LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. — Buford girls coach Gene Durden hit the 900-win mark on Friday after his Lady Wolves hammered Mountain View 71-20 to open Region 8-7A play.
Durden, now in his 18th season at Buford, sits at 900-221 in his 34 years coaching in Georgia (Brookwood School-Thomasville; Dade County; Buford).
The Lady Wolves (12-0, 1-0 Region 8-7A) came in ranked fifth in Class 7A.
FLOWERY BRANCH 65,
EASTSIDE 43
Bella Brick poured in 28 points to lead the Lady Falcons to their second straight Region 8-5A victory on the road on Friday.
The win moved Branch (10-6, 3-1 Region 8-5A) into a second-place tie with Jefferson, which lost to first place Loganville on Friday.
The Lady Falcons jumped out to a huge 22-3 lead in the opening period and never looked back. They led 41-9 at halftime and took a 57-29 lead into the fourth quarter before both teams went to reserves.
Brannen Shiloh had 11 points and Amiya Scott 9 for Flowery Branch.
Branch has a huge game on Tuesday playing host to Loganville (8-6, 4-0 Region 8-5A) in a battle for first place.
NORTH HALL 61,
WHITE COUNTY 54
The Lady Trojans avenged an earlier loss to the Class 3A second-ranked Lady Warriors to earn a split in the season series at home.
North Hall led most of the way with Athena Vachtsevanos pouring in 17 points to lead all scorers. Kristina Peach added 15 points and Amelia Shoemaker 14 for the Lady Trojans (11-4).
North Hall took a slim 46-43 lead into the fourth quarter and held on for the win.
Naomi Roberts paced White County (13-3) with 12 points. Chandler Weaver added 10, Maci Shelnut 9, and Claire Beckman 8 for the Lady Warriors.
Both teams will jump back into region play on Tuesday. North Hall plays host to East Forsyth in Region 8-4A while Pickens travels to White County in Region 7-3A action.
CHESTATEE 52,
SECKINGER 19
The Lady War Eagles (12-4) ran their win streak to 3 with a win on the road in a Region 8-4A crossover game.
Chestatee stormed out to start the game with a 21-3 run in the first quarter. The Lady War Eagles took a 32-12 lead into halftime. They held the Lady Jaguars (1-15) to just 7 points in the second half.
Jamya Weaver and Payton Cable led Chestatee with 8 points apiece. Caroline Bull chipped in with 7 points for the Lady War Eagles.
Chestatee will be back in action on Tuesday traveling to Cherokee Bluff in a battle for first place in 8-4A Subregion A.
NORTH OCONEE 45,
CHEROKEE BLUFF 40
A poor shooting night doomed the Lady Bears in a tough loss on the road on Friday in a Region 8-4A crossover game.
Lady Titans’ junior Aiyanna Peavy was a tough matchup for the Lady Bears. Peavy posted a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds and dished 5 assists as well. Kendall Wells also had a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds while Laura Frances Willis had 11 points and 4 assists for North Oconee (12-4).
It was the third straight loss for Cherokee Bluff (10-5).
Mia Williams led the Lady Bears with 10 points. Claire Carlson, Emma Reynolds, and Audrey Graham all had 8 points for Cherokee Bluff. Carlson and Graham each had 6 in the fourth quarter as they rallied from a 38-24 deficit to get within one possession late in the game.
The game was tied at 10 after the first quarter but North Oconee held Bluff to just 4 points and no field goals in the second while running out to a 24-14 halftime lead.
Bluff will be back in action on Tuesday with a huge Region 8-4A Subregion A showdown with Chestatee at home.
