FALLON - Coming off a state championship season, every team you play is going to want to knock you off in the worst way.
A season ago, the Lowry High School girls basketball team knocked off Churchill County in the regional semifinals on its way to the state title.
For the first time since that day, the two schools got back together this past Saturday and the Greenwave were looking for revenge on its home floor.
That did not happen, as the Lady Bucks used a crushing 26-9 run in the third quarter to break up a close game and go on for the 56-33 victory. Lowry now holds a two-game lead in the loss column over Churchill County. The two schools figure to be in the postseason come February and could possibly face each other on the same floor in the playoffs.
"It's a nice win for us on the road," said LHS coach Chelsea Cabatbat. "It's good for us to get it, but we know we will be back here in February and it's just another win for us to build on for later in the year. In the long run it really means nothing."
Lowry made a statement early, as Alyssa Dendary kicked off a 9-0 run to the start of the contest with a 3-pointer and the senior added another 17-foot shot. Fellow senior Payton Naveran added two buckets and the Lady Bucks held the Greenwave scoreless for almost five minutes.
Lowry (6-0 Division I-A North, 10-4 overall) held a 9-4 lead after eight minutes of play, but saw that disappear as Churchill County used a full-court press to create a number of turnovers and go up 17-14 after a 9-0 run.
"We just didn't take care of the ball well and didn't get to spots on the floor," Cabatbat said. "We were trying to throw the ball as far as we can down the court and got ourselves in a bad spot."
After a timeout, Lowry regrouped and went on a 7-0 run that included baskets from Jillian Albright, Shelby McKinnon and Meg Montero. McKinnon, who has been battling a knee injury for much of the year, also hit a shot near the end of the half to give Lowry a 29-25 lead at the break.
The Lady Bucks extended the margin to 31-21 in the first two minutes of the third quarter of layups by Kylee McClellan and Dendary, but seconds later Dendary picked up two quick fouls and went to the bench with four fouls.
Despite having one of its best shooters on the team, Lowry did not skip a beat and turned a close game in to a blow out in a matter of minutes.
Caitlynn Cooper came off the bench to provide five points and Jasmine Marchand, Payton Naveran and Albright provided points in giving Lowry a 43-23 lead.
"We cane out, made some adjustments and did a great job," Cabatbat said. "Our defense got us going and we made some shots. Caitlynn came in and gave us a big spark. Alyssa was out with four fouls and never went back in there. We are a deep team and I have 12 girls do what I ask of them and they work hard. I didn't even know what kind of lead we had until I looked at the scoreboard. I really liked our composure in the second half."
The run was closed out with baskets by Hayley Hall, McClellan, Marchand and Chelsea Herrera, as Lowry led 51-28.
Ten players scored for the Buckaroos in another balanced scoring attack. Albright led the Lady Bucks with eight points, Dendary and Herrera had seven each, McClellan, McKinnon, Marchand and Naveran six each, Cooper five, Hall three and Montero two.
"We have to keep working hard and do what we do," Cabatbat said. "We have to get better and we can't settle for this win in Fallon. We still have 10 league games that we have to play and get better at."
Lowry opened the weekend on Friday night with a 56-31 victory at Fernley. The Lady Bucks raced to an 8-2 first quarter advantage and led 22-9 at the break.
"You look at the final score and it's a little deceiving," said the coach. "It was a tough game for us and a good win. We had to battle for it."
After scoring 19 points in the third quarter, the Lady Bucks closed out the game with a 15-7 run.
"We are starting to score a few more points," Cabatbat said. "The offense is beginning to come around. We are always going to be a defensive team, but if we can score in the 50s and 60s, we will be OK."
Lowry did most of its damage inside, as Naveran and Marchand each had 12 points, while Albright added 10. Dendary contributed nine, McKinnon and Herrera four each and Alyssa Jones three.
First place in the Division I-A North will be up for grabs on Tuesday when Lowry hosts Elko at 6 p.m. The Indians are currently 7-0 in league play.
The Lady Bucks close out the first half of the league season on Friday when they host Spring Creek at 6 p.m.
"We have two huge games ahead of us," Cabatbat said. "We just need to come out and play good. We can't get caught up in everything else."
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