The last time the Lowry High School boys basketball team and Fallon met, the Greenwave were completing a last-minute comeback in the Northern 3A regional semifinals in Reno last February. Fallon eventually won in overtime and the state championship a week later.
The two rivals got back together again in Winnemucca on Friday night, with Fallon earning a convincing 75-47 win over Lowry.
The Greenwave moved into sole possession of second place in the Northern 3A at 8-1, while the Buckaroos dropped to third place at 7-2 and 10-5 overall.
“We came out and missed shots and started feeling sorry for ourselves,” said LHS coach Chad Peters. “We changed everything we do. We know how to play with a lead and how to play on top. We don’t know how to grind it out and battle from behind. It’s frustrating for the coaching staff and it’s frustrating for the kids. We work hard, but you have to work hard with a purpose. If you don’t work with a purpose, it’s going to get ugly fast.”
The teams traded early buckets with each other, as Lowry collected field goals from Klay Garner and Kobe Stoker, while Elijah Jackson and Toby Anderson countered for Fallon. Anderson had six of Fallon’s 15 points in the first quarter, as the Greenwave led 15-8 after a 3-pointer by Avery Strasdin.
Lowry got as close as 15-10 in the second quarter, after a bucket by Preston Snow, who was returning from an injury.
However it was the Jackson and Samuel Robertson show from there to halftime. The Fallon duo combined for 16 points in the second quarter.
Jackson had 11 points, off of three 3-pointers and he finished with a game-high 32 points. Robertson also knocked down a 3-pointer, as the Greenwave outscored the Buckaroos 20-11 to lead 35-19 at the break.
“We are working hard and doing some things on offense,” Peters said. “I don’t think we understand how urgent and important these games are. The two biggest games of the year, we have played the worst and we did that on our home floor.”
The Buckaroos’ JJ Backus and Snow did their best to keep Lowry within striking distance in the third quarter as the duo combined for 16 of Lowry’s 22 points. Backus and Snow each knocked down a 3-pointer and Backus was 6-of-6 from the free throw line.
Jackson remained hot for Fallon as well, as the senior added nine more points for the Greenwave. Thomas Steele got in the act for Fallon in the third quarter with seven points.
The Greenwave led by as many as 21 points at 50-29 in the third quarter, when the Buckaroos went on a 7-1 run to close the gap to 56-41. That was as close as Lowry got, as Fallon started the fourth quarter 13-2 spurt to lead 69-43.
Backus paced Lowry with 20 points, going 12-of-12 from the foul line. Stoker added nine points, Snow seven, Anthony Gildone five, and Alex Ruiz, Chance Huitt and Klay Garner two points each.
Steele added 14 points for Fallon, Strasdin 11, Robertson and Anderson seven each and Matthew Davis four.
With the first half of the Northern 3A season nearly complete, Elko leads the league at 9-0, followed by Fallon (8-1) and Lowry (7-2). South Tahoe is fourth at 5-3 and Fernley (4-5) and Truckee (3-5) are fifth and sixth, respectively.
“Right now, we need to do a little regrouping,” Peters said. “I know I need to go do a little check and see what we can do to fix it. I might need to do some things that are fixes and changes. We can’t have bad attitudes when things go wrong. We will never be successful if that happens.”
The top six teams qualify for the Northern 3A Regional Championships, which Fallon will host Feb. 20-22. The top two teams get first-round byes.
Lowry travels to Fernley on Thursday for a 7:30 p.m. start and are in Sparks on Saturday for a 2:30 p.m. tip.
Fallon hosted Truckee on Tuesday and travels to Sparks on Friday for a 7:30 p.m. game. The Greenwave hosts Fernley on Saturday at 2:30 p.m.
