Buena coach Cole Colvin is so in tune with his players — who exhibit obvious chemistry on the court given their extensive background together — that he sometimes finds himself on the receiving end of some coaching from his captains.
“They hold each other and the team really accountable,” Colvin said of seniors Lydia Griffith and Steph Anderson. “They even hold me accountable. If they see that I’m slipping or something, they want to come over and say, ‘Hey coach, that’s not how we do things.’ It kind of catches me and keeps me on guard.”
Buena senior Lydia Griffith talks about breaking the school’s career scoring record and what it will take for the 17-3 Colts to win the 5A state title. pic.twitter.com/lAeCwf15KU
— Javier Morales (@JavierJMorales) February 5, 2020
Fellow senior Jaslyn Booker led the Colts with 16 points as they clinched their second consecutive 5A Southern title with a 51-31 win at Marana.
They are 17-3 overall and 8-0 in the 5A Southern. They have won eight straight games and are ranked No. 6 among 5A schools in the state in the latest rankings published by the Arizona Interscholastic Association.
Griffith, who broke the school’s career scoring record last week, made two 3-pointers for the Colts. She passed the previous school record of 939 and is now at 951 following tonight’s game.
With two regular season games remaining and a potential run through the playoffs, Griffith has a shot at reaching 1,000 points.
After the game was tied at 12 going into the second quarter, Griffith, Alani Encinas and Alycia Cox each made a 3-pointer to help Buena outscore Marana 15-4 to start pulling away.
The second half belonged to Buena with the Colts outscoring Marana 24-15. Booker had six of her points at halftime. The balanced Colts showed their balance with eight different players who scored in the second half.
Buena senior Jaslyn Booker, who played with the @TucsonRattlers last summer under @AztecCoachTodd, talks about her development and how expectations are being met by the high-achieving Colts (two-time 5A Southern champs). pic.twitter.com/R5AGjLEViz
— Javier Morales (@JavierJMorales) February 5, 2020
Buena girls hoops coach Cole Colvin guided his Colts to their second consecutive 5A Southern title tonight with the win at Marana. “Hard work is what will get us to where we need to be,” he said, noting that most of his players do not play on traveling youth hoops teams. pic.twitter.com/rTUVQwnXD5
— Javier Morales (@JavierJMorales) February 5, 2020
The Colts next host Ironwood Ridge for Senior Night on Thursday before ending the regular season next Tuesday at Sunnyside.
Marana (11-13, 1-7) has played without senior captain Bella Muscoreil (ankle) since Dec. 28, when she suffered a high ankle sprain in the Flowing Wells Holiday Shootout. Muscoreil, who has signed to play at Dixie State, is set to return for the Tigers’ Senior Nigh festivities on Thursday when Marana hosts Cienega.
Fellow senior guard Antoinette “Andy” Audiss carried her team with 19 points, including three 3-pointers.
The Tigers conclude the regular season at Nogales next Tuesday.
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ALLSPORTSTUCSON.com publisher, writer and editor Javier Morales is a former Arizona Press Club award winner. He is a former Arizona Daily Star beat reporter for the Arizona basketball team, including when the Wildcats won the 1996-97 NCAA title. He has also written articles for CollegeAD.com, Bleacher Report, Lindy’s Sports, TucsonCitizen.com, The Arizona Republic, Sporting News and Baseball America, among many other publications. He has also authored the book “The Highest Form of Living”, which is available at Amazon.
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