Varsity Cougars Are 3-0
After winning just one game a season ago, the Piedmont Academy varsity boys basketball team has raced out to a 3-0 start following Saturday’s 58-55 road win against Bethlehem Christian Academy.
In a back-and-forth contest Saturday in Bethlehem, the Cougars won on a buzzer-beating three-pointer by Mack Brady.
Chandler Burrell finished with a game-high 22 points, including 13 in the second half. Brady added 14 points, including three baskets from 3-point range. Zach Beggs added 12 points as Piedmont had three players in double figures.
Zach Wilson and Jeremiah Dave both finished with four points while Michael Edwards scored two.
Prior to Saturday’s non-region road contest, the Cougars defeated Young American Christian 56-31 behind a 20-point performance from Burrell. Brady finished with 12 points while Wilson finished with six. Piedmont trailed by eight points after the first quarter, but cut the deficit to one point by halftime.
The Cougars would use a 19-2 run in the third quarter to seize the momentum. Piedmont also outscored Young Americans 16-9 in the final eight minutes.
Piedmont’s varsity boys opened the 2014-2015 season December 3 with a 38-26 road win against Flint River. Burrell scored game high 17 points while Beggs added seven and Brady scored five. Dave and Chris McClain both scored three.
Burrell has played a key role for the Cougars in their first three games. He had 17 points and eight rebounds against Flint River followed by a 20-point/13-rebound game against Young Americans and a 22-point/10-rebound effort against BCA.
“After last year, I’m really happy to see us get some tangible rewards for the hard work,” said coach Michael Wilson. “Right now the team chemistry is great. We are all on the same page with the same objective. We are an exciting team that is fun to watch. The players have fought and clawed each game.”
{{more}}
While the coach said he would like to see more offensive production, the team’s defense and rebounding have been solid.
“We aren’t perfect, but after going 1-24 last year and only having three practices and to be able to pull off three victories is a tremendous boost for us,” Wilson said. “We won three games in four days and that’s a grind in itself. On top if that, it’s never easy to win back-to-back games, but we found a way to do it.”
After winning Friday’s game, the Cougars had to play again less than 24 hours later.
“On Saturday (against BCA) we overcame adversity, being tired and a pretty good offensive team to battle back and get a win. I honestly believe this is a game we wouldn’t have won in the past, but we did the thing good teams do when they fall behind.”
Edwards finished with two points Saturday but his 11 rebounds, two steals and two assists were all key to the win.
“He’s a tremendous athlete who, at 5-10, is an strong as most post players and can run and jump with anyone we will see this year,” his coach said. “He’s the type of defensive player that can take over a game with his athletic ability.”
The play of Burrell, Brady and Beggs have also been key in the successful start.
“Mack and Zach are working really well together running the offense and taking care of the basketball,” Wilson said. “The three combined are averaging 42 points and 17 rebounds and have a 2-1 assist to turnover ratio. That’s a formative three-headed monster that will make it difficult for opponents to match up with.”
While pleased with the early wins on the court, Wilson knows it’s a long season.
“Basketball is a long grind,” he said. “We just need to keep working in practice and continue to understand our roles, believe we are a good team and get in basketball shape. If we do those things then things will fall where they are supposed to fall.”
Piedmont Academy’s varsity girls earned their first win of the season Saturday by defeating Bethlehem Christian 41-16.
Haley Tyler scored a game-high 15 points while Remington Marsh scored nine and Matti Smith added seven. Cheyenne Galloway added six points while MaKennah Holifield scored three.
The Lady Cougars fell to Flint River 28-21 last week despite nine points by Marsh and five from Galloway. Piedmont also got three points from Tyler and two each from Holifield and Amelia Dodson.
Piedmont’s varsity basketball teams are schedule to travel to John Milledge Academy Friday for games beginning at 6 p.m. Piedmont will then travel to Loganville.
* * *
The varsity boys team fell for the first time this season in a 64-45 home loss to Covenant Academy of Macon.
Covenant jumped out to a fast start leading 22-8 after the first quarter. The Cougars continued to trail 39-21 at halftime and 55-33 after the third quarter. Coach Michael Wilson said prior to the game that Covenant would provide a sound test for his team.
Mack Brady paced Piedmont with 13 points while Chandler Burrell added 10. Jeremiah Dave finished with six points while Zach Wilson scored five. Michael Edwards added four points while Zach Beggs scored three. Chris McClain and Chris Cain both scored two.
The Lady Cougars fell 41-33 Tuesday night despite 16 points from Amelia Dodson. Remington Marsh added nine and Cheyenne Galloway scored four. Haley Tyler and Madison Burnham both scored two points.
The Piedmont girls trailed 16-12 after the first quarter and 23-19 at halftime.