing and we played them early," Cabatbat said. "The first game means nothing. I watched the film from the first game and we missed 26 shots in the first quarter and we made two free throws. We are totally different team from that game. The girls have been working hard and they aren't done yet. The girls have handled the pressure well. We know we are going to get everyone's best game. Teams want to beat the state champion."
Lowry earned the No. 1 seed from the North with a 47-43 win over Elko last Saturday in Fallon. Meanwhile, Faith Lutheran held a 46-36 advantage in the Division I-A South championship game against Spring Valley, only to see the Grizzlies go on a 24-0 run in the fourth quarter to win 63-55.
"It was great that we got that kind of game against Elko," Cabatbat said. "It was a chance to see what we could do. We had not been in that situation this year. There were a few close games, but nothing like going down to the final minute and needing to convert like we did."
Faith Lutheran is led by senior shooting guard Haley Vinson, who averages 18.9 points a game. Vinson is one of the stat leaders at rebounds, assists and steals for the Crusaders. In the first meeting she scored 17 points.
Morgan Hill, another senior that stands at 6 feet tall, averages 10.8 points a game. The Crusaders are led at point guard by freshman Maddie Bocobo, who averages 8.7 points a game and 2.7 assists.
"We are 12 deep and we want go in and play our game," Cabatbat said. We have to get out and execute and take the game to them. We need to get a lead right off the bat. We know they are a very good team with nice players."
The Lady Bucks have just one player that averages double figures in a game. Senior Alyssa Dendary leads the team at 10 points a game and junior Jillian Albright is second at 6. In addition, Jasmine Marchand and Payton Naveran average 5.3 and 5.4, respectively.
The Bucks will look to the rebounding ability of Naveran and Marchand. They average 8.0 and 7.7 boards a game, respectively.
"You look at our individual stats on offense and we are not going to wow you," Cabatbat said. "It's a complete team effort from the girls. If someone has an off night, someone else steps up for us."
Elko (18-11) and Spring Valley will play in the other semifinal that gets underway at 6:20 p.m. Friday at Silverado High School.
Elko is looking for its first state title since 1995, while Spring Valley is playing for its first in school history. The Grizzlies won just one game last year as a member of the Division I.
As part of NIAA realignment, Spring Valley dropped to Division I-A this season. As part of that move, the Grizzlies had an influx of freshmen to the team, including Kayla Harris and Essence Booker, who each average 19 points a game.
Spring Valley has not lost to a Nevada school this year.
The championship game will take place at 2:40 p.m. Saturday at the Orleans Arena.
"Our first goal is to get by Faith Lutheran," Cabatbat said. "I know we have a team that can win a state championship. Girls basketball is totally different in the North than it is in the South. The styles are different. We are ready for everything. We saw the hard man from Elko and we will be ready for a zone if we see it from Faith Lutheran. We have put in a lot of time this year and we are ready. We have all the tools and we just need to be ready to play."
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