Girls: Fallon drops 3A East opener to defending state champs

WINNEMUCCA — Coming off its first loss in nearly a year, the Lowry girls basketball team bounced back in a big way with a 64-30 win over Fallon on Thursday.

It was the Northern 3A East opener for both teams as the Lady Bucks improved to 13-1 overall and 1-0 in league play. The Greenwave dropped to 9-7 overall and 0-1 in the Northern 3A East.

Fallon visited Fernley on Wednesday and will host Dayton on Saturday for a 1 p.m. tipoff.

Lowry, which gave up the opening basket, came back with the next nine points and never looked back. Junior Savannah Stoker and sophomore Britain Backus combined for 15 of Lowry’s 18 points in the first quarter. The Lady Bucks jumped out to a 18-8 lead after eight minutes of action, as Madasyn Moyle scored six of the Greenwave’s eight points.

Lowry scored the first nine points of the second quarter to go in front 27-8, as Stoker scored 13 points in the second period and Bryce Brinkerhoff added a bucket of her own. Stoker, a junior, had 24 points at halftime, outscoring Fallon by nine points. The Greenwave did not make a field goal in the second quarter, allowing Lowry to take a 33-15 lead at the break.

Fallon raced out of halftime with the first two baskets of the second half, but the momentum quickly shifted, as Lowry went on a 14-2 run to lead 47-21 late in the third quarter. Brinkerhoff and Backus combined for a majority of those points during the run.

After giving up the final two baskets of the third quarter, Lowry opened the final eight minutes of play with a 14-2 run to lead 61-27.

Stoker (30) and Backus (18) combined for 48 of Lowry’s 64 points. Brinkerhoff added eight points, Belen Barocio three, Sydnee Pettis and Kailey Franklin two each and Alexandra Barocio one.

Moyle led the way for the Greenwave with 10 points, Zoey Jarrett added nine, Janessa Bettencourt and RayAnn Rasmussen three each, Jada Anastasio and Dylan Ekins-Faught two each and Vernita Fillmore had one point.

Fallon drops four in Las Vegas

In the previous week, Fallon traveled to Las Vegas for a holiday tournament where it finished 0-4, including a 24-point loss to Spanish Springs to end its trip.

In an opening 49-32 loss to Corona del Mar (Newport Beach, Calif.) on Dec. 27, Lea Williams and Bettencourt each led the team with six points and Moyle added five. Dylan Ekins-Faught led in rebounding with seven and Anastasio added six.

Fallon followed with a 67-35 loss to St. Joseph (Santa Maria, Calif.) on Dec. 28. Fillmore scored nine points to lead the team, and Jarrett and Kambrie Thorn each had six. Bettencourt and Thorn each recorded five rebounds, and Anastasio led in steals with three.

In its closest game of the tournament, a 57-53 loss to Porterville (Calif.) on Dec. 29, four players scored in double figures with Anastasio leading with 12, Moyle and Fillmore each adding 11 and Jarrett rounding it out with 10. Anastasio also had eight rebounds, and Liliana Bettencourt, Jarrett and Moyle each had five. Fallon shot 4-of-12 from the free throw line.

Fallon concluded its trip with a 64-30 loss to Spanish Springs on Dec. 30 when Anastasio led the team in scoring again with eight followed by Janessa Bettencourt with seven. Mattea Cortez and Jarrett each scored four. Bettencourt and Anastasio also led the team with four rebounds apiece.

Thomas Ranson contributed to this story.