By Staff
Without the services of leading scorer Ashlee Layher, the Buchanan basketball team opened the Lakeland Conference season with a 50-46 overtime loss to River Valley.
Dee Dee Thompson picked up some of the slack with 18 points before fouling out. Ali Bender added 11 points and Holly Tibbs scored 10 for the Bucks.
Buchanan led 14-11 after the first quarter but could not match River Valley's scoring in the overtime period.
Jami Grandholm paced River Valley with 14 points. The Mustangs are now 3-1 overall and 1-0 in league play.
Buchanan, now 1-2 overall and 0-1 in the conference, travels to Cassopolis Thursday for another Lakeland matchup.
River Valley….50
Buchanan…….46 (OT)
River Valley: Eryka Kettring 0 0-0 0, Megan Koebel 4 2-2 11, Jenny Sanders 3 2-3 8, Noelle Dryden 4 0-1 8, Kayla Schmidt 0 0-0 0, Brittany Warren 1 0-0 3, Katie Dina 2 2-5 6, Candyce Lintner 0 0-0 0, Lynn Dolan 0 0-0 0, Jami Grandholm 7 0-0 14. Totals: 21 6-11 50
Buchanan: Lindsey Ross 0 0-0 0, Lindsay Colip 1 0-0 2, Katie Backus 1 0-0 2, Dee Dee Thompson 8 1-2 17, Sheena Bradshaw 1 0-0 2, Stacy Borr 0 0-0 0, Holly Tibbs 3 4-6 10, Ali Bender 3 4-4 11, Michelle Johnson 1 0-0 2. Totals: 18 9-12 46
River Valley 11 9 9 13 8--50
Buchanan 14 8 9 11 4--46
3-point shooting: River Valley 2 (Koebel, Warren), Buchanan 1 (Bender). Team fouls (fouled out): River Valley 14 (none), Buchanan 16 (Thompson). Team records: River Valley 3-1 (1-0 Lakeland), Buchanan 1-2 (0-1)