The Buford girls had too much inside, too much outside and too much defense for Woodward Academy on Wednesday night.
The No. 3-ranked Wolves got 24 points and nine rebounds from 6-foot-5 center Bree Horrocks, 19 points (including three 3-pointers) from guard Camille Anderson and completed a school-record 19-0 home record. The result was a resounding 62-45 win over unranked Woodward Academy that sends Buford to the Class AAA semifinals.
“I give credit to this group of seniors who have come in and changed the climate back to playing hard and playing together,” Buford coach Gene Durden said. “It’s good to see how this group of seniors has helped us.”
Horrocks, who has signed with Purdue, was effective on the low block and with a short jump shot. She had 13 of her points in the first half. Anderson, a junior who has committed to N.C. State, was content to dump the ball down low to Horrocks or gun it from the outside. Anderson had 13 points at the half and scored eight straight points before the half that enabled Buford to lead by 20 points.
“Bree did a good job getting the open shot and making that mid-range jumper or posting up and scoring,” Durden said. “Camille did a good job getting her the ball and scoring when we needed it.”
The Buford defense continued to shine. Unlike their second-round game against Decatur, Buford reverted to its attacking, pressing defense and prevented Woodward from getting many open looks. The Wolves forced 31 turnovers, setting the pace with 17 in the first half.
“We thought they would try to press us and we talked about it,” Woodward coach Kim Lawrence said. “It’s one thing to talk about it and it’s another thing to see it. Our girls had trouble adjusting to it but once they got settled down they saw they could break the press.”
Buford (29-2) has now won 11 straight games since its non-region loss to Class AA No. 1 Wesleyan on Jan. 25. Woodward became only the third team in that stretch to score more than 40 points. The War Eagles are the first team in the state playoffs to get more than 29 against Buford.
“We have survived on our defense,” Durden said. “They’ve sold out for what we do and done a good job to give us a chance to win every time we go out.”
Woodward (20-11) entered the game as the No. 3 seed from Region 6-AAA. The War Eagles had beaten Franklin County and North Hall to reach the quarterfinals under coach Kim Lawrence. Woodward’s top scorers were Alexandria Williams with 13 and Cheyenne Arthur with nine.
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