Buchanan’s hopes and dreams ended with a 63-52 loss against Albion in the Class C quarterfinals
Published 7:01 pm Wednesday, March 16, 2005
By By ERIKA PICKLES / Niles Daily Star
BATTLE CREEK - Buchanan was the favorite heading into the Class C quarterfinals Tuesday night at the Battle Creek Kellogg Arena.
And why wouldn't it be?
The Bucks had already beat Albion in last year's quarterfinal game and this year in regular season play.
Though the Wildcats are a much taller team, Buchanan was all about quickness and controlling the ball, but that was not the case as Albion got revenge on the Bucks by snagging a 63-52 win to advance them to the semifinals at Michigan State University on Thursday.
Jordan Lee picked up the tip for Buchanan to start the game and Tony Robinson went 2-for-2 on the line to give Buchanan a 2-0 lead, but 6-foot-5 senior Neil Washington quickly added a bucket for Albion to tie it up.
Justin Harper added another two for the Wildcats, but Lee answered back with two of his own to tie it up at four.
Jesse Washington got his first basket for Albion, but Lee again answered with two points to tie it up at six.
An alley-oop pass from D'Vaughn Frazier allowed Robinson to pull off a dunk and give the Bucks an 8-6 lead, but the Wildcats scored again with a bucket from VaShawn White to tie it at eight.
Lee got the last basket of the first for Buchanan and White went 1-for-2 on the line to give the Bucks a 10-9 lead entering the second quarter.
The Wildcats got in some early foul trouble picking up five team fouls in the first quarter alone.
The second quarter was the same as the first with both teams taking turns making baskets. Buchanan was able to hang on to the lead almost all of the quarter, but it wasn't by much.
The Bucks went ahead 19-15 halfway through the quarter, but Albion caught up and took a one point lead with 27 seconds left. A three-point basket by Brian Shannon at the buzzer gave Buchanan a 25-23 lead to end the first half.
Gordon Bryant picked up his first basket of the night to open up the second half. Bryant went 1-for-2 on the line and added a basket to Buchanan's score.
Washington added two for the Wildcats, but Bryant added another bucket and Robinson went 2-for-2 on the line to put the Bucks up 32-27.
A three pointer by Bryant at the 5:16 mark gave Buchanan its biggest lead of the night 35-27.
Harper and Clarence Martin both added two points to Albion's score, but Shannon bombed another three for the Bucks to put them up by nine, 38-29.
The lead seemed like a relief for the Buchanan team and its fans. Finally it seemed that Buchanan was going to put an end to the game and blow out the Wildcats, something they usually do with most teams in the second half, but everyone was in for a rude awakening.
Though Buchanan held on to the lead and ended the third up 44-39, the fourth quarter took a turn for the worse for the Bucks.
Bryant made two points to start the final quarter, but Martin nailed a three for Albion to bring them within four.
Washington went 1-for-2 on the line and added two points to Albion's score to bring the Wildcats within one point, 46-45, with six minutes to go.
Lee made a bucket for the Bucks to put them back up by three, but Carlos Daniels went 1-for-2 on the line and Durant Crum added two more points to tie the game at 48 with four minutes left to play.
In the first half it was Albion who was in foul trouble, but in the second it was Buchanan, which put Albion on the line 10 times in the fourth alone, though it was only 9-for-19 at the line, the fouls put Buchanan in trouble with some of its leading players having four fouls.
"When you get in foul trouble and you play a pressure defense it takes you out of your game a little bit. Our offense is our defense. When we were unable to trap and attack them like we wanted to, that's half of our offense," McBeth added.
The Wildcats took the lead at the 3:23 mark with a basket from Washington and one point from Daniels at the line.
Lee added two to the Bucks' score going 2-for-2 on the line to bring the score within one, 51-50. That's as close as Buchanan got in the last two minutes of the game.
Washington added five points and Martin added two to put Albion up by eight with 1:11 left.
Robinson picked up his fifth and final foul with 50 seconds left to force him to the bench in his last game.
Shannon made the last basket for Buchanan with 35 seconds left, but the Bucks were a far cry from the lead and watched their hopes and dreams of making it to the Breslin Center disappear.
The Wildcats outscored Buchanan 24-8 in the fourth, the most any team has done this season.
Albion took the 63-52 quarterfinal win and now advances to the semifinals on Thursday against Olivet at Michigan State.
Buchanan ends it season with a 23-3 overall record and bids a fond fairwell to nine seniors.
"Obviously they are walking out of here upset, but they have nothing to be upset about really if you look at the big picture and what these guys have accomplished and the work they have put in over four years. The hardest thing about this loss is that I am not going to be at practice tomorrow with those nine seniors. They're like family to me," McBeth added.
Buchanan looses seniors Shannon, Frazier, Washington, Bryant, Robinson, Kyle Tracey, Nate Brewer, PJ Pollack and Jared Rusher.
Lee and Bryant both had 12 points for the Bucks. Washington added 11 points and Shannon had eight.
White had 16 points for Albion. Washington had 14 and Harper had nine.
Albion enters the semifinals with a 16-9 record. Olivet is undefeated with a 24-0 record.
The winner of Thursday's game, played at 2:50 p.m., will advance to the Class C finals played on Saturday at noon.
ALBION 63
VaShawn White 5 6-8 16, Clarence Martin 3 1-2 7, Neil Washington 6 2-10 14, Justin Harper 4 1-6 9, Carlos Daniels 1 2-4 4, Jesse Washington 3 0-1 6, Andre Washington 1 0-0 2, Jesse Rice 0 0-0 0, Durant Crum 2 0-2 4, Richard Hemenway 0 0-0 0, Ricky Whitfield 0 0-0 0. Totals: 25 12-33 62
BUCHANAN 52
Tony Robinson 0 4-4 4, Gordon Bryant 3 1 3-4 12, Jordan Lee 5 2-2 12, Brian Shannon 1 2 0-0 8, D'Vaughn Frazier 0 1 2-4 5, Jimmy Washington 4 3-5 11, Jeff Kyles 0 0-0 0, P.J. Pollock 0 0-0 0, Jared Rusher 0 0-0 0. Totals: 17 14-19 52
Albion 9 23 39 63
Buchanan 10 25 44 52
Three-point baskets: Albion (Martin), Buchanan 4 (Shannon 2, Bryant, Frazier). Total fouls: Albion 16, Buchanan 26. Fouled out: Robinson (B).