Trailing by two with 10.2 seconds remaining in Friday night’s game at Fernley and senior Shelby Garrison at the free throw line, Lowry coach Chelsea Cabatbat called a timeout to set up her closing strategy
A couple of bad breaks foiled her plan.
Jaiden Sullivan made two free throws for Fernley, with the clock still reading 10.2, to seal a 43-39 win that pulled Fernley into a tie with Lowry for second place in the Northern 3A at 4-1.
Fernley led 41-39 when Cabatbat called that timeout after Harris missed the first of two free throws with 10.2 seconds left. She instructed Harris to intentionally miss the second free throw to give the Buckaroos a chance at an offensive rebound to score and tie the game.
Instead, Harris’ shot bounced off the backboard and didn’t hit the rim, giving Fernley the ball inbounds.
Then with hopes of making a steal on the inbounds pass, Lowry was instead called for a foul before the ball was passed in.
Sullivan, one of Fernley’s best free throw shooters, hit both shots to seal the game, the first time Fernley has beaten Lowry under third-year coach John Rogers.
“I’m proud of my girls, I thought they battled,” Cabatbat said. “I think Fernley is a great team. I think they’ve improved so much over the last two years, really.”
Fernley led most of the game, but Lowry went to the fourth quarter with a 31-30 lead after scoring the last seven points of the third. When Sydney Connors hit a 3-pointer with 5:10 left in the game, Lowry led 36-32, but Fernley scored six straight to regain the lead, 38-36.
Kepa Bengochea made a layup after a steal to tie the game at 38 with 2:01 to play, then after Fernley’s Brittney Gaitan was whistled for traveling, Harris made one of two free throws to put Lowry up 39-38.
Fernley’s Celeste Condie hit a baseline jumper with 58 seconds remaining to put Fernley on top 40-39. After a Lowry miss, Sullivan hit the front end of a one-and-one with 35.3 seconds left, but missed the second, giving Lowry a chance to tie. Harris was fouled trying to put back an offensive rebound with 10.2 seconds left.
“We just have a lot to learn, a lot of things that we need to do a better job of, but I know that this is a great group of girls and they’ll bounce back,” Cabatbat said. “It was totally back and forth, they shot the ball really well tonight and we didn’t shoot the ball very well.”
