Lady Bison edge New Waverly in overtime

Tuesday night’s game was not for the faint of heart. Players and fans needed mental and physical fortitude to survive the intensity of the Lady Bison’s win over New Waverly. The Lady Bulldogs entered the contest one game up on the Lady Bison and were considered the favorite according to preseason picks. Buffalo pulled out an overtime win 60-59 to thrill the crowd and tie up the district race. The junior varsity Lady Bison scored a 32-7 win.

New Waverly eased ahead in the first quarter, 15- 12. Buffalo scored an extra basket in the second quarter to trail by only one at the half, 26-27. The Lady Bison outscored the Lady Bulldogs 14- 10 in the third period to take a three point advantage into the final eight minutes, 40- 37. The fourth quarter was a repeat of the third, with New Waverly outscoring Buffalo 15-12 to force extra minutes.

The overtime period was wrought with drama as foul trouble threatened to spoil the evening. Freshman guard Kylan Ferguson ran out of touches during the fourth quarter, and was joined in short fashion by sophomores Kelsey Canady and Karlee Ferguson. With three of the evening’s starters on the bench, the Lady Bison persevered and made key defensive stops to secure the victory.

Sophomore guard Latisha Jackson matched New Waverly’s Kayla Williams point for point. Both young ladies turned in shining performances with 28 points each. Karlee Ferguson also reached double digits for the Lady Bison with thirteen. Erica Jones and Meredith Shaw netted six and five points, respectively, and pulled down twenty rebounds together. Canady and Lindsey McGill bucketed four points each.

The junior varsity Lady Bison played shut out defense the first half against the Lady Bulldogs. Buffalo cruised to a 20-0 halftime lead. The Lady Bison poured in another twelve points in the third period while New Waverly managed four. Buffalo hit autopilot in the fourth and ran out the clock for the 32-7 victory.

Raven Lott led all scorers with ten points. Haley Ellison squeezed out eight points while Courtney Cunningham meshed six. Emily Grissett contributed four points. Zelneisha Lockett and Samantha Atkinson each connected for two points.