Cooper's Aja Wheeler (left) and Alexandria's Ella Grove battled for the ball in the first half of the Class 3A quarterfinals Thursday at Williams Arena. PHOTO: ELIZABETH FLORES • liz.flores@startribune.com
Cooper senior Jada Buford came into the state tournament averaging nearly 8 points per game. It turns out, the big stage agrees with her.
She scored a season-high 20 points in her team’s 58-51 Class 3A quarterfinal victory over unseeded Alexandria on Wednesday at Williams Arena. It was the Hawks’ 20th consecutive victory.
“I play better when I’m kind of just in my zone,” Buford said.
Photo gallery: Class 3A quarterfinals
After a first half when the top-seeded Hawks (27-2) shot just 24.4 percent, Buford made one of her three 3-pointers to start the second half.
Buford’s older sister, Kiara Buford, coaches the team and acknowledged some jitters for her program in its first state trip.
“Missed a lot of layups today,” the coach said. “That’s our bread and butter.”
Freshman Andrea Tribble added 18 points off the bench, including going 3-for-3 from 3-point range. She made one of them with 13 seconds left in the first half for a 27-24 lead at the break.
“I really just had to contribute to the team,” Tribble said.
Alexandria senior Courtney Gould led her team with 15 points. The Cardinals (23-6) led for much of the first half and kept it close. Cooper just hit the big shots when they needed them.
“They’re a fantastic defensive team,” Alexandria coach Wendy Kohler said.
First report
It wasn’t the most dominant start for first-time state entrant Cooper, but the Hawks got the job done in the second half to win their 20th consecutive game and advance to the state semifinals.
A 3-pointer from freshman Andrea Tribble with 13 seconds to go in the first half gave the top-seeded Hawks a 27-24 halftime lead to help propel them to a 58-51 victory over unseeded Alexandria (23-6) in the Class 3A quarterfinals on Wednesday at Williams Arena.
The Hawks (27-2) struggled early with their inside shots, going just 2-for-14 with 11:02 to play in the first half and trailing 9-5 to the Cardinals. Their 3-point shooting came up big in the second half, though, with three each from senior Jada Buford and from Tribble.
Buford led the Hawks in scoring with a season-high 20 points. Alexandria senior Courtney Gould led her team with 15 points.
Check back later for more on the game.
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