Gwinnett Daily Post

BUFORD -- Buford beat West Hall 25-18, 25-18 and East Hall 25-21, 25-15 to finish third in the Area 5-AAA tournament Thursday.

All-Area nominee Maggie Roper led Buford (20-15) with 20 kills and 13 digs. Bree Horrocks had nine kills and two blocks.

Tori Payton had 38 assists, and Mikhayla Riegel had 11 digs.

Buford will advance to the state tournament, along with area champion Blessed Trinity, runner-up St. Pius X and No. 4 seed East Hall.

VOLLEYBALL

Mill Creek tops Peachtree Ridge

SUWANEE -- Emily Wylie had seven kills to lead Mill Creek past Peachtree Ridge 25-15, 25-9 in the second round of the Area 6-AAAAAA tournament Thursday.

Audrey Hoffman had three kills, Kaitlyn Lattimer had nine assists, Nina Orr had five digs, and Emily Rose had two and a half blocks for the Hawks.

Mill Creek will play North Gwinnett on Saturday in the next round of the tournament.

Hebron beats Athens Christian, Providence

DACULA -- Hebron Christian earned a 25-4, 25-7 win over Athens Christian and 25-20, 25-17 win over Providence on Thursday at the Area 6-A tournament.Bridgette Oduro led the Lions (33-10) with 15 kills and three blocks. Eden Murray had 14 kills and five aces, and Ashleigh Thomas had 11 kills.

Alli Johnson had eight kills, and Anna Katherine Wilson had 39 assists and eight aces.

Providence (30-13) won its other match Thursday, a 25-21, 25-19 victory over Athens Academy.

Hebron will play in the area semis Saturday at George Walton Academy. Providence must win its first game Saturday to reach the semifinals.

North wins two at area

SUWANEE -- North Gwinnett defeated Collins Hill 25-10, 25-22 and Duluth 25-13, 25-12 on Thursday at the Area 6-AAAAAA tournament.

Gretja Otten had 14 kills, and Miller Howard had 13 kills for the Bulldogs (39-6). Courtney Levitz had 13 digs, and Kristina Stinson had 11 kills.

SOFTBALL

Grayson wins two from Cherokee on Wednesday

CANTON -- Grayson advanced in the Class AAAAAA state playoffs Wednesday by defeating Cherokee 4-2 in the first game and 3-2 in a second game in extra innings.

Peyton Glover (6-4) picked up the win in the second game for the Rams (18-14-1). She allowed two runs and five hits while striking out 10 in an eight-inning performance.

Holly Venus scored the winning run on a passed ball in the eighth inning. Taylor Denton went 1-for-3 with two steals, Glover was 2-for-3 and Rachel Seasholtz was 1-for-2.

Jenn Spangler (10-7-1) won the first game for Grayson. She allowed two runs, seven hits and a walk while striking out three in seven innings.

Denton led the offense, going 3-for-4 with a run and two walks. Sierra Smith was 1-for-4 with a steal and RBI, Glover was 1-for-3 with two RBIs, and Stephanie Snider drove in a run.

-- Compiled by Michael Buckelew