Lowell Senior High School

Winning the sectional championship last season was a huge weight off the shoulders of coach Kelly Chavez and her basketball program, which has continued to improve every season since she has been at Lowell. Losing six players off last year’s team, Chavez has built her squad to an 8–2 season so far, and a big reason is the play of junior Brooke Dawson, one of the toughest and most talented players who has grown into a ballplayer you love to watch compete on the basketball court. Averaging double figures this season while also being the Devils’ floor leader, Dawson has played in the Devils program since the fourth grade under the guidance of coach Chavez. Because of that, the confidence that things will be done exactly how Chavez wants on the court is at a high level. Lowell took on Munster on Friday night, beating the visitors by a score of 50–39, with Dawson scoring a game-high 17 points, followed by Gatlin Hanrath with 11 points. Lowell jumped all over Munster, leading 16–4 after the first quarter, with the Mustangs staying in their 1–3–1 zone. Scoring the first basket of the game, Hanrath back-cut to the basket for a 2–0 lead. Coach Chavez has always run some nice out-of-bounds sets, as Hanrath found a wide-open Aubrey Fleming underneath for a 4–2 advantage. Munster tied the game at 4–4 on a basket by Arroyo Mongerie, but after that, Lowell ran off 12 straight points, starting with a three-pointer by Alivia Madison and then a basket by Dawson. Both players scored the rest of the points for the quarter, giving Lowell a 16–4 lead after one quarter of play. The Devils got themselves into trouble in the second quarter when they turned the ball over eight times, allowing the Stangs to cut the lead to just three at the break, 23–20. Munster came out in the third quarter using a 2–2–1 three-quarter court press that Lowell handled very well. Lowell went on a 9–0 run to lead 32–20, as Hanrath began to attack the basket, scoring four straight points, with Dawson knocking down a three-pointer from the corner. Heading into the fourth quarter leading 34–24, Munster never got out of their zone. Coach Chavez used a player in the short corner to move the ball, getting it back up top and into the paint while making the extra pass for layups to build a 45–31 lead. Munster stayed in the zone, watching the Devils break down their defense. The only thing Munster did offensively all night was fire up three-point shots, never running much of an offense, as the Devils beat the Stangs by a final score of 50–39. Using the short corner to their advantage in the second half and cutting down on turnovers, Lowell did a much better job taking care of the ball to secure the win. Speaking to player of the game Brooke Dawson, who scored 17 points on the night, the talented junior talked about the importance of the conference victory. “Losing to KV last week really gave us focus tonight, knowing we could not afford another conference loss, so we came out ready to play and took a 16–4 lead after the first quarter. My job is to keep the team together as one of the leaders, so I did my best to keep us positive and play through some of the mistakes we were making. Each year, now being a junior, my confidence has grown knowing my teammates and coaches count on me to keep things under control on the court. I thought Josephine Laub really stepped up for us tonight and played well, hustling the entire game while hitting some shots for us.” When asked about the adjustments made in the second half, Dawson spoke about attacking the 1–3–1 zone by making the extra pass to get easier baskets. “I thought using the short corner was very successful tonight, and our coaches are really good at watching what’s happening and making adjustments to help us score. One extra pass got us to the rim as we moved the ball instead of holding it or turning it over like we did at times in the first two quarters.” Speaking with head coach Kelly Chavez, who has turned the Red Devils program into a team opponents must prepare for, she discussed her team’s performance. “I thought a lot of players did a better job than the last two games, like Laub, Tatum Claus, and Madison. The more we play together, the better I think we’re going to be the rest of the season. We lost six players from last season, so this is the first time we’ve all played together as a group. Getting off to a 7–0 start and then rebounding after two losses against a Munster team that handled us pretty well last season speaks volumes about the hard work this group has put in. I thought we changed some things in the second half by putting a player in the short corner, which opened up a lot of scoring opportunities and settled us down as we opened the lead to 45–31. One thing the girls did well in the second half was starting the quarter on a 9–0 run and never rushing, letting the game come to them as they built the lead.” Box Score Munster: 4 | 16 | 4 | 15 — 39 Lowell: 16 | 7 | 11 | 16 — 50