What looked to be a busy weekend for the Lowry High School girls basketball team turned into a dud.
After beating Elko 53-36 this past Thursday, the Lady Bucks were scheduled to host Sparks on Friday and travel to Truckee on Saturday. However, in the mid afternoon on Friday, Sparks informed Lowry it did not have enough players and were forced to forfeit.
Lowry (4-1 Northern 3A, 12-2 overall) was set to travel to Truckee, but weather changed those plans. The Lady Bucks will likely make that game up on Feb. 10.
Lowry shoots past Elko
The Lady Indians found the sledding much more difficult than in their opening two games of league play when they faced off against defending regional champion.
“It was a total team effort for us,” said LHS coach Chelsea Cabatbat. “It is a tough place to play and we got good contributions from our bench.”
Lowry found the scoreboard nearly as quick as it found the ball, with sophomore Sydney Connors burying a triple immediately after the tip.
Elko pulled to within one on its first bucket, a deuce by senior Paige Zeller on a feed from senior Alicia Marin. Zeller followed with an offensive board and put-back, putting Elko on top 4-3.
Elko junior Lexi Baum made a tough fall-away jumper in traffic to give Elko a 6-4 lead, but the score was deadlocked after a bucket by Lowry senior Tiana Herrera after the Elko defense was slow to rotate on a trap and left Herrera all alone on the wing.
Senior Kenadee Jeppsen gave Lowry the lead with a free throw. Zeller scored her sixth point on a contested jumper, giving the Lady Indians an 8-7 lead.
Elko sophomore Brenna Hendrix scored a bucket and took the bump on the break on a look-ahead by Marin, putting Elko on top 10-7 — but the Lady Indians’ offense went cold in the closing stages of the period and never scored again.
Lowry used another 3-pointer by Connors and a bucket by Shelby Garrison.
The Lady Buckaroos led 12-10 after the first quarter.
Connors sank a free throw to open the second period, but Elko used consecutive buckets by sophomore Alexis Elquist – the first on an assist by junior Gabe Rowley and the second a dead-eye jumper – to take a 14-13 lead.
Unfortunately for Elko, the Lady Indians found major difficulties finishing around the lane and only scored two points the reminder of the half – a pair of free throws by Rowley.
Lowry found the inside of the basket four more times in the period — a bucket by junior Kepa Bengochea, an easy deuce inside by Jeppsen on a feed from junior Alyssa Kuskie and a put-back by Connors — who dropped a deep ball for the final points of the half.
Lowry led 23-16 at the break.
Marin opened the third quarter with a three from the left wing on a pass from Zeller, but Herrera answered with a free throw for Lowry.
Elko went on a 3-0 run on a free throw and a deuce by Rowley, but Elko committed the cardinal sin of cardinal sins on the other end — fouling a jump shooter. Connors absolutely splashed a three and finished the four-point play from the line.
Elko pulled to within four on a follow by Hendrix, but Lowry scored back-to-back buckets by senior Brooklyn Waller and Kuskie on an easy finish.
Hendrix found an open finish in the lane, but Lowry finished the third period on a 5-0 run, using a bucket by Connors and layup and free throw by Amaya Herrera.
Lowry took a 40-29 lead into the fourth and final frame.
Marin came out strong in the fourth, dropping a triple and following with a tough floater along the baseline. Elko pulled to within seven at 41-34, but Connors scored her 19th and 20th points on a drive down the baseline.
“Sydney did not just come in and play good offense, she played well on defense, which was huge for us.”
Lowry took a 45-34 lead on an easy finish by Jeppsen after Elko rotated late and left the passing lane open.
Rowley made a nice bank shot from mid-range along the right wing, but the nine-point lead quickly grew to 12 when the Lady Indians left Kuskie open at the top of the arc.
The Lady Buckaroos buried another triple on their next possession, coming off the hot hand of Kuskie once again — opening a 15-point cushion.
Hannah Hillyer put the Lady Buckaroos on top 17, finishing out the rematch of the regional semifinal with a 53-36 victory.
Lowry has now beaten the Lady Indians in three-consecutive games, with the 16-point margin of victory in the regional tournament serving as the closest of the three contests.
Elko has a few things to solve when it comes to the Lowry riddle – also against other top teams in the league – such as taking care of the ball, finishing inside, when to help on defense, when to stay home and show an overall improvement in basketball IQ.
Connors led all scorers with 20 points, knocking down four triples.
Marin led Elko with nine points, scoring all of her points in the second half. She knocked down two shots from long distance.
Kuskie finished with nine points for the Lady Buckaroos, finishing with all of her nine points and two 3-pointers in the second half.
Rowley finished with seven points for Elko, and the Lady Indians received six points each from Zeller and Hendrix. Jeppsen closed with seven points for the Lady Buckaroos.
“It was good for us to bonce back from the Reed loss,” Cabatbat said. “It was a big win for us, in one of the toughest places to play in the league.”
Lowry will be at home for two games this weekend, starting with Dayton on Friday at 6 p.m. and South Tahoe on Saturday at 2 p.m.
Elko Daily Free Press sports editor Anthony Mori contributed to this story.
