Despite solid offensive performances from the always-formidable one-two punch of McKinlee Covolo and Addison Hickey, the Mountain View High School girls’ hoops team was unable to shake off a slow start, losing on the road Friday at Lander, 48-40.

The Lady Buffalos (8-3, 1-1 in 3A Southwest) trailed by 10 after a quarter and couldn’t quite close the gap, despite Covolo recording a double-double with 12 points and 14 boards, and Hickey adding 14 points.

“It was a tough go right from the start,” said MVHS head coach Jessica Moretti. “We allowed Lander 18 points in the first quarter, and only answered back six. This was the outcome of too many turnovers in the first quarter.”

Lander extended their lead to 13 by the break at 26-13. The two teams played the third quarter even at 12-12, and the Lady Tigers still led by 13 heading into the final frame, 38-25.

Mountain View chipped into the lead, but it was too little, too late, as Lander was able to hold on for the 48-40 win.

“We need to continue to work on taking better care of the ball, and valuing every possession,” Moretti said. “Throughout the game, we allowed Lander to have too many 3-point opportunities, and they capitalized on eight of them. We had great defense in the paint, but struggled to put extended pressure on the perimeter. We did match defensive boards, and won the offensive boards.”

Addison Hickey led the Lady Buffs in scoring with 14 points — to go along with five rebounds and four steals — while McKinlee Covolo recorded a double-double, with 12 points and 14 rebounds. Charlee Porter finished with four points, three rebounds, three assists and three steals, while Kodi Allred and Abby Wells each sank a 3-pointer for their only scores of the game. Lillie Hickey and McKayla Lym closed out the scoring with two points apiece.

Turnovers proved to be the Lady Buffalos’ undoing, with 25 in the contest.

Mountain View will continue conference play Friday when they welcome Pinedale to the Buffalo Dome. The Lady Wranglers are currently ranked No.1 in 3A.

“This week, it doesn’t get any easier in the quality of the team as we host Pinedale, who is currently ranked the #1 team in the state,” Moretti said. “Our practice focuses will continue to be on fundamentals of valuing possessions through ball handling, passing and decision-making in simulated, game-like situations.”