The Lowry High School boys basketball team extended its winning streak to four games this past week on the road but it was not easy in both cases.
The Buckaroos’ offense struggled for much of the night against Hug on Wednesday, Dec. 14, but Lowry rallied for a 53-49 win.
Just a couple days later, Lowry had to withstand a North Valleys rally in Reno to beat the Panthers 45-42.
After opening the season with three straight losses, the Buckaroos have won four games in a row.
In the win over Hug, Lowry managed just one field goal and two points in the first quarter, as the Hawks raced out to a 11-2 lead.
The Buckaroos slowly began to shake off the slow start in the second quarter. Lowry got the offense clicking a little better, but sill trailed 26-17 at halftime.
After falling behind by as many as 17 points, Lowry cut the deficit to as single digits at seven points at the start of the fourth quarter. That is where the comeback began.
Hug led 49-39 late in the fourth quarter but did not score again, as Lowry scored the final 14 points of the game to rally for the 53-49 victory.
Lowry was back in Reno on Saturday to play North Valleys and got off to another slow start.
The contest was tied at 14 after eight minutes of play, when North Valleys went on a 9-5 run in the second quarter to lead 23-19 at the break, as both offenses struggled to find the basket.
After scoring just 19 points in the first half, the Buckaroos surpassed that total with 20 points in the third quarter, to turn a four-point deficit into a 39-30 lead.
The Buckaroos led 42-32 late in the fourth quarter, only to see that disappear as the Panthers cut the gap to 42-40 with 58 seconds to play.
Lowry missed a layup moments later and North Valleys had an opportunity to go in front but missed a 3-point shot.
With 30 seconds to play, Jordan Bills knocked down two free throws to make the score 44-40.
The Panthers came back down the floor and connected on a bucket to make the score 44-42, when Bills was fouled again with 16 seconds to play.
The senior made 1-of-2 shots, giving Lowry a 45-42 lead.
The Panthers had one last chance to tie the game, but a 3-pointer went off the rim as time expired.
Dempsey Jenkins and Lance Brinegar each had nine points, Bills eight, Kayson Garner seven and Anthony Guzman and Isaac Danner six each.
Lowry hosted Truckee on Monday and results were not available at press time. The Buckaroos head back to Reno after Christmas for a three-day tournament.
