Coward’s triple double leads Buhach Colony basketball to victory

Brandy Coward needed a break, so the Buhach Colony High School senior center asked for a substitution early in the fourth quarter.

Her coach disagreed. There was no way Thunder basketball coach Shane Gentry was taking out his best player. Not against Merced.

The move paid off. Coward finished with a triple double, scoring 21 points and snatching 10 rebounds and 11 steals to lead Buhach Colony (3-0) to a 49-40 win over the Bears in the semifinals of the 20th annual Lady Cougar Classic on Friday night.

“Brandy wanted out; my assistant coach told me she asked out,” Gentry said. “I said no. My plan was for us to get a rebound, and then I’ll call a time out. I didn’t feel I could afford to take her out of the game at that point.”

Coward, who is one of the top sprinters in the Sac-Joaquin Section, felt as if she’d run a series of 400-meter sprints.

“I needed a break, but I’m glad I stayed in,” Coward said. “I was able to get my break at the free throw line. Yeah, it would have been nice to get a break, but I lived.”

Not only was Coward carrying the offensive load for the Thunder, but she was also guarding Merced’s top offensive threat in Lexi Thompson. Coward helped keep Thompson scoreless in the first half as Buhach Colony took a 24-15 lead.

Both teams struggled offensively in the first two quarters. Merced made 6 of 24 shots. The Thunder didn’t do much better, making 8 of 26.

The difference was Buhach Colony’s ability to get to the free throw line. The Thunder made 8 of 18 free throws in the first half, and Merced didn’t get to the line.

The Thunder extended that lead to 27-17 midway through the third quarter, and then Thompson caught fire.

The junior guard scored 15 points in a row for Merced as the Bears pulled within 38-32 by the end of the third quarter.

“When I’m tired, I reach a lot and she’s quick,” Coward said. “I would reach and miss, and she would go by me.”

Outside of Thompson’s big third quarter, Merced struggled with turnovers, finishing with 28. The Bears also made just three three-pointers after hitting nine Thursday night against El Capitan.

Symone Gilliam hit two of the threes and scored 10 points for Merced, which will play Golden Valley in today’s third-place game at noon.

Kaylee Lynch scored 10 points and Raiajua Slaton added eight points and strong defense for the Thunder, which will play Madera in today’s championship game at 1:30 p.m.

“We were talking about what has been the difference for us from our game against El Cap on Tuesday and the last two games,” Gentry said. “The difference has been Brandy. She’s awake. She came to play. When she does that, she’s the best player on the floor.”

This story was originally published December 5, 2014 at 10:19 PM with the headline "Coward’s triple double leads Buhach Colony basketball to victory."