Coming off a Division I-A state championship a season ago, the Lowry High School girls basketball team is going to get the best from everyone it plays.
The Lady Bucks saw that first hand last weekend at the High Sierra Classic in Reno and Sparks. Lowry had trouble getting its offense going over the three days and dropped three of its four games, including three to Division I opponents.
"We just could not score," said LHS coach Chelsea Cabatbat. "We were quick on our shots, we were very patient and conditioning got to us. We were tired and you could see us having trouble getting a good shot. It was a little bit of shock for everyone. We got humbled. Everyone is going to give us their best game and they want to best us. I know we can do it."
Lowry opened with Faith Lutheran on Thursday, Dec. 4, in a battle between the last two state champions. The Crusaders were upset in the Division I-A South Regional Championships last year by Desert Pines. Lowry went on to beat Desert Pines in the state semifinals.
The Crusaders raced out to a 13-2 lead in the first quarter, as the Lady Bucks did not make a field goal in the first eight minutes. Lowry was able to get its feet underneath them and cut the deficit to 28-18 at halftime.
The Lady Bucks made a run in the third quarter and took the lead at one point, but gave it all back as the Crusaders came back to lead 41-35. Lowry closed the gap to four points at one time in the fourth quarter, but could get no closer.
"We fought back to take the lead in the third quarter, but got tired right after that and fell apart," Cabatbat said. "They attacked on it and we have to make sure we are focused for the entire game."
Jillian Albright led Lowry with 13 points, Payton Naveran added nine and Alyssa Dendary seven. Kylee McClellan, Meg Montero and Jasmine Marchand each had four points and Chelsea Herrera two.
Lowry provided its best performance of the weekend on Friday, Dec. 5, with a 48-14 win over Spanish Springs. The Lady Bucks dominated the Cougars, allowing less than six points in each quarter. Spanish Springs went scoreless in the fourth quarter.
Lowry led 13-4 after the first quarter and never looked back, increasing the advantage to 24-10 at halftime. The rout continued in the second half, with the Lady Bucks going on a 24-4 run in the final 16 minutes.
Ten players scored for Lowry, with Dendary leading the way with 11. McClellan, Albright and Marchand added six points apiece. In addition, Albright had five rebounds and four assists. Herrera scored five, Shelby McKinnon four and Hayley Hall, Alyssa Jones, Naveran and Montero each had two. Jones also contributed six rebounds and three assists.
Lowry had the tough task of closing out the tournament on Saturday against two undefeated Division I schools. The Lady Bucks opened with Douglas at noon and the Tigers came out on top 38-29.
The game was back-and-forth throughout the first half, with Douglas holding a slim 18-16 lead at halftime. The difference proved to be the third quarter, when Douglas pulled away with a 12-5 run. The Lady Bucks struggled from the field shooting 13-for-43 at 30 percent.
Albright knocked down three 3-point field goals to pace Lowry with nine points. Naveran contributed six points, Herrera four, Caitlynn Cooper and Dendary three each and Montero and Jones each had two. McKinnon had four assists and three rebounds.
Lowry finished the weekend by playing Reno, the two-time defending Division I state champion. The Huskies' Mallory McGwire is being recruited by a number of national powers. Coaches from Duke were on hand for the game. Coaches from Washington and Colorado were in Reno on Tuesday for her latest game.
Reno opened a 15-5 lead in the first quarter and held Lowry to single figures in each period. The Huskies led 25-8 at halftime and went on for the 57-22 victory.
Montero had five points for Lowry, Albright four, Hall and Jones three each, Cooper, McClellan and Herrera two apiece and Dendary one.
"We want to play these and challenge ourselves," Cabatbat said. "We played a lot of good teams. The McGwire girl is a legitimate Division I college basketball player."
Lowry continues its stretch of playing Division I teams with a road trip Saturday to play Damonte Ranch at 2 p.m. The Lady Bucks make their home debut on Friday, Dec. 19, against South Tahoe at 5 p.m. and Saturday, Dec. 20, against Dayton at 1 p.m.
"It doesn't get any easier for us and we have to be ready to go with the league games," Cabatbat said. "We need to be ready and put the pressure on. This is a new year and we are not state champs anymore. We have a huge target on our backs."[[In-content Ad]]
