SUWANEE, GA – Two teams who are familiar with each other because of the distance between both schools was not about to back up in any way.

Peachtree Ridge and Buford locked into a battle that neither was going to backup from at the Jared Cook Tip-Off Classic. After a standstill for most of the game, Buford escaped with a 77-70 win at North Gwinnett High School.

“They’re a good program,” Wolves coach Allen Whitehart said. “We don’t know how to win. We’re learning as we go.”

Buford (1-1) is a quick study after losing its season-opener. The Wolves had to understand it could not walk into a game where teams were going to just bow down to them. Buford went back to the basics of playing hard basketball.

D’Marcus Simmonds made sure Buford was going to play better. The 6-foot-4 sophomore had an impressive evening of 34 points and 10 rebounds.

“This game down to preparation,” Simmonds said. “We thought we had a good team this year but lost our first game. We came into this game with a different outlook.”

The outlook was not officially done until the final minute. Simmonds gave Buford a 71-67 lead.

Buford went on a 6-0 run to finish the game, which ended on a Simmonds windmill dunk.

Peachtree Ridge had an opportunity to take control of the game but failed to finish around the baskets. A few times the Lions (0-1) missed some easy baskets that could have helped them take or cut the lead.

“We didn’t finish around the rim real good,” Peachtree Ridge coach Keith Arrington said. “We have to finish those plays.”

One player not having any problem finishing around the basket for Buford was Rakim Lubin. The 6-foot-8 power forward ate up space around the basket for 24 points and 17 rebounds.

Another bright spot for the Wolves was Matt McMorris. The unsigned senior point guard knocked down shots, especially a critical three-pointer during the Wolves run. He finished with 14 points.

Peachtree Ridge’s Aaron Augustin finished with a team-high 24 points and seven assists. Darryl Greer, a senior, knocked down five three-pointers to finish with 18 points. Sophomore Romelo White had 10 points and nine rebounds.