Thursday March 28th, 2024 12:32PM

Championship basketball: Lady Wolves will lean on No-Name defense in title showdown

By Jeff Hart Sports Reporter

BUFORD — They’re not quite the No Name Defense of the Miami Dolphins from the 1970s -- a balanced collection of talent that saw little drop-off regardless of personnel or scheme and won two Super Bowls -- but the 2017-18 edition of the Buford girls basketball team could certainly be using them as a role model.

Fans of the Lady Wolves know Michigan State-signee Tory Ozment and Air Force-signee Audrey Weiner. The pair of seniors has helped drive the Lady Wolves to three state title games in the last four years.

But when you watch the Lady Wolves maneuver around the court, especially on defense, it’s easy to see that the heart-and-soul of the team is the roster as a whole.

Despite the ultimate goal being scoring more points than the opposition, nothing brings a smile to the face of Buford coach Gene Durden quicker than someone mentioning their defense.

And he’ll admit that, top to bottom, the current version of the Lady Wolves is by no means the most talented in his 10-years at the helm.

“We are not a star-studded team like some in the past,” Durden said. “Now, Tory and Audrey would start for most anyone in the state. But we don’t have four or five Division I players like some other teams do. 

“This has been one of the most fun teams I’ve ever coached because they just come to practice every day ready to work and do whatever we ask and whatever needs to be done to make the team successful. I like coaching a group that knows how to depend on each other and play together.”

Buford will once again look to its defense on Thursday as the Lady Wolves prepare to take on fellow Region 8-AAAAA foe Flowery Branch at 6 p.m. in the Class 5A state championship game at the Macon Coliseum. It will be the fourth meeting of the season between the two teams. The Lady Wolves won the three previous showdowns, including a 49-41 victory in the Region 8-AAAAA title game last month.

While Ebony Grant, Kya Styles, and Mary Walters are expected to draw the starting assignments alongside Ozment and Weiner on Thursday, Sierra Sieracki, CJ Johnson, Preston Reid, and Tate Walters all should rotate into the Lady Wolves’ usually suffocating full-court press.

“In our system defense is so important,” Durden said. “We value a lockdown defender just as much as a 20-point scorer. The kids believe in defense and rebounding because they know it’s something that they can control. They really dedicate themselves to be good on the defensive end.”

And each brings a little something different into the defensive mix.

“Kya can do a lot of things but she usually draws the top offensive player from the other team,” he said. “CJ also is a lockdown defender and we bring her in to give Kya a rest. Ebony, who is just 5-foot-7, handles the post and she has had some tough assignments. She’s like a little bulldog out there.

“Mary can play just about anywhere on the court and we can use her inside and out. Sierra and Preston are unbelievable athletes and good defenders and give us depth in the press. When we’re running our press correctly, we use that to generate offense to make up for the fact we only have one or two girls that are considered 20-point scorers.”

Experience could be a major factor on Thursday. The Buford seniors are in their third finals in four seasons. Flowery Branch is making its first-ever appearance in the championship game. The Lady Falcons played a tough schedule with the likes of Northview, Winder-Barrow, Mill Creek, Ossining (N.Y.), and of course Buford three times. But perhaps none in the state subjected themselves to what Durden had his Lady Wolves endure.

Five teams on the Lady Wolves schedule will be playing this weekend in the state finals -- Holy Innocents’ and Wesleyan in Class A Private, Lovejoy and Harrison in Class 6A, and Flowery Branch. Counting the three wins against Flowery Branch, Buford (28-3) went 6-3 against that gauntlett, including handing nationally-ranked Holy Innocents’ its only loss of the season.

“We always try and challenge our girls,” Durden said. “I was very pleased with our record considering the schedule. Again, this isn’t the most talented team we’ve had here. But they play hard and play for each other and play so well together.

“I thought last year’s team was an outstanding defensive team. This team now is as good as that team. It’s a credit to their hard work. If you’re looking for what makes this team different it’s that everyone knows and accepts the different roles they play and all of them play well together no matter who is out there.

“That is what makes this team tick.”

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