Buffalo Gap Rolls On In Class 1 State Hoops Tournament

BUFFALO GAP – The third time has to be the charm.

Buffalo Gap girls basketball clinched its third-straight trip to the Class 1 state tournament semifinals Tuesday night after the red-hot Bison clobbered the Colonial Beach Drifters 71-19 in a quarterfinal mismatch.

What does a third time have to do with anything? It is everything for the Bison.

The state semifinals have become a recurring nightmare for the Bison over the last two seasons, losing each time by one point after leading in the fourth quarter. Gap wants that nightmare to end Friday. If that happens, Gap will be back at VCU's Siegel Center in Richmond for the first time in three years for the 12:30 p.m. championship game on March 14.

And if the incentive to halt the bad mojo wasn't already strong, it became stronger when Brunswick knocked out Westmoreland 48-41 in their quarterfinal clash Tuesday to earn another rematch with the Bison, the fourth meeting in the last two years. The Bulldogs ended Gap's season in 2024 in the semifinals. The Bison routed Brunswick 66-23 in Friday's regional championship played at Louisa County High School.

Gap will be the host team for the semifinal showdown. The site will be announced Wednesday.

“We can't underestimate anyone,” Gap senior Hannah Coffman said. “We got up big both times in the semifinals, but let them [Rappahannock County and Brunswick] come back on us. I have preached all season we may think we are better, but don't underestimate any team.”

Coffman wants to finish her brilliant career on the Siegel Center floor where her freshman season ended.

“I would rather go out at the Siegel Center either as a champion or runner-up,” she said.

Karah Richie, another senior who has also endured her share of heartbreak, also wants another crack at the Siegel Center.

“It would be amazing to be back there again,” she said. “We need to keep pushing and worry about us. We go hard in practice, and that makes all of us better. We are at the point where we need everyone making contributions.”

Gap (21-4) has won its last six games and nine of 10 going into the state semifinals. The lone blemish during that span was a 46-43 setback at Stuarts Draft, which lost its Class 2 state quarterfinal game Tuesday to John Marshall 62-51.

The Bison have been running roughshod over their competition in the postseason, winning their four games by an average of 40 points.

Colonial Beach (19-6), a member of the Northern Neck District in Region 1A, had to make the nearly three-hour trip to western Augusta County after losing to district rival Westmoreland, 49-38, in the regional title game Saturday. It was a longer trip back after the season-ending 52-point loss.

But to the Drifters' credit, they did have the score tied at 2-2 before the onslaught commenced. In Gap's previous two regional games, it jumped to 19-0 and 10-0 leads.

After that early deadlock, the Bison finished the first quarter on a 25-3 blitz. Gap rained down four 3s during the run, including back-to-back ones banked in by Lexi Hemp and Coffman.

“When you are banking in 3s, you know it is going to be a good night,” Gap head coach Phillip Morgan said.

The Drifters turned the ball over nine times in the quarter against Gap's pressure, leading to nine points.

The second quarter wasn't any better for Colonial Beach, getting outscored 18-2 for a 45-7 Grand Canyon-sized halftime deficit. The Drifters turned the ball eight more times for another nine points, and Gap dominated the offensive glass for eight second-chance points in the first 16 minutes.

In the last two games, the Bison's defense has allowed nine and seven points in the first half, while putting up 67.

Coffman had 20 first-half points, 10 in each quarter, and four 3s.

“Once we got rolling in the first quarter, things really snowballed and came together,” Morgan said. “That was a really good first half. We got a lot of easy stuff.”

The intensity level dropped in the second half, but Morgan wasn't surprised.

“It's hard to keep the defensive intensity,” he said. “We settled back in after starting slow again to begin the second half. Everyone contributed tonight and did a good job.”

Colonial Beach's seven field goals all came at the rim, plus five free throws.

The Bison had 41 rebounds in the game, and 22 of those came on the offensive end. Gap also had 16 steals, but more importantly for Morgan, only committed six turnovers.

The 71-point explosion was the Bison's biggest of the season.

Coffman finished with a well-balanced effort of 20 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists and three blocks. Junior Kayleigh Hemp tallied 13. Freshman Bailey Tribble had eight points and eight rebounds, while fellow freshman Lexi Hemp came off the bench to score a career-high 12 points, including a pair from downtown.

“Lexi had a great game,” Morgan said. “She was hitting the shots when she had them.”

The Drifters, who have only one senior on the roster, got nine points from freshman Trinity Dyson and six from junior Carlyn Middleton.

COLONIAL BEACH (19) – Middleton 3 0-0 6, Dyson 4 1-3 9, Wolfe 0 1-2 1, Rosier 0 2-3 2, McGinniss 0 1-2 1, Barron, Cooke, Papanicolas, Dickerson, Hooper, Plunkett, Michalicek, TOTALS 7 5-10 19.

BUFFALO GAP (71) – L.Hemp 5 0-0 12, Richie 1 1-2 3, R.Showalter 2 0-0 4, Tribble 4 0-0 8, Woods 0 1-2 1, Swisher 1 0-0 3, K.Hemp 5 2-4 13, Carter 2 3-4 7, Coffman 8 0-1 20, Wooddell, F.Showalter, Pierce, Caricofe, TOTALS 28 7-13 71.