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Brittany Avancini drives to the basket.

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Buffs beat Wythe 81-68

The Lady Buffs are back. After being upset in the opening round of the district tournament, the Floyd County girls’ basketball team beat George Wythe 81-68 in the opening round of the Region C tournament at Floyd Monday, February 25.
The Buffaloes took command with a strong front court performance in the first half. “We didn’t plan that, it just developed that way,” said coach Alan Cantrell.
“Brittany (Bourne), Carmen (Bolt) and Molly (Brown) were getting some good looks and they were hitting their shots.”
Brown set the tone early, hitting three straight jumpers at the top of the key. “I like the trail play, when I get open at the top of the key,” Brown said. “I’ll shoot when I get open.”
The Maroons took a 6-2 lead when Ashley Buckhannon sandwiched a pair of threes around a basket by Bourne. Bolt made a free throw, then Casey Price got an inside basket for Wythe.
Brown made three straight jumpers from the key to give Floyd a 9-8 lead. A jumper by Brandy Phillips, a stick back by Bourne, a fast break by Lindsey Thompson, a turnover basket by Brittany Avancini and two free throws by Alicia Gray put Floyd up 19-14. Buckhannon sandwiched a pair of threes around a fast break by Bolt, and then Chelsey Corbin made a free throw to pull the Maroons to a 21-21 tie at the end of the first.
Floyd opened the second quarter on a 19-0 run. Phillips scored off a turnover, then Bourne scored 10 straight off a steal, a three pointer, another turnover basket and another three pointer.
“With the intensity, I kept going and saw the open spots,” Bourne said. “It was mainly the intensity.”
The run continued was Avancini made a three point play and Bolt scored twice inside to make it a 40-21 game. Carla Suthers finally ended the run with a lay in at 4:05.
Brown added two more jumpers, Avancini got a rebound basket, and Thompson hit a three to make it 49-27. Price got two inside baskets and Wythe got within 49-31 at the end of the quarter.
Price opened the third with a three point play, but Floyd rebuilt the lead as Thompson scored on a cut, Brown hit a three, Avancini scored on a drive, Kayla Hartman and Kayla McAlexander scored inside, and Amber Quesenberry scored on an inbounds play to make it 64-42.
Then Wythe got back in the game on an 11-0 run. Buckhannon got a lay up and made four straight free throws, Kelly Dunagan hit from the baseline, Corbin got a lay in off a Buckhannon feed, Buckhannon drove the court for a basket, and Kelci Smith made a free throw with 14 seconds left to cut the lead to 64-53. Bourne hit a jumper with seven seconds left and Floyd led 66-53 going into the fourth.
Two free throws and a jumper by Brown had Floyd up 70-59. Buckhannon hit from the baseline, Avancini made a free throw, then Buckhannon hit her fifth three to pull Wythe to 71-64.
Avancini scored on a break, and when Floyd went to the delay game for almost a minute, Avancini added another basket on a drive. Thompson made two free throws, Avancini and Bourne made one each, and Thompson closed out the game with a pair of free throws with 26 seconds left.
George Wythe: Bennett 2, Buckhannon 32, Price 26, Suthers 2, Smith 1, Corbin 3, Dunagan 2
Floyd: Avancini 15, Phillips 4, Brown 17, Bourne 17, Bolt 7, Thompson 13, Hartman 2, Gray 2, McAlexander 2, Quesenberry 2