Basketball Recap: Buford Takes a Loss

Buford fought the good fight in their overtime game against NorthPoint Christian Academy on Thursday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They took a 71-67 hit to the loss column at the hands of the NorthPoint Christian Academy NightHawks. The loss was a bit of a surprise, as the Yellow Jackets came into the matchup with a sizable advantage in MaxPreps' basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 258th in South Carolina, while the NightHawks are ranked 540th in North Carolina).

Gage McManus

Rebounds

02/06/25 vs NorthPoint Christian Academy	9
02/04/25 @ Andrew Jackson	10
01/31/25 vs Walnut Grove Christian	18

Despite the loss, Buford still got an impressive performance from Gage McManus, who almost dropped a double-double with 21 points and nine rebounds. McManus is on a roll when it comes to boards, as he's now pulled down nine or more in each of the last three games he's played. Another player making a difference was Jake Milhorn, who went 6-for-12 to rack up 15 points and five rebounds.

Even though they lost, Buford was working as a unit and finished the game with 19 assists. They racked up seven more assists than NorthPoint Christian Academy's also-impressive total of 12.

NorthPoint Christian Academy's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Gabe Spann, who went 10-for-21 on his way to 25 points in addition to seven boards and five assists. Thanks to that strong game, Spann now owns an excellent 45% field goal percentage. Chelan Chudgar was another key player, going 10-for-24 en route to 31 points and four steals.

This is the second loss in a row for Buford and nudges their season record down to 5-15. Those losses can't be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 53.0 points over those games. As for NorthPoint Christian Academy, the win made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 10-9.

Buford wasted no time getting back out on the court and has already played their next contest, a 69-41 defeat against Central on the 7th. As for NorthPoint Christian Academy, they have also already played their next game, a 70-37 victory against Providence Classical on the 11th.