The Buford varsity girls basketball team’s season came to a disappointing end on Saturday afternoon, Mar. 4 at Georgia State University after the Lady Wolves lost to the defending Class AAAAAAA state champion Norcross. The Lady Blue Devils beat Buford 58-46 in the GHSA Class AAAAAAA State Semifinals.

Buford went into halftime with a 29-26 lead but Norcross rallied in the second half to take the lead from the Lady Wolves. Missed opportunities and the pressure Norcross kept on Buford proved too much for the Lady Wolves in their first season in Class AAAAAAA.

This was Buford’s first trip to the Final Four since 2020, the same year as the Lady Wolves’ last state championship.

Ava Grace Watson was the offensive standout for Buford against Norcross as she scored 25 points. Betty Nguyen was the next highest scorer for Buford with seven points.

Buford ends their season with an overall record of 27-4. In their first season in Class AAAAAAA, the Lady Wolves were the Region 8-AAAAAAA champions and made it to the Final Four. Prior to this game, Buford was ranked No. 3 in the state regardless of classification and No. 2 in Class AAAAAAA according to Max Preps.