Trojans' defense stops Cougars

Mon. February 13, 2012 at 11:06 p.m. | By Powell Latimer | StarNews Staff Writer

SHALLOTTE | With 28 seconds to play and West Brunswick clinging to a three-point lead, Taylor Buffkin stole an errant South Brunswick pass and sprinted for a layup.
Buffkin's play provided a fitting conclusion to West Brunswick's defense-dominated, 50-45 win against South Brunswick (8-13) in the Waccamaw Conference tournament's first round Monday.
"Everything we do is based on our defense," West Brunswick coach Eric Davis said. "How well we play is dictated by how well we play defense."
Defense allowed West Brunswick (13-10) to build an early lead and then thwarted the Cougars' comeback attempts.
With the win, the Trojans advance to a second-round game against West Bladen on Wednesday. The Knights secured the conference title at East Bladen on Friday.
In the first half, it seemed as though West Brunswick would shut down South entirely. The Trojans closed the passing lanes to try and keep the larger South Brunswick forwards from getting the ball inside.
"The way we play defense, we try to keep teams out of the paint and force teams to jump shoot," Davis said.
The Cougars obliged and settled for perimeter jump shots, but weren't able to connect. South Brunswick attempted plenty of 3-pointers in the first half, but didn't make one until the 4:34 mark in the third quarter.
When South Brunswick's offense finally came alive in the second half, West Brunswick attacked the passing lanes and came up with key turnovers to maintain the advantage. Buffkin's steal was the third in the second half by West Brunswick – and the most critical.
Buffkin was also a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter.
"Big-time players make big plays, and that's what he had to do for us down the stretch," Davis said. "He's been struggling from the free-throw line all year and I was glad to see him step up tonight and make those."
"Just like I said (tonight), it's hard to beat someone three times," Davis said. "So hopefully it'll be tough for those guys. I know our guys will be ready."

Powell Latimer: 343-2261
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