The Lowry High School boys basketball team had one final non-conference tournament to play to get ready for the rest of the Northern 3A season, which starts again Friday.
The Buckaroos were in Sparks this past weekend to play in the Rail City Classic, where they finished third and now stand at 7-3 overall and 4-0 in the Northern 3A.
Lowry opened the tournament on Thursday with a 76-62 win over Atwater, Calif. JJ Backus knocked down three 3-pointers and finished with a game-high 26 points.
Backus scored 10 of his 26 points in the first quarter, including two 3-pointers as Lowry built a 17-12 lead after eight minutes of play.
Michael Casalez added eight of his nine points in the second quarter and Kobe Stoker had four points in the second period to help the Buckaroos lead 34-23.
Lowry pulled away from Atwater in the second half with a 24-point fourth quarter. Preston Snow scored 10 of his 14 points in the fourth quarter and Backus added nine points in the fourth quarter as well.
Stoker was one of three Buckaroos in double figures with 10 points, Casalez added nine, Klay Garner seven, Anthony Gildone five, Chance Huitt four and Alex Ruiz one.
In the semifinals on Friday night, Lowry took on Galena of the Northern 4A and the game was close until the fourth quarter when the Grizzlies pulled away with run in the eight minutes. Galena led 44-38 going into the fourth quarter and outscored Lowry 23-7 to win 67-45.
Lowry picked up four points from Garner and a 3-pointer from Max Mavity in the opening quarter but trailed 12-10. Stoker netted nine of Lowry 17 points in the second quarter, however Galena led 30-27 at halftime.
Stoker added five more points in the third quarter and finished with a team-high 15 points, but Galena extended the lead to six points.
Lowry made just two field goals in the fourth quarter and Galena knocked down two 3-pointers on its way to the double-digit victory.
Garner added eight points for the Buckaroos, Casalez five, Mavity and Snow four each, Derek Espinoza, Robert Rangel, Mason Ellingford and Backus two each and Anthony Hemp one.
Lowry took on Reno in the third-place game in a rematch from its earlier meeting in the opening weekend where the Huskies won 69-37 in Elko. It was a different story on Saturday in Sparks, as Casalez hit a 25-foot shot at the buzzer to beat the Huskies 43-42.
Lowry held Reno to just six points in the first quarter and picked up buckets from Backus, Chance Huitt, Garner and Stoker to lead 10-6. The Buckaroos increased the advantage to 26-16 at halftime but scored just seven points in the third quarter, as the Huskies cut the deficit to to 33-32 after a 16-7 run.
Lowry continued to struggle offensively in the second half, with just five field goals. Two of those were 3-point shots by Casalez, including the game winner as time expired.
The Buckaroos were shorthanded, missing a couple of players, including Snow. Snow was injured the night before and is out for the foreseeable future.
Backus had 12 points for Lowry, Casalez joined in double figures with 11, Garner eight, Stoker seven, Hemp and Huitt had two points apiece and Mavity one.
Lowry is back at home Friday to host rival Elko at 7:30 p.m. Both teams are 4-0 in the Northern 3A. The Buckaroos host Spring Creek on Saturday at 2:30 p.m.
