Lynch’s clutch 3 leads Buhach Colony girls to basketball victory

One of the big question marks for the Buhach Colony High School girls basketball team entering the season is who shoulders the scoring load with Allison Wisdom graduating.

Kaylee Lynch assumed the mantle Tuesday night.

The junior guard struck for 13 of her game-high 17 points in the second half, including a three-pointer with 1:25 to play that put the Thunder up for good in a 47-42 victory over El Capitan.

“If you look at how many threes I made versus how many I took, it was nothing special,” said Lynch, who also had a game-high 12 rebounds. “I kind of felt like it was coming on, though. It was that kind of game where it felt like it could come down to a shot like that. I was just glad to make it.

“I am one of the shooters on the team, but I feel like the scoring is going to have to be shared.”

That was easier said than done as Buhach (1-0) fought through a much tougher opener than expected against an El Capitan (0-1) squad making its varsity debut.

El Cap’s shooters were the reason for that. The Gauchos, comprised of three juniors and eight sophomores, showed their youth for stretches, turning over the ball 32 times against Buhach Colony’s pressure. Michael Davenport’s squad was able to compensate, however, by making the shots they did get off.

Junior Remi Moses scored eight of her team-high 13 points in the second quarter. Once the Buhach defense had to focus its attention on Moses, Yesenia Valtierra (seven points, nine rebounds) and Angelica Navarrette (11 points, eight rebounds) began to find space inside. The trio sparked an 18-6 run to send El Capitan into the half up 23-17.

“I think the most impressive thing to me was El Cap’s tenaciousness,” Buhach coach Shane Gentry said. “They were winning almost every loose ball. Coming in with an aggressive, veteran team, that’s not something we expected.

“I told the kids at halftime we were doing what we needed to do defensively, but we just had to finish. If we’re going to play a fast-paced style, we have to be able to convert those turnovers into easy buckets.”

The Thunder did a better job of that after the break as Brandy Coward (nine points) and Rai Slaton turned a flurry of turnovers into eight quick points. Buhach opened the second half with a 10-2 run to take a 27-25 lead. The teams went back and forth from there.

Buhach’s experience proved the difference down the stretch. El Capitan turned over the ball 12 times in the fourth quarter, rushing possessions when it had a chance to work the clock.

Lynch’s third three-pointer put the Thunder up for good with 1:25 to play. She then sealed the win with two free throws.

“We definitely got rushed down the stretch,” Davenport said. “Once they tied the game, they got us going fast and we weren’t able to regroup.

“I was very pleased with the way we came out firing. Not many people would have expected us to be in this game. Being so young, these are the kinds of statements we have to come out and make.”

This story was originally published December 3, 2014 at 12:23 AM with the headline "Lynch’s clutch 3 leads Buhach Colony girls to basketball victory."