ST. PIUS X
29-3, REGION 6
The St. Pius X Golden Lions are a traditional power in the state of Georgia. The program has won four state championships, the last of which came in 2013. The previous three came in 2004, 2006 and 2007. With a win in the finals, St. Pius X will finish with the same record it had last season. Coach Kyle Snipes is now 126-27 in five seasons at the Atlanta private Catholic school. Prior to being at St. Pius X, the Wake Forest University graduate coached with Dave Odom at his alma mater. Snipes was an assistant coach on women’s teams at Georgia State, Georgia Tech and UNC-Wilmington.
The Golden Lions are led by guards Asia Durr and Jasmine Carter. The former is one of the top players in the nation in the Class of 2015. She is a 5-foot-10 left-handed combo guard who can do pretty much every-thing well, and is ranked by ESPN.com as the top prospect in the 2015 class.
Durr scored 34 in the semifinals win over Beach. Durr averages 24 points per game along with 7.1 rebounds and 2.5 steals. Carter, a senior, is committed to the Georgia Bulldogs. The 5-foot-8 guard shares ball-handling duties with Durr and the two backcourt sensations share the scoring load as well. Carter scores 13.5 points per game and averages five rebounds and a team-best 2.6 steals.
Carter and Durr form one of the toughest duos in the nation in the backcourt due to their height and prowess on the court. In the quarterfinals win over Morgan County, Carter and Durr combined to score all but two of the Golden Lions’ 51 points. Carter was 10-for-10 from the free throw line and Durr led the team in rebounds with 10. St. Pius X plays almost strictly man-to-man defense, which causes matchup problems at guard where Snipes’ club is uniquely talented.
BUFORD
30-2, REGION 7
As in most sports, Buford is a power in girls basketball. The Wolves won three straight state titles from 2009-2011 and are one game away from adding their fourth trophy to the crowded cases in the halls of the Gwinnett County school. A win this year, however, would give the Wolves a Class AAA title for the first time.
Coach Gene Durden has been the guy behind the Buford program, leading the Wolves to new heights of consistency and excellence in his nine years at the helm. Prior to coming to Buford, Durden coached at Dade County for 14 years. There, his teams won seven region titles and made three semifinals appearances. This year’s Buford bunch is led by Camille Anderson, Bree Horrocks and Corey Staples. Anderson, an N.C. State commitment, leads the team in scoring with 14.5 points per game and was named Region 7-AAA player of the year. Anderson led the Wolves with 20 points, five assists and four rebounds in the semifinals win over Pike County.
Horrocks is a 6-foot-5 center whom is committed to Purdue. In addition to the height advantage she holds over much of her opponents, Horrocks also has outstanding athleticism, as she also stars in volleyball and track and field. This season, Horrocks averages nine points per game and leads the team with 6.5 rebounds. The third member of the trio is Staples, a junior guard who averages 11 points per game. Staples missed five games before returning to the lineup for the quarterfinals game against Woodward Academy.
Buford began the season with a loss to Morgan County and did not lose again until Jan. 25, when the Wolves lost to Class AA-power Wesleyan. The Wolves have not allowed 50 points or more since a 76-50 win over Fannin County on Jan. 3.
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