The Boyd Buchanan boys' basketball team is off to a strong start on the hardwood this season, with seven wins through its first 11 games under new head coach Kenneth White.
But the Buccaneers provided their most impressive defensive performance yet in Friday's 49-23 victory at Notre Dame to improve to 2-0 in TSSAA Division II-A East Region play.
Junior guard Gaas Herman showcased great touch from both elbows with his mid-range jumper for the Fighting Irish early in the game, scoring five of his team-high 11 points in the first minute and a half of the battle between Chattanooga rivals.
However, Boyd Buchanan locked things down the rest of the way to make scoring extremely difficult for the home team. Freshman guard Asa Fortune and sophomore Garrison White did not let much get around them as they played strong on-ball defense for the Bucs, along with senior point guard Noah Reid.
"This was a great all-around defensive game for our team," White said. "Everybody got chances to guard Gaas. We wanted to make all of his touches difficult. He is a very talented player, and we knew they are short-handed right now. We tried to make it tough for him tonight and did that for the most part of the game."
Herman started the game 3-of-5 from mid-range, but he missed his next six attempts from the field. After finishing as the state runner-up last year, Notre Dame (0-8, 0-2) is off to a tough start with star Cole McCormick recovering from a fractured wrist. The University of Alabama at Huntsville signee is expected to be back for coach Jonathan Adams' squad by early January, though.
Boyd Buchanan sophomore Caleb Hardaway scored a game-high 14 points, which included a monster two-handed jam off a jump-step into the paint midway through the first quarter. The 6-foot-5 forward has been a bright spot for the Bucs and could be one of the area's top budding stars.
After Hardaway's dunk, the Bucs made four 3-pointers in the last 2:20 of the first quarter to stretch what had been a one-score lead to a 20-7 advantage as sophomore Hudson Jones hit his second 3-pointer to close the period on an assist from White. Jones finished with a trio of 3-pointers.
"These are great kids who are all very coachable," White said. "They are playing hard for us and have embraced change. Noah has been an anchor for us at point guard, and I believe these guys have a very bright future."
Boyd Buchanan girls 37, Notre Dame 35: Sarah Peyton Durham scored eight of her 12 points in the third quarter to help the Lady Bucs hold off a strong finish by the Lady Irish.
Dayonna Perryman also scored a dozen points for Notre Dame, which held a 16-8 scoring advantage in the fourth quarter.
Jada Sanders was 5-of-6 on free throws and added nine points for the victors.
Contact Patrick MacCoon at pmaccoon@timesfreepress.com.