TYLER, Texas — One year ago, the Tyler Lady Lions suffered a heartbreaking one-point loss in the first round of the playoffs at the hands of Mount Pleasant. However, they almost came back due to the performance of guard Kalyse Buffin, at the time just a freshman.
A year later, the Lady Lions found themselves down at the half against Lufkin in the first round of the playoffs. But this year, Buffin decided to change the outcome.
She dropped a game-high 24 points, including all 12 of Tyler's fourth quarter points to lead her team to a physical and emotional victory.
"It feels great. We knew coming into this game that we had to get a dub," Buffin said. "We just had to keep up the intensity, keep up the pressure, and have fun."
Buffin took over as the primary point guard after the half and the difference was astounding, sucking the life out of whatever momentum Lufkin had left.
To head coach Amber Wiley, the performance was no surprise. In fact, it's come to be what she expects out of her sophomore guard.
"She's an all-around athlete. I could use her as a 5 if I needed to, or a 3, 2, or 1," Wiley said. "Having her on the court is huge. She doesn't need to do any type of scoring, she's just a facilitator."
The Lady Lions were ecstatic on the court following the victory, but one thing remained perfectly clear amidst the celebration: the job isn't finished.
"We have to keep the intensity and the pressure. Keep the defense and shoot our shot with confidence," Buffin said. "We want to go further than the second round this year, that's our goal. That's it."