Cougar Hoopsters Win
A season of rebuilding finally paid dividends for the Piedmont Academy varsity boys basketball team.
The Cougars earned their first win of the season Saturday defeating non-region foe Briarwood 70-44 on the road. Chandler Burrell scored a game-high 24 points, including three baskets from 3-point range, to help lead the team.
“I thought the whole team played well and worked together for the win,” said coach Michael Wilson. “We had great leadership from Zach Beggs, Chandler Burrell and Hank Strickland. We did a great job of taking care of the basketball and not forcing attempts or settling for a three.”
Strickland finished with 16 points and Beggs added 15 as Piedmont jumped out to a 14-10 lead after the first quarter and a 31-16 advantage by halftime.
“It definitely feels good to get the monkey off our back and get a tangible reward for the work that’s been put in,” Wilson said. “I felt we moved the basketball pretty well on offense and were able to attack the middle of their zone and get some easy baskets. This allowed the perimeter to open up and our shooters capitalized on those looks.”
Mack Brady contributed six points in Saturday’s victory while Michael Edwards scored three and Zach Sanders, Chris Cain and Zach Wilson all scored two.
“The biggest factors on defense for us were the fact we were disciplined and our aggression created turnovers,” Wilson said. “Our schedule has been brutal this year and with us being so young I think it may have hurt our confidence early.
“However, the last few weeks we’ve been focused only on worrying about what we can control and not worrying about our opponents or the referees. Saturday we maintained our composure and the team was determined to put Briarwood away by playing our game. I’ve never stopped believing or telling them they are a good team.”
For the Lady Cougars, it was a tough trek to Briarwood as they fall 59-36. The loss overshadowed a strong 17-point effort from Remington Marsh. Amelia Dodson finished with eight points while Cheyenne Galloway and Anna Jones both scored five.
Piedmont was off Tuesday and will return to action this week against Furtah Prep Friday on the road and Covenant Academy Saturday at home. Varsity games begin at 6 p.m. Friday and 2 p.m. Saturday.