Fallon’s Karlie Simper looks to pass against Lowry during the Greenwave’s first loss of the 3A season on Friday.
Photo by Tony Erquiaga.
WINNEMUCCA – Missing two key contributors and with the opposing team hitting nearly every contested shot, the Greenwave basketball team couldn’t keep up with the defending 3A champions Friday.
The Lowry shooting duo of senior Savannah Stoker and junior Britain Backus accounted for almost 75 percent of the points as the Buckaroos raced by the Greenwave, 76-39.
“The bigger thing is that Lowry shot 62 percent from the 3-point line. They really did not miss,” Fallon coach Kevin Wickware said of Lowry’s shooting being a deciding factor. “It’s pretty tough when you don’t miss like that. We didn’t handle (the pressure) well.”
Lowry (13-4, 3-0) traveled to Dayton on Wednesday and then visits Fernley, which won last year’s regular-season and regional titles before falling to Lowry in the state final, on Friday.
Fallon (14-4 overall, 2-1 3A East) traveled to Fernley on Wednesday to face the Vaqueros and it also visits Dayton on Friday before hosting its annual fundraising dinner Saturday night.
Fallon was without senior Zoey Jarrett and freshman Kortnie Simper, who are recovering from injuries. Wickware expects Jarrett to return this week but it could be until next week when Simper is back in the lineup.
“It’s tough to replace Zoey with how young we are,” Wickware said, adding that Simper has been contributing off the bench.
With her leg wrapped and knee still black and blue, Backus returned to the Lowry lineup after missing the Elko game and did not miss a beat. The junior knocked down three of her six 3-point field goals in the first quarter and Bryce Brinkerhoff and Stoker added their contributions to allow Lowry to a 29-13 lead in the first quarter.
“I wouldn’t say we played bad defense,” Wickware said. “Backus was shooting shots 6 to 10 feet behind the 3-point line. It was crazy to watch. Realistically, we didn't shoot bad (Fallon shot 30 percent). It wasn’t our best shooting game, but it wasn’t our worst. It wasn’t a horrible night.”
Stoker finished with a game-high 28 points (all coming in the first three quarters) to go with nine steals, six assists, five rebounds and two assists. Backus finished with 27 points on 6-of-6 shooting from the 3-point line along with six steals, four rebounds, three assists and a block.
The Bucks led by as many as 19 points in the opening eight minutes of play when Greenwave sophomore Jada Anastasio knocked down a 3-pointer at the buzzer. She had eight of Fallon’s 13 points in the quarter and paced Fallon with 19 points, four steals and three assists.
Wickware said the team couldn’t adjust to the pressure in the opening frame and presented different defensive sets to try to throw Lowry off.
“The biggest thing is we have to handle their pressure. Once we’re able to handle pressure, our confidence will be better,” he added. “With how young we are, it’s getting more experience with that pressure. The good thing with a young team is you can hopefully make an upward direction toward a playoff run. Playing Lowry and Fernley will help.”
Although it didn’t slow the Buckaroos, Fallon was able to regroup offensively, scoring the most points against Lowry since the 2019-20 season. Karlee Simper scored seven points, and Janessa Bettencourt had five points, one steal, one assist and one rebound for Fallon. Dylan Faught netted three points, Madasyn Moyle and Raegan Johnson each had two points and Kylee Simper one.
“Overall, I wasn’t too disappointed with the outcome. It showed we still have to take that next step,” Wickware said. “We’re good against solid teams but against these teams, we need to take that next step.
“Especially with how young we are, we’re scoring better. It’s improving again. We’re getting different points in different places. There’s a lot of positives coming out of that game.”
Lowry scored the first seven points of the second quarter to go in front 36-13, forcing Fallon to call timeout. The Greenwave stopped the run with two free throws when Backus nailed two more three pointers and Stoker added three points of her own to push the lead to 46-15. Lowry eventually took a 53-24 advantage into halftime.
Karlie Simper did her best to try to keep Fallon in the game, scoring six of her seven points in the third quarter. However, Backus had other ideas, making two more from long-distance.
Autumn Sanchez, Brinkerhoff and Stoker combined for 11 points in the third quarter, as Lowry led 70-34 at one time. Brinkerhoff finished with eight points, one assist and one steal. Natalee Formby connected on two 3-pointers for six points, Sanchez added four, Mirana Draper two and Cambria Tisue one.
TICKETS REMAIN FOR FUNDRAISER
The Greenwave’s annual fundraiser, a Cajun boil and auction, is Saturday from 5-8 p.m. at the Fallon Convention Center.
Tickets, which are $60 each, are low in quantity as of Monday. In addition to the dinner, there will be a cash bar, games, raffles and silent and live auctions with all proceeds going back to the program to help fund travel expenses, equipment and offseason activities and tournaments.
To purchase, contact a member from the team or call 775-217-6697.
The LVN's Thomas Ranson contributed