It appears that 50 was the lucky number for the Lowry High School girls basketball team this past weekend at the High Sierra Winter Challenge in Reno and Sparks.
The Lady Bucks scored 50 points in each of the three games it played — all wins. Lowry knocked off Damonte Ranch on Thursday 50-40, Spanish Springs 50-45 on Friday and Piedmont, Calif., 50-47 on Saturday to improve to 4-0 on the season.
LHS rallies past Mustangs
Just as it was in the case of the season-opener against Pershing County, Lowry came out sluggish against Damonte Ranch of the Northern 4A. The Lady Bucks took a 16-15 lead in a high-scoring first quarter, but managed just four points in the second quarter and trailed 22-20 at halftime.
The break in the action worked for the Lady Bucks, who came out on fire from behind the 3-point line in the third quarter. Lowry outscored Damonte Ranch 21-5 in the eight-minute span and never looked back. The Lady Bucks built a 41-27 lead going into the fourth quarter and never looked back.
Sophomore Sydney Connors knocked down four 3-point field goals and finished with a team-high 16 points. She added seven rebounds (six offensive) and four steals.
Alyssa Kuskie joined her in double figures with 10 points, to go with five rebounds, five steals and three assists. Brooklyn Waller contributed seven points, six rebounds, three steals and two assists.
Shelby Garrison and Kepa Bengochea each had four points, Brooklyn Backus, Aimee Brandon, Kenadee Jeppsen and Hannah Hillyer had two points apiece and Tiana Herrera had one point. Garrison and Hailey Hinkle grabbed six and five rebounds, respectively.
Lady Bucks knock off Cougars
Lowry took on its second consecutive Northern 4A team on Friday and hung on for a five-point win on Spanish Springs’ home floor.
The Lady Bucks had a balanced scoring attack from nine different girls. Kuskie connected on two 3-point field goals and finished with a team-high 10 points. The junior also contributed six assists and four steals. Connors netted two more 3-point field goals to score eight points and Garrison and Backus each had seven points.
Herrera added six points, Jeppsen and Bengochea each had four and Hinkle and Waller scored two points apiece. Bengochea had a team-high six rebounds, while Waller and Jeppsen each grabbed five boards.
Lady Bucks charges back to beat Highlanders
It appeared another slow start would lead to Lowry’s first loss as the Lady Bucks concluded the tournament on Saturday afternoon against Piedmont, Calif. The Highlanders built a 20-8 advantage after the first eight minutes of play against the Lady Bucks, who were playing their fourth game in five days.
However, Lowry reversed course in the second quarter and held Piedmont to four points. The Lady Bucks used a 14-4 run to close the gap to 24-22 at halftime.
Lowry pulled ahead in the third quarter and held on to the finish for the three-point victory.
Connors (17) and Kuskie (13) combined for 30 of the Lady Bucks’ 50 points. Kuskie knocked down four 3-point field goals in addition to six rebounds and four steals. Connors had five rebounds and three steals. Backus added seven points, Herrera six, Garrison four, Waller two and Hillyer one. Jeppsen led Lowry with eight rebounds and Garrison added seven rebounds, two steals and one assist.
Lowry began Northern 3A play in Fallon on Tuesday against Churchill County. Results were not available at press time. Last year the Greenwave went 16-0 in league play, but Kuskie hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer in the regional championship game to give the Lady Bucks their third consecutive regional title.
Lowry is back on the road Saturday to take on Fernley at 2 p.m. The road trip continues on Tuesday in Spring Creek at 6 p.m.
