Buckaroo boys close out emotional week with split of league games

Buckaroo boys close out emotional week with split of league games

Buckaroo boys close out emotional week with split of league games

Even in the midst of a tight playoff battle in the Northern 3A, this past weekend was not about wins or losses for the Lowry High School boys basketball team. It was a time for the team to come together for a teammate that lost a father.

“To me it really did matter what we did,” said LHS coach Chad Peters. “It was a tough week for us. We did a really nice job of staying focused with everything that was going on with Dorsey (Naveran) and Dorsey’s family. We had boys turn into men on Friday. Coming off a funeral and the way they played and stayed mentally focused was amazing. We had guys that had tears in their eyes on Friday. When we won it was pretty emotional after the game. I am proud of how they handled the day.”

After the funeral of Tim Naveran, Dorsey’s father, the Buckaroos traveled to Dayton to face the Dust Devils. Dayton beat Lowry earlier in the year and led 20-19 at halftime on Friday. However, the Buckaroos rallied for a 63-40 victory with a big second half.

Lowry’s offense got off to a slow start in the first half and led 10-9 after a quarter of play behind four points each from Kobe Stoker and Naveran. The Dust Devils rallied in the second quarter and held a one-point lead at the break. Domonick Solis added a 3-point field goal in the second quarter for the Buckaroos.

The second half was a much different story, as Lowry scored the first nine points of the third quarter and outscored Dayton 18-5 to take control of the contest. The Dust Devils made just two field goals in the quarter.

Stoker outscored Dayton by himself in the third quarter with six points. Brendan Domire and Naveran each had four points out of halftime.

Lowry continued the offensive attack with a 25-15 spurt in the final eight minutes of action. The Buckaroos spent much of the fourth quarter at the free throw line with 21 foul shots, as Dayton continually put Buckaroo players on the charity stripe.

The Buckaroos had three players in double figures and were led by Stoker with 16 points. Domire finished with 15 points and Naveran had 10. Kyle Sappington netted six points, Solis five, Oscar Juanes four and Ren Mattson, Darian Solis and Evan Jeppsen two each.

Lowry falls to

South Tahoe

Lowry closed out the road trip on Saturday afternoon in South Tahoe and lost 63-52. The Buckaroos were within single digits throughout the game but lost Naveran to an ankle injury at the start of the third quarter.

“We were drained,” Peters said. “We had no physical energy or mental focus left from the week. I can not be upset with kids for that. When Dorsey went down and rolled his ankle, you could hear the wind come out of our lungs. He is our leader. We were able to get a split on the weekend and we are OK going forward from here.”

Lowry started off quickly and led 5-3 off a 3-point shot from Domire but South Tahoe rallied with the next five points. The Buckaroos tied the game at 8-8 on an old-fashioned 3-point play by Stoker. The squads traded baskets for much of the quarter, but the Vikings gained some momentum at the end of the period. Lowry had a chance at the last shot in the quarter but turned the ball over and South Tahoe converted a 3-point play with :02 left to lead 19-16.

The Vikings continued the momentum into the second quarter with the first five points in a 75 second span to lead 24-15. South Tahoe led by as many as 11 points midway through the second quarter, when Lowry used an 8-2 run to close the gap to 29-24.

Domire had half of the points during the spurt. However, the Vikings scored the final five points to lead 34-24 at halftime.

Naveran injured his ankle diving for a loose ball three minutes into the third quarter and South Tahoe was able to hold a 41-28 advantage. Moments later, the Vikings were called for a technical foul, leading to a 6-0 run by the Buckaroos after a 3-pointer by Juanes and a bucket by Domire.

Lowry closed the gap to 41-34 but South Tahoe used a 12-2 run that extended into the fourth quarter to lead 53-38. The Buckaroos knocked down two 3-pointers late in the game to cut the deficit to nine points but could get no closer.

“We played right to the end and did not quit,” Peters said. “It was going to be tough to win at the end but we were going to play it out as long as we could to the final seconds.”

Domire paced Lowry with 16 points and Naveran had 10 before his injury. Mattson and Stoker each had seven points.

Lowry will look to improve its playoff chances with four consecutive home games. The Buckaroos host Sparks on Friday at 7:30 p.m. and Truckee on Saturday at 2:30 p.m.

“We have get practice and shore some things up,” Peters said. “We need get four home wins in a row. We will worry about Friday and take it one at a time.”