WINNEMUCCA - As the Division I-A North girls golf season reached the halfway point last week, Lowry High School has shown it's the favorite to win the league.
The Lady Bucks remained perfect on the season with two more victories in Spring Creek and Winnemucca.
"It was another couple of good days for us," said LHS head coach Vince Mendiola. "What is crazy - it is hard to read these girls. I thought maybe the earth was falling in. You look at their faces or body language and I think we are in trouble. You look at our scores and they are not too bad."
Lowry shot a 368 on Wednesday, Sept. 18, to beat Fernley (377) by nine shots. Elko dropped to third at 391 and Spring Creek (437) and South Tahoe (458) rounded out the top five. Churchill County (470) and Dayton (528) were sixth and seventh, respectively, and Truckee and Sparks did not have enough players for a team score
The Lady Bucks' Alyssa Dendary was the only player to break 80, as the junior won low medalist honors at 79. Fernley's Brittany Evans and Hope Stillmock were second and fourth, respectively, at 80 and 83, and Elko's Kaily Beatty were third with a round of 82.
"That was a nice round for Alyssa," Mendiola said. "I know she is capable of doing that every week. She had a couple of big numbers but it did not affect her round."
Lowry, who gained an extra point in the season-long standings over Elko, was the only team to have three players shoot under 100. Senior Ning Landt fired a 91, while freshman Elise Rose carded a 97. Senior Caitlin Orr had the final kept score for the Lady Bucks at 101. Abby De La Mora, playing in her first tournament of the season, shot 105 and Brooklyn Backus finished with a 107.
"We are right about where we are at in practice," added the coach. "We have a couple of scores that are a bit lower, which is nice to see. The girls are starting to get higher expectations out of themselves and as a coach I like that. They know they want to get better. The girls are going out there and putting in the time to improve their game."
Last year, Lowry did not have the opportunity to play on its home course due to a quirk in the Division I-A schedule. Each team must take a year off in hosting a conference meet. Last season it was the Lady Bucks and this year it is Elko.
Lowry took full advantage of being on its home course this past Thursday, winning by a season-high 32 shots. The Lady Bucks fired a 366 at Winnemucca Municipal Golf Course, while Elko was second at 398. Fernley was third at 408 and Spring Creek (441) and South Tahoe (470) were fourth and fifth, respectively. Churchill County (474) and Dayton (508) rounded out the team standings.
"Our course will come out and surprise you," said the coach. "People come here and see it's a nine-hole course and think it is easy. It is tougher than people think. We had been winning tournaments by a few strokes, but it was nice to open it up by a few more shots. Granted, we are playing on our home course."
The individual medalists changed around slightly, with Beatty claiming low honors at 82. Evans was second at 83 and Dendary was third with an 86.
Once again, the Lady Bucks were the most consistent team, with four players shooting 97 or better. No other squad had more than one player break 100.
Landt was fourth overall for Lowry at 90, while Rose tied for fifth at 93. Orr carded a 97 to place eighth overall and De La Mora and Backus finished with rounds of 106 and 109, respectively.
"We have some good players and they manage the course well," Mendiola said. "They don't have big blow ups. Abby and Brooklyn played well. Abby had a heck of a week. I have to be pretty happy with what they are doing."
Lowry has seized control of the top spot in the Division I-A North with 36 points. Elko is second with 31 points and Fernley is third at 29. Spring Creek (23) and South Tahoe (21) are fourth and fifth, respectively.
There is no regional championship tournament in the league and the three state qualifiers are based on the final regular season standings.
The state championships will be played on Monday, Oct. 21, and Tuesday, Oct. 22, in Mesquite. Canyon Golf Club and Palms Golf Club will host the tournament.
Lowry is back in action on Wednesday in Sparks and Thursday in Truckee.
"We are playing steady but still have room for improvement," Mendiola said. "The girls are handling things."
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