The No. 7 Buford boys survived a scare on Friday night at East Hall. The Wolves 12-5, 8-0 Region 7-AAA) nearly wasted an 11-point lead in the fourth quarter before posting an 81-75 win, its sixth straight.
East Hall got to within two points of the Wolves late in the game, but the comeback was doused when the Vikings had five consecutive turnovers.
Buford was led by D’Marcus Simmonds, who scored 14 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter to help hold off the comeback. Isaad Nauta added 17 points and 16 rebounds. North Hall’s Kyvon Davenport scored 36 points, 18 in the fourth quarter, and had 18 rebounds.
Buford’s Rakim Lubin didn’t figure much in the decision. The UConn commit drew a technical foul in the first quarter and was benched for the rest of the game by coach Allen Whitehart.
Chasing the Wolves
The race for second place in Region 7-AAA remained hot, with Dawson County and White County both winning on Friday. The two are tied for second place behind Buford and play each other on Tuesday night.
White County (14-4, 6-2) whipped West Hall 77-55, with five players finishing in double figures. Dawson County (15-4, 6-2) beat Fannin County 41-32 on Friday with Levi Whitmire scoring 10.
WACO boys wins sixth straight
It was a good week for the No. 2 Washington County boys, who socked away a pair of Region 3-AAA wins and increased their winning streak to six games.
The Golden Hawks (13-1) beat No. 10 Thomson 53-43 on Tuesday and routed Dodge County 79-54 on the road on Friday.
A.J. Gray totaled 36 points in the two wins and McKel Miller added 21 points and 17 rebounds. Kendall Phillilps scored 17 against Dodge after failing to score against Thomson.
Washington County isn’t likely to be tested again until the rematch at Thomson on Feb. 1.
Tattnall hands Beach girls first loss
Tattnall County’s Chynna Washington was the hero on Friday as No. 5 Tattnall County beat No. 3 Beach 57-55. It was the first loss of the year for the Bulldogs, who had won their first 17 games.
Washington scored with 26 seconds left to give Tattnall (15-2, 9-2) the lead and Lasasha Pridgeon made a free throw with 19 seconds left for the final margin. Beach had a chance to tie the game but failed.
Pridgeon and Kierra McDonald each scored 16 for Tattnall. Beach (17-1, 9-1) was led by Jacqueline Anderson with 18 and Erica Hicks with 16.
Tattnall’s win was revenge from a 59-54 loss to the Bulldogs on Dec. 14.
White, Banks join girls race in Region 7
White County and Banks County are trying to join the race in Region 7-AAA. The two warmed up for their makeup game on Monday in Homer with wins on Friday night. White County beat West Hall 39-32 and Banks County beat North Hall 58-49.
White County (13-3, 5-2) got 17 points from Paige Thomas. Banks County (12-4, 4-3) got 16 from Kaitlyn Duncan and 12 from Casey Turner, all on 3-pointers.
The field is battling for position behind No. 1-ranked Buford, who improved to 16-1 with a 56-30 win at East Hall. The Wolves were led by Camille Anderson with 13 points. Buford is 8-0 in Region 7-AAA.
Central Macon boys move into tie for first
Central Macon won a showdown with Carver Columbus and moved into a tie first place in Region 2-AAA. The Chargers used a 24-point fourth quarter to overcome a six-point deficit and come away with a 60-59 win. They got the winning point on a free throw from Dontrell Jackson with five seconds left.
Derrick Evans Jr. scored 12 to lead Central, now 15-3, 6-1. Carver (11-5, 5-1) got 22 points from Dominique Johnson and 16 from Kimium Woods.
Washington County takes down Dodge girls
The No. 2-ranked Washington County girls won their Region 3-AAA showdown with Dodge County 63-52 on Friday. The Golden Hawks (14-0, 4-0) are the last undefeated team in Class AAA.
Washington County’s Shon Kitchens scored 22 and Nia Johnson added 14 in the win. Keyria Gordon scored 21 and Rachel Selph added 20 for Dodge County (13-2, 4-1).
