SPRING CREEK — It may not have been pretty for the full 32 minutes, but the Lowry High School girls basketball team will take a road win anytime.
With the schedule maker against them, the Lady Bucks capped off a road trip that spanned three games in seven days.
After beating Fernley by 12 points last Saturday, Lowry made its way to Spring Creek this past Tuesday night and left with a 50-44 victory to improve to 2-1 in the Northern 3A and 6-1 overall.
“We know its three games in seven days on the road, but we have to be ready to play,” said LHS coach Chelsea Cabatbat. “It is still a good win for us in a tough place to play in. It’s still early and everyone expects us to be perfect and on top of our game. We still have work to do. We want to be at our best in February.”
Lowry had a hard time finding its shot in the first quarter, making its first field goal at the 4:25 mark on a runner by sophomore Sydney Connors, which gave the Lady Bucks a 3-2 advantage.
Spring Creek responded with a 6-0 run to move in front 8-3, when Connors knocked down a 3-pointer to close the gap to two points. Connors had all six of Lowry’s points in the first quarter. The Spartans scored the final five points of the quarter, including a 3-pointer at the buzzer to lead 13-6.
The Lady Bucks also found themselves in foul trouble, recording seven fouls in the first quarter. Senior Kenadee Jeppsen sat on the bench for the final 6:14 with two fouls.
“We have started slow in just about all our games this year,” Cabatbat said. “If we are not hitting that jump shot, we need to be more patient and run the offense to get a good shot. We got in foul trouble pretty quick and to change the lineup around.”
The Lady Bucks showed off their outside shooting ability, as Alyssa Kuskie opened the second quarter with a 3-pointer. Following a Spring Creek turnover, Kenadee Jeppsen scored on a layup and Kuskie and Connors quickly answered with 3-point field goals to put Lowry 17-15 with less than two minutes expired in the second quarter.
Jeppsen went to the bench with her third foul with 4:27 left in the first half, but jump shots by Tiana Herrera and Kepa Bengochea kept Lowry within striking distance as Spring Creek led 23-22 at halftime.
The difference on the night was the third quarter, as Lowry went on a 12-4 started by a pair of buckets by Bengochea.
“She has provided us a spark when she gets on the floor. “Kepa gets its started on defense and she did that again. She also made a couple big baskets.”
Lowry finished the third quarter on an 8-1 run, which included a 3-pointer by Brooklyn Backus and a put back basket by Amaya Herrera.
Waller opened the final period with a long jump shot to give Lowry its largest lead at 39-30. However, that lead quickly disappeared to two points. Spring Creek scored the next seven points, aided by a technical foul on Lowry for having six players on the floor after a timeout.
The Spartans had the chance to tie the game, but missed the front end of a 1-1. The next time down the floor, Connors put back am missed shot to put the Lady Bucks up 41-37.
After a basket by Spring Creek, Connors made two free throws and Bengochea added a steal and layup to give Lowry a 45-39 advantage with 2:09 to play.
The lead grew to 47-39 after a basket by Jeppsen with 90 seconds to play, but Spring Creek would not go away. Aided by four missed free throws, Spring Creek was back in striking distance at 47-44 after an old-fashioned 3-point play with 38 seconds to play.
The Spartans fouled Kuskie the next time down the floor, and the junior made 1-of-2 shots to increase the margin to 48-44. The Lady Bucks secured the victory after a steal and layup by Kuskie.
“We found ways to win,” Cabatbat said. “We have to refine our game a little bit and get better. We are usually a good free throw shooting team, but we could not make anything tonight. It was good for us to be in a close game. We need to learn to play smart in close games. There is nothing wrong with being in a close game.”
Lowry is back on the road for a non-conference game on Monday at North Valleys High School in Reno. Game time is set for 2 p.m.
