MACON -- For 365 days, the words "unfinished business" have echoed around the Buford girls locker room, a haunting reminder of missed opportunity.
Today they hope to finally banish the ghost of last year's state championship loss and claim their first Class AAAA title in the process, as they battle Carrollton at 7 p.m. in Macon (a game that will be broadcast live on WDUN AM 550).
"We beat ourselves last year; we had a first half lead and we got comfortable I think and slacked off," Buford senior standout Camille Anderson said, referencing a 48-45 loss to St. Pius in the Class AAA finale. "We're not going to let that happen again."
Indeed, Buford feels it has worked too hard and come too far to let its goals of regaining a state title for the first time since a spurt of three straight 2009-11 slip.
(NOTE: To watch a video highlight package of the Lady Wolves' run, simply click "play" in the box to the right.)
"We've been getting to the state championship but we haven't been able to win it," said senior guard Corey Staples, who was on last year's state runner-up (Buford also finished as Class AA runner-up in 2012). "So we're trying to finish it up and take home a state title."
To do so, Buford (29-3) will have to find a way past a Carrollton team looking for its first state title since a 2009 championship.
"They're there for a reason. You don't get to the state championship game by having an average team," said Buford coach Gene Durden -- a longtime friend of Lady Trojans coach Shon Thomaston. "Shon's a good coach, and they've got a good team. We've got to show up and play good basketball, and hopefully have a good game that night."
Buford players say a big priority is dealing with Carrollton's size inside, and the Lady Wolves -- currently on a 21-game win streak -- expect a fight against the Lady Trojans (25-7), who feature four players that stand 6-feet or taller.
"We just need to rebound. That's our main focus," Buford senior guard Katy Bisges said. "That hurt us last time (against St. Pius in 2014), so we know we have to take care of that this time."
While Buford may not possess a regular (or healthy player) of the same size as Carrollton, the Lady Wolves have shown both grit and determination throughout the campaign, using their athleticism and speed to work the glass. And players like Anderson (team leader at 15.7 points per game, 3.2 assists per game, 2 steals per game), Staples and Zikaya Wright have the strength to win battles over taller opposition -- as well as the quickness to get to the rim.
Buford's pressing defense has also been stellar this season, allowing just four teams to reach the 50-point mark, while yielding an average of just 35 points per contest.
"During the season I'm really hard on them. I'm telling them y'all are the worst defensive group we've ever had, but the great thing is they always come up with playing great defense," Durden said. "Our goal is to always hold people to 40 points. If you can hold teams to 40 points, you've got a chance to win."
That said Durden is wary of the Lady Trojans and their offensive abilities. He also expects Carrollton to try some method of slowing the explosive Anderson -- who scored 33 points in a quarterfinal payback defeat of St. Pius and who will be at full speed despite a leg injury in last week's semifinal defeat of Fayette County.
"Carrollton's always got really good athletes. They have good quickness on the perimeter, and we've got to keep them off the boards," Durden said. "I think they'll have some tricks up their sleeve, the same way we will, and I think they're going to do what they think is going to give them the best chance to win. The good thing about us this year is that we've seen everything. We've seen a box-and-one, a triangle-and-two, match-up zones, man denials... everything you can do, and we've done a pretty good job of handling it."
Buford has also shown it's far from a one-player team, with players like Bisges stepping up to hit key baskets. And last week's semifinal showed that they can be successful even without Anderson after the senior went down early with a leg injury and her teammates stepped up to maintain a lead -- even though Anderson returned later in the contest.
"We've just got to really play good, fundamentally-sound basketball, and I think we've got a chance to win," Durden said. "We're a pressing transition team, but to win a state championship you've got to do three things: be a great rebounding team, be a great half court defensive team, and you've got to be great in the half court in execution. If we do those three things, we've got a great chance of winning."
A year of trials and tribulations -- not to mention last season's letdown -- has also added to the Lady Wolves self-belief, as Buford lost three talented freshmen to season-ending injuries before the campaign ever really developed: point guard Tory Ozment and posts Jessica Nelson and Tatum Shipes, each of which impressed over summer basketball.
"We played some great programs this summer, like Parkeview and Norcross and did really well," Durden said. "The thing that worried me was all the injuries and all the parts we've had to shuffle around. It seems like we'd get all the pieces together and one of them would pop out, and we would have to reshuffle again."
The shuffling -- which has seen Anderson slide from the wing to the point, amongst other changes -- has not hurt too much, however, and Buford's players have excelled since the New Year.
"From the very beginning we knew this was our main goal," Bisges said. "Yes we've had a lot of injuries, but we kept believing and knowing we could fight through it and finish it out."
Buford is now just 48 minutes removed doing just that -- and the Lady Wolves say they are more than ready to complete that unfinished business.
"Being here right now is unbelievable, especially with all the tough situations we've faced," Staples said. "We're not taking anything for granted and coach Durden has done a great job leading us here. And we're here to win."
BUFORD GIRLS vs. CARROLLTON
-- WHAT: Class AAAA basketball championship game
-- WHEN: 7 p.m. Thursday
-- WHERE: Macon Centreplex, Macon
-- RADIO: 550 AM
-- BUFORD: 29-3, Region 8-AAAA champs, on 21-game win streak
-- CARROLLTON: 25-7, Region 5-AAAA champs, on 10-game win streak
Friday
April 26th, 2024
10:25PM
