Caitlyn Welch looks for a way past Lowry's Sydney Connors during their game Tuesday.
The Lady Wave girls’ basketball team dominated Lowry’s Lady Bucks in the Elmo Dericco gym Tuesday night, by taking a 59-42 victory.
Lowry opened with a lead, but Fallon quickly pulled ahead, opening to a five-point lead. Lowry kept close, but the Lady Wave stayed ahead; the Lady Bucks rallied, though, and pulled ahead to a 13-12 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Fallon took off in the second quarter, opening the score and leaving the opposition behind. Lowry tied the score early in the quarter, then briefly took the lead, but a 3-point basket quickly put the Lady Wave ahead again. That’s when Fallon broke away, scoring several points for each of Lowry’s. While the Winnemucca team fought hard, the first half ended 38-22.
As the second half began, Fallon continued to expand its lead; they climbed ever higher, reaching a 20-point lead, and held it through the end of the quarter, 50-28.
The final quarter saw the Lady Bucks rally and push hard to tie the game. Their offense scored several points while keeping Fallon busy. It was not enough, though, and with a final basket by Lowry’s Hailey Hinkle, the game ended with the Lady Wave holding the lead.
Fallon coach Anne Smith said it was a good win and she knew there would be lots of pressure and emotion from the rivalry. They spent lots of time preparing for the game, since Lowry usually has a good team.
“Lowry’s a well-coached team, [and] they put a lot of pressure on us,” Smith said.
Leta Otuafi said the game went better than she expected and she was glad they pushed hard until the end. While they improved from last weekend’s tournament, she said there is still room to become better.
“I’m glad that we pushed hard and we played hard until the end,” she said.
Smith felt their preparations paid off, and their defense did well at stopping Lowry’s outside shooting. The Lady Wave’s offense also improved, slowing down and taking time with shots to the basket.
“Getting better opportunities, the best shots, not just a shot, but the best shots,” Smith said.
“We’re working on things that we didn’t do very well the past games,” Otuafi said.
Everyone scored. Leta Otuafi led the team with 14 points; Leilani Otuafi scored 11, and Caitlyn Welch had 10. Smith said Kenna Hamlin, Faith Cornmesser, Leta Otuafi and Welch also had several great steals throughout the game. Leta and Cornmesser also had great rebounds.
“I really did feel like everybody made an effort,” Smith said. “It was really a full team concerted effort.”
During practices, the team is working on defense. They will also be working on cleaning up their offense; Smith recalled there was some confusion on plays during the fourth quarter.
Today the Lady Wave is at a tournament in Roseville for the weekend. On Tuesday, they will travel to Fernley. Be sure to check the Lahontan Valley News website and Facebook page for scores.