By By ERIKA PICKLES / Niles Daily Star
The Lady Bucks of Buchanan shined Tuesday night and snagged their first victory of the season with a 65-37 win over the River Valley Mustangs.
This was the first game the Bucks played in their newly remodeled gym. Admission was free to celebrate the opening of the gym, bringing in many Buchanan fans to support the team.
River Valley gave Buchanan a good run early in the first quarter, but not for long. Katie Backus and DeeDee Thompson both had six points for Buchanan. Ashley Pointer hit a 3-pointer and added a free throw to put the Bucks up 15-10 at the end of the first. That was as close as the Mustangs were able to get.
River Valley used a full-court press all of the second quarter and most of the game, giving Buchanan a little bit of a challenge.
Buchanan only allowed River Valley five points in the second period, giving the Bucks a 31-15 lead going into half-time.
Buchanan came into the third quarter with a bang. Freshman Hayley Cashier nailed a 3-pointer right away. The Bucks seemed untouchable, hitting shot after shot and dominating the boards, outrebounding the Mustangs 9-3. Buchanan out-rebounded River Valley 40-20 on the night.
With 6:44 left in the third, Buchanan had a 20-point lead. The Bucks added six more points giving them a 53-29 lead at the end of the period.
Early in the fourth, it seemed as if the tables were going to turn. Buchanan gave up quite a few rebounds and points, but it was not enough for River Valley to come back. Buchanan quickly jumped back into gear and walked away with a big victory.
Senior DeeDee Thompson lead Buchanan, notching a double-double with 23 points and 12 rebounds. Sophomore Katie Backus added 14 points and seven rebounds.
Freshman Hayley Cashier had 13 points and seven rebounds for Buchanan.
Buchanan's junior varsity team also walked away with a win against River Valley in overtime. The teams were tied 36-36, as Buchanan ended up winning 44-38.
Buchanan's Emily Ross had 22 points and was 3-for-6 at the line. Jade Lawerence had 10 points for River Valley.
Buchanan………65
River Valley……37
RV - Eryka Kettring 1 0-0 2, Maggie Hausmann 2 0-0 5, Jordan Cronin 0 0-0 0, Kali Lauson 0 0-0 0, Heather Totzke 1 1-6 3, Kayla Schmidt 1 0-0 3, Brittany Warren 2 0-0 5, Candyce Lintner 1 1-5 3, Valerie Schlutt 3 2-3 9, Jodie Grandholm 0 1-2 1, Lynn Dolan 2 0-0 4. Totals: 13 5-16 37.
BU - Linsey Ross 1 0-0 2, Jill Woodrick 0 0-0 0, Holly Dunivan 0 0-0 0, Katie Backus 6 2-2 14, DeeDee Thompson 10 3-5 23, Jessica Dickinson 1 1-2 3, Leteshia Shannon 0 0-0 0, Sheena Bradshaw 3 1-2 7, Ashley Pointer 1 1-1 3, Danielle Bachleda 1 0-0 2, Hayley Cashier 6 0-0 13. Totals: 29 8-12 65.
Halftime score - BU 31, RV 15
Rebounds - RV 20; BU 40. Fouls (fouled out) - RV 13 (none); BU 12 (none). Turnovers - RV 19; BU 21. Records - RV 1-2; BU 1-2.