Warner Robins not able to answer Buford’s early dominance
From the opening tip, Buford found its rhythm, and it became too much for Warner Robins to overcome as the Demons fell 94-72 in their GHSA Class 5A quarterfinal.
Buford found offensive success in transition, with numerous 3-pointers and highlight plays that knocked the Demons off balance. The early dominance by the Wolves was led by sophomore Marcus Watson, who finished with 14 points in the first half, highlighted by a one-handed dunk.
Buford held a 21-9 lead and added to that in the second quarter as the offensive attack became more of a collaborative effort. Watson was joined by David Viti, who scored eight second-quarter points and served as an all-around catalyst.
Warner Robins trailed by 33 at the half but nearly cut that deficit in half as it tried to get back in the game. Nelson Phillips led the way for Warner Robins and made several key plays to provide an offensive jolt.
In its seventh season under head coach Jamaal Garman, Warner Robins finished with a 26-4 record.
Three who mattered
Phillips: Warner Robins' second-half surge was led by Phillips, who was able to shoot from 3 and find success in the paint, as well. The junior finished with 23 points, leading the Demons in scoring.
Watson: Buford’s most highly regarded player showed why in Wednesday’s victory, displaying a versatile style of play and providing an outlet for junior guard Alex Jones. Aside from his highlight dunk, Watson caused numerous problems for the Demons in transition and was the Wolves’ leading scorer with 24.
Viti: Buford was able to find a nice complement to Watson in Viti as he finished with 18 points in the victory and made several plays on the defensive end.
Turning point
Watson went up for a slam dunk, which brought the Buford fans to their feet and gave the Wolves a 19-7 advantage in the latter stages of the opening quarter. While Warner Robins was able to show some life in the second half, the lead was only whittled to as little as 17.
Observations
Demons not shy from deep: Buford’s ability to jump out to a sizeable lead early on could be accredited to the Demons settling from beyond the arc. Phillips, Jacolbey Owens and Jalen Dawson were consistently firing 3-pointers and started 0-for-7 from deep. Consequently, Buford was able to corral rebounds and score a heap of points in transition.
Second-half comeback efforts led by the press: Thirty-three point deficits certainly didn’t deter the Demons from giving a good effort in the final stages. Warner Robins put pressure on Buford, causing either poor shots or turnovers. Led by Phillips finding success from the field, Buford was outscored 49-38 and briefly saw a potential comeback as the deficit was cut in half.
Worth mentioning
Solid crowd for Warner Robins: Buford’s arena is one that is comparable to numerous facilities at the collegiate level, thus the home crowd greatly outnumbers the opposition. But that wasn’t totally the case as the Demons fans showed up in numbers, mainly due to being able to make the trip to Buford on a charter bus. The Warner Robins fans’ presence was known in the third quarter when the Demons created some havoc.
Seniors finish careers on floor together: It was a done deal, and Garman decided to honor his seniors by putting all four of them on the floor together in the final minutes. The Demons say farewell to B.J. Bradley, Anthony Thomas, Tyjaah Coleman and Kamius White.
They said it
Garman on getting in an early hole: “I still feel like we had a good chance to win, but things didn’t roll our way. We’ve had teams jump out on us early, so we’ve been able to deal with that before, but this was totally different. We weren’t able to get our footing back, and it went that way several times.”
Garman on the chances after cutting lead in second half: “I feel like we had our chance, and things started going on again that weren’t in our favor. It was happening on both sides, and it just didn’t work out.”
Bradley on playing final game as senior: “It’s stressful, and this is my last game of high school. I just have to take it how it is, and there’s no coming back to how it used to be. No more playing basketball with my friends, in my home gym or alongside my head coach.”
Viti on importance of getting out to fast start: “We came out with a lot more energy than we normally do. It’s an Elite Eight game, so it means a lot, so it’s do-or-die, and you have to come play. Offensively, we were able to push the pace and got them out of their game defensively.
This story was originally published March 1, 2017 at 10:06 PM with the headline "Warner Robins not able to answer Buford’s early dominance."