Despite nine new players this season, the Lowry High School girls basketball team is making it look easy after its first two games in the Northern 3A.
The Lady Bucks improved to 5-1 on the season and 2-0 in league play after a 64-21 victory over South Tahoe on Saturday afternoon in Winnemucca. Lowry won its two Northern 3A contests by 46 and 43 points, respectively.
Junior Sydney Connors scored 16 of her game-high 18 points in the first quarter, as the Lowry starters sat on the bench in the fourth quarter. The Vikings did not surpass Connors’ total until the fourth quarter.
Lowry scored a season-high 29 points in the first quarter to build a 29-6 advantage in a game that was stopped by a number of whistles. There were 21 fouls called in the first half.
“We are trying to get off to better starts,” said LHS coach Chelsea Cabatbat. “We will take 29 points in a quarter anytime. It was tough to get in a good flow. There were a lot of fouls and stop in play.”
South Tahoe tied the game at 2-2 after an early basket but watched as Lowry went on a 27-2 run to blow the game open. Kepa Bengochea started the spurt with an old-fashioned 3-point play, which was followed by a 3-pointer by Connors.
Alyssa Kuskie added a 3-point basket as well to give the Lady Bucks a 16-4 lead. Five different players for Lowry scored in the first quarter. The Lady Bucks were also 9-of-11 from the free throw line. South Tahoe went nearly seven minutes without a field goal before making one with 18 seconds left in the quarter.
Hailey Fernandez added six points in the second quarter, as the Lowry bench accounted for 13 of the 15 points. The final three points of the first half came from Victoria Tirado, giving the Lady Bucks a 44-11 lead at halftime.
Shelby Garrison knocked down two free throws 24 seconds into the second half and the game was played with a running clock from there.
Bengochea converted back-to-back baskets and Kyllie Sappington added a bucket to give Lowry a 52-12 lead. South Tahoe did not score its first point of the third quarter until the halfway point.
Lowry led by as many as 45 points after a basket by Rachel Garrison. South Tahoe scored the first six points of the fourth quarter but went scoreless in the final four minutes. Brooke Hansen made a pair of shots to account for Lowry’s four points in the final quarter.
The Lady Bucks are in a three-way tie for first place in the Northern 3A with Churchill County and Fernley. The Greenwave and Vaqueros swept Elko and Spring Creek this past weekend. Lowry will play at Churchill County and Fernley in the first weekend of January.
Lowry hits the road this weekend for two Northern 3A games starting on Friday at 6 p.m. in Sparks. The Lady Bucks play at Truckee on Saturday at 1 p.m.
