Five Takeaways: No. 1 Buford vs. No. 6 Wayne County
Buford City Arena played host to R2 #2 No. 6 Wayne County (24-3) vs. R8 #1 No. 1 Buford (28-1) on Wednesday night. The Wolves overpowered Wayne County 76-49 setting up a showdown with No. 3 Carrollton in the Elite…
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Continue ReadingBuford City Arena played host to R2 #2 No. 6 Wayne County (24-3) vs. R8 #1 No. 1 Buford (28-1) on Wednesday night. The Wolves overpowered Wayne County 76-49 setting up a showdown with No. 3 Carrollton in the Elite Eight. Here are five takeaways from Buford’s latest demolition.
Run & Hunt
Buford’s motto fits perfectly as they play fast and relentless. The Wolves overwhelm teams that can’t break their press. They put away Wayne County early and never let them get comfortable. Buford collected 16 steals and made Terren Ward work every time she touched the ball.
5-10 G Terren Ward
Buford’s depth and system were too much for Wayne County to compete with. The Yellow Jackets may have had the best overall player on the floor but did not have enough of a supporting cast to threaten. 5-foot-10 senior Terren Ward did everything she could for Wayne County as a one-man wrecking crew. She finished with 22 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal and 4 blocks. Ward is a big guard that has an extreme workload. She may be better suited off the ball at the next level but she has more than enough experience as a primary ball handler. Ward plays at her pace and doesn’t get sped up. She starts her own fast breaks and is strong enough to go coast-to-coast. Ward scored on pull-ups from 10-feet and showed the ability to finish with either hand. Expending so much energy on offense playing point guard, at times she got caught standing straight up on defense when defending the post and got caught out of position. With her variety of skills and experience being the man, Ward is worth a long look for D-II programs searching for a versatile piece.
Three-Point Specialist
Wayne County was dealt a knockout punch in the second quarter via Blair Wallis. The 5-foot-9 junior scored 14 points in the frame including hitting four threes. Wallis is a lethal shooter when she gets her feet set and has space to fire. Her three-point shooting is paramount to Buford’s dribble-drive system as her range helps open up the floor and create more lanes for teammates.
Ashyia Willis & Tatum Ozment
Guard play wins championships in high school and there’s no wonder why Buford is in prime position to win state title number eight. 5-foot-6 junior Ashyia Willis is the perfect lead man to run Coach Gene Durden’s offense. She is quick but more importantly, a good decision maker. Willis can get into the paint and attacks off the dribble efficiently without having to use an abundance of moves. Willis finishes well around the rim but her best asset is her court vision. She finished with 12 points and 8 assists, constantly finding open teammates. 5-foot-9 sophomore Tatum Ozment pitched in 14 points, 5 rebounds and 4 steals. The lefty was aggressive getting to the basket and brought energy and effort on defense. She scored in a variety of ways and displayed a polished floor game.
Is Buford worthy of being ranked No. 1?
Yes they are. They will have a huge test vs. Carrollton in the Elite Eight. I can’t foresee the game snowballing into a 30-point blowout like last year’s 62-32 second round matchup, but I think Buford’s press will be able to bother an extremely talented Carrollton team just enough. The Trojans have been playing excellent basketball and lost by two points to undefeated Kell in their final regular season matchup and then fell 44-43 in the Region 7 Championship. If Buford is able to eliminate Carrollton, the score will be an interesting measuring stick to see just how far ahead of the pack the Wolves really are.