Lady Cougars Win; Boys Lose
Piedmont Academy’s road trip to Flint River Tuesday produced mixed results.
The Lady Cougars recorded a 45-42 overtime win while the boys dropped a close 68-66 decision. Those games wrapped up Piedmont’s schedule until after Christmas.
The Piedmont girls tied their game with approximately 30 seconds left in the fourth quarter to force overtime. Once the overtime period began, the Lady Cougars outscored Flint River 7-4.
Three players finished in double figures including Emily Beckham (15), Carrie Tucker (14) and Kirstie Lewis (10). Coach Kenny Roberts said Lewis really stepped up her play Tuesday night.
Beth Hamilton helped provide a spark for Piedmont in the fourth quarter with four points and four steals. Mary Beth O’Brien had eight rebounds and Priscilla Jones played solid defense against the Lady Wildcats’ point guard.
The Piedmont boys had a disappointing two-point setback despite a 22-point night from Zac Hauther.
Coach Roberts said Hauther has been working extremely hard on his post play and turned in a great game Tuesday night. A three-pointer by Hauther late in the game brought the Cougars to within two points.
Taylor Jackson and Josh Phillips both added 10 points while Lance Richardson added nine points.
Prior to Tuesday’s contest, Piedmont hosted Class AAA John Milledge Saturday. The Lady Cougars fell 62-35 despite being down just 25-18 at halftime.
“I thought we had played very well defensively in the first two quarters,” Roberts said. “John Milledge caught fire in the second half, however, and had two players score more than 20 points each.”
The Lady Trojans are among the favorites in Class AAA to reach the Final Four in 2006-07.
“They just overpowered us in the second half,” Roberts said.
Tucker finished with a team-high 17 points while Beckham scored 10, all in the first half. Lewis added six points and Kayla Landreau finished with two.
The Piedmont boys fell to John Milledge 59-44 in a game that Roberts said he believed his team could have won.
“We didn’t play very well defensively and we were ice cold in the second half,” the coach said.
Piedmont’s numbers from the floor in the second quarter say it all as the Cougars were only 4-of-34 and only five of those attempts were outside the paint.
Phillips scored 11 points, all in the first half, with Jackson adding eight. Whit Morgan had six points and 10 rebounds while Hauther scored six with 11 boards.
The Piedmont teams did sweep Monroe Academy last Friday at home. The Lady Cougars took a 49-22 victory while the boys rolled to a 76-29 decision.
The Lady Cougars were led by Tucker’s 21 points. Roberts said the key for the Piedmont girls was better free throw shooting. The team was successful on 17 free throws in the fourth quarter alone.
Meg Eckerle added 12 points while Beckham had 10 rebounds.
The Piedmont boys had no trouble with Monroe as Roberts was able to go deep into his bench as early as the third quarter. The team set a season record for most points in a quarter with 29 in the second.
Jackson led the team with 16 points followed by Phillips with 12 and Hauther with 11 points and 12 boards.
The Piedmont teams will next compete in a holiday tournament at First Presbyterian in Macon Dec. 27-29.