St. Pius girls coach Kyle Snipes wasn’t sure this season’s Golden Lions had what it takes to defend their state championship. He was wrong.
St. Pius overcame an alarming start and got 23 points from star Asia Durr to defeat Buford 48-45 in the Class AAA state championship game Saturday at the Macon Coliseum. It’s the Lions’ second consecutive state championship and fifth in school history, all in the past 10 years. But it was anything but easy.
Durr, the nation’s top-rated junior prospect, missed her first six shots, and the Lions started the game 0-for-11. They didn’t make their first field goal until Obi Okafor’s layup with 20 second left in the first quarter. By that time, Buford led 15-3.
Durr got going in the second quarter, making three 3-pointers to get St. Pius (30-3) back in the game. Miah Allen gave the Lions their first lead with a corner 3-pointer with 40 seconds left in the half.
“I knew we just needed to get a couple stops, and the shots would start falling,” said Durr, who has offers from nearly all the premier programs in women’s college basketball.
Buford (30-3) never regained the lead, but stayed close, boosted by Camille Anderson, who finished with 14 points, and Bree Horrocks, who scored 13. Horrocks scored six of her points in the fourth quarter, including a turnaround jumper in the paint that cut the St. Pius lead to 47-45 with 14 seconds to play.
The Lions’ Jasmine Carter made a free throw to push the lead to three with 9.5 seconds left, and Buford was unable to get off a potential tying 3-pointer on its final possession.
“We fought this team all season,” said Snipes. “I think we felt that since we went up to Buford and beat them last season (in the state quarterfinals) as sophomores, that this season was just going to be a walk. I complained to our coaching staff all season about our defense. At times this season, we just looked bored. I didn’t know if we had it. But once the playoffs came around everything started to click, and we turned it up.”
Carter added 12 points and grabbed seven rebounds for the Lions. Allen scored nine points on three 3-pointers and also battled for seven rebounds.
Buford’s Corey Staples finished with seven points, and Tara Dambach added six for the Wolves, who were playing in their fifth championship game in the past six seasons.
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