Final minute heroics from Robinson lead Buford to Region Championship

BUFORD, GEORGIA - Entering the fourth quarter with only one basket, a three-pointer taken in the third, Chase Robinson was having a quiet game.

Or maybe just waiting for his moment.

Regardless, his 10-point fourth quarter could be described as anything but quiet, especially for those who brought ears to Buford Arena. And that moment came in the final minute, when Robinson calmly ran the shot clock down before hitting the game-winning three in front of the Buford bench with 28 seconds left in regulation, giving Buford the win and Region 8-AAAAAAA Championship over Mill Creek, 55-50.

For Buford head coach Benjie Wood, Robinson’s clutch basket, while exciting, wasn’t too surprising.

“He’s not afraid of the moment,” Wood said of Robinson. “We’ve been working on this and we feel good about him having the ball in his hands and he made big time shots.”

Seemingly having control of the game when the third quarter ended with Buford maintaining an eight-point lead, everyone involved with the game knew it wasn’t over yet. With the two teams battling to a season split in their previous two matchups, neither decided by more than four points, it was understood Mill Creek wouldn’t go down without a fight.

That fight began with the fourth quarter as the Hawks scored the first basket as the start of a 13-2 run that gave Mill Creek a 46-43 lead with around four minutes to go. Buford’s lone two points ended up working against them as a massive momentum-shifting dunk from senior David Burnett was given a technical foul which Mill creek used in their 11-point swing. From there, the two teams traded baskets, with all of Buford’s coming from Robinson.

Robinson tied the game at 48 with a free throw after being fouled on a made basket. Trajen Greco, who finished with a game-high 17 points and was named Region Player of the Year following the game, answered in kind for Mill Creek, scoring an and-one basket to retake the lead 50-48, but missed his free throw. Robinson answered back with another score to tie it at 50 with under two minutes remaining. About a minute of play later, Robinson knocked down the three that proved to be the dagger for Mill Creek and sent Buford Arena into a frenzy. 

That frenzy was then multiplied as a steal and transition score from Burnett with 10 seconds left stole Mill Creek’s lone chance at saving the game. 

For Wood, it’s a moment worth stopping and reflecting on what his team has accomplished.

“It’s a huge win, it’s a Region Championship at 7-A in our first year and our kids persevered, stuck together and were tough,” he said. “They beat a very good Mill Creek team and we’re kind of rivals so it was a fun atmosphere. I just couldn’t be more proud of a group of young men than I am of these kids.”

Buford started the game in a hole, going down 11-2 early and trailing 13-9 at the end of the first quarter. However, much like at the end of the game, the Wolves responded, starting the second quarter on a 12-0 run to get back into the game and take a four-point lead into the half, 24-20. Wood said being able to respond is something they focus on constantly.

“We preach being resilient and being tough,” he said. “The game of basketball is a game of runs so you just have to keep on keeping on. I think in the beginning we were a little too jacked up and excited and we just had to settle down and play basketball.”

Now, with Region Championship in tow, Wood and his team set their sights on the state tournament and the chase for more hardware.

“We get tomorrow off. I tell them to enjoy the day tomorrow, enjoy this, spend time with their families, rest and recover and we go back to work on Friday,” he said. 

When it comes to being tournament ready, Wood said that this time in the season is what is in mind all year long.

“We just trust the process and do what we’ve done all year,” Wood said. “We try to prepare all year for this time of year and so we’ll just keep doing what we’re doing.”

With the win, Buford will represent Region 8-AAAAAAA as its No. 1 seed in the state tournament, with Mill Creek set to go as the No. 2 seed. Mountain View took the No. 3 seed in a 55-54 win over Collins Hill in the third place game earlier in the day. The Eagles will represent as the No. 4 seed in the tournament.