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SIERRA VISTA — Against all odds, the Buena girls basketball team ran the table in the Class 5A Division I Southern Region tournament to earn a state berth they were nowhere near deserving according to power points.
Buena’s stay in state as the No. 15 seed was not long as the Colts were ripped by Gilbert 61-35, but with most of their top players returning, the 2008-09 season looked to be the most promising since Danielle Green and Tannesia Manley led the Lady Colts to the quarterfinals of the state tournament in 2003.
Manley, who went on to play at Cochise College and then Western New Mexico University, is back as an assistant coach, but two of the key underclassmen on last year’s team — leading scorer Tischa Taylor and 6-foot-2 freshman Brianna MacLellan are not.
Taylor moved to Georgia with her family and MacLellan, the younger sister of last year’s 5A Southern Region boys Player of the Year, Brandon MacLellan, elected not to play her sophomore season.
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“We have a decent nucleus coming back,” Buena head coach Mozelle Williams said. “We have skill definitely at the guard position, but we’re not too deep in the post.”
The Colts do return 6-foot center Jelesia Gray, who by the end of last season was averaging nearly 15 rebounds a game, as well as Rebecca Bazos who adds some perimeter shooting to the frontcourt.
The strength of the Colts is in their backcourt, where sophomore point guard Keyondra White returns after a sensational freshman season that included back-to-back clutch threes that propelled Buena to a 49-45 win over Tucson High in the region championship game.
She says her game has improved considerably in the off-season.
“I went up to Phoenix and played AAU with Arizona Elite. I learned a lot of new stuff,” White said. “I definitely shoot better than I used to and I’ll have much nicer assists.”
On the wings, Buena has plenty of returning talent in Ciera Simpson, Taneka Rubin and Claire Maxey.
“Taneka, Ciera and Keyondra can break you down and get to the basket,” Williams said. “Our ball-handling skills have improved, but we’re playing the toughest schedule in the state.”
White thinks this year’s team should be better than last, in spite of the loss of Taylor and MacLellan.
“We’re more focused, more one unit than last year,” White said. “I don’t think (the loss of Taylor and MacLellan) changes it at all. We have people who will step up in their place.”
That ideal unity is what Williams is striving for as the days tick down before the Colts first game Tuesday in the Gilbert Highland tournament against Scottsdale Chapparal.
“It’s just a matter of us realizing our potential and to do that, we’ve got to bust our tail,” Williams said.
Simpson wrote on Dec 18, 2008 2:49 PM: