Boyd-Buchanan Girls Advance To Region 3-A Championship Game

Lady Bucs Defeat Silverdale, CSAS Falls To Van Buren In Semifinals

  • Friday, February 27, 2015
  • Jaime Barrett

When the high school basketball postseason began, the Boyd-Buchanan girls were the third-seeded team in their district.


Now the Lady Bucs are one of two teams left standing in the region.


With a 49-40 victory over Silverdale Baptist on Friday in the 3-A semifinals at South Pittsburg High School, Boyd-Buchanan advanced to both Saturday’s championship game and Monday night’s state sectionals.

Lady Bucs coach Tracey Walker said her team’s postseason surge has mainly been a matter of confidence.


“We've talked since the district tournament about our confidence,” she said. “I've been telling them all year long that they have what it takes if they would just believe in themselves, and their confidence is just continuing to build. This is just overwhelming.”


Against Silverdale, which finished third in District 5-A but reached the semifinals with a first-round region upset over Lookout Valley, Boyd-Buchanan found itself struggling on offense early.


The Lady Seahawks took a 10-9 lead into the second quarter, but fell behind 24-15 by halftime. After Silverdale’s strong inside defense limited Boyd-Buchanan leading scorers Maddie Wright and Marissa McCalla in the first quarter, the two combined for 13 in the second period.


“They're our go-to scorers, but we also have kids who supplement them,” Walker said. “It seems like right now, if they're not getting it, we have people come in and do their jobs around them. We had a few girls step up and hit some from the outside, and that opens up the inside. It's really a team effort. I've got 11 kids who are all doing their job, whether it's in practice or in the game.”


In the second half, Boyd-Buchanan increased its defensive pressure, which in turn led to more offense. McCalla scored nine of her 18 points in the third quarter as the Lady Bucs extended their lead to 35-23, and Wright finished with a game-high 20.


“I thought we played really good, tough defense,” Walker said. “We weren't shooting the ball that well in the first half, and when you're not shooting well, you've just got to step it up on defense. I thought our defense did really well.  We've worked hard on that this year, and I'm proud of my girls and how they're playing right now.”


The Lady Bucs will play for the region title Saturday at 6:30 p.m. Eastern against Van Buren County, which advanced with a 64-53 semifinal victory over Arts & Sciences. The District 6 champion Lady Eagles had to rally against the 5-A runner-up Lady Patriots, who built a 14-9 advantage with an impressive first-quarter performance.


Arts & Sciences took a 16-9 lead early in the second after Keturah Billen found Sarah McElvain, but Van Buren County responded with three consecutive 3-pointers and tied the game at 18. The Lady Eagles took a 30-25 lead into halftime, but extended their advantage to 17 points by the 5:26 mark of the fourth quarter.


But the Lady Patriots, who nearly rallied from a 20-point deficit to overtake Boyd-Buchanan in the district final, put together another comeback attempt. CSAS hit all three of its 3-pointers in the final 4:26, including one from Sheridan Randolph that got the Lady Patriots within 58-53 with 2:21 left to play.


Turnovers and missed scoring opportunities then forced CSAS to foul in the final minute, and Van Buren County went 6-for-6 from the free-throw line to secure the victory. Lady Eagles’ Class A Miss Basketball finalist Lakelyn Bouldin finished with 32 points in leading her team into the region final.


(E-mail Jaime Barrett at jaimenbarrett@gmail.com)


Region 3-A girls semifinals


At South Pittsburg


BOYD-BUCHANAN 49, SILVERDALE BAPTIST 40


Silverdale Baptist  10  5  8  17  --  40

Boyd-Buchanan  9  15  11  14  --  49


Silverdale (40) --  Megan Lewis 17, Rachael Sanders 13, White 5, Harkleroad 5, Sims, Caldwell, Smith, Woodard.


Boyd-Buchanan (49)  --  Maddie Wright 20, Marissa McCalla 18, Abed 5, Balthrop 2,  Hiland 2, Parker 2, Sewell, High.


3-point goals:  Silverdale 4 (Lewis 3, White 1); Boyd-Buchanan 3 (Wright 2, Abed).


VAN BUREN COUNTY 64, ARTS & SCIENCES 53


Arts & Sciences    14  11  7   21  --  53

Van Buren County  9  21  17  17  --  64


Arts & Sciences (53) -- Aizha Little 15, Keturah Billen 15, McElvain 3, Walker 5, Randolph 5, Justice, Crystal Ealey 10.


Van Buren County (64) --  Lakelyn Bouldin 32, Cole 8, Hitchcock 3, Prater 5, Alison McCoy 10, Dodson, Hodges 6, Christian.


3-point goals: Arts & Sciences 3 (Little, Billen, Randolph); Van Buren County 7 (Bouldin 3, Cole 2, McCoy 2).


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