WINDER — The "new" look Flowery Branch girls basketball team had an old look to it in a 70-31 rout of Apalachee Tuesday night on the road.
Sure, the question marks remain for this young bunch of Falcons but on Tuesday night, there was no question who showed up to play.
Junior post and returning starter, Ashlee Locke, stepped into the spotlight on opening night, scoring 23 points to lead the Falcons.
"I thought we played well for opening night but have a lot to work on," Branch coach Courtney Newton-Gonzalez said. "It was good to see a product on the floor so we can see the areas we need to work on. I felt like we had a lot of kids contribute to the win tonight."
It was evident from the get-go who the better team was on the court. Locke, Kriews and Veiga led a 26-point first quarter to take a 26-5 lead after one and by halftime, the Falcons were well in control, 38-11. Locke had 14 points at the half. Kriews and Veiga hit for 10 points each in the first half.
Newton-Gonzalez got the performance she was looking for out of her sophomore duo of Shaina Kriews and Alana Veiga. Kriews poured in 19 points and Veiga knocked down 15. Freshmen Keidra Young added 6 points. The Falcons had seven players hit the bottom of the bucket in the win.
In the third quarter, the Falcons hammered down, scoring 21 points while holding the Wildcats to just eight points and taking a 59-19 lead.
"Our freshman played well for it being their first varsity game," Gonzalez said. "The sophomores played to their role and let the game come to them and that lead them to a big night. We are going to have different kids step up each game."
The Falcons will travel to Oconee County on Thursday. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.
BUFORD 59,
GAC 29
Speaking of teams that didn't miss a beat. The defending Class 5A state champions blew past GAC on Tuesday night at the Buford Arena.
Furman-commit Tate Walters scored 13 points to lead the Wolves while Tatum Ozment added 12. Buford had 11 other players make the scoring column.
Buford had it in the bag by halftime, leading 42-8.
The Wolves will travel to Dacula for a Thanksgiving tournament on Nov. 23. They'll play Grayson.
