Release Date:12/31/2008
News Title: Up-tempo title run--(Buford Girls Win Deep South Classic)


From the Gwinnett Daily Post

By David Friedlander
Staff Writer

SNELLVILLE - After seeing Peachtree Ridge impose a slower tempo than they preferred in the first half of the Deep South Classic championship game, the Buford girls had enough.

The Wolves found the right lineup combination and outran the Lions in the second half. Led by seniors Jocelyn Danley and Blanche Alverson and freshman Andraya Carter, Buford turned just a four-point halftime lead into a 55-25 victory Tuesday at Brookwood.

The trio were each named to the all-tournament team with Danley taking MVP honors, and helped Buford, ranked No. 1 in the state in Class AA, claim its first Deep South Classic title.

And it came after Wolves coach Gene Durden found the right lineup combination to get his team to the desired intensity level after leading just 18-14 at halftime.

"We finally picked the intensity level up," Durden said. "We made (Peachtree Ridge) play at our pace and I think our numbers just wore them down. They did a real good job of controlling the tempo early, and also playing good defense and making us have to work.

"We've got eight seniors and a lot of depth. ... We're trying different combinations to see which kids fit best together. Starting in the second half, that group really came out and did a great job."

Indeed, matching seniors Chanee Carson and Michelle Godwin with Danley, Carter and Alverson proved to be the right mix. Buford reeled off 11 straight points in the first 2:58 of the third quarter to stretch their four-point lead to 29-14 after a transition layup by Abby Johnson.

Danley and Alverson combined for seven of those points as Buford (7-1) looked inside after having trouble connecting from the perimeter in the first half.

"We played their speed, not our speed, in the first half," said Danley, who finished with nine points and four rebounds and scored 30 points in her first three games back after missing the first five with stress fractures in both shins.

"We didn't get in the flow of the game. We came out shooting and we should've been attacking the basket the whole time. The second half, we started attacking the bucket."

Peachtree Ridge (5-5) tried to stay in the game as freshman Gabby Cole hit a jumper from the baseline to end nearly seven scoreless minutes with 4:12 left in the third quarter. It led a 6-2 run that pulled the Lions as close as 31-20 after Tori Nwadiagbu's stickback with 2:39 left in the period.

But Danley answered with a turnaround jumper on Buford's next trip down the court and Katie Lynn added two open jumpers from the wing to key an 8-2 run over the final 1:56 of the quarter, stretching the lead back to 39-22.

Carter and Alverson then helped put the game away, combining for 11 points during a 14-0 run to start the fourth quarter.

The two also were central in a defensive effort that saw the Wolves hold Peachtree Ridge scoreless for another long stretch, this time 6:43. Erika Waters ended that drought and gave the Lions their only points of the final frame on a 3-pointer with 1:43 remaining.

Carter finished with a game-high 12 points, plus four steals and three assists. Alverson, an Auburn signee, added nine points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals.

Nwadiagbu led Peachtree Ridge with six points and 11 rebounds, while Brittany Jack (four points, eight rebounds) and D'Atra Sawyer were also named to the all-tournament team.

Both teams had their problems offensively in the first half, with Peachtree Ridge committing 16 turnovers in the opening half and Buford shooting just 7-for-24 (29.2 percent) from the field, including 0-for-6 by Alverson.

The Lions took the biggest lead of the half for either team by using a 6-0 run over a minute span midway through the second quarter, which left them holding a 14-9 advantage after Cole's transition layup with 3:03 left until halftime.

But Buford answered with a 9-0 run over the final 2:51 of the half, including 3 of 4 free-throw attempts by Godwin, to vault into an 18-14 lead by intermission