Buffalo Gap wins. Bison headed to state basketball semifinals.
UPDATE: According to the Rappahannock County website the Class 1 state semifinal game between Buffalo Gap and Rappahannock County will be played at the Highland School (597 Broadview Avenue) in Warrenton, Monday at 6 p.m. Per the Rappahannock County AD, Monday’s game will be streamed on both YouTube and NFHS.
MONTROSS — For the second year in a row Buffalo Gap is headed back to the Class 1 girls basketball state semifinals. The Bison used a strong third quarter to beat Rappahannock 55-33 in the state quarterfinals at Westmoreland High School Friday night.
Bailey Talley and Avery Bradley led the way with 16 points each, while Hannah Coffman added 11 points, 10 rebounds and eight steals for Gap, the Region 1B runner-up. Chloe Emurian had four points and nine rebounds in the win.
Rappahannock, the Region 1A champions, tied the game at 21-21 early in the third quarter, the fourth tie of the game in what had been a back-and-forth battle to that point, before the Bison went on a huge run that put them in control.
Bradley hit a 3, the first of the game for the junior but not the last, that started a 17-0 run by Gap. Talley followed with a pair of layups, Bradley knocked down another 3, Coffman hit a free throw, Talley and Kayleigh Hemp scored on back-to-back layups and Bradley scored inside to end the run that put the Bison in front 38-21.
"We settled down," Gap coach Phillip Morgan said. "We got some good shots and got in a rhythm. Once we did that we got some transition going and got some even easier shots. So I think it was a combination of things but I think the key was we got to halftime, we settled down and we came out and just played."
In the stretch that lasted nearly three minutes, Rappahannock missed three shots and turned the ball over four times. The Raiders finally found some offense, narrowing its deficit to nine at the end of the third quarter, but Gap scored the first 14 points of the fourth to seal the win. Rappahannock didn't score a field goal in the final quarter as its season came to an end.
Buffalo Gap will have a rematch with Rappahannock County on Monday night with a berth in the state championship on the line. Gap lost to the Panthers in the regional championship by seven, but led by 11 in the third quarter before going cold.
Last year Gap also lost to Rappahannock County in the regional title game before winning the rematch in the state semifinals. They'll have a chance for a repeat performance Monday. Morgan wasn't sure where the game would be played. He did say he plans on practicing Saturday and giving his team off Sunday.
"They need a day of rest," he said. "At this point you don't make big changes."
At the beginning of the game Friday night, Buffalo Gap didn't get its first field goal until Karah Richie got a bucket with just under five minutes left in the first quarter. That basket gave Gap a 5-4 lead, but it probably should have been larger. The Bison forced four turnovers in Rappahannock's first seven possessions, but failed to take advantage of the defensive effort, missing their first 10 shots.
"I told them before the game that the team that settled down and played would be the one who jumped out ahead," Morgan said. "I thought the defense kept us in it and got good shots. We just had to come out and settle down."
After Richie's score, Buffalo Gap didn't relinquish the lead until 38 seconds were left in the half. Nakiya West scored on a layup to give Rappahannock a 20-18 lead. That lead didn't last long with Talley coming back down court and burying a 3 for a one-point halftime lead.
"That was a big shot," Morgan said. "It kept us hanging around."
CLASS 3 STATE TOURNAMENT
Staunton's boys basketball season came to a close Friday night in the state quarterfinals with a 58-30 loss to defending state champion Cave Spring. Staunton finished 20-6 this season.
Cave Spring will play Northside in the Class 3 semifinals. Northside rallied to beat Spotswood 44-42 Friday.
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— Patrick Hite is a reporter at The News Leader. Story ideas and tips always welcome. Contact Patrick (he/him/his) at phite@newsleader.com and follow him on Twitter @Patrick_Hite. Subscribe to us at newsleader.com.
This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Buffalo Gap wins. Bison headed to state basketball semifinals.
