Girls basketball
Buford 61, Dacula 57
The Buford girls basketball team secured a 61-57 victory over fellow Region 8-7A opponent Dacula on Senior Night at the Buford Arena.
Ohio State commit Ava Grace Watson gave a strong performance against Dacula, especially in the first half. Watson scored 28 points against Dacula, 19 of which came before halftime giving the Lady Wolves a 36-24 lead going into the third quarter.
In the third quarter, Dacula was able to shrink Buford’s lead thanks to the Lady Wolves’ numerous fouls. The Lady Falcons made 9-out-of-10 free throw attempts in the third quarter and 12 of 20 free throws total. Dacula pulled to within nine points of Buford at the end of the third quarter, and they held Buford to eight points in the fourth quarter. However, Dacula’s second-half rally fell short, and Buford went on to win 61-57.
In addition to Watson’s strong offensive effort, Buford got solid performances from sophomore Lydia Ledford with 13 points and freshman E’miah Fields with nine points scored against Dacula.
The Lady Wolves close out their regular season undefeated in Region 8-7A (10-0) and with an overall record of 22-3.
Lanier 55, Habersham Central 35
The Lanier Lady Longhorns basketball team also celebrated Senior Night on Tuesday and like Buford, the Lady Longhorns got the win. Lanier bested Region 8-6A opponent Habersham Central 55-35.
The Lady Raiders were only down four points at halftime but Lanier came back from the half with renewed energy. The Lady Longhorns pulled away from Habersham Central after scoring 21 points during the third quarter. Going into the fourth quarter, Lanier was leading Habersham Central 42-28. Lanier added 13 additional points to Habersham Central’s seven points during the final quarter to close out the game with a 55-35 victory.
Standouts for Lanier were senior Asja Howell (16 points, eight rebounds, two assists), sophomore Jordan Johnson (11 points, seven rebounds, two assists), and junior Oluwadamilare Falade (11 points, three rebounds).
Lanier’s overall season record improved to 13-10 and 8-2 in their region. The Lady Longhorns have one final regular season game to play on Friday, Feb. 9 at Apalachee in a Region 8-6A contest. The game starts at 6 p.m.
Boys basketball
Buford 58, Dacula 50
The Buford boys basketball team celebrated their seniors and a win on Tuesday night at the Buford Arena when they took on fellow Region 8-7A opponent Dacula. Buford defeated Dacula with a score of 58-50 and the Wolves closed out their regular season undefeated in region play at 10-0.
Leading Buford’s offense were seniors Brennan Wansley (15 points) and Silas Mawdesley (12 points).
The Wolves end their regular season with an overall record of 22-3.
Lanier 59, Habersham Central 62
Habersham Central came from behind to put a damper on the Senior Night festivities at Lanier High School on Tuesday night. The Raiders defeated the Longhorns 62-59 to drop Lanier’s Region 8-6A record to 5-6 and season record to 10-14.
Lanier has one final region game before their regular season comes to an end. The Longhorns hit the road to take on Apalachee on Friday, Feb. 9 at 7:30 p.m.
