Kalyse Buffin, Braylah Miller guide Tyler Lady Lions past Lindale

Published 4:02 pm Saturday, November 5, 2022

LINDALE — Tyler gave a glimpse of its future on Saturday afternoon.

It also displayed that the present is bright, as well.

Sophomore Kalyse Buffin and freshman Braylah Miller combined for 43 points as the Lady Lions moved to 2-0 on the young basketball season with a 55-47 win over Lindale inside Eagle Gymnasium.

Buffin — the 2021-22 Tyler Morning Telegraph All-East Texas Newcomer of the Year — scored 26 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Miller finished with 17 points and 13 rebounds.

The Lady Lions rolled to a 63-9 win over Dallas Kimball on Friday.

Tyler led 5-0 nearly three minutes into the game. Justtice Taylor — the lone senior in the starting lineup — got a layup right out of the gate on an assist by Buffin, and Buffin later knocked down a 3-pointer coming off of a screen.

The Lady Lions started a senior, two sophomores and two freshmen on Saturday.

Lindale got on the board with a 3-pointer by Makenna Burks with 5:09 on the clock, and she was fouled. Burks made the free throw to spark an 8-0 run for the Lady Eagles. Lindale led 11-9 after the opening quarter.

Tyler got a quick layup by Buffin to start the second quarter before Brooke Everest hit a three for Lindale followed by a floater from Burks to make the score 16-11 with 5:30 to play in the second quarter. Tyler went on an 11-0 run in the final 4:22 of the half. A’Niya Hartsfield assisted a bucket by Kyla Crawford in the final seconds to give the Lady Lions a 22-16 halftime lead.

Tyler’s run extended into the third quarter. The Lady Lions opened the second half on a 13-0 run, making it a 24-0 run overall to go up 35-16.

With 6:13 left in the third quarter, Everest went up for a rebound and came down and hit her head on the court, forcing her to miss the remainder of the game.

Marley Keith scored 10 points for Lindale in the final 4:09 of the third quarter cutting the score to 41-29.

Free throws were the story of the fourth quarter as there were 29 free throws attempted in the final frame.

Tyler got its lead up to 46-29 early in the fourth quarter with two free throws by Buffin and an old-fashioned 3-point play for Miller.

Lindale responded with a 9-2 run and got the deficit to as close as seven, but the Lady Lions were able to hold on for the victory.

“I think we just had tired legs from last night, if anything, turning around and then coming in and playing this game,” Tyler girls basketball coach Amber Wiley said. “But at the end of the day, it’s still early in the season, and we’re still young, very young. You can only just expand on that and improve. We play Tuesday at Terrell, and I think between now and Tuesday, we’ve got some little things to clean up. Each day is an improvement for us.

“I was very ecstatic of the performance they gave. At the end of the day, these girls are going to hustle, and they’re going to dive on the floor. They’re going to do all of the small things, and that’s what we teach daily, do the small things that help us win the game.”

Hartsfield had 4 points for the Lady Lions (2-0), who will take on Terrell at 6:15 p.m. Tuesday in Terrell. Crawford and Bra’shai Miller each had 3 points, and Taylor added 2 points and eight steals.

Keith led Lindale with 19 points — 16 in the second half — and grabbed five rebounds. Burks had 9 points. Landri Laing had 7 points and 10 rebounds, and Jillian Ortiz had 6 points and 13 rebounds. Everest scored 5 points, and Abigail Lee chipped in with 1 point.

Lindale (0-1) will play Jacksonville at 6:15 p.m. Tuesday in Jacksonville.