GREENVILLE — Seven is the Bison’s lucky number.
Junior Avery Bradley nailed seven three-pointers on Friday night to propel the Bison to their seventh consecutive win — a 55-43 win over Riverheads in Shenandoah District girls basketball action.
“Avery shot really well,” Buffalo Gap head coach Phillip Morgan said. “Her shooting opened it up and gave us some things that we capitalized on some, but we can do a little bit more.”
Three of those triples occurred in the first quarter, as Bradley kept her team competitive early. However, despite Bradley’s efforts, a buzzer-beater by Anna Shirley allowed the Gladiators to enter the second quarter with a one-point advantage.
Strong play from Shirley and Taia Chandler kept the Gladiators in the game, as Bradley connected from deep two more times in the second as the two teams entered the intermission tied at 26.
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“I feel like it gave us an opportunity to catch up and get a little bit ahead so we could gain more confidence,” Bradley said of how her shooting contributed to team success.
The Bison firmly captured control of the game when they opened the second half with a 10-0 run off the backs of another Bradley triple and robust defensive efforts.
“That was big,” Morgan said. “Usually, you talk about the first three minutes of the second half. You usually think, ‘okay, there’s going to be a beginning run, then another run, and a run.’ We like to get that first one. Those first three minutes were very important for us to do that.”
Gap similarly opened the fourth quarter to the third, with a 9-2 run highlighted by nine straight points by Chloe Emurian. While the Gladiators executed a small run in the middle of the quarter, Bradley’s seventh three-pointer with 1:43 left put the Bison up 15 and sealed the victory.
Bradley’s sharp-shooting night netted her 22 points, while Emurian scored 12.
For the Gladiators, Chandler enjoyed a successful contest with 21 points, while Shirley provided 12.
Gap improves to 11-6 with the victory and will host Wilson Memorial on Tuesday. Riverheads falls to 5-10 with the loss and plays at Fort Defiance on Tuesday.
BUFFALO GAP 55, RIVERHEADS 43
BUFFALO GAP 15 11 13 16 — 55
RIVERHEADS 16 10 4 13 — 43
BUFFALO GAP (55) — Bradley 7 0-0 22, Richie 0 1-2 1, Emurian 5 2-3 12, Talley 2 0-5 5, Hemp 2 3-6 7, Coffman 4 0-0 8, Huffer, Miller, Carter, Cline, TOTALS 20 6-16 55.
RIVERHEADS (43) — Chandler 6 9-11 21, Shirley 6 0-0 12, Ralston 0 3-6 3, Myrtle 0 2-2 2, Golladay 2 0-0 5, Poole, Robertson, Collins, TOTALS 14 14-19 43.
