Buffaloes deflect Lady Warriors

By Marvin Birchfield
STAR Correspondent

   The West Greene Lady Buffaloes got a stampede together on Thursday night at Bayless Gym, resulting in a 60-43 win over Happy Valley at Bayless Gym.
   West Greene jumped out to a 12-4 lead after the first quarter of play by executing the inside play down at the post.
   "West Greene has some big girls, and they play strong and tough, and I'm really impressed with their inside game," said Happy Valley coach Ben Godsey.
   Laura Willett scored six points in the opening period for the Buffaloes, as the Warriors seemed to have trouble matching up down low.
   A bucket by Brandi Dugger and Brandi Morgan was all the offense that the Warriors could muster in the first, leaving them to trail by eight points heading into the second period.
   "I was really disappointed with our effort in the first half, and I haven't understood why we don't come out ready to play," said Godsey.
   Kandra Roberts was able to knock down a three-point goal early in the second, but the Buffaloes kept hammering away inside with Jessica Snead and Becky Britton.
   Britton lead all scores on the night, as she tossed in 24 points with 12 of them coming in the second period.
   After trailing by as many 16, the Warriors were able to cut the lead to 11, by going six of eight from the free-throw line.
   But in the final minutes of the period, Britton took over by hitting three field goals down low, making it 31-13 at the half.
   "Becky Britton and Laura Willett are really hard to guard inside, and we've been coming on in the last four weeks and getting better," said West Greene coach Larry Weems.
   The Buffaloes picked up where they left off in the third quarter by extending the lead to 23.
   The Warriors offense was still sputtering with the only points scored coming from Dugger and Lauren Hollowell.
   Happy Valley found itself down by the score of 44-20, as Britton kept on dominating the post play inside.
   "We played well at times. We did a good job at pushing the ball, and defensively we definitely played well," said Weems.
   In the last quarter of action, it started off with a steal from Dugger and fast break lay-up.
   Dugger led the Warriors on the night with 14 points, while Roberts finished with nine.
   The Warriors trimmed the lead down to under 20 with three minutes left in regulation, after Morgan made back to back goals, and Whitney Crowe drove the ball inside.
   "I was more pleased with our performance in the second half. We're trying to prepare for the tournaments, but I'm still disappointed in our effort tonight," said Godsey.
   But this was as close as it came, as West Greene did an excellent job of executing its strength on the interior.
   "We really hurt them in the post, and there's no doubt about that," said Weems.
   JV GIRLS
   The JV Lady Warriors handed West Greene its second loss of the season by a 45-41 final.
   Brandi Dugger and Terra Whaley accounted for eight points apiece, as Mandi Byrd and Crystal Nave added six.
   The Warriors clinched a tie in conference play last week with the win over Sullivan Central.
   Happy Valley improves to 12-3 on the year with a promising outlook on next season.
   Grace Swatzell led the Buffaloes in scoring with nine, while Jaclyn Burger and Whitney Lawson finished with eight.