BUFORD — The Buford boys basketball team has made last season’s shortened run in the Class 5A state playoffs a distant memory.
Miller Grove upset the Wolves in the second round of the tournament in 2018, ending what should have a been a run to the Class 5A finals.
Buford coach Eddie Martin remembers that game well, but it's not just the opponent that hurts the most.
"We felt last year that we could have made a deeper run in the tournament," he said. "So it wasn't just the loss to Miller Grove, but in the round in which we lost."
Spin the clock forward to this season, the Wolves faced Miller Grove, yet again, in the playoffs, this time in the opening round and without David Viti and Alex Jones – both in college now.
The outcome: a 64-48 blowout win over the Wolverines at Buford Arena.
"It was nice being able to get another shot at them this year and coming out on the positive end," Martin said.
The Wolves have used that measure of revenge as motivation and now are turning their attention to Southwest DeKalb in the semifinals, a 4 p.m. Saturday afternoon tip at Columbus State University.
Although Buford has been winning big in the playoffs – by a 25-point average – you have to take a trip back to January to find the real reason why. January 11th is a date Martin and his team look back on as a "wake up call." The Wolves lost to region foe Loganville, 59-54 – the team's last loss.
"Losing to Loganville was a huge wake-up call to us," Martin said. "It made us realize that anybody can beat you if you are not ready to play. I think we used that loss as a springboard to focus harder on our defense and rebounding. Those are the two areas that have greatly improved since that game."
The Wolves (27-2) have won 12-straight since and have relied on a stingy defensive philosophy to help them advance to the Class 5A semifinals. Buford has held its opponents to an average of 48 ppg while pouring in 70 ppg on offense.
The Wolves will count on the leadership of 6-foot-6 forward Marcus Watson (19 ppg) and 6-foot-7 forward Eric Coleman (12 ppg), and guards Donell Nixon (16 ppg) and Ashton Young (9 ppg) to neutralize the Panthers' attack.
No. 3-ranked Southwest DeKalb (26-4, Region 5-5A No. 1 seed) will attack the top-ranked Wolves with full-court pressure and a quick halfcourt man-to-man defense. The Panthers are giving up 58 ppg.
On offense, the Panthers will look to push the ball with leading scorer Kadrius Johnson (22 ppg, 5.4 apg, 4.5 spg, 5.8 rpg). Inside, they'll look to 6-foot-6 post players Eugene Brown III (15.5 ppg, 6.3 rpg) and James Glisson III (15.8 ppg, 8 rpg).
The Panthers average 68 ppg on offense.
"Every game in the state playoffs is a one-game season and you have to prepare that way," Martin said. "Southwest Dekalb is a very talented team. They are not in the Final Four by accident – they are good. Their region is one of the best in the state bar none. We will need to play a solid game on defense, keep them off the glass, and be very efficient on offense to beat them."
