Buford Lady Wolves 2017-2018 State Championship Season Summary
From the moment a group of Buford Lady Wolves basketball players start running 60 press, continuous fast break, dribble drive, circling up at half court after a practice or game — those Lady Wolves all know one thing is real: they have all fallen in love with basketball. A love so deep, a group of young women are willing to give their all. Their minds. Their bodies. Their hearts. And somehow — in the process — a silly game unites a group of young women of every race, color and creed. They become… a sisterhood.
After another fantastic season in which the Lady Wolves recorded a 29-3 record, a 8AAAAA Region Championship and their fifth GHSA State Championship, the Buford Lady Wolves program was anxious to showcase the Buford tradition and prove that they could compete at what has become an expected level of dominance. The 2017-18 Lady Wolves team were primed to rise to the ever-mounting challenge of not only defending a state championship, but more importantly, reaching their potential as individual players and as a team. The Lady Wolves played a tremendous schedule, including the Craig Saeger Tournament and Hoopsgiving Tournament in November and the Buford Showcase, Gwinnett Challenge, and Hawks Naismith game in December. Difficult losses to Lovejoy, Collins Hill, and Norcross hurt, but what hurts can really help if the pain is used correctly. The Lady Wolves used the pain correctly, marching through AAAAA Region 8 regular season and region tournament unscathed and dominating a spirited 8AAAAA rivalry with talented Flowery Branch.
As fate would have it, the Lady Wolves would wind up playing said rival Flowery Branch in the AAAAA State Championship game. Buford would take the back-yard brawl south to the newly renovated Macon Coliseum. The result would be the same as the three other times Buford faced the Branch… but this time was the sweetest of them all. The Lady Wolves would be crowned the 2018 GHSA AAAAA State Champions.
A group of underclassmen stepped up to help defend the title of state champions. The headliner of the underclassmen was sophomore Tate Walters. Tate’s ability as a playmaker and scorer was the difference in several key contests. Tate was named 2018 GTOC All Gwinnett County 2nd Team and 2018 8AAAAA All Region Team. Juniors Casey Jones and newcomer Preston Reid proved their mettle in the heat of the battle so that the Lady Wolves could fend off those who wanted to dethrone the champions.
It seems like every season Buford has suffered a significant injury to a really good player. The loss of Senior and University of Massachusetts commit Jessica Nelson to a knee injury meant that someone had to step up. And one particular player proved that size matters very little. 5’7” Junior post player Ebony Grant outplayed opponents with a much greater size advantage down the stretch and was a difference maker.
Michigan State University commit and all everything Tory Ozment’s senior season was one for the ages and firmly placed herself in the discussion as one of the best players to ever wear the Kelly Green and Gold. The Lady Wolves leaned heavily on Tory’s skill set and leadership, and Tory never failed to put the Lady Wolves on her shoulders. Tory was named 2018 ATOC Metro Player of the Year, GTOC Player of the Year, Gwinnett Daily Post “Super Six, North Georgia Senior All Star Game MVP, Craig Sager Classic MVP, North Georgia Classic MVP, 2017 AND 2018 8AAAAA Region Player of the Year, 2017 and 2018 GHSA All State All Georgia, GHSA 5A Player of the Year, 2017 and 2018 GHSA All State 1st Team, Gwinnett Daily Post Player of the Year, 2017 GTOC All Gwinnett County 1st Team, 2017 and 2018 GACA 5A North Player of the Year, GACA 5A North All State, GACA Senior All Star Team, 2017 GACA Junior All Star Team, 2017 ATOC All Metro 2nd Team, 2016 and 2017 GTOC 1st Team All Gwinnett County, 2016 8AAAA Region Player of the Year, 2016 GACA 4A All State Team, 2016 AJC All State 3rd Team, and 2016 Gwinnett Daily Post All Gwinnett County 3rd Team.
Senior Berry College commit Mary Walters brought toughness and consistency as a leader and player. Mary modeled what it means to be a Lady Wolf as well as any Lady Wolves player to date. Senior Kya Styles battle-tested and a ferocious fast and furious pace in the Buford Lady Wolves staple press tilted several key contests. Kya was named 2018 8AAAAA All Region Team and 2018 GTOC Player of the Month. Senior Audrey Weiner, a United States Air Force Academy commit, used her deadly long range shooting to make the Lady Wolves basketball arsenal impossible to defend. Audrey was named 2017 and 2018 GACA 5A All State Team, 2017 and 2018 8AAAAA All Region Team, 2018 GTOC Player of the Month, 2018 GTOC All Gwinnett County 1st Team, 2017 GTOC All Gwinnett County 2nd Team, 2017 and 2018 GACA 5A All State Team, 2017 Gwinnett Daily Post Player of the Week, and 2016 GACA 4A All State Team.
Senior CJ Johnson was called upon to lock down the best player on opposing teams and did so tenaciously (CJ has taken her basketball talents to and Ft. Valley State University). Talented Senior and Buford newcomer Sierra Sieracki used her athleticism to create opportunities for the Lady Wolves on both ends of the floor (Sierra is now playing at Oglethorpe University). Seniors Jasmine King, Emily Fischer and Nandini Fonseca served as invaluable contributors off the bench and constant support during the demanding grind of a long basketball season.
The Class of 2018 finished with an astounding four-year career record of 113-14.
In 2018, Head Coach Gene Durden completed his 13th season at Buford High School. In 13 years at the Buford helm, he has amassed a record of 346 wins and 68 losses. Coach Durden’s total career wins stands at 767, only 33 victories from 800 victories. Coach Durden has guided the Lady Wolves to the GHSA State Playoffs every year since his hiring. The Buford Lady Wolves have played in the GHSA State Championship game eight of the last ten years.
2006 AA Sweet Sixteen
2007 AA Elite Eight
2008 AA Elite Eight
2009 AA State Champions
2010 AA State Champions
2011 AA State Champions
2012 AA State Runner up
2013 AAA Elite Eight
2014 AAA State Runner up
2015 AAAA State Champions
2016 AAAA Final Four
2017 AAAAA State Champions
2018 AAAAA State Champions
